Paris Police 1905

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!

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.

Not as exciting as the first series but just as engrossing. The pace is sub-glacial but something inside you forces you to keep watching. After you've sat through what seems several thousand hours you realise why you've been sucked into this world.... because you are actually in that incredibly different and pretty horrible world. This is the next best thing to a time machine

It doesn't do what so many period dramas do these days - have 21st century people with 21st century attitudes in costume. Of course we can't know for sure but the people in this behave and think like people in 1905 probably did. Violence, corruption, the acceptance of gaping inequality is not criticised like we would now, it's just normal, it's accepted.

There are a couple of reasons you might be put off by this. As I've mentioned, it's not as exciting as the first series and at times gives the impression that nothing happens - is it boring? Maybe it is but somehow fascinating at the same time. The other criticism is that nobody ever smiles - ever! This has to be one of the most miserable things I've ever watched... but there's something special about it which keeps you glued.

This sequel is, unsurprisingly, set five years after the events of 'Paris Police 1900'. Detective Antoine Jouin's new case involves the death of a man found shot in the Bois de Boulogne, an area frequented by those seeking sexual company, female or male. He has been shot four times in the head but surprisingly it is thought it might be a suicide. In the city there is a clampdown on prostitution; a woman is picked up and protests that her baby is alone at home. In what follows we see the seedier side of Parisian life, at both higher and lower echelons of society.

I thought this was a solid sequel. While it isn't essential to have seen 'Paris Police 1900' it certainly does help as that introduces certain key characters. The story is interesting, as are the characters. The series captures the feel of the era with some atmospheric camera work and period references; I particularly enjoyed the senior officer in his new car... pure 'Mr Toad'! The cast did an impressive job bringing the characters to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this, especially to anybody who enjoyed the previous series.

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