The Devil’s Star shifts the series into higher gear as evidence mounts that Oslo is facing a calculated serial killer, prompting a pivot in the investigation even as brutal gang warfare hits a hospital. The episode interweaves the procedural hunt with Harry’s strained family ties, creating drama on all fronts.
The episode opens with heightened tension as Tom Waaler, played with slick menace by Joel Kinnaman, meets with a contact from the Korps gang. This scene underscores the escalating turf war between rival factions, complete with talk of heavy weaponry flooding the streets. Waaler’s double life as both a high-ranking officer and a shadowy player in the criminal underworld puts him at the heart of everthing. His uneasy alliance with Harry, or rather, Harry’s reluctant collaboration, charges the episode, with Kinnaman exuding calculated charm that barely conceals his predatory nature as he battles for Harry’s soul.
Tobias Santelmann continues to deliver a masterfully tormented performance as Harry as the serial killer plot then takes centre stage. The police, including Harry and Tom, chase a promising lead as a key breakthrough comes during an interview with a client who recalls seeing a bicycle courier exit the ABC building around the time of the murder. They zero in on the “Bike Courier Killer” as other witnesses place a nondescript cyclist at or near the crime scenes. The killer appears to exploit the anonymity of Oslo’s bustling delivery network, blending seamlessly among helmeted riders weaving through traffic, to approach victims undetected.
The episode layers the procedural element of interviews, forensic analysis, and searches without descending into cliché as Harry digs into the meaning of the diamonds and the serial killer’s desires. He visits a church to consult a priest, who explains the pentagram’s ancient roots as a symbol of faith and protection, twisted here into something malevolent. The ritualistic side of the murders are starting to take shape. The story in now in Manhunter and Seven territory which is not a bad place to be.
The episode takes a haunting turn when Harry revisits the crime scene of the first victim, Camilla Loen, whose body was discovered shot in her bathroom shower, when he notices a cassette, which will turn out to be their first communication from the killer, that seems out of place in the apartment . Alone in the now-empty apartment, he discovers a pentagram craved into a beam. In a vivid, almost visionary sequence, he reconstructs the murder scene in his mind and envisions Tom Waaler kneeling in a pool of bloody water, touching the corpse. Waaler then caresses his head while the now standing victim looks on. Santelmann’s performance captures the disorienting blend of deduction and paranoia and the powerful imagery not only heightens the psychological tension but also plants seeds of doubt about whether the serial killings and the institutional rot are more intertwined than they first appear.
Harry’s relationship with Oleg adds a layer of fragile humanity that prevents the episode from becoming unrelentingly bleak. Oleg, Rakel’s teenage son, has come to view Harry as a flawed but steadfast father figure, and their interactions in this episode carry a poignant weight. Harry has encouraged the boy’s confidence to grow through their trips to the diving pool and Oleg wants to keep Harry in his life.
The investigation begins to open up will Harry and Oleg are together when Harry gets a call from a wounded gang member saying he will identify the arms dealer if he gets protection from a hit that has been put out on him. While at first he lets the boy tag along, he wisely return the boys to his mother, and calls for armed support. Unfortunately, the call is taken by one of Waaler’s men and the armed police are sent to the wrong hospital. The tension is cranked up but by the time Harry reaches the hospital, the hit has already taken place.
We’re left with two cliffhangers – Waaler believing that he has turned Harry to the dark side and a fingerprint being found a crime scene – making you glad the episodes are bingeable. You’re invested in Harry’s demons and Oslo’s underbelly as personal vendettas and public horrors are converging. If the season sustains this intensity, we’re in for a thrilling second half that will live up to it’s inspirations.
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