My Review -Baptiste Series 2
My Rating 7:5/10.
My Review -Baptiste Series 2
My Rating 7.5 /10
In Series 2 we find Juliien Baptiste a retired detective impressively played by Tcheky Karyo in much different circumstances and location than in series 1 .
Julien Baptiste character first came to life in the superb (2014-2012) Crime Thriller series " The Missing" about the abduction of a five year old child in Germany .
Keeley Hawks as Gemma Webster the mother of the child was a standout in that series as was Jessica Raine in Series One of Baptiste.
The Star turn in Series 2 of Baptiste is without a doubt Fiona Shaw ,a brilliant English Stage and Film character actress known for such varied roles as Aunt Petunia Dursley in Harry Potter, Father in The Avengers, Carolyn Martins in Killing Eve and recently in Ammonite as Elizabeth Philpot.
In Series 2 of Baptiste Fiona Shaw has a huge role as Emma Chambers the British Ambassador to Hungary . Emma suffers great personal loss when her daughter and husband are murdered. This series is set in Budapest Hungary when Julien Baptiste travels to Hungary to help the Emma Chambers, locate her two missing sons who disappear on a skiing holiday in the mountains
The pressure is on to save Emma's two sons when a body is found and a terrorist cell enters the story headed by a mystery figure called Gomorrah. Who is Gomorrah and what does this terrorist cell have to do with Emma's missing sons and the death of her daughter and husband ?
An intriguing set of circumstances takes place leading the retired detective to reflect on the loss of his own daughter as a result of her drug addiction .
We see in flashback the state of Baptiste's marriage and the damage he has done to himself due to his long absence from home and his indifference to his wife mainly caused by his own grief and alcohol abuse.
I found the way the flashback and fast forward sequences in Series 2 take place in the middle of the action intrusive and confusing with so much going on and so many characters I would have preferred a more linear time frame but this seems to be the trend in many series lately I suppose the Director thinks it keeps the audience interested?
My other small criticism is that a man of Baptiste's age I guess at between 65 and 70 would have to be as fit as Keanu Reeves to achieve the sprinting speed and physical strength that Baptiste is required to achieve in Series 2 .
Considering that we see him shortly before all the action begins as a washed up drunk in dereliction a bit implausible to say the least Tcheky Karyo must have had a very fit stunt man.
I enjoyed this series with a few reservations but it's a worthy follow up to series one and worth seeing for an amazing performance from Fiona Shaw I hope she receives a BAFTA and Emmy nomination she really deserves one.
