Top 35 Shows of 2013: No 27 The Bridge (US)

The US version of The Bridge is one strange show. Seriously the pacing for the season was all over the place with the real climax happening in the rather excellent 11th episode Take the Ride, Pay the Toll and the season finale not feeling like a finale at all. At times I really wasn’t interested in the overall mystery of who The Beast was and why he was killing on both sides of the border but I was completely pulled into the show but the relationships.

Whether it be the mentor come father/daughter relationship between Sonya and Hank, the forming friendship and working partnership between Sonya and Marco and the often hilarious and fascinating friendship between journalists Frye and Adriana.  As they all tried to solve the case it really became about these unlikely people becoming close and then at times being torn apart.

I much prefer crime shows that focus on character development than just another dead body and sure there were subplots which seemed like pure detours or set up for season 2 but overall I really enjoyed The Bridge having not seen the original and that is probably for the best as I gather the murder case and tragic outcome is pretty much the same.

There were times though when the case aspect really worked, the chase to find Maria in the desert or the thrilling bridge confrontation between Marco and the killer. I also liked the weirdness Steven Linder, at first glance he looks like a clear suspect but instead he is trying to help the lost women of Juárez.

I think with some improvements and the recent announcement that Matthew Lillard and Emily Rios are now regulars the series can now jump from pretty great to all round excellent. I look forward to whatever case brings Sonya and Marco together again.

Favourite Episodes: Maria of the Desert / Take the Ride, Pay the Toll