Den som dræber

Finished watching the only season of this Danish TV serial which is being remade for US right now. Every episode is almost 1.5 hrs, characters are same but every episode comes up with a new serial killer to analysis and catch. A female lead detective pairs with a talented but problematic forensic psychiatrist to catch these killers. They all have their share of personal problems to handle. Katrine(Detective) has been abused as a child by her stepfather and Thomas(FP) always grasping to retain balance between his work or job that he desires and his family.

Now the stories. Every serial killer is different, everyone has their own way of thinking and different way of killing. Thomas analysis the methodology of the killer in his own way, links up the puzzles that help Katrine catch the killer. Some stories are brilliant, some are average, but overall there were lots of excitement and intelligent stuff. After watching so many hightech series some might seem quite amateurish but actually they are not. Ratings might not seem that much convincing but its not as bad as rating says.

There's one more thing. I know the Scandinavians were amongst the first to give women empowerment but three Scandinavian serial killing TV series I watched and all three of them has the female lead protagonist. I am not being misogynist or against women empowerment rather the opposite, but sometimes it feels a bit cliché. I love Scandinavian crime production and I can't but to be partial!

Overall my rating: 8/10

Until recently we never saw television programmes that weren't in English; then BBC4 started airing the Swedish police show 'Wallander' after its success is wasn't long before they followed it up with programmes from France, Denmark and Italy; all in the native language and English subtitles. It was only a matter of time before another channel started to showing something from the continent; the channel was ITV3 and the programme was the Danish murder mystery 'Those Who Kill'. Originally shown as ten episodes featuring five two part stories the episodes were combines to make five feature length episodes; probably a wise move as the two hour crime drama is the standard format here.

This series follows the activities of a murder squad whose cases inevitably turn out to involve serial killers. The squad is led by Magnus Bisgaard although the main characters are Katrine Ries Jensen and civilian profiler Thomas Schaeffer. No matter what the case it is a safe bet that one of our protagonists will end up in mortal danger only for them to turn the tables on the bad guy. While the cases are fairly standard for this type of drama they were still enjoyable and while I didn't really expect the protagonists to come to any harm there were plenty of tense moments. Lead actors Laura Bach and Jakob Cedergren performed well in the roles of Katrine and Thomas and the rest of the cast seemed to do well too; although I can't comment on how their accents fitted the roles as I was relying on the subtitles and wouldn't have spotted if somebody sounded wrong! Overall I'm glad I watched this series; it might not have been one of the best continental series I've seen but it was still entertaining; its a pity further series weren't made.

Bit apprehensive at first to watch a movie with subtitles again but these type of movies/series you really need to watch in it's original language (its actually fun trying to understand words, you'll be surprised how much you'll actually pickup). It's a very good series, believable in many ways. There are nut cases out there indeed, maybe not as sophisticated as these in the series but it's filmed in a believable way. It's not about all guns blazing, it's about characters, mistakes, reality which is what makes this so good. If you're after action, car chases, explosions, machine gun fire, you're in the wrong place. If you like mystery, bit of love, bit of human relations, bit of thriller, watch it. It's not a 10 as I think there is some acting that could be improved on and maybe conclusions are sometimes a bit far fetched/too easy found, but a 9 is pretty damn high I would think.

Another great Scandinavian series. The horror that a serial killer roams the streets becomes true. Wonderful suspense great characters who come too life. No in depth characters like e.g. in the killing but still great entertainment and I was sorry to find out that there was no sequence. Like I said these is still plenty too enjoy in these series. I indeed looked forward to every new episode. If you are looking for a well made detective series you will not be disappointed by those who kill. In these years that there are coming wonderful series from the north.You do fall in love with the tormented characters and their problems they face in their private lives Go on Danes and keep on making series like this one.

I now get why this show was cancelled after just 1 season. The lead character is insufferable, and the mysteries easy to solve.

The show has a tendency to tell, not show. We are repeatedly told Katrine is "the brightest" cop, but she never does anything remarkable. Any break she gets on a case is directly due to a male colleague's efforts; never her own. She CONSTANTLY makes bad decisions - costing innocent people's lives - yet her boss only gives her a slap on the wrist. In reality, cops like her would be fired.

That isn't a character people will want to root for. I understand the aim of the creators is to write a complicated, screwed-up character. But Katrine can barely function in some scenes. And when she isn't having a mental breakdown, she's acting horribly towards her friends.

We're supposed to empathise with her trauma, even when it is jeopardising her work and the people around her. She is defiant and arrogant towards anyone against her (often flawed, inexperienced) opinion or anyone who genuinely advises her to go to therapy. In her personal life, she is selfish (displayed in the final episode when a workmate decides to quit for valid, personal reasons).

It doesn't help that the actress is not good during vulnerable or nuanced scenes. The mysteries every episode also tend to go out of the bounds of logic - such as when the lead's partner uses a child to trap a serial killer or how said partner appears out of nowhere at the house of a murdered victim (just for the shock effect of him being there during an opening scene). As said, the mysteries themselves tend to be paper-thin, though told enthrallingly for 1 hour episodes. You can often deduce the murderer's identity within the first 15 minutes. There's also much to be said for the cheesy, usually inappropriately timed background music.

Overall, a mediocre show to help pass the time. Seasoned crime show fans will probably be disappointed, while casual fans may be more entertained.

It has been revealed that this show will be renewed with a whole new cast and story. Let's hope the writers actually get it right this time.