Midnight Sun, Canal Plus-SVT

The latest Scandinavian crime drama follows the pattern of cross-country detective work of earlier incarnation The Bridge. This time the crime scene is in the remote Arctic north of Sweden and the visiting detective is French. The exceptionally grisly murders contain a political element that is only gradually revealed as an obstacle to those investigating. The superior technology and resources of France are both a help and a hindrance in this. The fraught personal lives of both lead characters are explored alongside the murder mystery. Mildly incompetent prosecutor Anders Harkness and overachieving Paris detective Kahina Zadi turn out to have quite a lot in common. Each grows, learns and overcomes issues as they develop a working partnership to solve the crime. Woven throughout the story is the interesting element of indigenous culture, with its attendant dispossession and prejudice. The plot gets a little fantastical by the end, but this is easily overlooked with total investment in the frantic race to solve the crime and save some lives.