User Reviews

A better but more boring name would be Saga's saga. This is a well crafted tale that starts off slowly and builds through a gruesome series of staged murders. The plot has many shifts and possible suspects. Underlying the murder mysteries is a pair of psychological dramas. One is of the murderer but the more important one is about Saga's confrontation with her past as a series of events grow to haunt her. I won't give away the story here, but it is skillfully portrayed and a cliff hanger until the end.

It had been some time since I saw the third season, but I was quickly on board with this fourth and final outing for the show. One element I had forgotten though was the way that it floats out characters who seem unrelated, and let their stories play out in a way that will converge down the road. This element jarred a bit with me as a result, but again only initially. The plot picks up with Saga faces charges for her mother's death, while a prominent woman is murdered in a brutal yet patient stoning; essentially the typical opening murder for this show. From here it seems like familiar territory, but in a good way.

The sense of gloom and challenge looms over everything, and it makes for an engaging and tense season. In some shows you know all the characters are pretty much untouchable - with this one it is very much the opposite, and it does feel like something could happen to any of them. A reason that matters is that the characters are ones we are interested in and care about, but at the same time recognize them for their flaws and weaknesses. Saga is the most obvious example of this, but in this season I also thought that Henrik added a lot to that himself, and had a lot about his character which Lindhardt brought out well. Others are just as good, and the whole production layers on top of this sense of downbeat gloom and tension.

The show bows out with strong conclusions to all threads, plenty of tension, and a management of tone and closure which is well judged throughout.