Benjamin Caron's production shifts the action back to Kurt Wallander's (Kenneth Branagh's) home turf of Sweden, and the quality of the episode improves dramatically as a result. There is something peculiarly apposite to the mood of the series about the setting, with its anonymous-looking gray stone buildings and seemingly permanent bad weather.
The criminal aspects of this case are relatively insignificant. A young girl (Mia Goth) goes missing, and Wallander is summoned to investigate a case involving a group of bikers, a highly protective father (Clive Wood), and a taciturn son (Hugh Mitchell). What matters more is our growing awareness of Wallander's deteriorating mental state. Now in his mid-fifties, he suffers from diabetes as well as occasional moments of dizziness. Dr. Oberg (John Lightbody) offers brief moments of reassurance, but we gather that something is really wrong when Wallander forgets leaves a loaded gun in a café and receives temporary suspension from the police force as a result.
Caron's production uses repeated shots of Wallander driving alone on deserted roads to emphasize his isolation. He has a daughter (Jeany Spark), and a granddaughter (Kitty Peterkin) who both love him, but he cannot admit to them about his true mental state. He gamely tries to carry on his work; but it's clear that his aptitude for it is not what it was. Wallander's isolation is further emphasized through aerial shots of the deserted Swedish landscape, with Wallander's car appearing almost like a speck on the horizon.
Branagh gives a low-key performance; his facial expressions rarely change, but it's clear that he is a tormented soul desperately trying to keep his true state of mind hidden from public view. Outward show matters - especially for a high-ranking police officer - and he works hard to sustain his sang-froid. Yet perhaps the task proves beyond him; in the final shot of his episode we see his face encased in a mask as he is about to endure an MRI scan; his surreal appearance denotes something of his true state of mind.
"A Lesson in Love" is a low-key episode in which situation assumes as much significance as plot. There are occasional longueurs, but the viewer's patience receives its due reward in the end.
The criminal aspects of this case are relatively insignificant. A young girl (Mia Goth) goes missing, and Wallander is summoned to investigate a case involving a group of bikers, a highly protective father (Clive Wood), and a taciturn son (Hugh Mitchell). What matters more is our growing awareness of Wallander's deteriorating mental state. Now in his mid-fifties, he suffers from diabetes as well as occasional moments of dizziness. Dr. Oberg (John Lightbody) offers brief moments of reassurance, but we gather that something is really wrong when Wallander forgets leaves a loaded gun in a café and receives temporary suspension from the police force as a result.
Caron's production uses repeated shots of Wallander driving alone on deserted roads to emphasize his isolation. He has a daughter (Jeany Spark), and a granddaughter (Kitty Peterkin) who both love him, but he cannot admit to them about his true mental state. He gamely tries to carry on his work; but it's clear that his aptitude for it is not what it was. Wallander's isolation is further emphasized through aerial shots of the deserted Swedish landscape, with Wallander's car appearing almost like a speck on the horizon.
Branagh gives a low-key performance; his facial expressions rarely change, but it's clear that he is a tormented soul desperately trying to keep his true state of mind hidden from public view. Outward show matters - especially for a high-ranking police officer - and he works hard to sustain his sang-froid. Yet perhaps the task proves beyond him; in the final shot of his episode we see his face encased in a mask as he is about to endure an MRI scan; his surreal appearance denotes something of his true state of mind.
"A Lesson in Love" is a low-key episode in which situation assumes as much significance as plot. There are occasional longueurs, but the viewer's patience receives its due reward in the end.