The Wall

I enjoyed "The Wall" in part because Céline Trudeau is at the forefront of the action, a gutsy, mature, experienced woman often outpacing her younger male counterparts. The storylines are interesting, and the settings are beautiful. (Plus, the language is so melodic for us non-French speakers.)

Each season's major crime is different, allowing Céline to shine, whether it's dealing with a small northern mining community's murders and mishaps, an urban environmental conference marred by murder or a trip down memory lane among her homefolks that unearths family secrets - literally.

If I have one complaint, it's that the story arcs are about 25% too long and tend to drag a bit. Solid editing could pick up the pace, keep the storyline intact and still allow the plots to develop and the characters to shine.

I have watched a crap ton of these kinds of shows and really like Nordic-Scandinavian noir procedurals because they tend to be more myopic, character driven, and tightly written-which this is. If you want overly dramatized twists so you can't guess the killer and wild plot beats with gorgeous, likable, actors for the partners, which 90% of these shows are, this is not for you.

This is for fans of the also pretty great Canadian show Cardinal, Midnight Sun, Mare of Easttown, Wisting. Personal, slow burn but well written shows. Not something as bombastic and shocking like Happy Valleys plot beats develop into or The Killing, The Bridge, Pagan Peak, with substantial sub plots. This is 8 episodes a season, much more tight.

The characters are flawed and realistic and the casting is subversive of type. Though, the leaders I would say are still quite attractive, the hotshot young one has a great character arc across the 3 seasons, and the relationship between the detective and him fits the show very well. The lead is only unlikable only if you don't like competent, confident and over 30. I don't need or want characters to be likable. I want them to be understandable and compelling in ways I haven't yet seen much of, or at all.

The writing is excellent. I always know who does the murder regardless of the plotting, it's just the way it is unless the show deliberately withholds information from the viewer. Instead, the red herrings and the investigation proceeds in such a way as to bring a very nice character arc and thematic crescendo, which is much preferable to me over a wild twist. Every character and every piece of dialogue is there for a purpose, even if you don't realize it until the last couple episodes, and even side characters are well written. They're dynamic, sometimes for descent queer rep, sometimes to hit a trope or to subvert it.

The acting delivers, though isn't academy award level, but far more serviceable than anything you'd be watching on mainstream. Very pleasantly surprised.

This was without doubt one of the most debased and depraved series I have had the misfortune to watch. It did not start out so bad. There are 8 episodes. By Episode 5, I had had enough. It is merely an excuse to watch men abuse women, portray women in degrading and dehumanizing conditions, blame the women for their situation, and in most other ways offend viewers sensibilities. A creepy town and a creepy plot. And I thought Canada was a pretty nice country!

Yet another menopausal female detective but this time from French Canada rather than Skandi Noir . Possibly would benefit from blitz watching but frankly too slow paced ( nothing much happens in each episode ) and I'm pretty sure I have most of it worked out after the first 3 or 4 episodes but frankly not that interested in who did what to whom or why . Some reviewers mentioning extreme violence must have watched more than me and I may be tempted to watch the final 2 episodes when Channel 4 UK airs them just to see if I am correct in my theories as to the perpetrator or perpetrators but won't waste anymore time watching what goes on in the mean time .

This series from Quebec is centred on Céline Trudeau, a police detective. The first season, subtitled 'Cover Your Tracks' sees her dispatched to a remote mining town where the body of a young woman has been found; it is clearly murder. The way she died makes people wonder if an earlier death of a child wasn't the accident it was initially assumed to be. In the small community just about everybody knew the victim and there are plenty of suspects. Matters are complicated by the fact that somebody close to Céline is there.

The second season, titled 'The Château Murders' sees Céline back in the city of Quebec where she investigates the death of a man who was found dead in a prestigious hotel... in a bath of concrete. Is it revenge for deaths caused by a bridge collapse some years previously, related to a new bridge contract or is it something else? Céline and her new partner won't have an easy job finding the killer.

I thought this was an enjoyable crime drama. Céline isn't the most likeable of characters; she rubs most people the wrong way and more than once behaves in a dubious manner but grows on the viewer as the series progresses. The cases are interesting; providing plenty of suspects to keep one guessing. The locations are almost characters in their own right; snow covered in a way that makes the viewer almost feel the cold. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. The identity of the killers aren't too obvious but I suspect most viewers will have guessed their identities some time before the reveal. Overall a solid drama; I enjoyed the first two seasons and look forward the third being available here some time,

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