Women in Fiction | Saga Norén

Saga Norén

Saga Norén is the protagonist of the Swedish/Danish TV show, The Bridge, in which she is brilliantly portrayed by Sofia Helin. A gifted police detective who is utterly devoted to her work, Saga approaches everything with cool logic and will stop at nothing to get the job done. The character is generally believed to have Asperger’s Syndrome, though it has never been officially stated outright within the show itself, with the writers saying they don’t want the character’s development or actions to feel hindered by labels, but also because the character would never willingly submit herself to hospital or medical tests to be formally diagnosed, which is addressed in the show for reasons I won’t spoil.

Because of her condition, Saga has little to no understanding of any social norms, with a complete lack of any filter when it comes to interacting with other people, landing her in many funny but equally awkward situations thanks to her blunt, no-nonsense manner. Beautifully realised however, Saga never becomes a stereotype, constantly fascinated by human nature and seeking to ‘improve’ herself, with viewers also getting to see more of Saga’s emotional side and delving into her past and the difficult relationships she has with her family as the show progresses, as she makes huge personal sacrifices in the pursuit of justice.