A Lesson in Love

Kurt is violently beaten and mugged, he's instantly on the hunt for the killer of Erika Hjelmqvist, and he's trying to find her missing daughter Hannah.

I enjoyed this episode quite a lot, it combines a truly engaging case of murder, with the personal problems Kurt is facing, his deteriorating health.

There are some happy, uplifting moments, the piano and dinner, those are of course contrasted with the darker scenes, the moment where Kurt receives news of his health for one.

If you happen to be a fan of Inspector Morse, then you can perhaps relate to this, it feels like the early stages of The Remorseful Day, the final act for Morse.

Clive Wood is excellent as the head of the biker gang, he's had such a varied career, this is one of the best things I've seen him do.

Overall, it's a very good penultimate episode for Kurt. 8/10.

Kenneth Branagh is back as Wallander in "Wallander: A Lesson in Love" as the fourth and final season nears its end.

After Wallander is attacked on the street, he begins to investigate the murder of a widow, Erika Hjelmqvist, whose daughter Hannah has disappeared.

Erika had an ongoing altercation with her tenants, a group of bikers. One of the biker's sons, Pontus, comes under suspicion. Wallander finds out that the daughter was in care and also that she had a boyfriend that her mother didn't know about.

He also has a visit from an old girlfriend, which gives him a small break.

Meanwhile, he sees a doctor, afraid that he is developing dementia like his father.The doctor assures him that he's fine. But Kurt is forgetful and confused, and it can't all be due to the head injury he suffered in the attack.

I think sobering is the right word for this dark, atmospheric episode with a Swedish sensibility and beautiful cinematography. Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as the frustrated and frightened Wallander. Also it's nice to see him with his granddaughter, though one can tell he feels inferior next to his daughter's-in-law father, who has more money.

Branagh gives us a complex character, which is my major complaint about the series of films regarding Jesse Stone in which Tom Selleck plays a morose town sheriff. You can't just not smile and speak slowly and think you're creating a character. Branagh tugs at the heart and keeps on tugging, even after the episode.

Benjamin Caron's production shifts the action back to Kurt Wallander's (Kenneth Branagh's) home turf of Sweden, and the quality of the episode improves dramatically as a result. There is something peculiarly apposite to the mood of the series about the setting, with its anonymous-looking gray stone buildings and seemingly permanent bad weather.

The criminal aspects of this case are relatively insignificant. A young girl (Mia Goth) goes missing, and Wallander is summoned to investigate a case involving a group of bikers, a highly protective father (Clive Wood), and a taciturn son (Hugh Mitchell). What matters more is our growing awareness of Wallander's deteriorating mental state. Now in his mid-fifties, he suffers from diabetes as well as occasional moments of dizziness. Dr. Oberg (John Lightbody) offers brief moments of reassurance, but we gather that something is really wrong when Wallander forgets leaves a loaded gun in a café and receives temporary suspension from the police force as a result.

Caron's production uses repeated shots of Wallander driving alone on deserted roads to emphasize his isolation. He has a daughter (Jeany Spark), and a granddaughter (Kitty Peterkin) who both love him, but he cannot admit to them about his true mental state. He gamely tries to carry on his work; but it's clear that his aptitude for it is not what it was. Wallander's isolation is further emphasized through aerial shots of the deserted Swedish landscape, with Wallander's car appearing almost like a speck on the horizon.

Branagh gives a low-key performance; his facial expressions rarely change, but it's clear that he is a tormented soul desperately trying to keep his true state of mind hidden from public view. Outward show matters - especially for a high-ranking police officer - and he works hard to sustain his sang-froid. Yet perhaps the task proves beyond him; in the final shot of his episode we see his face encased in a mask as he is about to endure an MRI scan; his surreal appearance denotes something of his true state of mind.

"A Lesson in Love" is a low-key episode in which situation assumes as much significance as plot. There are occasional longueurs, but the viewer's patience receives its due reward in the end.