Wallander (TV Series) An Event in Autumn (2012) User Reviews

no wonder Sweden has such a high suicide rate

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 10 September 2012]

A few more episodes like this, and I'll be ready to jump myself.

The eternally depressed, played out Wallander is back, miserable as ever, living in a farmhouse with his girlfriend Vanja in "An Event in Autumn." The police detective is called upon to investigate a murder on a ferry, where a pregnant girl either jumped or was pushed. Then he finds a skeleton in his garden that has been there around ten years.

With the help of his neighbor, he finds the former occupant of his home, who is a real piece of work, a violent man whose own daughter went missing ten years earlier and who pimped out his daughters and used to pick girls up and turn them out. Turns out the pregnant victim isn't the missing daughter, though, who is alive and well and living in Arizona.

After talking with the daughter, Wallander is finally on the trail of the real murderer, involved in both killings, and who knows how many more? A dark atmosphere and a heaviness pervades the Wallander stories, and there are Pinter pauses in the dialogue you could drive a truck through. Since that is correct for the plots and the character of Wallander, the episodes are absorbing and the mysteries quite good. Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as a man trying to be happy but is too pulled down by the horror he sees in his work. In one particularly gruesome scene, a policewoman he is working with is bludgeoned by Petraus, the ex-neighbor.

Highly recommended but don't have any weapons in the house.

Another bleak case for Wallander

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 9 July 2012]

The first episode of the third series of the British version of 'Wallander' opens with a girl going outside on the ferry from Poland to Sweden; at first it looks as though she might jump; she doesn't though, she is pushed. A passenger sees her fall but a roll call suggests that nobody is missing. Some time Wallander is moving into a new house with his partner Vanja when he is called away; the girl's body has washed up; or at least what is left of her has. He hasn't got far into the investigation when a second body is discovered; this time it is buried under some blackcurrant bushes in the garden of Kurt's new house… he now has two murders to deal with. The investigation into the latter body leads him to question the house's previous tenants; one in particular raises his suspicion as his daughter apparently disappeared around the time they moved; he claims she moved to America but there is no evidence that she ever left Sweden. Kurt and Ann-Britt return to his scrap yard but a confrontation leads to Ann-Britt being hospitalised with serious head injuries… a search leads to the discovery of the rifle that killed the girl so it looks as if the case is solved until they get a call from Arizona confirming that the daughter is alive… clearly Kurt will have to find a new line of inquiry if he is to find who really killed her. The other case appears to be going nowhere as well until Kurt gets a rather surprising call.

Anybody hoping that things would get brighter for Wallander this series will be sorely disappointed; Kenneth Branagh's incarnation of the Swedish detective continues to be the most downbeat in my opinion. He goes a great job though; making the constantly depressed officer seem believable… and given the number of deaths he deals with it is of little surprise that he is always down. The rest of the cast perform well too; I particularly liked Sarah Smart's performance as Ann-Britt; her happier character is a good counterpoint to Wallander; I just hope her character doesn't get written out after the injuries she sustained. The mystery is typical of this kind of detective series but none the worse for that; there are enough suspects to keep viewers guessing. There are a few real shocks and a couple of distressing scenes; most notably when Ann-Britt is hit in the head with a sledgehammer and when the killer murders another girl in his car.

People who have enjoyed previous episodes of the BBC version of Wallander are sure to enjoy this; fans of the Swedish versions who how have yet to see this version should give it a go too; it is different obviously but still entertaining.

He Is What He Is

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 13 November 2015]

In this story, Wallander becomes involved in a case where a pregnant girl either jumped or was pushed off a boat. At the beginning of the episode, we actually see him smiling. He is normally so morose that this is quite amazing. However, this only lasts briefly as he is submerged into the armpit of the world again. He is living with a woman who is there for him, but, at least here, he doesn't seem to even meet her half way. She recognizes in him his determination and his drive, but little things, like letting people know where he is and when he will return or even that he is leaving, are the kinds of things that crush his relationships. He is an obsessive type which makes him a great policeman, a man of details. Here he begins to piece together a pair of deaths that are related. It so happens that a body is buried in a garden next to his current home. He must also deal with the near death of his partner who has been hit in the head with a sledgehammer by an enraged man. This is a dark story, not the least bit happy, but this character lives in the darkest recesses of his mind.

Beautifully depressing, inspiringly moribund, loved it!

[paul vincent zecchino · 10/10 · 9 September 2012]

Oh, you thought perhaps because in the opening scenes Detective Wallander appeared to be in much better physical and emotional shape, this installment would be sweetness 'n' light?

What? You figured, here's a whole new kind of depressive detective, one who bakes cakes, does jigs by the light of the midnight sun, and sings "Oklahoma!"?

Rest assured, the cavalcade of cadavers continues apace! Dainty shot of arm attached to torso washed up on a cold beach framed by grey skies. Cheery scene in which Wallander discovers human skull in his backyard.

Nice attempted homicide-by-sledgehammer by a perp who could be the grandson of Chuck Manson.

More gray skies. Brooding. Drinks. Brooding. Saskia Reeves' character Vanja Andersson, is elegant, mysterious, alluring as Wallander's girlfriend, a welcome Anglo-Dutch balm for sore eyes. A lovely lady and fine actress whose presence keeps one from reaching for the box of double edged razor blades....

Missed this series during its long absence from PBS, glad it's back and look forward to many more. They say the Nordic people are prone to brooding. A fine pastime, fun for the whole family. Wallander aptly demonstrates the fine art of brooding and solving the unsolvable simultaneously.

Paul Vincent Zecchino Manasovietskiya Ostrova, Fluorida 09 September, 2012

Dark, Gripping, compulsive.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 29 January 2018]

An Event in Autumn is one powerful episode, plenty of changes, including new cast members, a smarter looking Kenneth Branagh, and Magnus has moved on, but the usual dark and gloomy tale. The initial sunshine for Wallander in the form of Vanja (Saskia Reeves) doesn't last long, and all the better for it, where would we be with a smiling, carefree Kurt. The storyline is great one, very dark and bleak, some incredibly scenes, in particular the dog incident, which has to be one of the darkest, most shocking moments on the show. Excellent performances, the regulars are great as always, Donald Sumpter is brilliant, but the show was owned by Con O'Neill, who was just incredible, he really does manage to get under your skin.

One of the best episodes of the show, if I had a criticism it would be they used some awful scenery, Sweden normally looks (and is!) a glorious country, they certainly didn't make it so here.

One major thing ticked me off in this episode

[natalie-81839 · 5/10 · 1 August 2017]

I like the series, overall.

But I am surprised how bleak everything is in Sweden - mostly gray sky, black/white/gray buildings and houses and plain furniture, white/gray walls, even the bedding is greenish gray ... Quite gloomy.

In this episode i got angry at Kurt - he was trespassing, without announcing himself, went in over the fence: his actions resulted in getting his colleague nearly killed, and getting killed two beautiful dogs that were just doing their guarding jobs ... Disappointing!

No wonder they named the series "Wallander"

[rgclosson-568-232001 · 5/10 · 22 February 2021]

It's too much about Kurt Wallander. Needs to be more about the police story. The stories are gripping and mysterious. Probably excessively mysterious because we don't get the full disclosure as Kurt begins to understand the clues. Like his staff, we are kept in the dark while he goes off on hunches. If I wanted this self centered stuff I could watch "Vera," only she treats her staff like dummies. Oh, and his annoying phone conveniently rings just in time to advance the story. Too clever. In the end, he treats his girlfriend Vanya like one of his employees; doesn't tell her the counselor they're seeing is the same one he saw with his wife prior to their divorce. He deserves to be alone because that's what he wants, despite all the apparent angst. Give me a break.