On Wednesday FX aired the pilot of its newest drama, The Bridge. The show begins with a mysterious figure strategically placing a body on the border between El Paso, TX, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This forces two detectives, Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) from El Paso and Marco Ruiz (Demián Bichir) from Juarez, to work together on the case, which seems to be the work of a serial killer.
The most interesting thing about The Bridge is its depiction of the culture clash between the U.S. and Mexico. Immigration is a hot topic today, so it's about time a TV show takes a look at the differences between Mexican and American cultures. The Bridge handles this well by not focusing on either culture but rather providing a balanced and (so far) unbiased look at both. It is very interesting to see how police work is conducted on either side of the border. Sonya does everything by-the-book and puts a lot of effort into her work, while Ruiz is more laid back because in Juarez, the police are often bribed by drug cartels, so many cases are not looked into thoroughly.
The differences between the two detectives are also seen in their personalities, which are portrayed well by the two leads. I quickly grew fond of Ruiz thanks to Bichir's acting. Bichir seems to lose himself in the role, making Ruiz a very real and likable character. He is a family man and seems to be one of the few uncorrupted cops in the Juarez police force. I couldn't help but smile during many of his interactions with Sonya, who is almost completely opposite Ruiz.
Kruger, however, did not grab my attention as much as Bichir. At first her acting seemed rather stiff, but then I realized that it was the character who is stiff. Sonya is a professional, but she lacks personality, which seems to be the point of her character. Whether it is because of a mental illness or something from her past is unclear, but Sonya buries herself in her work and lacks empathy, as seen (and directly stated) when she must tell the victim's husband the bad news. Kruger portrays this lack of emotion well, but it is kind of a turn-off. Hopefully her character will be developed and provide Kruger with some more room to act.
The episode was rather slow-paced, but for some reason I didn't mind that. Pilot episodes are usually fast-paced to draw in viewers, but this one was slower yet still managed to keep my attention. The pacing allowed me to get to know the characters, but not through heavy exposition. It was their interactions with each other that showed me who they are.
There are many lingering questions other than the main case that make this show very intriguing and will keep me watching. The biggest question is how the two subplots connect to the main case. In one, a woman named Charlotte (Annabeth Gish) has just been widowed and discovers a second phone among her late husband's pocket, leading her to snoop around their property. In the other, a shady American kidnaps a young Mexican woman. Whether he is the killer remains to be seen, but he is certainly suspicious.
The Bridge definitely seems to be a show to stick with. The two main characters are interesting, and I am excited to learn more about their pasts. The acting overall is very good. Two other great performances to point out are Ted Levine as Sonya's boss and Matthew Lillard as a jerk journalist. Finally, the writers did an excellent job with raising both questions about the plot and about culture and morality. Not only does this show make you wonder what will happen next, but it also makes you think about the differences between the U.S. and Mexico.
If you didn't watch The Bridge, I highly recommend it. If you did, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
