Paris etc

There is no doubt French movies are a very different animal to most others, in a way that is simultaneously very obvious yet quite difficult to put into words. And so it is with "Paris, etc", a TV series that presumably goes down a storm in its home country yet leaves me scratching my head desperately trying to find some hidden depth that I have yet to find.

The advertising blurb for this program describes "Paris etc" as a "drama comedy" featuring "5 strong women". Having seen 3 episodes I have encountered zero drama and zero comedy, although I have noted a number of women. However I have no idea who these women are or why I should be the least bit interested in them. Some of them seem to have ill-defined relationships with ill-defined men (who may or may not be "strong") and some of them seem to have ill-defined children, but really I have not the faintest idea of what is going on, nor do I have any interest in finding out. None of these characters is in any way interesting or show any potential in becoming so. The most exciting things that have happened so far are that one woman has fallen off her bicycle and another spends her life on buses lugging round a massage table. Yes, it is that gripping.

Each episode so far has started with a gratuitous sexual encounter. Possibly in France this seen as terrifically funny, risqué and daring but personally I find it an insult to my intelligence, not because I am "shocked" but because it is exceedingly boring, contrived, irrelevant and just plain stupid.

OK, maybe it is just me, we are all different. If you are French, or maybe just European in general, you may love it. Try it for yourself, I am very happy to be proven wrong, but for me 3 episodes with no payback was more than enough.

Love this show. The loosely connected characters are all different and the actresses are fantastic at highlighting their flaws and vulnerabilities. A really interesting cultural insight too; I want to keep watching. I like these women characters; I relate to them.