Modus

'The Killing' established a certain template for Scandinavian crime drama: dark, moody, intense, understated, and with a tough, and not conventionally feminine, leading female protagonist. The recipe was followed pretty much exactly in 'The Bridge'; and many of the same elements are also present in 'Modus'. But for my money, 'The Killing' was great because of brilliant acting (and occasionally writing), rather than because it unlocked inherently magic elements, and for me, 'Modus' falls a bit flat. It's one thing to tell a complex multi-part story of a criminal investigation, one which impacts upon the private lives of its characters; but it's another to make this into a cohesive story, one which makes intrinsic sense and makes the viewer care beyond the latest twist. And to my mind, any plot based upon the idea of the serial killer with the premeditated plan is at a disadvantage even before it starts. 'Modus' isn't awfully done, and maybe I'm just a bit Scandi'd out, but it certainly lacks the freshness that the first season of 'The Killing' such a success.