After They Are Dead, Before They Are Cold ramps up the tension as the ritualistic murder investigation ramps up and Harry Hole is reluctantly drawn back into the chaos. The episode balances procedural breakthroughs with deepening psychological strain and institutional betrayal. It builds seamlessly on the foundation of prior episodes, shifting focus toward the emerging pattern of killings while keeping personal demons and departmental corruption at the forefront.
Still reeling from Ellen’s murder and his own impulsive resignation in the previous episode, Harry is yanked back into active duty when a chilling package arrives at the police station: a severed finger belonging to the missing Lisbeth Barli. Tobias Santelmann shines as Harry, whose expertise becomes indispensable despite his fractured state. Pulled back into the fold under strict conditions,and with Waaler overseeing the case, Harry examines the gruesome delivery, a macabre clue that escalates the horror. Santelmann balances Harry’s razor-sharp deductive mind with visible exhaustion and barely contained rage.
Joel Kinnaman’s Tom Waaler continues to dominate as the corrupt force Harry must navigate. With Waaler leading the investigation, every collaboration drips with suspicion and power imbalance. Kinnaman layers subtle intimidation beneath professional veneer, making their uneasy alliance electric and unpredictable. The dynamic underscores themes of trust and betrayal within the police ranks.
A standout scene unfolds in a dimly lit prison cell where Harry finds himself after spiralling guilt over his partners death and his split from his girlfriend drives him into a bar fight. When Waaler arrives to pull him back into the case, Harry confronts directly about Ellen murder. The confined space amplifies the hostility as Waaler denies it with cool detachment, maintaining his slick facade while subtly probing Harry’s vulnerabilities, spinning a tale about childhood truama and confessing to aanother murder. The exchange crackles with raw tension, blending accusation, denial, and psychological gamesmanship. Waaler seizes the moment to repeat his ongoing offer: join forces in a shadowy, off-the-books capacity that promises resources, protection, and a way to operate beyond departmental constraints. Harry’s refusal is laced with contempt, yet the proposition lingers as a tempting devil’s bargain, underscoring Waaler’s manipulative reach and the moral compromises Harry must navigate.
The latest killing, which happens in a woman’s bathroom is the episode’s most shocking sequence. Barbara Svendson, an unsuspecting receptionist at an ABC Debt Collection office, is gunned down in a swift, brutal attack while filling a cup of water in the women’s restroom. The first-person perspective builds a quiet tension before the sudden violence erupts. Later, when Harry and the team arrive, the body has been meticulously rearranged into a macabre “child’s pose” yoga position, knees tucked, arms extended, transforming a mundane office bathroom into a staged ritual site.
Waaler, already on site, insists on touching the still-warm corpse and forces Harry to do the same, creating an unsettling power play that highlights their fractured dynamic. Santelmann captures Harry’s mix of professional detachment and deep discomfort, his eyes picking up the ritualistic details even as the physical contact unnerves him with clues like a missing finger and a tiny star-shaped diamond earring connect it to the emerging pattern. With three linked killing there is now clearly a serial killer operating in Oslo.
The episode closes with another showcase of Waaler’s darkness when he attends a secret society meeting. Surrounded by influential figures who speak about power, loyalty, and control, Waaler moves with authority, clearly a key player in this shadowy network. The meeting hints at larger conspiracies tied to smuggling, corruption, and possibly the ritualistic killings themselves. After leaving, in a brutal alleyway confrontation, Waaler single-handedly beats a group of thugs who are in the middle of an assault. The fight is raw and brutal, Kinnaman conveys cold precision and barely restrained fury as Waaler dispatches his opponents with ease, leaving them bloodied and broken without breaking a sweat. He leaves calmly with his white dress shirt cover in blood. This sequence not only reveals Waaler’s physical prowess and willingness to get his hands dirty but also cements his position as a dangerous operator who considers himself above the law, blending intellect with ruthless violence. It adds a thrilling layer of menace to his character and suggests his web of influence stretches far beyond the police force.
The series is now accelerating toward darker territory. It rewards with layered plotting, atmospheric dread, and unflinching characters. Harry’s expertise may be needed now more than ever, but the cost of his involvement grows increasingly clear. The prison cell offer hangs over what’s to come, hinting at the ethical tightrope Harry will continue to walk while facing Thomas Harris-esque horrors.
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