Murder in the First

A series half-way between Scandinavian style and the overseas “precinct" approach to the genre. From the first of the above it borrows solving just one case per season and concentration on all of the concerned characters (the suspects, the investigators, the defense, the accused, the relatives and so on) as much as on the crime storyline. And from the second, it borrows the way in which the personal dramas are addressed; you will recognize the approach capturing the daily routine of one particular police station à la The Shield or NYPD Blue. And it’s not a bad attempt or just a makeweight because “the American viewpoint" succeeds in curing some of the maladies (and creating new ones) of the Scandinavian crime movie. Mainly the overcomplicated plot; here it doesn’t follow the cannon “every two episodes a new suspect appears". (hi thereThe Killing) and not even “bad guy whose plans miraculously work out exactly as he had planned.“ (hi there The Bridge). The case is quite down-to-earth and in many ways true to life. Which is also a disadvantage because it makes it standard and predictable and so you’ll probably see through the “who, how, why and how to convict them" much earlier than the authors had wished (like right at the beginning). In their defense, it must be said that the outcome is not what is most important, but it is the journey leading to it. But that unfortunately starts with a tragic pilot dowsed in clichés, emotional blackmail and dullness. The next two episodes are much better, but it’s not till the second half of the series that it matures into adulthood. The authors can thank mainly Cromwell and also Felton, without whose interpretation of the “American dream come true" which contains something dark, calculating and disturbing, it would have collapsed before it had a chance to get going. In the end it’s a solid crime movie true to its genre, but nothing more. (19/08/2014)