The Killing on BBC4

[aeolium]

I thought the relationship exploration was overdone in The Killing, especially the focus on the Pernille/Theis which seemed close to voyeurism, and the tiresome issue of Lund's possible move to Sweden, which was eventually completely discarded in the latter part of the series. Most of the tension arose from the false leads and the complexity of the plot, as well as the issues of trust, who could be trusted. Most of the characters were interesting in themselves, which helped. But as a personal preference I don't think it is the business of detective series to go in for in-depth studies of human relationships which can all too easily simply end up as padding or the kind of clichéd formulas which are the staple of so many TV dramas and soap operas.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i could not disagree more aeolium; the whole nexus of relationships and betrayal was the point of The Killing - even the killer turns out to be an adopted member of the family - it was a dark essay in the vicissitudes of loyalty and responsibility in every relationship in the drama - hence i think its grip ....

[kernelbogey]

Yes I liked Henriksson as Wallander better than the fatter guy who played him in the movie version.

Anyone seen the Italian Commmissario Montalbano made for tv series set in Sicily? The novels are crackers (i.e. excellent!), but I don't think the tele version has come out here.

[kernelbogey]

[....] the focus on the Pernille/Theis which seemed close to voyeurism[...]

Only just saw Aeolium's post for some reason.... I agree with Calum. Your use, Aeolium, of the word 'voyeurism' suggests to me that you found it very realistic - a big tribute, no? I don't see why detective series shouldn't portray relationships. Think of the Morse series (books and tv) - they focus on relationships (suspects as well as Morse/Lewis).

[aeolium]

Well, I did find The Killing an impressive series, though I thought there was a fair amount of padding, inevitable in a 20-hour story. Of course the working relationships and those which are important for the plot are key ingredients and the good thing about The Killing was the way that these were generally kept relevant to the way the two interlinked stories developed, the investigation into the murder and the build-up to the election. But I am not greatly interested, for a detective story, in the personal life or lives of the detective(s). Do Holmes and Watson have a relationship other than that for which they collaborate on an investigation? Does Marlowe have any kind of relationship? Maigret?

And ultimately Lund in The Killing is single-minded in her pursuit of the solution, sacrificing her family life and resisting the obstacles put in her way by her superior officers (and overcoming the scepticism of her colleague Meyer). Even after he is killed reluctantly assisting her in another dark house search that she has initiated, her guilt does not prevent her from carrying on the pursuit. To that extent she is a loner, following in the line of a long tradition of loner detectives (including Wallander).

[kernelbogey]

Well, we shall have to agree to disagree on that, I think. If you should read Andrea Camilleri's novels about Commissario Brunetti, you will find him a pretty sociable detective. You will also be treated to detailed descriptions of many of his meals, which I find admirable. Quite irrelevant to the plot or the unravelling of the crime, but I guess that's how things are in southern Italy. Personally, I find that charming.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yes Lund betrays everyone in her life and even fails at the end as Theis succumbs [reminiscent of the end of Seven, great movie]

[Mahlerei]

Surely voyeurism is an integral part of the 'tec/suspense film? Think of Hitchock - the opening shot of Psycho and later Norman Bates spying on Marion Crane, for instance; or Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. And then there's Chinatown, with it's snooping 'tec and the eye motif. And more recently Haneke's Hidden, with its voyeuristic camera. It's all about the uncovering of secrets, and that's why these films are so compelling/uncomfortable.

[aeolium]

Yes, and of course the famous Peeping Tom which probably influenced a number of those. I suppose it's a question of degree, the point at which the action of which the viewers are voyeurs becomes gratuitous rather than meaningful. I'm thinking of films which depict gang-rape or TV series like the Messiah one where the detail of successively more elaborate murders seemed almost to be depicted with relish by the director. In The Killing it was extreme emotional suffering which was depicted rather than physical, and there was the added justification that the family association with the killer required them to be a continuing part of the story, but it was the context that made me uncomfortable with it.

[Paul Sherratt]

absolutely; better even than the Swedish Wallander with Krister Henriksson and Lena Endre ... [sigh]

http://mobil.hd.se/multimedia/dynamic/00295/76005_85_jpg_295186d.jpg

Jussi ... sigh

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

hi Paul where ya bin?

[Paul Sherratt]

Bin working at around 4x's the usual level and then had a week away where the internet is too troublesome to entertain ( via the OH's phone )
Thanks for asking !

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

welcome back, alas i know the 4x caper

in the meanwhile a new political thriller from USA started tonight on BBC4, Rubicon just slipped into the schedule quietly ... cool, cryptic and the first episode intriguing in a rather down beat way .... another welcome diversion

[johnb]

I watched Rubicon last night. Perhaps my hearing is worse than I thought but I found the dialogue was often very difficult to understand. Much of the speech seemed muffled and indistinct. Perhaps it is the particular American accent they employed. In the end I switched on the subtitles in order to catch what was being said!!!

[amateur51]

welcome back, alas i know the 4x caper

in the meanwhile a new political thriller from USA started tonight on BBC4, Rubicon just slipped into the schedule quietly ... cool, cryptic and the first episode intriguing in a rather down beat way .... another welcome diversion

Cheers for this Calum - I was getting Killing withdrawals but this looks what my Taid would have called 'just the ticket'!