If anything should sum up the last season of “Thin blue line”, it is Oscar Töringe’s dark circles under his eyes. Hans Magnus and several of the other characters are constantly a second, a minute, an hour or a day away from breaking down. The scars – above all the internal ones but also the external ones – are a reminder of the stressful profession they have chosen as well as a way for the main author Cilla Jackert to slowly build the story to an emotionally satisfying ending for the viewer.
“THE THIN BLUE LINE” – SEASON 3
Manus: Cilla Jackert,
Regi: Jimmy Olsson, Saara Cantell, Olof Spaak.
With: Amanda Jansson, Oscar Töringe, Per Lasson, Malou Marnfeldt, Sandra Stojiljkovic, Anna Sise, Mustafa Al-Mashhadani, Charlotta Björck, Linus James Nilsson and others.
Premiere: September 27 on SVT Play. The first episode will also be broadcast on September 29 in SVT.
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Initially, the tone of the third season is strict, as if every unnecessary frame has been cut away and only the core of what “The Thin Blue Line” can be remains. Gradually, the rigorous grip is released, with the result that the characters’ stories open up a little. Greater leeway is not always in the series’ favor; the span between the sequences becomes weaker, which results in the viewer’s involvement not reaching the same heights.
Thus, it was never said or written that the “Thin Blue Line” fumbles during these last six episodes. Rather, the bar is set so high that it is almost impossible to reach, at least on repeated occasions. Therefore, it is of course the right choice by Jackert, the production company Anagram and SVT to call it quits after three seasons.
The final season of “Thin Blue Line” premieres on September 27 in SVT Play.
Photo: Anders Nicander / SVT
Sandra Stojiljkovic and Anna Sise.
Photo: Anders Nicander / SVT
Season 3 is the last for “The Thin Blue Line”.
Photo: Anders Nicander / SVT
The third and final season lets reality seep in with a focus on the consequences of gang crime as well as a number of other contemporary markers such as threats to politicians, the tone on social media, drugs and explosions.
Fortunately, “The Thin Blue Line” still has no ambitions to let the plot of the series grow outside the streets of Malmö. The perspective is based on the characters’ choices and reactions and comes from the situations that arise organically. There is an illogical logic to the series which is what has made “The Thin Blue Line” realistic from the start.
That, and the warmth and humanity found in the plot and in the characters explain its appeal and viewer success.
Amanda Jansson plays Sara in “The Thin Blue Line”.
Photo: Anders Nicander / SVT
The final season partly begins in a different emotional place. Despite the despondency of the main characters being almost palpable, the series never sinks into the overly gloomy. From there, lines are drawn that grow together, diverge and hold together. Sometimes certain sequences become too obvious, as if the lines and the imagery have never met before. At times – note that it is on few occasions – even the dialogue is an obstacle for the viewer to really feel what is being conveyed.
The discussion about God and Christianity that is actualized through Sara’s faith meets the most resistance. Sure, it’s a natural part of the series and something that was established early on, but put to its peak, the execution is mostly clumsy.
The very last picture in “Thin Blue Line” is of a child. As if the series wants to hammer home that this is where the future is found and that it is for her and many others that the characters have fought.
Clichéd, but also surprisingly effective.
READ MORE: Sorrow with Töringe after the “Thin Blue Line”
