Bright Minds

Italia47 and Dklecan sum it up rather well. I am in the U. S. and really, no matter English or otherwise, I rely heavily on subtitles, so although it's a bit more of a challenge not speaking/understanding French, I am used to reading subtitles to assist. This series is SO well done, the acting is top notch - ALL supporting actors as well as the two women). I appreciate the exchange of dialogue between Astrid and - anyone really - in addition to the Aspie group meetings which provide so much insight into the point of view that Astrid and other aspies perceive with neurotypicals. The meetings are well incorporated, scripted and directed in such a way that it's not "preachy" or overtly "explaining" but fluidly flows within the context of each episode. The two leads, with whom I am not familiar (due to it airing as a foreign series in the U. S. on PBS) are so well acted and work well and so thoughtfully together. Each episode is unique and engaging and well written. I am really appreciative of PBS to have exposure to a broad and diverse repertoire of European series, but this one in particular is, I hope, continuing for many more seasons to come as I see continued character development and intriguing cases to be solved. I highly recommend.

The most amazing thing about this show is the portrayal of autism, in the character Astrid.

It's an astoundingly convincing performance, and an astoundingly convincing script.

Everyone must fall in love with Astrid, with her simplicity, her vulnerability, and her persistence in the face of tremendous challenges. She captures the innocence and joy of a child as an adult.

Around this character is an ongoing love between Astrid and Raphaelle, who work together as detectives on homicides. Astrid is Sherlock Holmes to Raphaelle's smarter, more competent version of Watson. The affection between these two women deserves a canonical place in cinema, where a focus on supportive, loving friendships between women as the central spring of a plot is not common.

There is also a moving love story as Astrid negotiates her first love affair. The love story though serves to throw Astrid's relationship with Raphaelle into relief, rather than supplanting it.

Each episode is a complete murder mystery. The mysteries are taken seriously, but they have a comic book element, with plot elements that are magical and unusual out of a fantasy adventure for children, yet always end up with a rational realist explanation. The adventures have something of the wonderful French "bande dessinee" adult comic book novels. This adds a lot of fun.

As mystery stories, fitting the complex plots and lines of investigation into 53 minutes is a shoehorn job. A lot of the story is told in summary by characters. Often repeat characters turn out to have special knowledge or abilities exactly as needed for the plot, in coincidences that beg credulity. But this convention us allows to stay in touch with some endearing repeat characters and also moves the plot along quickly to a swift conclusion. It fits the comic book flavor. The investigations themselves are fun as adventures, and have plenty of red herrings and plot twists, but are not the most convincing crime plots.

It's also often laugh out loud funny. The show finds humor in Astrid's adaptation to life always laughing with her. Astrid herself tackles difficulties like understanding figures of speech and making jokes.

All the actors manage to give performances that are at the same time exaggerated and bigger than life, and completely credible. Lola Dewaere and Sara Mortensen do outstanding jobs. Sara Mortensen has a very challenging role and gives a gold medal olympic performance, avoiding any mechanicality in the role.

The episodes often deal with social issues in a progressive way, which gives them three dimensionality and relevance apart from the discussion of autism.

Altogether, this is one of the most moving and fun tv series from any country.

Season 5 moves from standard policier genre into comic book territory. Tremendously fun and some hilarious episodes. More intense focus on the human dilemmas faced by Astrid and Raphaelle and their mutual support. Even deeper performances by Martensen that rank with the best actors. The script is inspired.

Because the mysteries are solved within one 50m episode the detective story is often abbreviated with key developments happening offscreen and being reported to bring a quick resolution. The stories are still intriguing. The focus is more on the personal interactions and reactions to dramatic events. Astrid often seems to be an incarnation of Holmes and follows in a tradition of detectives with psychological challenges like Tony Shahloub's Monk and Robson Green's Tony in Wire in the Blood, both excellent shows. This show explores more deeply though the presentation of Astrid's affect.

The show also explores important themes of our time including political injustices with a courageous open heart spreading the good word and adding emotional reverbations.

I also like the 2025 UK version Patience but it is not in the same class as this show. It's a couple of notches down in writing performance and production values. I assume this is not due to the capabilities of the filmmakers but the business exigencies and resources available as well as what the target audience wants. Anyone who likes that show might want to check out the French original.

So far, I have only been able to watch the first series of this amazing series. It centres on the abilities of Astrid, an autistic woman who needs a guardian, and who works in the Criminal Records department of the Paris police. Her autism gives her an encyclopaedic memory of the case files she has read and a fascination with puzzles, both of which she puts to good use in helping seemingly intractable murders.

What I liked most about this series was the ability of Sarah Mortenson to portray the physical attributes of a person with fairly pronounced autism. This, plus the manner in which others learn how to interact with her, and who themselves grow from her presence, made the whole series a delight for me.

Good characters that are well developed through each episode. The crimes in each episode were thoughtful and required some good thought to solve. A show well worth watching for those who need the subtitles.

This has been enlightening and very refreshing. It has opened my eyes to the adult life of a person who is living with autism. I wish there were more episodes to enjoy.