The Sommerdahl Murders

One might think from the title used by Channel Four in the UK that this was a murder mystery series set in a place call Sommerdahl; in fact it is set in Elsinore. Sommerdahl is the surname of our protagonist; veteran police officer Dan Sommerdahl. When we are introduced to him he is celebrating his twenty fifth wedding anniversary with his wife Marianne, who works in the police forensics department. Before the party is over he is called to the scene of a murder. It soon becomes apparent that this has been a constant theme of their marriage. One more broken promise will lead to events that put their relationship on the rocks... a detail that will take up a fair amount of later episodes.

Each mystery takes up two episodes, which have been combined to make single episodes here in the UK. They follow the standard murder mystery pattern with various suspects and motives being presented to the audience before the more obvious ones are eliminated.

This isn't a must watch series but it passes the time well enough if you want cases wrapped up in one go. The cases are nicely varied and the outcomes aren't too obvious. Elsinore provides a fine back drop to the stories; it is shot in a way that makes it look great... one could be forgiven for thinking it was sponsored by the tourist board! The cast does a solid job. On the downside the various relationship problems are a bit of a distraction from the murder mysteries. Overall a decent enough show if you like murder mysteries; just remember not every crime drama from Nordic countries is 'Scandi-Noir'.

These comments are based on watching the series in Danish with English subtitles.

/about Season 1/

This locality-based Series (in and around Elsinore) is no flop, but not more than mediocre, no Scandi Noir, with several predictable cases (if I did not guess the wrongdoer, I could guess the run of scenes and problem-solving approaches) and unrealistic living atmosphere of the policemen in Denmark (mid-level officers all having private houses with a sea-view, really?). The cast is also just above average, no memorable performances (Babikian, Drasbæk, Mygind are not A-grade actors in Denmark).

As for level, it is more close to e.g. Anna Pihl or Morden i Sandhamn than to Bron/Broen or Innan vi dör, for instance. And last but not least - Danish weather is seldom so pleasant as in this Series :)

PS Season 2 has somewhat meatier cases, but the personal relations, this triangle, is still not smooth and sometimes annoying. And again - no rainy days around Elsinore at all! :)

The locations are beautiful right by the sea and the houses the main characters live in look like upper middle-class homes. Everything is just perfect except for the murders and the breakdown of a marriage.

The plots are pretty mundane. I guessed the motivations and murderers in 2 of the 4 plots and I'm pretty useless at whodunnits - I'd rather get a surprise at the end when we find out who the miscreant is. Running through everything is the marriage breakdown. I really can't understand why it was focused on so heavily. If it had impinged on the investigations and had led to someone getting away with another murder or crime, this would have been an acceptable use of the time spent on this theme. But it didn't. It just made the series frothier and more superficial than it needed to have been. It didn't help that the eponymous detective was so unlikable - stalking. telling his daughter tales, being nasty and unprofessional.

As usual, I watched till the end. I didn't hate it but there are far better things to have seen, I think. It was just a nicely numbing few episodes of escapism.

The mystery and investigation portions are entertaining. However, the soapy marriage squabbles drag the whole thing down.

The plots are slight and the scripts are light, but the good natured camaraderie among the cops saves the day. You won't find the disfunction and bad vibes of UK or US shows of this type and that's a big plus. On the plus side, you also don't find the prudery of UK/US shows; people here hop into each others' beds with regularity and ease and that is refreshing. This is a feel-good snack where you don't have to think too much.

Don't look for any deep meaning or character revelations in this series. But do expect an entertaining time waster that is more comfort food than nutrition. The scenery is beautiful, though.