The final episodes of Beck, the longest-running Swedish film series of all time, premiere in the U.S. on MHz Choice beginning September 13th. Watch online, on your TV or favorite device – start your free 30-day trial at mhzchoice.com! Here’s Part 2 of an informative guide to all the new episodes, to get you ready before you watch.
Season 5, Episode 2: The Family
Premieres September 20th
Opening with a bang – a failed hit on crime boss Zlatko in the company of his wife and two children – things soon quiet down for a contemplative story about loneliness in the face of mortality. Time has passed since the events of Room 302: Oskar is now living with Petra, the legal advisor he met in the previous episode, and they’re expecting their first child. Martin and police pathologist Gunilla Urnst have taken an instant liking to one another, fumbling with their attraction like a couple of schoolkids. And as the Beck team investigates a second, successful assassination attempt on Zlatko, Gunvald gets a little too close to Charlotta, the gangster’s widow…
Season 5, Episode 3: The Invasion
Premieres September 20th
A body found buried in the woods leads Beck to uncover possible links to an Islamist terror cell, and the subsequent investigation mirrors the headlines coming out of Europe and the U.S. in recent months. Xenophobic citizens blaming foreigners and conspiracies for their woes. A shady company smuggling illegal immigrants in to do jobs that young Swedes won’t. A Chechen couple, exploited by traffickers and hounded by anti-immigration forces, trying to make a life for themselves as they prepare to bring a child into the world. Gunvald may see things in black-and-white, but reality is never so simple.
On the lighter side, we finally learn the Neighbor’s real name in this episode – and Gunvald gives new meaning to the phrase “speedy delivery”:
Season 5, Episode 4: The Hospital Murders
Premieres September 20th
An elderly woman in the final stages of ALS dies in a Stockholm hospital under mysterious circumstances. Was it an accident, a mercy killing or something even more sinister? In the course of their investigation, Martin and the team will discover the twisted lengths to which some people will go to keep their families together.
The mortality theme of this season continues in this story. “Do you wear glasses now?” Inger asked Martin way back in The Decoy Boy. The Hospital Murders ends with Gunvald finally getting his own pair of reading specs – a nice callback to that very first episode, and a reminder that everybody gets old – even Gunvald.
Season 5, Episode 5: Gunvald
A journalist is found beaten to death and Beck’s investigation takes an unexpected and tragic turn.
Premieres September 20th
Director’s notes: “In Gunvald, the Beck group faces their greatest challenge yet. In the deepest of crises, their professional competence is put to the test and their need to stick together is greater than ever. Martin Beck is forced to keep his own emotions in check, in order to lead his hard-pressed team. It was particularly engaging for me to direct this film, as we encounter new sides of most of our characters. Never has the conflict between private and professional life been more clear in a Beck story. Mikael Syrén has written a gripping and poignant script that focuses on what I believe is the series’ main theme: loneliness.” – Mårten Klingberg, 2015
