Payback in Amsterdam

Think of this as a dramady with incredible scenery - and that includes Marc Warren as both he and Amsterdam are equally hot on screen. When this show comes on, I am just transported with suspended belief and just enjoy the ride. You know all the main characters will survive and so even the suspenseful parts can be watched with peace. I can't wait for Series / Season 3. This episode reminded me of one of several Law and Order episodes ripped from the headlines and thus, it IS predictable. A police procedural where the main characters will survive each week and the bad guys get caught is by it's very nature predictable. I think a show like this gains popularity because either the actors are compelling or the characters are compelling.

A top notch episode. The perfect ending to the current series, definitely worth a watch. This series just gets better with each episode. I cannot wait for series four.

Oh, this takes place in Amsterdam, does it? That hasn't been made clear at all...

Marc Warren isn't a very convincing leading man, and this show has never really lifted above the standard of being just ok.

It passes the time, but then again, so does watching pain dry.

ITV have already made a 3rd series of this though, so its future looks safe for now.

A musician has acid thrown at her and she later dies.

Van der Valk finds out that she was working with an investigative journalist.

Maybe someone in the orchestra had a grudge against the musician. Maybe it was a jilted lover.

Later the journalist dies in a nasty way. Van der Valk ends up investigating the darkest underbelly of Amsterdam.

The tentacles are widespread and even reach the police department.

The second series of Van der Valk bows out with more grisly deaths. There are links to the #MeToo movement.

Sexual corruption, harassment and intimidation is brought to the fore.

It does explain why there seemed to be a police official whose presence throughout the series was so far pointless.

Oh the final scene ends with a bit more of the Van der Valk theme tune.

At several places in this episode, the plot and writing are allowed to be very unrealistic and even predictable. No spoilers--but there are some places where the plot-progression seems very amateurish. This series has so much more possibility than it shows. The beautiful, exotic, and exciting Amsterdam locales are not being used well. And the skills, both mental and especially physical, of the Amsterdam cops are not being put to best use. Finally, I reject the premise that veteran, experienced homicide detectives like they're supposed to be can be surprised, shocked, beat to the punch, and overcome by the bad guys as often as they are.