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Cops from opposite sides of 'Bridge'

David Wiegan, Times Union
Published 3:13 pm, Tuesday, July 9, 2013




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There is more than one bridge at issue in the riveting new FX drama "The Bridge," premiering Wednesday night.

There is the heavily patrolled bridge between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, where the discovery of a body leads to U.S. and American cops teaming up to catch a serial killer working both sides of the border.

There are metaphorical bridges as well: between U.S. and Mexican culture, between the extreme personalities of El Paso detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger, "Inglourious Basterds") and Chihuahua State cop Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir, "Weeds"), and even internal bridges within characters who often wrestle with moral issues.

Like AMC's "The Killing," "The Bridge" is based on a Danish thriller. "Bron/Broen" was set on the border between Denmark and Sweden. No doubt those two countries have their issues, but setting the FX adaptation on the U.S.-Mexican border offers an opportunity to make use of the hot-button issues of border security, immigration and the Mexican drug trade.

With the discovery of the body positioned exactly on the border, all kinds of questions arise, such as how the body got there and which country should take the case. Cross initially claims ownership based on the fact that the woman is American. She turns out to be half right: The upper half of the body is American, but the lower half of the bisected corpse is that of a Mexican woman. As bodies turn up on both sides of the border, it becomes clear the killer is delivering a message, in an especially horrific way.

Cross and Ruiz are reluctant partners, because they couldn't be more unalike. Cross gives new meaning to by-the-book, seems incapable of expressing emotion of any kind and is just plain odd. What you won't find out from the first three episodes is that she has Asperger's. It's unclear why that information is withheld from viewers.

Ruiz is Cross' polar opposite. He's a good cop, but he allows himself emotions and feels empathy. Cross and Ruiz fit the definition of what the Brits call "chalk and cheese," a staple of so many cop shows and films over the years: seeming opposite types whose differences may sometimes put them at odds with each other, but who make a formidable team because of those differences.

After identifying the top half of the body as that of an American judge known for her anti-immigration stance, Ruiz and Cross try to figure out where the bottom half came from. In the meantime, we get to know other characters who all seem to be struggling with issues, which may or may not be related to the killings.

Charlotte Millwright (Annabeth Gish, "Pretty Little Liars"), the widow of a wealthy rancher, finds her own sense of right and wrong tested when she discovers her husband's secret vocation. Sleazy El Paso reporter Daniel Frye (Matthew Lillard, "Scooby-Doo") used to be a big-shot investigative journalist at the Houston Chronicle, but drugs and booze eroded his career until the killer suddenly starts using him to communicate demands. Steven Linder (Thomas M. Wright, "Top of the Lake") is a creepy loner who becomes a person of interest in the case, yet he has an abiding passion to help illegal immigrants.

There are no saints in "The Bridge," and plenty of apparent sinners. Even Ruiz is not immune to moral lapses. Adamant that he not be lumped in with cops who are in the pocket of the Mexican drug cartels, he seems to have a stable home life that includes a loving, supportive wife, Alma (Catalina Sandino Moreno, "Che"), and a teenage son with raging hormones and a fondness for the occasional joint.

Yet, in the third episode, he does something that seems to counter everything we know about his character. There may be an explanation down the road, but the act feels more like writers reaching for shock value than maintaining authenticity. Yes, you can write a left turn for any character into a script, but you have to do it believably.

Setting plays a significant role in "The Bridge" — in that regard, it's like "The Killing" without rainfall. "The Bridge" makes potent use of dry, lifeless desert, the teeming streets of Juarez and the dusty roads through Texas and Mexican back country. Even the El Paso squad room is an underpopulated office in which the fluorescent light is as punishing as the Texas sun.

Creators Meredith Stiehm ("Homeland") and Elwood Reid ("Cold Case") are blessed with an extraordinary cast, from leads Kruger and Bichir, to supporting players Gish, Lillard, Wright and Ted Levine ("Monk") as Cross' weary boss.

A few missteps notwithstanding, "The Bridge" crackles with intelligence and great acting at every turn.

David Wiegand is The San Francisco Chronicle's executive features editor and TV critic. dwiegand@sfchronicle.com

★★★½ Review

"The Bridge"

When: Series premieres 10 p.m. Wednesday

Where: FX

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