The Investigation - General Discussion

[DanaK]

On HBO, the Danish 6-part limited series on the Danish investigation of the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, which made headlines around the world as "the submarine case". It is focused on the investigation, the investigators and Wall's parents and doesn't show the murder, the victim, or the suspect

This started this past Monday night on HBO at about 10pm and is in Danish with English subtitles.

I found Episode 1 to be pretty interesting, in spite of it being solely focused on the investigation and the investigators. I remember when this happened and how crazy it sounded, given the miniature sub angle

[JD5166]

I  can’t believe nobody is talking about this, it’s the best series I have seen in a long time despite being in Danish! I literally can’t wait for each weeks episode, the acting, the story, everything is amazing. 

[DanaK]

I’ve got so much stuff to watch, it’s taking me awhile to get to the 2nd episode

[Quilt Fairy]

I caught this in the middle of a repeat of episode 4 last Friday, and I went back and binged on all four episodes that night.  I didn't remember the original incident, and if you didn't know it was based on a true story you'd think it was too bizarre for words.  The highs and lows and discoveries of the investigation are in an episodic form almost made for TV, with a stunning revelation at the end of each episode.  

I'm not totally sold on the choice to focus on the police search and investigation without (so far) including or even mentioning the name of the accused man.  His interrogations must have been very interesting as he changed his story multiple times, and I kind of miss that. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Quilt Fairy

[I Want My MBTV]

On 2/24/2021 at 4:22 PM, JD5166 said:

I  can’t believe nobody is talking about this, it’s the best series I have seen in a long time despite being in Danish! I literally can’t wait for each weeks episode, the acting, the story, everything is amazing. 

I've been watching  just couldn't find the forum!  I keep trying to explain to other people how good it is but it's like "well, there's subtitles and not a lot happens from episode to episode and you never see the accused - but trust me it's fantastic!".    The only thing I don't like is the lead detective's daughter.  It's like "I'm sorry you're dad can't stop and throw you a parade but he's trying to solve a  murder where a girl was cut in pieces!". This most recent episode she annoyed me the most.   

[Quilt Fairy]

4 minutes ago, I Want My MBTV said:

The only thing I don't like is the lead detective's daughter.  It's like "I'm sorry you're dad can't stop and throw you a parade but he's trying to solve a  murder where a girl was cut in pieces!". This most recent episode she annoyed me the most.   

Absolutely agree.  The policeman who neglects his family while they're growing up because of his devotion to "The Job"  is a very tired trope.  I guess we'll never know if the relationship problems were real or invented for this series.  It's kind of like The Crown in that respect.  What was in public is known, but what happened behind closed doors can only be speculation. 

[I Want My MBTV]

Well that final episode was stressful!  I knew this was based on a true case but didn't know anything about it beyond that and didn't know the outcome.  I kept thinking the killer was going to get off.  It seemed so hard to get a conviction (or even go to trial).  It was like nothing discovered was good enough.  I kept thinking that Jack McCoy would have gone to trial and gotten a conviction with far less (I know it's different in the US).  

I didn't care for Maibritt at the beginning of the series when it seemed she was so caught up in the killer being the boyfriend and didn't want to move from that but boy she really came through.  I don't know if she was based on a real person but if so I would've liked an update on her like we got on some of the others.

I'm quite satisfied that we never heard the name or saw the face of the killer. Far too much attention is given to murderous and heinous people.  I was very glad though that we did get a picture of Kim Wall at the end and saw that her parents started the scholarship in her name. That was a nice way to end things.

[Penman61]

I have one episode to go, and my question:

Why haven't we seen the suspect? Like, at all?

I'm trying to think of any crime/police procedural show where the main suspect is known, apprehended in the first episode, interrogated (at least twice, right?), and yet we have not seen his face nor heard from him.

Maybe the final ep will reveal why, but it really stuck out to me.

(Also, no photos of the victim at all, even though we've been to her parents house a lot.)

Off to watch that final ep now...

[Penman61]

On 3/10/2021 at 5:56 PM, I Want My MBTV said:

I'm quite satisfied that we never heard the name or saw the face of the killer. Far too much attention is given to murderous and heinous people.  I was very glad though that we did get a picture of Kim Wall at the end and saw that her parents started the scholarship in her name. That was a nice way to end things.

Ah, that answers my question about why we didn't see the suspect. At first it just felt odd, and now it makes sense and I like it very much. I agree that there's far too much centering and romanticizing of killers, esp if they kill in unusual ways. I really like the centering of the victims here.

Also, I had no idea it was a true story until the end, which opened out and hit hard. 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Penman61

[Darian]

On 3/10/2021 at 8:56 PM, I Want My MBTV said:

I'm quite satisfied that we never heard the name or saw the face of the killer. Far too much attention is given to murderous and heinous people.  I was very glad though that we did get a picture of Kim Wall at the end and saw that her parents started the scholarship in her name. That was a nice way to end things.

I remember following this story as it unfolded, and it just took me awhile to watch. Even with knowing the story, even with the restrained, non-sensationalized (I'm thinking of what the contrast with what a US version would be and prefer this kind of true-story telling.)

I'm just on episode 3 and agree that I've been pleased to have the killer be in the background and the focus on the victim. The moment that got me the most, so far, was when the parents brought in her computer and were so protective of their daughter's work and pride in the good she did and the sources who trusted her who could be endangered. They were so desperate to know what happened to her that they must have wanted to throw everything at law enforcement and say, "Have at it," but they were still honoring and respecting their daughter and what would become part of her legacy. Broke my heart for them and for all those who must have loved and been grateful to her. I'm glad we got a glimpse of a story she worked on.  I am not surprised her parents began a scholarship in her name. 

[DanaK]

On 3/10/2021 at 8:56 PM, I Want My MBTV said:

Well that final episode was stressful!  I knew this was based on a true case but didn't know anything about it beyond that and didn't know the outcome.  I kept thinking the killer was going to get off.  It seemed so hard to get a conviction (or even go to trial).  It was like nothing discovered was good enough.  I kept thinking that Jack McCoy would have gone to trial and gotten a conviction with far less (I know it's different in the US).  

I didn't care for Maibritt at the beginning of the series when it seemed she was so caught up in the killer being the boyfriend and didn't want to move from that but boy she really came through.  I don't know if she was based on a real person but if so I would've liked an update on her like we got on some of the others.

I'm quite satisfied that we never heard the name or saw the face of the killer. Far too much attention is given to murderous and heinous people.  I was very glad though that we did get a picture of Kim Wall at the end and saw that her parents started the scholarship in her name. That was a nice way to end things.

I think I finished with Episode 3 or thereabouts and besides never seeing the suspect questioned, the difficulty of holding or charging the guy is one of the things that bugged me the most. The Danes seem to be a bit tough about this sort of thing but as an American, I think it's better to hold a potentially violent suspect for at least through enough of an investigation to determine the facts, and possibly charge them too, and then have the right to upgrade the charges as new facts are uncovered. But I guess with the Danish way, a lot of innocent people aren't held in jail or custody for very long before the police can sort things out