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DIRECTED BY: Lars von Trier/Morten Arnford (Kingdom, Kingdom II); Lars von Trier (Kingdom: Exodus)

FEATURING: Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Kirsten Rolffes, Søren Pilmark, Birgitte Raaberg, Bodil Jørgensen, Mikael Persbrandt, Lars Mikkelsen, Tuva Novotny, Alexander Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Lars von Trier

PLOT: This limited TV series follows goings-on, bureaucratic and supernatural, at Denmark’s largest hospital. As the prologue of each episode states:

“The Kingdom Hospital rests on ancient marshland—where the bleaching ponds once lay. Here, the bleachers moistened their great spans of cloth. The steam from the cloth shrouded the place in permanent fog. Then the hospital was built here. The bleachers gave way to doctors, researchers—the best brains in the nation and the most perfect technology.

To crown their work, they called their hospital ‘The Kingdom’. Now life was to be charted and ignorance and superstition never to shake science again. Perhaps their arrogance became too pronounced—like their persistent denial of the spiritual. For it is that the cold and damp have returned. Tiny signs of fatigue are appearing in the solid, modern edifice.

No living person knows it yet, but the portal to The Kingdom—is opening again.”

COMMENTS: It’s not out of line to call “The Kingdom” Lars von Trier’s “Twin Peaks“; he’s stated that the David Lynch series is a direct influence.  But there’s much more to it. Both shows are anchored in the 90s, and both were resurrected some twenty-five years later to continue and conclude their stories. Both are, ultimately, about the ongoing battle between Good and Evil. “Twin Peaks” did so within the framework of the late 80s/early 90s nighttime network soap operas, grafted with Lynch’s retro-50s style, and adding surrealism, cosmic horror, and a pinch of meta commentary. “The Kingdom” frames that battle within the hospital/medical show, a staple of television drama. Many Americans will think of “E.R.”, although a more apt comparison would be “St. Elsewhere” with a little bit of “M*A*S*H” and an aesthetic heavily influenced by “Homicide: Life in the Streets.” It’s also firmly anchored in institutional satires like The Hospital (1971) and Britannia Hospital (1982). Stephen King¹ is also a big influence. Von Trier uses popular tropes to deliver the horror bits: a ghost girl, haunted transports (ambulances in early seasons, a helicopter in “Exodus”), mass graveyards (or bleaching ground stand-ins), spirits on the premises. There’s also some play with severed body parts, and “Kingdom”‘s big set piece, the introduction of ‘Little Brother’ at the end of the first series.

The tropes of medical dramas are twisted here: the heroic doctor figure runs an underground black market; a doctor researching a specific form of liver cancer has an organ transplanted into him when the patient’s family refuses to consent to an autopsy; romance and hijinks occur when the Administration investigates claims. Throughout, two handicapped dishwashers act as a Greek chorus, supplying commentary. The episodes conclude with von Trier, looking like a cheeky Rod Serling, making smart comments and inviting viewers back, reminding them that they’ll “have to take the Good with the Evil.”

The spectacular and showy supernatural horror parallels the everyday banal bureaucratic horrors, from casual indifference to actual malpractice. There’s also “The Sons of the Kingdom,” a secret society/ fraternity/cabal of doctors whose mission—besides protecting members of the medical establishment—provides for enmity towards the occult in any shape or form, including alternative medicine and natural healing. Stig Helmer (Järegård), a Swedish neurosurgeon, is the comic villain, belittling his co-workers, his workplace, and the country of Denmark in general. Episodes usually end in a self-serving monologue from Stig about his circumstances, incorporating his catchphrase, “Danish Scum!”

After the second season ended, there was talk of and plotting for a storyline for a third season. Järegård’s death put those plans on hiatus, and the deaths of other cast members, along with von Trier’s rising prominence in cinema, seemed to have killed any plans for a conclusion. And as von Trier said, “We like many works precisely because they are unfinished.” That’s true; however, some things demand a conclusion, and “The Kingdom” got one in 2022’s “The Kingdom: Exodus.” It picks up on previous events, starting at Christmastime, when the second series had established a large apocalyptic supernatural event would occur. Only now it’s some twenty-five years later, and “Exodus” starts with the main character, Karen, watching the end of the second series and complaining “That’s no ending!” A sleepwalker who has visions from “The Kingdom” goes to the Kingdom and enters the story to finish what was started. “Exodus” indulges in its meta: the characters are all aware of the show and are unhappy about the reputation it gave the hospital, fans are seen in the background on location tours, and characters make disparaging remarks about the show and the director.

The satire still bites decades later. The Denmark vs. Sweden thread running through the show becomes more apparent as a political commentary in “Exodus.” The Kingdom as a metaphor for Denmark (and Europe in general) is a valid reading. That could explain the presence of a statue of Ogier The Dane (the Danish King Arthur figure) that appears from time to time, and is now a nationalist figure appropriated by the right wing.

The hospital drama continues; heroic doctors are now in the mold of current TV docs (e.g. “House M.D.”); more malpractice. Minor plot points from the first two seasons are paid off. The comic villain this time is Stig Helmer’s son, Helmer Jr. (referred to by the staff as “Halfmer”), who has come, in his words, to “the country that drove my father crazy.” He shares his father’s disdain for the Danes, but seems more progressive, wanting to change the language to refer to patients as ‘hir’ rather than by gender and commenting on the lack of diversity in the staff. Apparently progressive, because he isn’t concerned beyond the surface level; he never realizes that the cleaning crew are presented as doctors, and his “hir” language leads to some confusion in surgery with a major character. He is also dogged by a staff member, Anna, who seems interested in him, but goes to her lawyer whenever he makes a move. The dishwasher chorus returns, only this time it’s a person with progeria and a robot.

Like “Twin Peaks: The Return,” there’s not a hint of sentimental nostalgia on view. There are lots of callbacks and references that longtime fans will recognize, but although the roots are in the 90s, “it’s”Exodus” is very much a contemporary piece. The Kingdom Trilogy can be seen as a comprehensive distillation of elements of von Trier’s career to date.

It’s a satisfying dive, but as our host warns, “Be prepared to take the Good with the Evil.”

HOME VIDEO INFO: In 2022, MUBI acquired streaming rights to remastered versions of the first two seasons, followed by “Exodus.” In 2024, they released a seven disc Blu-ray box set (buy) of the entire series. Extras include commentary on selected scenes by von Trier, co-writer Niels Vørsel, and editor Molly Stensgård; “In Lars von Trier’s Kingdom,” a 40 minute documentary on the director’s career; interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from season 2; and TV commercials directed by von Trier for the Danish newspaper “Ekstra Bladet” featuring Ernst-Hugo Järegård. The closest thing to an extra solely pertaining to “Exodus” is a written interview with von Trier included in the twenty-four page booklet that comes with the set.

1. Fittingly, King returns the favor by developing an American version in 2004, “Kingdom Hospital,” which is more faithful to the source material than one would’ve thought. An earlier series “inspired by The Kingdom” debuted on UPN in 2001, “All Souls,” created by Stuart Gillard and Stephen Tolkin and executive produced by Aaron Spelling… and Mark Frost! ↩︎

Where to watch "The Kingdom"