Antigone 34: The Complete Series

Thriller meets procedural in this French miniseries that combines car chases with narrative twists, turns, and blind alleys. In the first episode, Capt. Léa Hippolyte (Anne Le Nen), who resides in coastal Montpellier, receives a clean bill of health from staff psychologist Hélène de Soyere (Clare Borotra). Back on the beat, Hippolyte partners with the youthful Lt. Serge Ravel (Aubert Fenoy), who learns that Hippolyte's former partner killed himself. Ravel doesn't ask her about it, and Hippolyte—who takes her frustrations out on a punching bag—doesn't offer any information, but the tragedy shadows events to come (when Ravel later takes time off after an injury, Lionel Erdogan's Fifi takes his place). Their first case, which reverberates throughout the six episodes, concerns the murder of a medical student, which leads them to ex-convict Victor Carlier (Bruno Todeschini), the victim's father. Although the pair solve the crime, Carlier believes that someone else killed his daughter. Since he can no longer practice medicine, Carlier stays at a gypsy encampment, where he works off the books, and is occasionally approached by Hippolyte for help. Other cases take on a more personal dimension: in one, Hélène reunites with a classmate when her husband goes missing; in another, Hippolyte goes head to head with Pérez (Bruno López), a fellow detective who blames her for the death of her partner. Towards the end, the threads come together—which require several coincidences, but creators Brice Homs and Alexis Nolent have put together an overall compelling series that takes advantage of a talented cast and a distinctive location. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)