“Bron”—The Original “Bridge”
“Bron”—the original “Bridge” is a well written, well balanced story in which every episode is riveting, complexly plotted, and occasionally funny. The Bridge has earned the honor of two versions being produced: an American/Mexican and a British/French one (renamed “The Tunnel”–see my August 7, 2016 review).
With three seasons now completed and only the first imitated in the other versions, we are seeing one of the best narratives in a television series ever. This detective series, in its second and third seasons, outdoes its own standard of excellence. The main character—Saga Noren (the incomparable Sofia Helin)—is a reserved, non-emotive personality. She is brusque where her male partners (two different ones—Season 1: Martin and Seasons 2 and 3: Henrik) are the emotional, sensitive policemen trying to understand her behavior and lack of social skills. And as the series progresses, the viewer comes to admire her professional drive and ache for the damage and horrific backstory that makes Saga who she is.
It is rare when the succeeding seasons are better than the first, but “Bron” is the exception. Season 3 is also the most complicated with parallel storylines running through and crossing over each other so that the subplots are difficult to follow at times.
The two leading characters –male and female, Danish and Swedish—dance in a dynamic that is an interplay of pain and release, over and over again. While neither is sympathetic most of the time, the viewer will see humor in their idiosyncrasies. Saga and Henrik will certainly rank as some of the most original TV detectives to date. This series was a joy to watch with so many twists and turns before learning the identity of the killer that I think I may have to watch Seasons 2 and 3 again, before Season 4 is released next year. Rent them on Netflix and binge view one of the best detective dramas developed to date.
Even if you don’t like subtitles, after the intensity and suspense build up you will forget about those little white letters at the bottom of the screen!
Trust me—this is drama at its very best!
Marcella –Battling Inner Demons - Unhealed Wound
[…] Marcella is written and directed and produced by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of The Bridge. Two seasons on Netflix delves into the psychology of a deeply troubled London […]
Lenore Gay
Since I don’t have Netflix I’ve never heard of this series. Perhaps one day I’ll see it.
Right now I find enough good programming on cable.
Thanks.
Angela
Great write up! Love, love, loved Bron season 1 and 2 and have been waiting impatiently for season 3 availability for way too many years. Bron is the reason I was unable to appreciate The USA version of The Bridge. I know what I’ll be watching now that I’ve just finished Gomorrah, a superb Italian series that reminds me a lot of The Wire and I can’t recommend enough.
I missed Bron when it first aired on the BBC UK . So happy Netflix finally picked up all 3 seasons.