Paris Police 1905

This was a slow burn in the first two episodes but then took off with deliciously horrible characters and the actors clearly enjoying getting their teeth into it.

Then in episode six, it just speeded to a very unsatisfactory conclusion. Very plot point was hastily addressed with no real tension or sense of reveal - and no final dramatic pinch point when all could be lost. Really deflating considering how much promise it has.

You were left wondering what happened to the chap who was found dead in the Bois de Boulogne in episode one? There was no sense of going back to that crime with a definitive answer. And why were we wasting time with the pathologist trying to invent a solution for traffic problems in Paris - how did that relate to the overall plot?

The cast--most of them anyway--from Paris Police 1900 are back, and we are satisfied that the attention to detail that marked the first series has carried forward here. Jeremie Laheurthe plays Jouin as rigidly as before--God, this man is boring--but there are fascinating characters around him. Meg Steinheil is as cold and calculating as ever, and her doomed husband Alphonse, the painter who's slowly going mad with syphilis, is both touching and repellent.

The ambience of the Bois de Boulogne is well described, men cruising for sex in the winter mist (excellent cinematography here) under the watchful eyes of the police. The morals squad is as disgusting as you would expect, given the time and the social conditions. An excellent evocation of Paris of a century ago.

Undoubtedly this is a very high quality production, elegantly filmed and with careful details that transport the viewer back by over a century. Unlike a lot of dramas which try to modernise the characters to suit modern attitudes, this stays true to the morality of the era.

There are some surprisingly brutal scenes (not necessarily for the squeamish, which you'll realise from the opening scene), and a couple of slightly suggestive sexual moments.

But scratch beneath the surface and across the first 5 episodes there is no actual story development. I won't include spoilers, but many of the events that happen and which you assume will be important in the future simply aren't followed up. The acting is dry and the episodes are slow. Characters undergo trauma and then appear fully recovered shortly afterwards. Extremely unlikely friendships are formed to enable future events to happen.

The writers clearly knew this was a mess because the sixth (and final) episode includes two scenes where minor characters explain exactly what has happened in simple language. And the ridiculous thing is, half of the characters and locations mentioned in the exposition had barely been included in the previous 5 episodes.

A disappointment.

PS I did not realise this was a "sequel" to Paris Police 1900, and had not seen the original series. Many of the cast are the same, but this story appears to stand on its own. It just isn't a good story.

So coming off the back of that amazing season 1, I wasn't sure I was going to warm as much to season 2 after the first episode. Season 2 starts slower but then revs up and the last few episodes are amongst the show's best. Replacing the political backdrop of season 1's antisemitism, this season zeroes in on a corrupt vice squad and the blackmail of sex workers and their clients. This backdrop provides another gritty context for the human drama to play out between police, politicians, the church and the bourgeoisie. Nearly all of the characters from season 1 have returned 5 years later, and this season continues the excellent script and engaging characterisations as well as that gorgeous cinematography and set design. The oppressive sexual politics of early twentieth century life is on full display and the descent into the corrupt netherworld is a gripping ride! Recommended!

The sequel to Fabien Nury's period French Noir 'Paris Police 1900' is more of a slowburn than the first series. You don't get to know the important details of 'Paris 1905' until the final episode, so a bit more patience is needed. I kept thinking to myself "Well, I'm enjoying this, but is it really as good as the first one?". I'm not sure. I still love its attention to period detail, real life historic events, amazing sets and props, great filming technique, gripping drama and action, a credit to everybody involved in its production and a work of art you could say! But the subject matter of the second series is a bit obscure (also sleazy, but I guess that's the point, Paris social underbelly etc?), and, as another reviewer has pointed out, the writers occasionally fall into explaining language which suggests some sort of confusion in the plot. Most of the characters that we grew to love in the first series are still there, retired Prefect of Police Louis Lépine ("the little man with the big stick") played by Marc Barbé is now bereaved as his wife died of Sepsis, and is joined by his daughter Louise (Mathilde Weil), maverick officer Joseph Fiersi (Thibault Evrard) is adjusting to retired life, and, of course, it's still hard to resist the secret love between detective Antoine Jouin (Jérémie Laheurte), now 'happily' married, supposedly, and lawyer Jeanne Chauvin (Eugénie Derouand). Among other things, of course, lots of interesting stories continue to be woven into the main plotline. That said, I found it hard to get totally into 'Paris Police 1905', but held on until it came good in the end, patience! Good that BBC Four and iPlayer have made the Canal+ series available in the UK. I hope the makers decide to continue, as I'm sure there are loads more events they could feature around the turn of the century in Paris.