Three Pines

I've read most of the Three Pines books, some of them more than once. I've enjoyed reading them all. When I read I make my own pictures in my mind, as I would think most avid readers do. I have the village of Three Pines pictured very much differently than that in the TV show. Mine is much more rustic and the bistro is totally not like what we see on the show. There's not as much development of the characters like the books have but maybe with time we'll see more of that. I do like Molina as Ganache. I think he is perfect. I hope anyone who hasn't read the books would do so. If you like mysteries, you will probably love Three Pines.

I've just watched the first two episodes of Three Pines and am definitely a fan. The starkly beautiful Quebec setting, along with the clever and thoughtful juxtaposition of the Indigenous, French and Englih cultures is nothing short of delightful.

It is especially refreshing to see the always enjoyable Alfred Molina land such a meaty role and he certainly does not disappoint. The rest of the cast is equally well-cast and the characters seem to be well thought out.

It's truly great that the accomplished and highly respected veteran actor Tantoo Cardinal still has her fastball breaking over the plate, now that she's in her seventies.

After 1st episode. I love crime murder mystery & after seeing the rating I thought I'd give this a go. It took me a while to get into it, I couldn't work out if it was deliberately trying to be kooky ( I.e Fargo esc) The acting was slightly over dramatic, after the 1st murder the show seemed to hit a groove, there was still that undercurrent of slightly being over dramatic (probably being use to a hyper real British crime drama) but I really started to gel with the characters and was intrigued by the multi threads building up. Main detective's character already feels honourable & rooting for him.

I haven't read the books so I'm watching this with no preconceptions and purely on merit. So far the series has played like an Agatha Christie with many possible antagonists while also running a backplot about disappearing indigenous girls and corruption. Alfred Molina plays the part of troubled detective brilliantly and his selection of sidekicks are excellent character driven parts. The locals that populate 3 pines are very quirky and all carry their fair share of secrets. The setting is beautifully imagined and cinematography is great. Having said all that this series is nothing new but just well done and the characters interesting enough to keep you invested. Recommended.

After the first two episodes, we are definitely looking forward to the next few. It's enjoyable and unique to see a series like this set in wintery Quebec. Alfred Molina does a good job playing the caring and insightful Armand Gamache, the lead investigator. I'm intrigued to see what happens with the suspicious villagers. The subplot about missing and murdered Indigenous women enhances the feeling of immediacy and relevance of the series beyond a Christie style of village murder mystery. (Disappointing to see people complaining about this topic in the reviews, since it's handled with nuance and is a *real* and relevant issue to the time and place).

The victim is a bit of a caricature villain and some of the acting is uneven but overall this is starting out as a very enjoyable series.