Season 2 Recap
First, the good news: Gilou is clean! After some horrifying and unhealthy behavior in Season 1, our fave member of Laure’s squad is back and in fine shape. (Possibly too fine, as my adoration of Thierry Godard is becoming a problem in my marriage.) He is ready, therefore, along with Tintin and a new kid, Steph, to do the increasingly dirty job of getting a family of murdering drug lords, the Larbis, off the streets of Paris. In fact, Gilou and the gang are so loyal, so devoted to Laure, they not only cover for her when she makes a series of questionable choices, none of them even say a word about…
The haircut of sadness.
Not that Laure ever put a lot of time into styling, but I missed her ratty ponytail. Her workday look certainly sets up a stark contrast between her and the glamorous Joséphine, and that’s not their only difference. You’d think the ladies might go out of their way to support each other in the boys’ club that is the French justice system, but that’s not the case. In fact, when Laure uses an illegal telescopic baton to ward off a violent suspect, Joséphine goes the extra mile against her, parlaying courtroom ruthlessness into a job with the firm representing the Larbis! Hey, it’s not personal. No, Joséphine may cold-blooded, but that’s because she only has one thing on her mind, and that is…
The root of all evil.
Tired of the low-paying public defender cases she must scrounge among Paris’s petty criminals, she’s ready for a bigger payday and willing to do (almost) whatever it takes to get it, even if it means subjecting herself to the likes of the Larbis and their disgusting mid-level henchmen. Audrey Fleurot is so cool in the face of cultural and workplace misogyny, she makes Joséphine a far more complex character than can be seen on the (gorgeous) surface. Joséphine’s single-minded pursuit of cash makes it possible for her see three steps ahead in this criminal chess game. Even when it seems she’s making a moral call – she saves undercover agent Samy’s life by not identifying him to the Larbis – it’s really all about money. With the Larbis out of the way, she knows the management of their dirty proceeds will fall to her firm. See? It’s just business. Too bad no one else around seems able to take a page out of her book, because…
Love hurts.
They make 450,000 euros a month from their drug operation and cut deals with rival gangs on a regular basis, but the Larbis are ultimately brought down by… infidelity. Elsewhere, while we’re happy Laure seems to have developed feelings for Samy (and who could blame her?), the depth of her passion causes her to nearly lose her mind after nearly losing her job. Was her “confession” in her mandated counseling session that she is afraid the possibility of love and family has passed her by mere lip-service as it first seemed? It even appeared that she invented a loving partner whole cloth to keep her warm at night. Is her heart, like that of the case-of-the-week teenager who expresses his anguish with a shotgun, suffering from neglect? Loneliness is so terrible. Then again, too much attention can be a bad thing. Just ask…
Mr. Popular
Clément’s divorce may be final, but he’s not free of drama by a long shot. When a big-time journalist does a flashy profile of him for the newspaper (complete with a huge photo), it stirs up trouble for the handsome prosecutor. Seems the senior prosecutor doesn’t take kindly to this Jeanny-come-lately getting all the good press, nor does he appreciate the developing bromance between Clément and Judge Roban. His jealousy and resentment become roadblocks in every case, putting Laure and her team under the gun more than once. For example…
Mission impossible.
When it comes time to tighten the net around the Larbis with a border-crossing covert operation to Spain, Laure is suspended. Though Judge Roban is possibly the most level-headed human on Earth – he solves, after all, a complicated swingers’ club rape case that would have stymied anyone else – he’s not the best substitute in a chaotic, second-by-second operation. Then again, when Laure is allowed to take over just in time to try to rescue Samy, whose identity is compromised, her rashness both saves the day and further jeopardizes her career. Will our favorite hothead find the love and stability she so needs in the arms of this grateful agent? Or will the Parisian underworld continue to grind her down? Au revoir until Season 3!
* Due to distribution limitations, this program is only available to stream within the U.S.
Want to get MHz Choice Premiere announcements sent to your inbox?
Sign up for our free newsletter here!
MHz Choice is available in the U.S. & Canada. Free 7-day trial then $7.99/mo.
Subscribe at mhzchoice.com.
About the author:
Allison Lowe Huff is a freelance writer and editor with an overly concentrated interest in mystery stories from anywhere and everywhere. Follow her on Twitter @lowehuff.
