Murder in Sweden

Maria is Sebstian's supervisor. They are lovers and live together. They are always at crime scenes together even when it is unnecessary. They are put in situations when one is responsible for the well-being, safety, and security of the other. Situations when one makes decisions that otherwise would not be made if they weren't lovers. Ridiculous. No police department in the world would allow such a situation to continue. For me, it detracts from generally interesting stories, beautiful scenery, and acting and dialogue that has improved with time. Although at times the two lovers act like teenagers.

This series has been going on for ages, and originally it was not much to brag about, even the dialogue felt very stilted and the whole thing wasn't that good, so not surprising it went directly to DVD for two seasons.

But then Warner Bros. And a few other more foreign companies took notice, and from say series 6 it is damned good.

As good as many British crime series, and that is a surprise! The actors are surprisingly good, even the young ones, and the dialogue and story is now very good.

I rarely like Swedish series, but this is top notch!

Well, first, how there could be that many murders in Gotland, but never mind. What confuses me is what exactly was made. According to IMDb, we got a four part series in 2008, and four separate episodes in 2010 (plus the feature movie in 2012). I have four English subtitle files for the 2008 series, but not the vids, and I've watched six episodes from 2010, not four (five of the English sub files needed to be re-synched). I have the movie vid, but there are no English subs (yet).

As far as the show goes, well, nothing special. The Maria Wern character is a pretty ordinary cop, she seems to have no special gifts, no unusual personality quirks. Aside from the actress being pleasant to watch, I don't really get why this needed to be made. I enjoyed it well enough, but am I jonesing over the 2008 and 2012 material I haven't seen? Not really.

This is one of our top favorites with its excellent acting, cinamatography, character development, and screenwriting.(I think the person who wrote such a terrible review has underlying motives. I wouldn't feature this review). We watched some episodes again and we love Eva Rose for her beauty, gorgeous long hair, athletic skills, and acting talents. Everyone works hard to make this production a success. The Scandinavian views are gorgeous and so appealing. And we also get a sense of the apparent civility there. With so many episodes everyone is in for a treat. Just settle into a comfortable spot, perhaps with the fire going and a favorite drink and you'll be all set.

Maria Wern is a widowed Swedish police inspector who takes her two young children from Stockholm to the east coast island of Gotland to start a new life.

Gotland is a beautiful island, but any hopes Maria may have had of pursuing the perpetrators of minor traffic breaches is soon dashed as a number of gruesome murders take place in this Scandanavian paradise and Maria at times needs to ensure the security of her kids. I think Norse mythology and the occult permeate the Scandanavian culture and identity and if you watch Swedish crime as often as I do then you'll expect the occasional plot line to have its genesis in some bizarre ritualistic obsession. Having said that, the stories in the Maria Wern series are fascinating and well scripted and the supporting actors are all first class. But Eva Rose is a genuinely accomplished actress and her screen presence throughout the series makes viewing each episode an enjoyable experience. And although an old flame of Maria's appears in a couple of episodes, the producers have opted for a series without distracting romantic entanglements.

As far as I am aware the seven movie-length episodes contained in the Maria Wern DVD complete the series. I hope for a second set to be produced but that seems unlikely. If you like this series you'll enjoy the comparable Irene Huss series, which is located in Gotenburg on the west coast of Sweden and offers a similarly talented actress in Angela Kovacs. 8/10