Les rivières pourpres

'The Crimson Rivers' is a French detective series about a pair of police officers who specialize in investigating crimes with a religious, or occult, dimension. Little explanation is provided as to their mandate, while their methods involve disregarding correct procedure, being rude to their colleagues, explaining nothing to anyone, but, almost unfailingly, being right in the end. An accurate "police procedural" this is not, and neither is it filmed or written with particular artistry. And yet I liked the programme, as its gruff hero and heroine work their way through a succession of grim cases spread out over a grey-tinged France that feels rather different from the country in the tourist guides. They each have their own motivations for carrying out their mission; their behaviour at least partly explained by their view of their work as a necessary yet Sisyphean labour. In an age where we seem overwhelmed by clean Scandi-noir or gruesome serial killer stories, 'The Crimson Rivers' offers us a refreshingly different take.

Not without faults but a seriously different series .The murders alone a worth the watch. There is a certain pattern the show follows but I like the fact it does not take 8 episodes to solve each case. Two per investigation. The characters are more than standard police and their antics add a little charm

I liked this crime drama. The acting is good, and I liked the main characters. The murder mysteries are very interesting, and I was never able to guess who the guilty parties were, or their motives for committing the crimes. The detectives are French national police. Which means they investigate crimes in various parts of France. I liked the first season of the two that were available, the best. I think the female detective's character is treated better in the first season than it is in the second. In the second season, her "issues" are used as plot devices, that I think better writing would not have used to further the plots. I think one of the main flaws in the series, is the use of certain tropes. Detectives going off individually on their own, rather than working as a team. This gives the writers an opportunity to add drama and violence to scenes. I would like to see more of this series if more seasons are produced.

I am struggling to think of a lot that is positive. It feels like there are the bones of a good drama lurking somewhere in the shadows, but the execution is completely wayward.

A burgeoning relationship between the two main characters may have sparked some interest, but sadly, the dialogue remained quite colourless and too matter-of-fact throughout.

And while an attempt has been made to lift the excitement levels with very shocking crimes, it is simply the case that ghoulish and bizarre murders are no longer that much of a novelty in modern television.

Delaunay (the lady cop) is wonderfully cool, but her back-story doesn't quite fit the demeanour. A less confident character, who perhaps suffers night terrors, might have been more convincing for the role. Her brazen sexual fling in episode 1 and everyday lack of concern for her estranged child, suggest that the irresponsible wild child still forms part of her make-up. Is it really likely that such a person would have become a dedicated and meticulous detective? It's a stretch.

Indeed, believability issues are never far away. Clues usually arrive by way of coincidence, or good fortune, and rarely from hard work. Local knowledge, reluctant witnesses who suddenly crack, handy passing experts and libraries that specialize in curious local mythologies, produce more than their fair share of easy-to-come-by leads. On a superficial level, it is reasonably fast paced and moderately entertaining, but don't expect it to live long in the memory.

After viewing the first 3 episodes of Season 2, I decided to abandon the rest. It had been more of the same. An over-reliance on sinister and grisly happenings, at the expense of any semblance of character development. - 6.9/10.

I've rated as an eight not for the stories or the acting but because of the enjoyment it gave me. There was something definitely different about this set of two seasons of series.

{{ EDIT: I got my wish (expressed below) of seeing a third season. I wish I hadn't. I'm wondering if the scriptwriters were different or if the same ones just ran out of ideas. I've reduced the mark to a six. I worked out within 30 minutes whodunnit in episodes one to four. I couldn't work out the assassin in episodes five and six (the stories take up two episodes each as in the previous seasons) because the person's existence was only revealed twenty five minutes before the end. The plots are creaky and full of holes. It seems like a different programme to what was in the first two seasons. I'm not even sure if I am going to bother with the final two episodes. I've got better stuff to watch. }}

The two main cops, Pierre Niémans and his deputy Camille Delaunay, are part of a special unit based in Paris whose full function is never properly explained. It appears to have extraterritorial powers too. These two particular cops investigate killings all over the country that have a ritualistic aspect, often religiously inspired.

There are other consistent themes. The local cops are incompetent yokels, although some of them occasionally have a flash of intuition or are good at the PC Plod work. Niémans and Delaunay break rules to get results up to and including using violence and illegal methods. They are rude and don't tell the local gendarmes what's going on; they sometimes don't tell each other what's happening.

The murders are generally grotesque and need a detailed knowledge of history to be solved - our two cops spend a lot of time on research.

We learn a little of our heroes' backgrounds and demons, much more about those of Delaunay whose past plays a major part in one of the stories of the second season.

I've got to say that it's over the top, but the good direction and acting, as well as the stunning scenery and buildings make the overall stories more than watchable.

I'd like to see a third season.