The Bridge's Narrative Analysis

The Bridge did not avoid the classical linear narrative where strong causality linked the past with the present and future. The Bridge’s narrative was developed through a four-line structure (A: B: C: D). Each letter corresponded to a storyline. Each one of these lines function in parallel, but they did not necessarily have the same salience for the narrative or the same duration in each episode. For example, A was the most significant, B less, and so on. Some secondary storylines, for example, C, D, were often used to develop aspects of characters or recurrent themes (see Colonna, 2010; Douglas, 2011).

In the case of the Bridge, the four storylines were constructed as it is described below:

• A-line referred to the main crime investigation. Two mutilated torsos were found in the middle of the Bridge. Each part of the torso belonged to a different state and class (one part belonged to a politician from Sweden in the Nordic version and from the US. in the American one, and the other part belonged to a prostitute from Denmark and Mexico in the …show more content…
Nevertheless, this storyline was completed in ten episodes in the Nordic Bridge, whereas the American Bridge had three extra episodes, which prepared the ground for season 2. B and C lines for the Nordic Bridge tackled the issue of the welfare state and its failures (social exclusion and class privileges). As it was stressed, B followed the character of Stefan, a social worker and activist who tried to fix social injustices. On the other hand, C addressed the same issue, that of injustice, by putting forward the exploitation of the system by the upper class, which resulted in the perpetuation of social inequalities. Storyline C was developed around Charlotte, the trophy-wife of a rich businessman and investor, who needed a heart transplant. To succeed in this, Charlotte used