Ennemi public

Very much enjoyed the series. Two seasons is not enough. Thoughtful and well crafted narrative...sub plots integrated well with main thread...with few errors...yes the Belgian police need training but they're shown as human beings with all their weaknesses. Some townsfolk seem stereotypical as if out of some primeval neanderthal era...but reality matters and they can be redeemed at least some can... the social workers and other bureaucrats are shown in a sinister way as they should be...the performances rise to perfection. Yes. We need a 3rd and 4th season. Bravo. Another excellent Belgian series.

Psychopathic child murderer Guy Beranger is released from prison into the care of monks in an abbey. The Local villagers' justifiable fear for their children's' safety is realised when children begin to go missing. This 10 part Belgian thriller with its brooding characters took a little while to hook me in, but as the story unfolded the pace picked up. The seemingly austere Inspector assigned to protecting Beranger has her own demons from her past to deal with. Great setting for such a story (an isolated village in the Ardennes forest) - an area about which I knew nothing. The ending left a possible opening for a second series. Recommended

I've watched the first 2 series, assume there will be a third since it was left up in the air. Like some other reviewers I found the police behaviour a bit on the crazy side, always going off doing dangerous things with no backup, ignoring obvious clues, no strategy just always responding to the next weird thing. Also, so many killed but still only a few locals doing all the leg work? Other than a random riot squad who showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared again, I would have expected a national response. All a bit annoying.

But other than that I really enjoyed this show, the 1st series more than the 2nd which was much slower. I did fast forward through a bit of the gratuitious anxiety provoking scenes in the 2nd series, predictable outcomes.

The serial killer, not sure of the name of the actor, played such a tremendous part. He was so creepy, yet somehow increasingly likeable. Some of the actions of some of the characters just seemed a bit unbelievable. Emile's mum being the main one. But generally I enjoyed the slow reveal of characters back stories and the character development as both series progressed.

The scenery and music were wonderful. The story generally was good. The acting perfectly fine. Well worth a look, just don't get hung up on the quality, or otherwise, of the policing.

Public Enemy (French: Ennemi Public) is a Belgian French-language crime thriller based loosely on the Marc Dutroux case. A child killer, Béranger (Angelo Bison) is released after 30 years into the care of a Abbey in the Ardennes near Vielsart,. The monks are divided as to whether or not he should be accepted into the order. When children in the area are killed, naturally suspicion falls on. Overseeing the case is Brussels detective Chloe Muller (Stéphanie C), she has her own demons, her sister disappeared more than 20 years ago. The inhabitants of Vielsart, provide their own dramas, with families divided. Indeed families are crucial to this narrative, families of monks, of police officers of cult members. Chloe's missing sister provides a story arc over the three seasons of this series, as does a strange religious cult. .The Abbey and Beranger are also central to the tale. A dark series with disturbing themes, violence and murders. Great performances from Bison. Vielsart, and an ensemble cast. The gloomy Ardennes forests could also be regarded as stars. Created by Antoine Bours, Gilles de Voghel, Matthieu Frances and Christopher Yates. On Netflix. 9/10.

I bought the dvd of series 1 not knowing if I would like it. But just watched 10 hours in one go,I loved it. I found it unpredictable and gripping. Some critics feel the story is unrealistic but it did not bother me. People say this is based on real events and it may be but it requires no prior knowledge to enjoy it. If you like a detective mystery and don't mind subtitles or can speak French seek this one out.