[EDITOR'S NOTE: This trilogy set from Australia does not play in a standard U.S. DVD player; you need a worth-buying international player.]
These thoughts regarding the third (and final) season in the Madman Entertainment DVD set of the original Danish version of the procedural series "The Killing" wraps up the Unreal TV coverage of one of the two "granddaddies" in the group of "Nordic Noir" series in the Madman catalog. The next entry will be on the third and final season of the original Swedish/Danish of "The Bridge." S1 of "Occupied" by "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" author Jo Nesbro is up after that. That one revolves around Russia completing an allegedly humanitarian occupation of Norway.
"Killing" S3 shows awesome regard for this critically and audience-acclaimed series in paying homage to the prior seasons. This season begins with discovering body parts in a harbor presenting the first clues in a season-long mystery for Copenhagen police detective Sarah Lund. Her investigation soon leads to an even more gruesome discovery on a ship owned by oil company Zeeland, which is owned by Robert Zeuthen.
The initial political tie-in that is a staple of "Killing" comes in the form of Prime Minister Kristian Kamper finding his efforts to provide Zeuthen adequate financial incentives to abandon plans to move his company from Denmark to Asia becoming a hot issue in his re-election campaign against challenger Anders Ussing.
Other early season developments that tie the current crime to the death of a tween girl a year earlier lead to the perpetrator of the present day mayhem to kidnap Robert's nine-year old daughter Emile. For his part, Ussing mines political capital from that offense.
Lund is kept busy investigating the death, which seems to involve high-level cover-ups, of the first girl and the kidnapping of Emile and having series-long family drama interfere with her efforts to facilitate getting the perpetrator to release Emile.
Additional drama comes in the form of the inner-circle political betrayals that are a staple of "Killing," the best intentions of concerned father Robert hampering the efforts to return Emile home, and the history between Lund and new partner Mathias Borch. This is not to mention the abrasive rookie, Lund postponing starting a new job, and the confidante who may be less trustworthy than he seems that are additional staples of both "Killing" and "Nordic Noir."
As indicated above, this final outing for "Killing" has plenty of material for suspense and political drama. There truly is not a dull moment, and the series easily passes the "one more" test.
The larger picture is that this season keeps the "Killing" concept of a police investigation, a political career in peril, and a crime deeply affecting the victim of that offense fresh. It also illustrates the lesson that television producers in every country except the United States knows; quitting before your concept gets stale makes the most sense.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Killing" is strongly encouraged to email me. You can also connect on Twitter via
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