Wallander - General Discussion

[AnnaMayWong]

It was a good ride?. So long, WALLANDER ?

[Dawning]

20 hours ago, tootsie said:

 What was the back story to the brain damaged daughter and what did she add to either plot line? (Or was she harbinger to W's future...? Don't much care for that idea) 

I had a hard time keeping track of all the details (had to keep rewinding things), so I might be slightly off, but I believe she was important to the plot in that she was the reason why Hakon hated his wife Louise and therefore was fine with killing her and framing her as a spy so he could escape. It seemed like the daughter was born with or sustained the injuries that left her in her condition very young (since no one knew of her existence) and Louise (her mother, I guess?) put her in a facility and refused to have anything to do with her, or to let Hakon acknowledge her (thus his monthly "billiards games", as he called his visits to her). When Wallander confronted Hakon at the end, Hakon said something along the lines of "she deserved it for what she did to me and my/our? daughter", IIRC. 

What I was really left wondering at the end was whether W was going to tell his son-in-law about the sister he didn't know he had. It seems like something he should do? But I haven't watched this show consistently enough to know all of the family dynamics. Hopefully Hakon left provisions in his will for her continued care.

I enjoyed these three episodes and will have to go back and watch the earlier seasons. (Though "enjoyed" might not be quite the right word for it, since they were pretty devastating with the depiction of W's Alzheimer's.)

[attica]

Where I live, the instant you get diagnosed with Alzheimer's, you lose your driver's license. So I was quite cringing seeing poor Kurt get behind the wheel throughout the ep. Of course, I don't know if the same holds true in Sweden, or if the show was taking dramatic liberties, but: eek. I had this low-level anxiety throughout the whole thing.

And KB gets practice in his early middle age for the Lear he'll eventually play!

When David Warner reappeared as PapaWa, I fully expected him to recommend Kurt take a Viking River Cruise. (Warner does all those voiceovers.)

[dcalley]

I'm finally caught up!

I was pleasantly surprised to see Kurt's dog, because I'd forgotten he had one. And I was glad he still had the same old ringtone.

His doctor's office was really nice, and it seemed like he could get an appointment right away. Damn socialized medicine! (I realize private care is also a possibility there.) But I assumed he was a GP and wondered if Kurt would really continue to see him for brain scan evaluations and the diagnosis. And yes, I wondered about the doctor allowing him to drive off and apparently not informing the police that Kurt was no longer fit for duty.

Hans seemed like kind of a jerk with secrets and a short temper, but I guess that was just so we could suspect him for a brief while. But he sees his FIL making no sense and unable to find the door and decides to open the door for him and let him drive off?! WTF. And what did need all that money for, anyway?

I will miss this beautiful show.

The Mystery! red letter Easter eggs:

Spoiler

Ep. 1: Timbavati lions (white lions)
Ep. 2: Harsfjarden (one of the submarine incidents, mentioned by Håkon at his birthday party, which factored into the plot of ep.3)
Ep. 3: The Great Enigma (the book of poems Wallander is reading from at the beginning and the end [the funeral]).

[HelenBaby]

I just watched the last episode this morning, and I just wanted to say what a great actor Branagh is. I only have watched the last 2 seasons of this show and only a couple of his films. I was crying at the end & my old cynical self is rarely moved anymore by acting. But he moved me. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎05‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 9:51 AM, jrlr said:

Wow, that was a phenomenal performance by KB, and I was actually relieved that Wallander's son in law softened and broke a bit, because it means that there is more of a family united to care for W in his bleak future in that bleak landscape (to me it's not beautiful, it's depressing as hell, but I'm a desert rat).  When Wallander asked the fisherman if Hakon had been depressed and the fisherman said "Like 60 percent of this country?" I was surprised the figure wasn't higher than that.

Sweden always seems to come in at or very near the top of lists of the happiest countries in the world, for some reason.  Maybe it's the socialized medicine?  Finland, on the other hand, used to be so famous for its high rates of depression and suicide that 60 Minutes once did a segment on it.

I have a lot of thoughts on this last season, many of them along the lines of "Why must it end?!?", but my first one was: did anyone ever tell Hans about his sister?  I was saddened by thought of him never knowing about her, and by the possibility that, despite her condition, she might have enough cognitive function to miss her father's visits.

Ken was absolutely brilliant.  I'm going to miss the Lipless Wonder on my Masterpiece.

[dkb]

On 6/7/2016 at 11:00 AM, proserpina65 said:

Sweden always seems to come in at or very near the top of lists of the happiest countries in the world, for some reason.  Maybe it's the socialized medicine?  Finland, on the other hand, used to be so famous for its high rates of depression and suicide that 60 Minutes once did a segment on it.

I have a lot of thoughts on this last season, many of them along the lines of "Why must it end?!?", but my first one was: did anyone ever tell Hans about his sister?  I was saddened by thought of him never knowing about her, and by the possibility that, despite her condition, she might have enough cognitive function to miss her father's visits.

Ken was absolutely brilliant.  I'm going to miss the Lipless Wonder on my Masterpiece.

I know this is a year later but Wallander did tell Hans about his sister. When Linda and he come to the house after Louise is found, and their having the conversation in the dining room.  When they cut to that scene that is what they are discussing, Hans asks for the address and name of the nursing home. Hans storms off when Wallander tells him to be careful.

 

I really enjoyed this series, wish there were more.

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, dkb said:

I know this is a year later but Wallander did tell Hans about his sister. When Linda and he come to the house after Louise is found, and their having the conversation in the dining room.  When they cut to that scene that is what they are discussing, Hans asks for the address and name of the nursing home. Hans storms off when Wallander tells him to be careful.

 

I really enjoyed this series, wish there were more.

Was it possible that PBS cut that scene?  I don't remember it, but then again, as you say, it was a year ago.  Just makes me want to watch it again.

[Grrarrggh]

Just watched the first and half of the second series and I can't for the life of me figure out why Magnus is allowed to be a police officer, let alone a detective. He's a complete moron!