The Bridge

Tensions are always running high near the US/Mexico border, and FX’s new show The Bridge refers to a particular location along the border where El Paso, Texas connects with Juárez, Chihuahua. There, US and Mexican police forces are working together to capture a serial killer who is on the loose.

The body count has been piling up in previous episodes and if Detective Cross and Ruiz aren’t quick enough there is about to be another in “Maria of the Desert.” The serial killer has provided a live stream of a woman tied down in the desert and is demanding $1 million. The episode focuses on the girls rescue as well as hints to some looming danger ahead from what we expect to be the Mexican drug cartel.

The Bridge is different from other criminal drama shows on television in that there are two different government’s organizations attempting to work together. While Detective Cross and the rest of the US government have the ransom money tied up with the Federal Reserve, Ruiz is able to get the amount from a concerned “anonymous Mexican citizen.” Obviously the two countries have different methods for handling things, and I can see this becoming a bigger problem further on in the season.

What I like about The Bridge and “Maria of the Desert” in particular is that it likes to tease audiences. There are a lot of unknowns in this episode and a lot of unsolved threads that will no doubt be unveiled in future episodes.