O Bosque

Occasionally, I like "mini-binge watching netflix" with my wife on the weekend. One of my gripes about most series is that they start strong but eventually the story line degenerates into a typical soap opera, the premise is lost, the series drags on and on, and the conclusion(if they ever get to one) is unsatisfactory.

That does NOT happen in the little gem.

This series is short enough that you can get the satisfaction of finishing it over a weekend. The story is really good with enough layers to keep things interesting, the acting/character development is great, and the very final scene/conclusion is good.

It's dubbed, (french language movie) but after one episode, you won't even notice it.

Well done.

This series has faults but it kept me intrigued until the end. Unlike many Netflix-derived European series these days, this one has competent camera work, disciplined direction and a taut script. Sure, there's some fallible plot points and drawn-out scenes that could have been excised. The incompetent deputy ineptly played by Suzanne Clément almost derails the whole thing, causing me to burst out laughing at the wrong moments, negating the intended dramatic tension. Despite those drawbacks, the cast is solid, the story involving though perhaps far-flung at points. Worth a look even with its drawbacks. I enjoyed it and looked forward to each episode. I can't say that for many Netflix series these days.

A satisfying binge. I highly recommend watching this while NOT folding the laundry. That way you can be present for the entire story and enjoy the excellent acting and well-told, suspenseful murder mystery.

What another reviewer identifies as "tropes" were not actually dramatized as such -- the female detective did not get more involved or emotional than you would expect for someone searching for her missing daughter (filmmakers were actually quite restrained in how they presented this). Also, there weren't any of the stereotypical ego clashes between the outsider and the insiders on the police force. The new captain did indeed recently move to town and only the first episode depicted the awkwardness of this dynamic, and what was shown would be natural to this plot detail. It wasn't an ongoing part of the story in the way it would be on a prime time American drama. In fact, I enjoyed that there wasn't any development of the stereotypical "clash" between the new captain and his staff (that would have been a trope).

I would say this show is on par with Broadchurch in terms of acting and production quality but with a slightly more simplistic and traditional story and resolution. Most implausibilities had decent explanations and probably more so than do the typical crime drama. The acting and unfolding of the story were nuanced, and restraint was used with plot details that could have become cliche.

I especially enjoyed the story's two intertwined layers - the search for the missing girls and the teacher's search for her identity.

No way would a Captain allow his lieutenant to scream at witnesses and act on her own without consulting him...even if it was her daughter missing. She should have been taken off the case immediately or it shouldn't have been her daughter that was missing. Otherwise, excellent drama, good pacing, slow revelations without stupid surprises. Great scenery, good music. A good show of what goes around comes around!

I binged this series in one night because I desperately needed a break from reality. For this purpose, it's a very good pick , provided you like beautifully-shot forest scenes and don't mind the borderline insane plot that seems to come with many French miniseries productions. It's got a very nice soundtrack, it's a wild ride overall and it makes a good effort to connect all the loose ends in its last episode, with touching symbolism thrown in as a garnish....What more could one want?