The Bridge - Season 3 (2015)

After two hugely successful and critically acclaimed seasons (and numerous remakes around the world) THE BRIDGE (aka BRON / BROEN) returns minus one of its leads (the reason for which will be obvious for anyone who watched THE BRIDGE II and if you haven’t then you should) and a new set of problems for Swedish detective Saga Noren (Sofia Helin). 

When the murdered body of a famous female gender theorist (and owner of Copenhagen’s first gender-neutral school) is found arranged as part of a grim and bizarre tableaux at a Malmo construction site, Saga is called in to investigate. Teamed this time with a female representative from the Danish police force it’s not surprising that the two of them don’t hit it off. When an accident renders her new partner incapable of continuing the case, Saga gets teamed with Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) who has a complicated back story of his own. When Saga’s mother turns up saying that Saga’s dying father wants to see her, we start to learn more about Saga’s own grim past.

It would be unfair to reveal any more of the plot of THE BRIDGE III, and it would actually be quite difficult as well, suffice to say that the writing is as complex and razor-sharp as ever, leading the viewer off at tangents into any number of complicated sub-plots without ever becoming confusing. The pressures on Saga in this one are pretty much overwhelming, not least from her own colleagues who are  all-too-aware of her responsibility for Martin’s fate at the end of series two. 

People familiar with the look of THE BRIDGE will no doubt be pleased to hear that Season III looks as bleak, grey and washed out as the first two seasons, with the usual emphasis on Ikea-minimalism to interiors. Acting is excellent across the board but special mention must go to Helin, whose portrayal of Aspergers-suffering detective Saga is nothing short of astonishing. Subtle and nuanced, this is one of the finest characters to grace modern crime television in many a year.

Arrow’s three-disc Blu-ray or DVD set comes with an hour long making of, plus an on-stage interview with Sofia Helin. If you’ve not yet caught up with THE BRIDGE, they’re also bringing out a special BRIDGE TRILOGY nine disc box set for those lucky people who have yet to discover this unique and excellent piece of Scandinavian crime drama. 

Arrow Films released THE BRIDGE SEASON III on Region B Blu-ray and Region 2 DVD on 21st December 2015