La trêve

Being a fan of Nordic and UK crime dramas, I try, from time to time, to widen my horizons and watch works with similar approach coming from other countries. A couple of times I have also come across Belgian related series and liked them rather lot.

True, they have all been Flemish ones. La trêve is the first one made in Wallonia, thus the basic language in French and the venues are so different from cities like Antwerp or Ghent... As I realised soon that the makers have liked Nordic Noir, I began to share the common feelings very soon, regardless of unknown performers and unvisited areas. The characters seemed realistic, I did not figure out the wrongdoer, the twists were there and not over-sophisticated; it is evident that a small community has its own secrets as well.

Well, the pace was not even as the last episodes started to sum up the events perhaps too hastily, after rather slow progression before, and the parallel psychiatrist interview revealed some moments too soon. Nevertheless, La trêve is a thrilling series, unless you like constant chases and cops having cute appearance and fancy cars...

I like crime/ drama/ thrillers very much. And I do love Europpean take on that area of tv, however, I didn't expect what I have experienced while watching that one. It was deeply disturbing, with some graphic scenes and pretty much depicting human filth in all possible forms. It was very depressing in that extent. And although I watched it awaiting the solution for the whole time - right until the very end, I wouldn't return to re-watch it because I felt exhausted, as if I was in that small town, at the time of those events. For those wo will think "So it's not worth watching" I say - that only proves how good the story is written and executed. Yoann Blanc's acting is a-ma-zing, he presented the rapid mental deterioration in a very beliavable way. His growing suspiciousness is shared by the viewers, although you do realize that he overdoses time and time again and that pills push him over the edge. But you still keep on watching to see whether he was right, what will happen with him... I highly recommend, however - bear in mind that it's not a relaxing tv show for Sunday binge-watching.

My wife and I really liked the series for a while, but it went down hill in the second half of the season. The lead detective's behavior became so unstable and unprofessional that it wouldn't have been tolerated. Plus, the ending was rushed and not very believable. We would have given it an 8.0, but dropped it to a 7.0 as the season drew to an end.

I was fortunate to stumble onto this gem via Canadian Netflix, and it was the intense acting talent of protagonist Yoann Peeters (Yoann Blanc) and the family drama subplots - with Yoann's daughter, Camille (Sophie Breyer)) and her immensely watchable friend Zoe Fischer (Sophie Marechal) - that kept me interested in the first season, but Season 2 was an entirely different ballgame. AMAZING. Episode upon episode, Season 2 was like a snake in the grass: I just couldn't predict which way it would turn, and I freaking loved that, of course. The diverse cast and high degree of potential perps ... the extraordinary acting ... the wild party scene Camille's much older artist girlfriend was involved in ... the forest landscapes ... Joann's disintegrating mental health ... contrasting social classes (great portrayal of Dany's trashy home life, with special kudos to Sophia Leboutte, who played his mother, and Noemie Schmidt, who played sister-in-law Sophie Bastin - I believed in these female characters 100%) ... and a main character with what appeared to be honest-to-goodness psoriasis! Great call, too, on using Balthazar songs for the openings. (You can be sure a lot of people "Shazam" those moody theme songs to find who who's behind them).

A few questions though. I'm not sure why there were so many comic(relief) characters; it's over the top (ie: the IT guy, and goofy Tino, and Yoann's hokey/spooky neighbours), and unnecessary. Yeah, I get it that the overall tone is dark, but audiences, methinks, can handle that. Also I got a little weary of Yoann's excessive cold-water-splashing on the face. Really? That often? And in Season 1, does rookie cop character Sebastian Drummer (Guillaume Kerbusch) really need to scowl that much? (After Season 1, all I could think of was how relieved I was I wouldn't have to see that scowl again ...)

Because this was the opposite of most of what I see out of the US, ie: predictable right down to the final words - oh god, Bird Box - and the cast was SO strong, I have to give it a 10.

Will "The Break" remind you of "Twin Peaks"? Yep. How about "Broadchurch" and "True Detective," or the French show "Les Revenants"? Check, and check (and the show's creators have even admitted as much). Okay, now that we've gotten what a bunch of other reviews and interviews have already noted (mostly on French websites), let's get to the execution of the show, and why it's so darn good. And yes, it is really good - in spite of reminding you of Lots of Things That Have Come Before It.

The plot: as stated above, there is a soccer player who turns up dead. A brooding detective who is new to town (for reasons that become increasingly clear as the story unfolds) is the chief investigator on the case. That's all I can really say without spoiling anything - and you really have to know as little as possible about this show to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

The execution: This is an excellent sort of whodunit, complete with Log Lady-type characters, dark and creepy woods, and lots of other goings-on that are of a highly suspicious nature (David Lynch is chuckling somewhere, that's for sure). I was hooked after one episode - and I mean, hooked. As in, I binged all of these in two days. This surprised me, as I went in having read a couple of lukewarm reviews that implied it might be too similar to the above-referenced shows; it's not. Rest assured that the Belgians have taken some of the greatest elements of these shows and really mixed them into something altogether new and incredibly fun to watch.

The story will keep you guessing; the characters are definitely not entirely what they seem, and each episode does one of those super- fun cliffhangers that has you immediately pressing "play the next episode." It's definitely less "produced-looking" and the small townsfolk really look like - well, small townsfolk. Heiderfeld does seem like the kind of place where things are bubbling just underneath the surface. It's a heck of a fun ride and I can't wait for Season Two!

FYI for those who are parents, or those who might be squeamish - it's a bit gory (dead bodies up close; lots of blood; scary visions), and as it's a European show, there are a lot of nudity and sex. Fair warning.