The Bridge

Investigator- Saga
Sidekick- Hanne

Nordic Noir is a crime sub-genre that is set in Nordic countries. As Neale’s theory states, Nordic Noir has its own tropes that make it recognisable. These include plain language and avoidance of metaphors, bleak landscape settings, and a dark and morally complex mood. They also are generally from the police’s perspective and depicts the tension between the bland social surface and the bigotry that may hide underneath.

At the end of the episode, we are left with a variety of questions, like where did Mortem go? Will Hanne be okay? And most importantly, who killed Helle? This use of Barthes enigma codes keeps the audience hooked and wanting to come back for the next episode in order to get answers.

One of the most immediate ways The Bridge subverts the trope of women being the victims is to have both detectives be women. It also shows women being violent, like the mother who insists her child should punch her bully to make her stop. These both go against the typical helpless, soft-touch tropes we’ve come to expect with female characters. Looking at Butler’s theory of representation, none of these female characters are putting up the performance side of being a woman. In a sense they are not acting like women, but rather actively playing a role more typically expected of a male character.

The dark theme of the show is made very clear through the lighting and colours. All the scenes either take place at night or when it’s overcast, dulling the world we’re shown. The characters also wear a lot of muted tones, resulting in very few bright colours anywhere in the episode.