Showdown On The Docks
The Real Killer
Karl-Axel. The killer was Karl-Axel. With the psychopath brother revealed, episode 6 of Young Wallander begins with our trio of investigators talking. His motive stems from Leopold changing the will into Gustav’s name. Only, how does this link to the grenade and the C4 shipment? Time for some more surveillance work. Wallander eventually makes his move and heads in to see Leopold. He apologizes for the party and starts buttering the man up. It doesn’t take long before he gets down to brass tacks. Specifically, Wallander brings up the subject of the inheritance. Leopold scoffs at this but there’s clearly some bad blood in the air. As Wallander heads back to the scene of Hugo’s crime he gets thinking. Tellingly, the fence he was blown up on happens to have a sign for Munck construction. This shot clearly isn’t a coincidence. Back at the station, Wallander learns that Leopold has gone to the police. However, our young detective holds his own in the face of being berated. Gustav’s reaction after the explosion wasn’t great and no one else knows Gustav better than his own brother. It all fits – the puzzle pieces slot together but there’s something missing. Some of the actual pieces remain hidden from view.
Obtaining Evidence
In order to try and find them, Hemberg and Wallander head out to try and get some answers (and a DNA sample) from Karl-Axel. Sitting with him, Hemberg mentions the shipping deal and a silence descends over the room. Just before things turn awkward, Hemberg suggests they leave. It turns out he already has the evidence needed in the form of a pen. Wallander races off to get the DNA tested. Not long after he meets Mona who confirms she’s going to leave the Munck Foundation after this gig and search for greener pastures. Wallander heads back to the estate and confronts Bash about his involvement with the Muncks. He asks about the explosives but Bash refuses to spill the details. Both of them are compromised and right now it’s not a great environment to be bringing these questions up.
Finding The Bomb
Instead, Wallander makes a deal and promises they’ll be done once he finds out the details of the meeting. It turns out their deal is going down sooner rather than later – today infact. With time ticking, Wallander races off to the homeless shelter, believing the C4 is inside. Despite scouring the area with sniffer dogs, they find nothing. Wallander struggles to hide his disappointment but one good thing does come from this – Mona and Wallander sort their personal issues out. There’s another twist in the tale to come though. When Hemberg arrives they soon learn that the deal to change the inheritance actually went down a week prior.
Follow The White Car
As they race down to the docks, Wallander and Hemberg just so happen to find the white car they’re after and follow from afar. This brings them to an abandoned warehouse. The duo work together and clear the area, believing the explosives are inside and Gustav’s life is in danger. One of the men evacuated happens to be dressed as a builder and very familiar. It’s Marcus – the bouncer from The Cube. Unfortunately Wallander’s too late to stop the bomb going off, which blasts Hemberg into smithereens. On the back of this, Wallander and Rask bring Karl-Axel in and break down exactly what happened. As they discuss Gustav and toying with his emotions, both Rask and Wallander take it in turns to go through the entire case piece by piece.
The End
All of this is laid out in meticulous detail but Karl shrugs off the charges and walks away. Wallander follows him out, promising retribution, before watching him drive off with his Mother. On the back of this, Wallander decides to quit the force after Hemberg’s death. The bells toll in honour of him while Wallander sees news reports that Gustav has officially taken control of the Munck company. Nora meets Wallander outside and the pair head inside together. Just before they do though, Ibra reveals he’s got a new lease on life and a 2 year contract at the club. For now we get a happy ending but there’s just enough here for a cheeky second season should Netflix decide to renew this one.
The Episode Review
So Wallander ends its 6 episode run with an okay finale. There’s nothing outstanding or incredible about this series nor is there anything outright terrible. The only thing that feels jarring is the overtly British tone against the Swedish backdrop. It feels very weird and especially given Wallander is the only one with an accent. In terms of the case though it’s resolved in a pretty satisfying manner after a topsy-turvy season. There’s nothing incredible with this but it is definitely watchable. A second season certainly wouldn’t go amiss here.
