Sambre

... streaming on Masterpiece, this a series viewers liking Euro-crime-drama should not miss watching... amount of sincere top notch acting-talent-performances incredible (bravo-casting)... there is not close to a weakness in the entire cast... in as good as live re-enactment(s) as you'll ever come across

... many in America might not be in agreement with final sentencing, as France does appear to have its own agenda on sentencing values unique to their country

... receiving a high rating score of 8.1 to date on IMDb, majority of audiences believe it to be one of the better productions in a crowded field within the genre... it does stand out and deserves all praise... don't-miss-it.

Very similar to the recent (2023) ITV series "The Long Shadow" which focuses on a similar story of a serial offender (murderer there and a rapist here) that spans many decades but the main aspect is the police inefficiency which is very similar. Although this shows the events from different perspectives (albeit in a linear timeline) with episode one is titled after the first (or among the first) victim with the last titled after the rapist himself, with various episodes in between titled with the names of the various investigators tasked with the case along the years.

It is similarly infuriating (as The Long Shadow) watching the rapist being so close to being caught if the police looked a bit harder, were a bit more trained or even cared a bit more.

On retrospect this series reminds me a lot of "Unbelievable" which was a similar series about a serial rapist a few years back and just as unbelievable.

The pacing is quite good, you don't really feel bored at all, the acting is superb (especially liked the actor who played The Commander) and showing the case evolve over the decades through different points of perspectives i,e, the victim, the judge, the mayor, the scientist and the commander is quite immersive and you see things from a new perspective every episode.

All in all shows like these are essential viewing because firstly it helps us admit that we were wrong in the past and only after admitting that can we say that we are hopefully learning from our mistakes and evolving as a species.

Difficult and enraging to watch but I'm glad I did. So many heartbreaking moments. Poor Christine at the site of the attack during the re-creation saying "thank you" to the police, the rage and pain of the young girl from the institution describing her attack, the compassion and understanding (at last!) of the Mayor falling like rain on a desert. These scenes and many more vividly demonstrate the suffering of the women amidst the world of male/societal incomprehension, callousness and negligence. How can it be I asked myself many times, and yet it was/is. This attitude hasn't gone anywhere. At this very moment, Gisele Pelicot's husband is on trial for raping her and inviting other men to rape her while unconscious over a period of many years. Both stories are monstrous and yet they happened.

I nearly didn't watch this, given the premise of this French series, however, I'm glad I did. While the programme is very clear about the fact that this show doesn't claim to be 100% factually accurate, it honours the victims of this true-crime by delivering a devastating, and justified, assault on the French legal system in the 80s, 90s and 00s.

The writing and acting is very well done and it's almost masterful how the show develops, with each episode focusing on a different character in the tale.

It has moments where it's difficult to watch, not because of the crimes themselves (those are handled with great respect), but the neglectful police, particularly in the first few episodes, left me feeling a little sick.

It's an important piece of television, with many lessons that need to be learned - hopefully this show will help prevent such instances from ever happening again.

Despite the difficult subject matter, this French series is a must-watch. According to the info available, this series is loosely based on true events over a 30-year period and shows clearly how attitudes, police procedures and technology have evolved and yet still we have these same crimes happening today. What is most impressive about this production is the respect and care taken to focus on and show how the victims have been impacted by the crimes. The acting by all participants is outstanding and believable. It is hard to watch at times, especially the patronizing and misogynistic attitudes of both police, the doctors examining these victims and in the cases of the married women, their spouses. The trauma felt by the young women as they aged is also depicted in a realistic manner and with much empathy. The approach taken to emphasize one particular person in each episode is a novel way to present this kind of genre, and it works very well here. Not an easy series to watch and yet important as it covers many issues and unfortunately, is still very relevant.