The first episode of the third series of the British version of 'Wallander' opens with a girl going outside on the ferry from Poland to Sweden; at first it looks as though she might jump; she doesn't though, she is pushed. A passenger sees her fall but a roll call suggests that nobody is missing. Some time Wallander is moving into a new house with his partner Vanja when he is called away; the girl's body has washed up; or at least what is left of her has. He hasn't got far into the investigation when a second body is discovered; this time it is buried under some blackcurrant bushes in the garden of Kurt's new house
he now has two murders to deal with. The investigation into the latter body leads him to question the house's previous tenants; one in particular raises his suspicion as his daughter apparently disappeared around the time they moved; he claims she moved to America but there is no evidence that she ever left Sweden. Kurt and Ann-Britt return to his scrap yard but a confrontation leads to Ann-Britt being hospitalised with serious head injuries
a search leads to the discovery of the rifle that killed the girl so it looks as if the case is solved until they get a call from Arizona confirming that the daughter is alive
clearly Kurt will have to find a new line of inquiry if he is to find who really killed her. The other case appears to be going nowhere as well until Kurt gets a rather surprising call.
Anybody hoping that things would get brighter for Wallander this series will be sorely disappointed; Kenneth Branagh's incarnation of the Swedish detective continues to be the most downbeat in my opinion. He goes a great job though; making the constantly depressed officer seem believable and given the number of deaths he deals with it is of little surprise that he is always down. The rest of the cast perform well too; I particularly liked Sarah Smart's performance as Ann-Britt; her happier character is a good counterpoint to Wallander; I just hope her character doesn't get written out after the injuries she sustained. The mystery is typical of this kind of detective series but none the worse for that; there are enough suspects to keep viewers guessing. There are a few real shocks and a couple of distressing scenes; most notably when Ann-Britt is hit in the head with a sledgehammer and when the killer murders another girl in his car.
People who have enjoyed previous episodes of the BBC version of Wallander are sure to enjoy this; fans of the Swedish versions who how have yet to see this version should give it a go too; it is different obviously but still entertaining.
Anybody hoping that things would get brighter for Wallander this series will be sorely disappointed; Kenneth Branagh's incarnation of the Swedish detective continues to be the most downbeat in my opinion. He goes a great job though; making the constantly depressed officer seem believable and given the number of deaths he deals with it is of little surprise that he is always down. The rest of the cast perform well too; I particularly liked Sarah Smart's performance as Ann-Britt; her happier character is a good counterpoint to Wallander; I just hope her character doesn't get written out after the injuries she sustained. The mystery is typical of this kind of detective series but none the worse for that; there are enough suspects to keep viewers guessing. There are a few real shocks and a couple of distressing scenes; most notably when Ann-Britt is hit in the head with a sledgehammer and when the killer murders another girl in his car.
People who have enjoyed previous episodes of the BBC version of Wallander are sure to enjoy this; fans of the Swedish versions who how have yet to see this version should give it a go too; it is different obviously but still entertaining.