Avsnitt 1

Set in and around a bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden, THE BRIDGE in inevitably going to revolve around the clash of ideologies as well as nationalisms. And so it proves: one of the main themes of this opening episode centers around the conflict between central character Saga (Sofia Helin) and her Danish colleague. They resolve not to talk to one another socially but simply to co-exist professionally.

The idea of co-existence extends to the personal as well as the professional sphere. From the beginning it's clear that this story focuses on dysfunctional families: for example, the odd relationship between the murder victim and her son Morten (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen) an Afghanistan war veteran; or the close yet violent bond between vlogger Alice (Katrine Rosenthal) and her young daughter that culminates in an accusation of violent conduct at school.

Shot in bleak colors, with plenty of establishing shots of the Scandinavian landscape, this opening episode creates a dystopian world in which nothing is quite what it seems: characters flit in and out of the story, apparently behaving in an illogical manner, creating the kind of questions in viewers' minds that will encourage them to tune into the next episode.