Tweekums

This six part French Canadian series opens with the discovery of the body of a young woman on a beach on the Magdalen Islands. Sergeant Detective André Surprenant starts investigating but is informed that detectives from Quebec City will be taking over; the officer in charge being a man Surprenant has had disagreements with in the past. As well as following the investigations we see various flashback to the events leading up to the murder. Inevitably secrets are revealed; these involve a local fisherman/drug smuggler and a college lecturer involved in an inappropriate relationship with the victim amongst others.

I thought this was a gripping series. The plot may be fairly typical of the genre; this isn't a negative though. A good whodunit requires varied suspects and motives and personal problems for the protagonist give him character and raise tensions. The location is great; the island has a rugged beauty and having the drama set in a small, fairly closed, community means the crime effects everybody to a degree. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of subtitled crime drama or of island set series like 'Shetland'.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

This six part drama is centred on Norah Richter, a journalist who has just got a new job at a new publication in Vienna. One day she approaches an elderly beggar who prophecies that Norah will kill a man named Arthur Grimm on a specific day in a specific park. Norah doesn't believe this, she doesn't even know the man but soon strange things start to happen and she starts looking into who Arthur Grimm is. At work she is given the task of writing an article about a controversial artist, an assignment a colleague really wanted. She is also haunted by the death of her friend Valerie fourteen years previously.

I thought this was an enjoyably series. It managed to be nicely creepy without overdoing it. It starts well, quickly gripping the viewer and doesn't really let up on the tension as the story progresses and Norah appears to becoming increasingly paranoid. The characters are interesting with the cast doing a fine job bringing them to life. The various plot threads develop nicely as the series progresses with some inevitably combining as the viewer, and Norah, learn more. I've not read the book, to be honest I wasn't aware that it was based on a book when I started watching. This might be a good thing as that way I didn't find myself comparing the two. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Euro-drama looking for something a bit different.

These comments are based on watching the series in German with English subtitles.

This Italian drama series opens with the discovery of the body of a boy in the Venice Lagoon. Evidence suggests it was probably a suicide but policewoman Elena Zonin believes his death is linked to a series of disappearences which she is convinced involves a ring of paedophiles who are selling children on the dark web. At first her superiors are unconvinced but then another boy vanishes. Setting up a team Elena has a race against time to find the boy before it is too late. Adding some extra tension to proceedings is the fact that Elena hasn't been to Venice in about twenty years; returning sees her working alongside old friend Daniele Vianello, who is now married.

I thought this was a gripping series. The subject matter is dealt with in a way that isn't too disturbing but is still tense. There is often a good sense of danger. The characters are likeable and fun to watch; the actors doing fine jobs in their roles. Venice is an impressive location; inviting in the daytime but somewhat sinister at night. Unlike too many series this has an ending that wraps things up nicely; it also provided a surprise that I didn't see coming. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Euro-drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Italian with English subtitles.