Capitaine Marleau

We await each years new season of La Capitaine , huddled round our tv in snowy Canada ,wearing our trapper hats just like her .

Whatever the superlative to iconoclastic is ...that's Captain Marleau. Her shambolic appearance and obvious lack of concern about it lulls her suspects into underestimating her , a la Peter Faulk in Colombo .. alas his trench coat did not convert to a sleeping bag!

As all tv detectives have a right to a distinctive vehicle , hers is a sometimes reluctant Land ranger. Marleau is a Land ranger herself , a roving one woman show picking up new sidekicks in each episode, with a few " experts/buddies" that she calls on. The shows must have a tourism board sponsorship , stunning scenery and locations across France.

I buy each years DVD and we watch them over Christmas ..sadly covid seems to have slowed production and we may be watching re runs .

I am not familiar with Corinne Masiero but she has created a character for the ages. I cannot think of Hercule Poirot without David Suchet and now Corinne Masiero has brought another character to life: Captain Marleau.

Marleau is a brilliant captain in the French Police but is as idiosyncratic as can be. She looks like a homeless person and the beat up winter hunting cap she is never without adds to the characterization. We frequently find her lopping alone in a sort of duck run as she jogs before receiving a call that a body has been discovered and it appears to be murder.

She is frequently added by one of her two assistants who she keeps confused by her quirky but honest demeanor. When dealing with suspects she is completely non PC. They tend to underestimate her which keeps them feeling cocky. We know that she will solve the mystery and bring the perpetrator to justice.

Marleau has odd connection with a few other colleagues, usually pathologists who are as individual as she is. The series is fun to watch and Marleau has enough allusions to American TV to make you chuckle as she will tell a suspect she is no Columbo. There are allusions to matters French but these wont distract an American viewer. You may have to read the subtitles but they are clear and easy to read.

Currently this is running on Mhz, so you will a subscription.

A series of a character , more than series of stories. A pure eccentric captain, surprising, amusing, efficient, sarcastic, ironic, hard worker, using cultural references in seductive and efficient manner. That makes Capitaine Marleau the series of Corinne Maiero and , in the first seasons, it is a precious virtue. In the last ones, the smell of mannerism becomes not real great. But, sure, a smart series, wise broken of cliches and a character fascinating in profound senses.

A simply delightful show. Capitaine Marleau posseses the assured exuberance of a grown-up Pippi Longstocking, deliberately and frivolously rubbing people up the wrong way at first, only to win them over later and catch the criminal.

The show is up there with the Poirot's, Ms. Marple, Fr. Brown, Rosemary & Thyme, Shakespeare & Hathaway. An excellent evening's entertainment.

The subtitles are excellent and the spoken French is easy to follow. Great for learning the language and learning new phrases.

We watch on Samsung TV Plus - MHz Now channel.

This is a wonderfully hilarious, fast paced and fun mystery series. Captain Marleau will make you laugh out loud whilst she is tirelessly solving murder mysteries. Her confidence in her crime solving skills, social prowess, and highly charged bursts of femininity will keep you engaged and rooting for her to win the day, and she always does. It is a great way to spend an hour unravelling clues and enjoying regular plot twists alongside the amazing Captain Marleau!