We are fast becoming addicted to the locations in France’s crime series: ‘Murder In‘!
Each episode features a new ‘picturesque’ and lesser-known location. Still on Season 1 (out of 6), but every location has been breathtaking in the landscape. They also make an effort to introduce you to some of the key sites in each area; some are set in the rolling hills, others in the French Alps or along the rocky coasts.
The crimes themselves vary in nature and style from show to show. The main stars alternate with some (e.g. Elizabeth & Paul) re-appearing ever few episodes; while others appear only once. The shows tend to focus primarily on police detective procedurals; featuring various combinations of investigators, crime scene forensic specialists, and local officials. However, there are other episodes that incorporate private detectives or are one-off situational crimes (some individual has to solve a mystery in their life).
The crimes themselves have been pretty decently written – usually leave us guessing until the last minute. They tend to adapt the style where key facts are released slowly throughout the show, and by the end you have some idea though not always.
The characters are pretty well done; although they seem to be a little bit emasculating towards the men and demeaning towards the women.
It’s one thing to have a confident, professional female as the main star — it’s another thing for her to repeatedly behave irrationally and outright insultingly towards her male colleagues. While they in turn keep apologizing to her like it’s their fault and excusing her behavior. It undermines her professionalism and makes her an unsympathetic figure, while making the male just appear weak and ineffective at his job. Not the best combination, but it seems somewhat common in French shows.
Overall though, we have enjoyed the show so far, with about 75% of its hold on us due to the gorgeous scenery. It’s well worth watching just to get a glimpse of France outside the city of Paris.