Detective Hole

Tom Waaler has a past relationship with a man, and his private sexuality is tied to the death of Harry’s police partner, Lars. Tom then approaches a male sex worker, and the encounter ends in a brutal killing. Police discuss whether the crime targets the gay community. This gives a major rival a queer-centered backstory, but it remains a side plot within a nine-episode murder story.

A senior police official favors Tom over Ellen because he wants a male successor, even though the chief calls Ellen an excellent leader. The scene presents old gender bias inside the police. The season’s larger criticism targets bribery, weapon dealing, and police corruption, not family life, religion, or wider Western culture.

The TV version gives established villain Tom Waaler a hidden relationship with a man that is not part of the source novel’s main setup. The change makes same-sex desire, secrecy, and shame part of his rivalry with Harry. The season also adds other same-sex relationships around the police world and changes backstory details from The Devil’s Star and earlier Harry Hole books. These identity changes shape a major rival’s arc across the season.

Jo Nesbø has a mild general social and political signal but no sustained DEI or identity campaign. Øystein Karlsen and Anna Zackrisson have no documented activist or representation-first public record. The listed producers also have low or zero signals and no clear activist platform.