Wallander: Series 2 - Episode guide
The Bafta-winning series starring Kenneth Branagh as the famous Swedish detective returns to BBC One for three new feature-length investigations.
> Buy Wallander on DVD.
Returning to the series alongside Branagh are David Warner, Richard McCabe, Tom Hiddleston, Sarah Smart, Jeany Sparks, Polly Hemingway and Sadie Shimmin. The second series also features Arsher Ali, Beatie Edney, Rupert Graves, Dhafer L'Abidine, Phyllis Logan, Saskia Reeves, Vincent Regan and Angela Thorne.
The second series was shot on location in Ystad, Southern Sweden, during 2009. "I'm delighted to be back in Kurt Wallander's shoes for three further adaptations," says Kenneth Branagh. "The character's story becomes ever more complex in these next films. The entire team relished the privilege of bringing them to the screen for an audience who proved so loyal last time out."
> Watch a behind the scenes clip.
> Check out our Series 2 preview.
> Take a look at our Series 1 episode guide.
Episode 1: Faceless Killers
Sunday 3rd January 2010
Entering an isolated farmhouse on what he believes is a routine call, Inspector Wallander discovers a bloodbath. An old man has been tortured and beaten to death. Beside his shattered body, his wife is barely alive. As her life slowly slips away, she whispers to Wallander a word that sounds like "foreigners". When her dying word is leaked to the press by the police, there is an outbreak of racist reprisals in Ystad.
Meanwhile, Wallander's personal life is a shambles. He sees little of his daughter, struggles to bond with her new partner – a second-generation Syrian doctor – and his relationship with his mentally fragile father is pushed to the limit. On top of that, the fallout from the case causes him to doubt everything, even his abilities as a police officer.
Episode 2: The Man Who Smiled
Sunday 10th January 2010
After killing a man in the line of duty, Wallander finds himself spiralling into depression. He has just decided to leave the police when an old friend, Sten Torstensson, a solicitor, approaches him to investigate the recent death of his father in a car accident. At first, Kurt dismisses his friend's suspicions about the accident as unlikely, but Sten explains that the keys to the vehicle were found outside the car, raising Wallander's suspicions.
A report explains that the keys had fallen from the ignition, something that could never have happened if his father had smashed the car while driving. Sten begs him to look into the case but, as interested as he might be, Wallander is still fragile and dismisses the case.
Wallander later learns that his solicitor friend has been found dead – a possible suicide – and realises that he was wrong not to listen. Against his better judgement, a troubled Wallander returns to work to head what may now have become a double murder case. An enigmatic big-business tycoon who hides behind tight security seems to be the common denominator in the two deaths.
Episode 3: The Fifth Woman
Sunday 17th January 2010
When Wallander investigates the disappearance of an elderly bird-watcher he discovers a gruesome and meticulously planned murder – a body impaled in a trap of sharpened bamboo poles.
When another man is reported missing, once again Wallander's life is on hold as he works tirelessly to find a link between the series of vicious murders. Gradually, he comes to realise that he is on the trail of a serial killer bent on revenge. Meanwhile, he becomes close to one of the key suspects.
