Pagan Peak

Not being much of a crime story fan, it was by sheer accident that I watched the first episode at all.

But it quickly earned my attention. Spectacular camera work, beautiful nature setting, a thrilling story and brilliant characters. Watched the whole series with my wife and we both thought it was excellent.

My personal favorite, as I love Austria and the Austrian accent, of course was Nicholas Ofczareks portrayal of detective Winter. He has most of the greatest moments. Add some great music by Wolfgang Ambros - and there you have a surprisingly perfect package that Sky produced.

Finished watching season two last night. I'd enjoyed season one and was looking forward to another stab. 2am and there were two episodes to go. No contest - I stayed awake and watched till the end.

This is not a "supernatural" thriller as some reviews seem to be claiming. The first season drew on traditions peculiar to the somewhat isolated Alpine communities the murders were happening in. But there were no dark forces at work unless you count the twisted mind of the perp. The second season was a straightforward thriller whose protagonists were on the trail of a perverted serial killer.

Characterisation was strong in both seasons. We actually cared about the cops who were dealing with their own problems as well as trying to apprehend the initiator of sets of grisly crimes.

Nothing was as it seemed and there were twists at the end of both seasons with a hint of a cliffhanger at the end of season two. Should a third season be made I'll definitely be revisiting The Pass.

While the script is not a stand out, this show is illustrative of how the way you present it goes a long way. There's some satisfying and unsatisfying subversions of the genre but it's mostly a straight forward story.

What made it excellent is its consistency and commitment to telling a realistic, sometimes lacklustre story via fantastic editing, structure, performances, and especially cinematography. It's just a complete pleasure to consume and feels innovative for the genre, which tends to dwell in realism while sometimes struggling to make that aspect of it interesting. The jump cuts, flashbacks, shot compositions - all of it makes every part of the story compelling television.

If another season had an even more intelligent script with a more pronounced/interesting thematic through line, I think this could reach True Detective s1 status. It has a lot of potential.

What a suprisingly muder hunt. Great actors, great soundtrack (I mean Hans Zimmer, enough said) great shots and scenery. Totally worth the watch.

Oh no I thought, "Its the Bridge in the hills".

I was so wrong.

Another great drama from our European friends, and no sex scenes yet it still works!

Shall watch the second series.