After a shortened fourth season, this fifth run returns to 8 episodes. Originally released in 2015, there is a distinct change as the series gets high definition cameras and more traditional title sequences - but it's a change in front of the cameras that is the defining moment of season five.
Martin Beck (Peter Haber) returns to action, along with his second in command Gunvald Larsson (Mikael Persbrandt) solving murders in and around Stockholm. The team have a new boss, in Klas Freden (Jonas Karlsson) but from the beginning his priorities and judgement seem questionable. Then the team is rocked to the core by another death in the family.
Indeed, midway through the season sees the departure of Mikael Persbrandt as the charismatic Gunvald. He's quickly replaced on the team by Steinar Hovland, played by Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju but, despite Hivju's imposing size, they do work to differentiate the new character from Gunvald, making him warmer more inclined to use subterfuge in his interrogations where as his predecessor favoured threats and violence. Still, Gunvald was a popular character and I note that there are people who decided to stop watching when he left.
The rest of the team has a shakeup for this season. With Elmira Arikan joining as tech expert Ayda Cetin and Anna Asp as Jenny Boden. I have to admit that I'm a little less interested in Oskar's homelife than the show thought I might have been, particularly in the second half of the season, once Gunvald is gone.
I'm enjoying the episodes though, it's more consistent than it was in the earlier episodes and some of that Scandinavian weirdness has been eecked out to create entertaining and well-made series.
Martin Beck (Peter Haber) returns to action, along with his second in command Gunvald Larsson (Mikael Persbrandt) solving murders in and around Stockholm. The team have a new boss, in Klas Freden (Jonas Karlsson) but from the beginning his priorities and judgement seem questionable. Then the team is rocked to the core by another death in the family.
Indeed, midway through the season sees the departure of Mikael Persbrandt as the charismatic Gunvald. He's quickly replaced on the team by Steinar Hovland, played by Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju but, despite Hivju's imposing size, they do work to differentiate the new character from Gunvald, making him warmer more inclined to use subterfuge in his interrogations where as his predecessor favoured threats and violence. Still, Gunvald was a popular character and I note that there are people who decided to stop watching when he left.
The rest of the team has a shakeup for this season. With Elmira Arikan joining as tech expert Ayda Cetin and Anna Asp as Jenny Boden. I have to admit that I'm a little less interested in Oskar's homelife than the show thought I might have been, particularly in the second half of the season, once Gunvald is gone.
I'm enjoying the episodes though, it's more consistent than it was in the earlier episodes and some of that Scandinavian weirdness has been eecked out to create entertaining and well-made series.
