The Killing II (2009)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Killing II (2009) – S. Sveistrup

A couple of years after the first series, creator Søren Sveistrup brought police detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) back for a return engagement in this highly watchable Copenhagen drama that skilfully mixes detective work and politics while maintaining aspects of the thriller genre.  At the end of the last series, despite solving the case, Lund was basically sacked for breaking the rules; so here we find her working at a border security centre, far from the homicide squad.  But not for long, her old superior Brix soon calls her in to help with a case that has them stumped – a lawyer found murdered in a military memorial park who just might be a victim of an Islamic terrorist group. In a parallel plotline, we meet the new Department of Justice minister who has been appointed by the Prime Minister to shepherd an anti-terrorism bill through the parliament by negotiating with a far-right party and also a soldier who has been confined to a psychiatric institution upon his return from the war in Afghanistan.  At first, as before, these plot lines don’t quite line up – but of course they eventually entwine.  With only 10 episodes (rather than the 20 of series one), series two is more punchy than series one but also doesn’t get quite as deep into the lives of its characters as before. Gråbøl plays her character as wearier than before and seemingly unsure of herself – that is, until she can’t help following her instincts and doing what she thinks is necessary, regardless of the rules or other people’s feelings. The supporting cast are uniformly strong, playing more than just red herrings, fleshing out the plot with nuance and colour. I might check out series three sometime.