The Tunnel

 

I know this series is based on the Scandinavian drama, The Bridge, which I haven't seen so there is nothing I have to compare The Tunnel too. I am sure that will be a good thing because the original is so highly regarded. and I want to watch this new series fresh. It's only ten episodes so once again European television gets it right. All plot, no filler. It's the only way to tell a good story these days.

 

I enjoyed how the show is in both English and French with subtitles for the words you don't understand. That means you have to pay attention.

 

 

Clémence Poésy as Elise Wassermann is the French detective assigned to the case. Upon first seeing her I immediately assumed that she had Asburger's syndrome but is pretty high functioning. She just can't process the subtleties of human emotions - jokes and sarcasm are foreign to her. But so is outrage, revenge or revulsion. She is the perfect kind of investigator. She can eat dinner while looking at gruesome crime scene photographs. Just absorbs the facts and gives everything she see, hears, reads, and experiences equal weight in her investigations. I would call her a robot but she is better than that; more focused than that. The scene where she basically tells a guy sitting on a car bomb that he will never feel the explosion because his brain will die instantly was brilliant in both it's writing and execution. I like this girl. She's messed up but I love the way her brain works.

Her British partner, Karl Roebuck is very low key and the perfect partner for her. He doesn't overwhelm her with too much useless emotion. He knows not to bombard her with anything beyond the straight facts. He lets her lead the way and is smart enough to know that is how she operates best. He doesn't have an ego to get in the way of her process.

Their trust is almost immediate and it turns out that they are the only two who can trust each other. They bring out the best in each other and it's a thrilling thing to watch. I love the foreign settings and cast of unknowns - well unknown to me.

Please sir, may I have some more of The Tunnel. I like it.

"The Tunnel" -- Inspired by Scandinavian drama The Bridge, The Tunnel is set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis. When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. However, the case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.