‘Bäckström’ Recap: ‘Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Bäckström’.
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It wasn’t that long ago, that mystery serials on television featured a wholly different type of detective. One that was an outright genius with a sunny disposition, since they were able to solve any crime with a smile and a minimal study of the case at hand and well, audiences simply ate this up. Because there was something quite cool about seeing an everyday joe walk into the room and solve a major crime with a glance and a grin, and it was equally as incredible to see that particular gumshoe be respected by their coworkers at every turn. Since that just further enhanced the feel-good nature of the show in question.  But while that did make for some entertaining television back then, eventually these types of shows faded away, simply because audiences wanted something a little grittier from their police shows.
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But the success of those shows, and their lasting impact upon the television landscape, does leave one to wonder… if a series with a savant-like detective could still find success in an era where police serials are as gritty as they come. And as it turns out, a Swedish series revolving around this possibility, made its debut on AcornTV yesterday, and Bäckström wastes zero time in answering that all-important question with a resounding yes… provided that a few changes come to the format of this age-old formula. Which means that in order for this to work, the detective in question, a one Evert Bäckström, has to rub some people the wrong way… in order for there to be conflict and drama for the audience to sink their teeth into. 

A feat that is accomplished by way of ego. Because despite the fact that Bäckström is indeed revered by his colleagues for being able to figure out clues that no one else is able to spot, he knows he is the best man in the room, and he has no problem expressing that to others in the most condescending way imaginable. Not because he is a jerk and looks down upon others. But because he wants his colleagues to raise the bar and up their game immediately. And he is so sure they can do better, that he has no problem with going after the chief of police in a similar manner, with unfortunate results and really the point of adding this twist into the story, beyond the conflict, is that it more or less forces Bäckström to earn his status as a hero and that definitely invests the viewer into this world for certain.
As does the other surprise twist in this tale. In that, this premiere poses quite the question.

Specifically, what would happen if the genius detective, is in fact, wrong about the case? Because for a better part of this episode, everything that Bäckström predicts about the case, becomes reality. For he’s able to call the age and gender and ethnicity of the victim and how they were killed and where the body is hiding, and that truly makes it seem as though he is going to cruise to the finish line of this case no problem, when in fact, there is a problem. For in the closing moments of this opening chapter, we come to learn that the victim in question… is not who anyone expected them to be. In fact, they might not be a murder victim at all. Which makes Bäckström appear as though he’s losing his touch, which means… he will have to earn his superstar status back as well. 

If anything, all of these elements made this one incredibly clever series premiere. For it genuinely offered up a wonderful twist on the super-smart detective trope that exists within the genre, and to top it all off… it was filled with dynamic performances as well. For the actors here sell their characters to a tee, further immersing the viewer in this strange and dynamic world where brilliant detectives still smile and grin over the state of the world and can solve crimes with minimal effort and truly, everything present in this tale compels the viewer to continue this fascinating journey. Not only to see if Bäckström will finally find the respect he clearly deserves, but to also see how on earth he is going to crack, his biggest challenge to date. Until next time.

‘Bäckström’ is available to stream now on AcornTV.

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