In FX's 'The Bridge,' murder spans the border

Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir play two police detectives chasing a serial killer along the Texas-Mexico border in FX's 'The Bridge.'

LOS ANGELES – Division and connection are at the heart of The Bridge. In the new FX drama (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET/PT), investigators from opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border join forces when halves of two bodies, one a missing and seemingly forgotten Mexican teen and the other a prominent American judge with anti-immigration views, are found bisected by the borderline on a bridge over the Rio Grande.

The two investigators, Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) of the El Paso, police department, and Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) of the Chihuahua state police, are separated by their backgrounds and personalities. She is a seemingly aloof, by-the-book detective whose blunt style can appear unfriendly, and he is an outgoing charmer whose improvisational techniques can lead to recklessness. They clash, but the single woman and family man must learn to work together quickly, as the murderer turns out to be a serial killer. There are barriers to overcome, Bichir says. "It's a different system, a different language, a different way of seeing life, a different way of solving things.

Marco is used to solving the problems right there. He can't wait for a warrant. He sees life as simpler. He knows what's right and what's wrong. He's passionate and he's reckless sometimes," he says. "Sonya is a rule follower, not only because of her personality, but because that's pretty much the way it works." Although it's not mentioned in early episodes, some of Sonya's distance and emotional reserve stems from Asperger's syndrome, found on the autism spectrum. That can lead to misunderstandings, as when Sonya inadvertently alienates the judge's grieving husband with her inquiries, but also a dedicated focus on a work assignment. "She's not an easy character to fall in love with at first," says Kruger. "I'm sure a lot of people are going to be a little put off because they don't really know what her deal is. As people with Asperger's can, she can come across as very blunt and she appears to be cold. I love that I have the opportunity over 13 episodes to show all these different facets of someone who is affected by that condition and really good at her job." Sonya also is thrown a bit when her police mentor, Lt. Hank Wade (Ted Levine), talks about retiring.

"He feels very responsible for her. He brought her into law enforcement. He recognized a certain talent she had and gave her some direction in that way," Levine says. "She has been very much his protegé and very much under his wing. He understands intimately her problem." The difference between the two cops is apparent in a late-season scene shot last week on the drab El Paso police-department set at The Bridge studio complex in Van Nuys. Kruger, Bichir and Levine are gathered near two boards that track their characters' investigation as the scene begins. With the urgency of catching the killer increasing, an agitated Marco is brimming with energy, pacing, sighing and running his hands through his hair as he considers the next step, while Sonya sits erect in a chair, a model of stillness and reserve as she examines the situation.

"Hopefully, what we're going to come to see is these two people on opposite ends of cold and hot, how they can learn from each other and just let each other into their world," Kruger says. "The payoff is much bigger than if we just started being these super type-A cops." Based on Bron, a Scandinavian series set on the border of Sweden and Denmark, an early concept of The Bridge called for it to be situated on the U.S-Canada line, says Elwood Reid, who adapted the show with fellow executive producer Meredith Stiehm (Homeland). However, America's southern border offered the chance to explore immigration and drug trafficking.

"In Denmark and Sweden, it was really hard to tell what the differences between the two cultures were," Reid says. "But in our show, there's a stark difference between Mexico and the U.S., and they meet on that border down there in El Paso." The cultures are intertwined by their proximity, Reid says. "I went down to Juarez and El Paso. It's a huge place that was meant to be one city yet got divided in half by this little, tiny trickle of the Rio Grande and the international border," he says. "It really is kind of meant to be one place, so everything is kind of connected." The serial-killermystery, which brings the investigators in contact with a widowed ranch owner (Annabeth Gish), a mysterious social worker (Thomas M. Wright) and a substance-abusing reporter (Matthew Lillard), will be resolved by the end of the 13-episode season, Reid says. Another Scandinavian adaptation, AMC's The Killing, drew the ire of some fans when it carried its murder mystery into a second season. "You're going to see the killer way before the season ends," Reid says. "It's not a whodunit. If you do it right, it's a whydunnit." Topics such as immigration, drugs and inequality are woven into the story. The killer taunts the investigators with recorded statements about the differing value of murdered Americans and Mexicans.

"There is an underlying political tone that is throughout the series. Is the serial killer trying to make a political statement about immigration, about the importance of Mexican immigrants, the drug cartels?" Kruger says. "We very quickly realize that this is not just a simple killing but that it is a much bigger issue that we're dealing with and many, many more die and are implicated in this particular case." Bichir says Mexico and its citizens are often stereotyped, and he wanted to know how the show would portray them.

"In terms of the story, I think, dramatically, it works. I don't think Ciudad Juarez looks like that, especially some elements, some places and houses. But I insist it's a choice. They'd rather show that not in a very accurate way just in terms of being able to tell the story," he says. "Hopefully, we avoid American clichés of Mexico and vice versa," Kruger says. Bichir sees Sonya and Marco representing the United States and Mexico. "We are so different but we are so close together. We need to understand each other as soon as possible, get to know each other, get to like each other, because we're going to be taking care of each other and the only way you can do that is if you trust your partner."