lagourmandeverte

Will "The Break" remind you of "Twin Peaks"? Yep. How about "Broadchurch" and "True Detective," or the French show "Les Revenants"? Check, and check (and the show's creators have even admitted as much). Okay, now that we've gotten what a bunch of other reviews and interviews have already noted (mostly on French websites), let's get to the execution of the show, and why it's so darn good. And yes, it is really good - in spite of reminding you of Lots of Things That Have Come Before It.

The plot: as stated above, there is a soccer player who turns up dead. A brooding detective who is new to town (for reasons that become increasingly clear as the story unfolds) is the chief investigator on the case. That's all I can really say without spoiling anything - and you really have to know as little as possible about this show to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

The execution: This is an excellent sort of whodunit, complete with Log Lady-type characters, dark and creepy woods, and lots of other goings-on that are of a highly suspicious nature (David Lynch is chuckling somewhere, that's for sure). I was hooked after one episode - and I mean, hooked. As in, I binged all of these in two days. This surprised me, as I went in having read a couple of lukewarm reviews that implied it might be too similar to the above-referenced shows; it's not. Rest assured that the Belgians have taken some of the greatest elements of these shows and really mixed them into something altogether new and incredibly fun to watch.

The story will keep you guessing; the characters are definitely not entirely what they seem, and each episode does one of those super- fun cliffhangers that has you immediately pressing "play the next episode." It's definitely less "produced-looking" and the small townsfolk really look like - well, small townsfolk. Heiderfeld does seem like the kind of place where things are bubbling just underneath the surface. It's a heck of a fun ride and I can't wait for Season Two!

FYI for those who are parents, or those who might be squeamish - it's a bit gory (dead bodies up close; lots of blood; scary visions), and as it's a European show, there are a lot of nudity and sex. Fair warning.

I loved this show. LOVED this show. However, in Season 3 that all changed.

First, the good: There's a lot to like in "Dicte." Iben Hjelje - who was excellent way back in "Hi Fidelity" with John Cusack several years ago (check it out if you haven't) - continues to be a wonderful and versatile actress who lights up the screen with her infectious laugh and beautiful smile. The characters are well drawn; you care about what happens to them, and after two seasons I was definitely invested. The plots are interesting and don't only focus on one murder, although at times there are story lines that drift off, only to be picked up again in later episodes.

Now, the not-so-good: All of this unfortunately changed in Season 3. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that the show took a drastic turn and went off in a completely different direction - it became stressful and ultimately an unhappy experience for me, so I quit watching halfway through. The show's creators had a wonderful thing going; I understand wanting to try something "new," but in this case, it just didn't work. Without being able to give any context this is difficult to explain, but after one episode you'll see what I mean.

It's too bad; there are so few great shows out right now and "Dicte" was a fun twist on the excellent-but-too-prevalent Scandanavian police drama. That said, if it ain't broke, please don't fix it. Too late on this one. Definitely check out seasons 1 and 2, though!