The Crow Girl - Season 1

The Crow Girl quickly gives the attentive viewer a clue as to who the culprit is. That's due to allusions and a number of classic clues. This quickly makes it clear who the perpetrator is. I won't explain it further here, because then there's no need to watch the series. That would be a shame, though. For the less seasoned crime series viewer, the outcome might still be a big surprise. Of course, I don't want to deprive anyone of that. Incidentally, the ending confirms my suspicion. It makes The Crow Girl a decent crime series, but partly because of this, it's not one of the best I've ever seen.

Dept. Q was convincing, The Crow Girl knew how to entertain.

The Crow Girl is a British series set in Scotland. However, its origins are Swedish. The series is based on the book of the same name by Erik Axl Sund (the pseudonym of the writing duo Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist). Now, Scotland, like Scandinavia, has a rugged yet stunningly beautiful landscape. This landscape contributes to the atmospheric dynamism. Unfortunately, this dynamism cannot be compared to that other Scottish series based on a Scandinavian source: Dept. Q. Dept. Q was convincing, The Crow Girl knows how to entertain.



The case centers around a series of gruesome murders. Detective Jeanette Kilburn (Eve Myles) quickly connects them. She and her colleague Lou Stanley (Dougray Scott) investigate. Their relationship is quite unusual. Jeanette and Lou are related, and Lou is the godfather of Jeanette's son. This allows for the exploration of Jeanette's personal life. She is married, but the spark has long since faded. Key reasons are Jeanette's flexible working hours and the fact that she always prioritizes her business over her partner's. Lou is a tough guy with a soft core. His remarks are sharp and not always appropriate for his situation. This doesn't always help Jeanette's personal life either.

Jeanette quickly becomes convinced she knows who the perpetrator is. After a murder is committed while the suspect is in jail, she remains convinced he's involved. She meets with Sophia Craven (Katherine Kelly), the suspect's psychotherapist. Together, they continue their investigation to solve the increasingly complex case. Due to their personal circumstances, the two women also feel drawn to each other on another level.



The Crow Girl frequently jumps back in time. It remains unclear for a long time why these time jumps are so important. They offer a glimpse into the life of a girl who seems somehow involved in the murders taking place. This sometimes makes the story a bit harder to follow, especially because it seems the girl from the past is also present in the present in the same capacity. That's impossible, of course. Only much later does it become clear why.

The Crow Girl is a series with potential.

The Crow Girl is a series with potential. Unfortunately, this first season doesn't always capitalize on it. It must be said that the last two episodes are actually the best. On the one hand, they confirm what I already suspected, but on the other hand, there are plenty of surprising plot twists before that happens. For example, the relationship between Lou and Jeannette changes. Moreover, the outcome of the turmoil in the latter's personal relationship becomes clear.

This means that The Crow Girl isn't particularly surprising when it comes to identifying the perpetrator. However, it's a beautifully constructed drama in which certain events keep you watching. This is mainly due to the storylines that run alongside the main narrative of the search for the perpetrator. While this probably wasn't the creators' intention, it does make The Crow Girl worth watching.