The Killing: dark, brooding, bleak – and back for a second series

It was the surprise sleeper hit of this year – a gritty Danish detective show starring a woman in an unflattering jumper. Hardly the usual headline-grabbing showbizzy TV fare.

Now The Killing is back on BBC Four for a second series, fans of the acclaimed first run can at last breathe a sigh of relief. So what’s been happening to detective Sarah Lund since the end of series one?

It’s been two years since former detective Sarah was divested of her investigative role and transferred to a low-key job in the country, but when the body of a female lawyer is found murdered in macabre and puzzling circumstances, Lund’s former boss at Copenhagen police HQ finds that he has no choice but to call her back in to assist with the investigation.

Initially reluctant, Lund soon becomes engrossed with the case. As police grapple with what few clues they possess, newly appointed Minister for Justice Thomas Buch strives to oversee some intricate political negotiations between parliamentary parties over the introduction of a series of new anti-terrorism laws. At the same time, soldier Jens Peter Raben awaits release from the psychiatric ward he was committed to following a nervous breakdown.

With more dead being added to the list of murder victims as the series progresses, Lund’s mission becomes a race against time to find the culprit and prevent further killings…

Dark, brooding and decidedly un-starry

The first season, made in 2007 and shown on BBC Four earlier this year, featured a slow moving, ponderous story over 20 episodes, following the investigation into the murder of a teenage girl.

The subject was gritty, the scenery stark and doom-laden, and Sarah’s jumpers never more than utilitarian (in fact, her jumpers became more of a talking point than the identity of the possible murderer). Perhaps that’s the secret of its quiet success – there’s no car chases, ironic winks to camera by the actors – or star turns by celebrities. It’s simply just a gripping story, well told.

The only questions for series two are can Sarah redeem herself this time – and will Gok Wan step in during the investigation to offer her some style tips?

What do you think of The Killing? Will you be tuning in for series two? Let us know below.

The best of last week’s TV

See the best of the last 7 days’ Catch Up TV on BT Vision, including all the I’m a Celebrity jungle action, Life’s Too Short and the first two episodes of The Killing.

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