The plot unfolds in 10 episodes. It is primarily about an on going serial murder for which the prime suspect changes regularly. There are a bunch of politicians in a parallel plot that is equally compelling. Of the other plots there are several the most notable being the main suspect's personal life.
Like most sequels following a brilliant first series there is a lot of expectation and no little anticlimax but it is still extremely watchable. Sofie Grabol is an immensely subtle actress and a huge but quiet force. Especially for one so small. You will want to watch the last 3 episodes back to back, be prepared for some tired mornings, each episode is an hour.
While this second series of 'The Killing' is very good, it's not quite up to the exceptionally high standards of the first series. And I think that's down to the storyline - it doesn't have the realism, the raw impact of being something that we each recognise and empathise with, in that case, the killing of a young girl.
The second series has similar components to the first: the almost obsessive investigation by the Sarah Lund character, the political angle, and above all the many red herrings and false trails to mislead us until the final denouement.
It's a lengthy series with 10 episodes (in Danish with subtitles) but this gives time for good in-depth characterisation. This time, there is a plot to kill off all remaining survivors of an action during the Afghanistan war. Is it Islamic militants? Is it home grown terrorists? Is it the military themselves? Is it a political plot? Is it an attempt to cover up a war crime? Sarah Lund is called back from the lowly job she has been banished to and leads the investigation...
The acting and the script are excellent throughout - but the underlying storyline is more far-fetched and for that reason less involving. It's still great stuff and we watched this day and night until we had consumed it all...
4/5 stars. Excellent - but just not quite as good as Series 1 so I've marked it down by 1 star, though that does seem a little mean.