Disturbing Disappearances
Disturbing Disappearances is a five part French detective drama, from Walter Presents, each episode being a separate case for the four different police women. The first two (L'Evaporation and Instincts Maternels) are lead by Sara Forestier as young Commissioner Maya Rosetti, the first episode from 2019 and the second and remaining episodes from 2021. Just shown here on Channel 4. The series is set around Montclair on the eastern edge of France. All episodes are written by Johanne Rigoulet.
The series begins with the murder of a local schoolteacher and a desperate search for nine schoolchildren who seemed to have vanished without a trace sending shockwaves through the town and leaving their parents distraught. After the attack, the investigating team race against time to find the children before they come to any harm. From missing persons to unexplained abductions, the detectives use their expertise and intuition to uncover dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of a seemingly tranquil town. As the series progresses, the personal lives of the detectives begin to intertwine with the cases, further complicating the investigations. With each new case, the stakes heighten, which puts the lives of those involved at risk. Will they find the victims before it’s too late?
Above, in the third episode Une Affaire Personelle, is Alix Poisson as Esther Lewanski.
Next comes Julie Depardieu as Leonore Etchgarray in Sour Pression. And finally, and in my opinion the best, comes Julie Gayet as Gabrielle Perez in Retour Aux Sources.
Beck - Series 9
Yes, the picture above is for Series 9 of Beck. The absence of Peter Haber as Martin Beck is not surprising as his screen time gets less and less. However we do have his grandson Wilhelm Beck in the first episode of the new series. It's so funny that his grandfather has not been pensioned off. Perhaps Wilhelm is there to continue the name of the title.
I last posted about earlier series of Beck in May 2021 and August 2022. This Swedish series is now getting a little tired, so like Martin, it should be pensioned off. But that was after Episode 1 "Deathtrap" and Episode 2 "Quid Pro Quo". Even The Killing Times website said "it can sometimes be as slow and plodding as the old man himself but (Episode 3) is a cracker". And it was. With "Inferno" the series was back to it's best. It's very different and all about the suspended Joseph (Beck and Stiener think that his suspension will be permanent). But we know that Joseph is searching for answers and getting into more and more trouble. It happens over just one night with a great conclusion.
The final episode in this series is "Deadlock" where Beck's rookie grandson goes missing and Beck himself loses the plot. A hostage situation, a missing hidden hoard from an ancient bank robbery, roadblocks and slanging matches. All predictable stuff. Not great and someone added " is it time to put Beck out to pasture"? We need more one offs like "Inferno".
DNA -Series 2
I posted about the Danish first series of DNA in February 2021, and here we are for more. Detective Rolf Larsen is played by Anders W Berthelsen and Charlotte Rampling is Claire Bobain, a friend in the police in France. Olivia Joof Lewerissa plays his partner Neel. Six episodes that start with a search for an organ donor. The first episode was a bit nasty, dealing with botched harvesting of human organs and lots of dead bodies.
I nearly deleted the whole series but the second episode was much better. And when Rolf goes off to France to meet up with Claire, the detective work takes a positive step. There is still too much about the family crisis left over from the first series. This idea of making a big deal of this tedious human drama just doesn't work alongside the police procedural. Then the final episode is far too contrived and the big guns who head the organised crime are hardly wrapped up. The programme is far more interested in the co-operation of the police in Denmark, France and Romania but the result is far to messy.
Rig 45: Murder at Sea - Season 2
I think I missed out on the first series of Rig 45, but I guess they still had the set to be able to shoot season 2. And yes, it all takes place within the claustrophobic confines of below deck. Going outside is a very rare option. For six episodes it is very repetitive and I really don't know how I have kept watching. But that is a serial for you, you just want to know what happens next. The script seems to be all over the place, organised so that the characters are constantly moving about the rig searching for someone or something. Then escaping the rig and onto the rescue ship, and yes, more searching the decks, this time for the crew. And being chased. Lots of spooky music. Very little story. The worst ending ever!
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