The Fifth Woman

The 5th woman unfolds autumn 1994. An elderly man found in a gillrad pitfall impaled to death on the sharp sharpened bamboo poles, ecstatic praise of crows. Shortly afterwards disappears a florist without a trace and he also found executed in the forest. Kurt Wallander and his colleagues will soon understand that the attacks is all about revenge.

The Fifth Woman (2002) is a Swedish national-television nordic noir miniseries created for SVT1, a four-episode limited series adapted from the Wallander novels. Rolf Lassgard plays detective Kurt Wallander, a weary investigator working alongside colleagues Martinsson (Lars Melin), Svedberg (Christer Fant) and Lisa Holgersson (Kerstin Andersson) in the southern Swedish town of Ystad. The story is driven by a gruesome case: an elderly man is found impaled in a pitfall trap, a florist vanishes without a trace and is later found executed in the forest, and the team must piece together a trail of clues. Each episode is a patient, methodical unraveling of interviews, forensic details and personal histories, with the detective's own frayed life woven into the work. The tone is cold, brooding and melancholic, shaped by autumn light, rural landscapes and a sense of quiet dread. Fans of The Killing, The Bridge and other European crime procedurals will find the same grim atmosphere and emphasis on human detail. Set in 1994 Sweden, the miniseries rewards viewers who enjoy slow, character-driven mysteries grounded in realism.

• The Killing (2007)shared nordic noir tone, methodical detective investigation, bleak small-town crime
• The Bridgeshared swedish crime procedural, brooding detective protagonist, serial murder investigation
• Wallander (2005)shared european crime miniseries format, detective-led investigation with personal melancholy

Release Date

2002-03-08

Episode runtime

57 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (13)

What is The Fifth Woman about?

Kurt Wallander investigates a string of grisly forest killings in autumn 1994 that he slowly realizes are driven by revenge.

What is The Fifth Woman like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fifth Woman as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Fifth Woman violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Fifth Woman as graphic.

Which shows are like The Fifth Woman?

Shows with a similar feel include The Killing (2007), The Bridge, and Wallander (2005).

How long is The Fifth Woman?

The Fifth Woman: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is The Fifth Woman still running?

No, The Fifth Woman has ended.