The Bridge: Series 2 [DVD]

I ordered Borgan by mistake on my lovefilm account and popped it in the DVD player with low expectations. OMG! It was fantastic. The result is that my wife and I have become addicted to the 'Scandic Noir' genre. So, here is the the second season of the Bridge. It carries on the relationship between the charismatic Martin and the equally compelling, if slightly odd, Saga. Having read the reviews of season one, it's easy to see why some folk would baulk at the plot devices (causing my wife and me to shout at the screen 'that wouldn't happen!) but the real reason why this programme has grasped so many people's imagination is the relationship between the two lead characters. Saga's complete lack of social skills is a joy to behold. Saying what most of us only think must have caused collective open mouths and jaw dropping across the country on Saturday nights and must have caused countless conversations round various workplaces on Monday mornings! Only occasionally will Martin pitch in and gently advise her that her approach doesn't always garner the best results. Perhaps there are moments when this is played for laughs - Saga's 'enquiry' about male genitalia is one such moment but it's perhaps it's worth remembering that this is entertainment. It's not a police training video nor a public information film about individuals with a different approach to life. I do hope there will be a third season. We HAVE to find out where these characters go. Superb!

Think that I may have missed the second series on the TV here in Australia, or maybe it hasn't been shown yet. Bought the DVD to ensure that we saw the next one. Have only watched 5 episodes, but it is great drama, and we are really having to control ourselves in not watching the whole series in one go. Very interesting story line about extreme eco activists, and trying to work out what is happening and how characters fit into the plot, makes gripping viewing. This series seems to explore Saga's character a bit more, and is absolutely hilarious. Sofia Helin is fantastic at playing the role and you really feel her personality defects. Martin's character is very dark because of the events of the last series, and this is also being explored and will be very interesting as to what happens towards the end. The Danish/Swedish dramas are great viewing and so gripping that you don't notice that you are reading subtitles. Fantastic to have the extra titles to choose from.

It is a pleasure to watch this Nordic Noir production, for its moody cinematography, intricate plot development, and powerhouse performances. We see more deeply into Saga and Martin in this series, and find a heap of pathos, but their commitment to solving the crime(s) lifts the pace and pitch and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride. This is not a series to watch on commercial TV, and I for one can't wait week-to-week to find out what awful crimes are being served up. I don't always like subtitles, but they are worth it to experience this great series. Keep them coming!

A great series and a great watch, recommended.

I watched this series some months ago, but fortunately my memory is not what it was and so I was able to enjoy this even more the second time around. Over the years I have become used to subtitles having had plenty of practice with Wallander, Borgen and Unit One. The character of Saga Noren is played convincingly, and one can understand the complexities of Asperger's syndrome more easily than just consulting a text book. The characters are very natural and hence more realistic without the capped whitened teeth, designer label clothing for size zero, and the obvious make up and perfect hairstyles seen on many American detective series. It dwells mainly on the actual crimes themselves without too much emphasis on problems at home. The relationship between the two detectives is well scripted and played convincingly.

Only once in my life have I found a "sequel" to be superior to the origiinal! I much preferred the brooding GODFATHER 2 to the first--and now I'm astonished, amazed and enthrall by The Bridge 2, which miraculously surpasses the first. Now the first is right up there with the Classic Nordic Noir--THE KILLING 1-3, the MILLENIUM trilogy most importantly. But I was shattered by the fearless honesty and depth of the characters! The plot is probably better in #1, sensational as it was, but the plotting here is fine and absorbing. BUT the characters have drunk a Shakespearean potion that heightens their inner depths thrillingly. Saga is here an astounding presence--managing to convey a robotic concentration and intensity focused on the mystery at hand------but OH! the views of her inner soul & heart are yearningly aching and filled with wonder. Sofia Helin is the Cate Blanchett of Europe! And Kim Bodnia gives a richly textured complex set of heartbreaks and hidden agony. The ending is apropriately an emotional volcano! This is worthy of Strindberg, as it reveals the Scandinavian world, and its need to keep things secret, repressed, and avoided. I thought it had to be disappointing after the wild thrill of #1. But the Wagnerian brooding of THE BRIDGE 2 tops the Verdian melodramatic "rushes" of BRIDGE 1.

This is one of the best of the Nordic Noir series. If you missed either series then you've missed a compelling treat. I missed the last episode and thought that maybe it didn't matter that much, but I decided to buy the whole series when I heard that a new series was going to be made as I didn't want to miss out on any plot items that might be picked up again. I'm so glad I did. The final episode was really exciting and riveting. Saga and Martin are brilliantly played and make this a series not to miss

I love Martin and Saga, and there were many wonderful things about the development of their relationship, and their marvelous chemistry, that made this a joy to watch. BUT. When you keep saying over and over--to yourself, or aloud to your partner: "That is ridiculous! That wouldn't happen! They would never do that! NO ONE would do that. Why on earth did they have them do that?"--I think there are major problems with the scripts. To those who watched and loved it and think the plot is brilliant, I can only say I emphatically disagree. I think it ended up being almost cheap and manipulative--they wanted to get to a certain point, and wild improbability would not keep them from going there. And they wanted you to feel crappy because that is oh-so-noir. Slight, slight spoiler below, to prove my point: Is it even remotely possible that any professional police department, anywhere above the level of Andy Griffiths's fictional Mayberry, would leave out on an OPEN SHELF in a POLICE EVIDENCE ROOM with NO ONE EVEN CHECKING to see who is removing evidence one of the deadliest poisons known to man? I will say no more than that, but after you have seen it, I think you will understand why I say it's just pure manipulation--and I think twisting the characters for the sake of the plot, instead of being true to the characters, is a real violation of me as someone who cares about them. Even if you, the writer, don't.