In the previous episode, Wallander has surrendered his gun and his badge and headed for parts unknown. He is a mess. He is probably bipolar to start with; now add all the guilt that goes with killing another man. He has this tendency to be so private that he won't let anyone invade his world. A friend comes to him and asks for help and he pushes him away. He has done this before but doesn't seem to have learned. The case here is the death of a man and his son in two different incidents. Once Kurt realizes he could have acted ahead of time, he dives in with both feet. The problem is that he hasn't recovered and his superiors think he's a bit balm (which he is). All this eventually leads to the discovery of a worldwide scheme to kill and take body parts from third world countries for transplant. A body is worth well over a hundred thousand dollars to these guys. Also in this is a continuation of the estrangement of Wallander and his daughter and his father, who is suffering from Alzheimers or some type of dementia This offering suffers from too much self pity and inaction. Still, there are some interesting aspects to the case. By the way, the daughter is an unsympathetic snot.
Review of The Man Who Smiled
