Paris Police 1900; Season 1, Episode 2
Episode 102 of Paris Police 1900 begins to reveal the brass hiding underneath France’s golden age.
Episode 101 did a good job of establishing the show’s intent: to document the insidious nature of xenophobia, misogyny, and ambition. That episode also gave us a taste of the social depravity that we should expect to see and secretly enjoy throughout the series. There was fatal fellatio. There was marital infidelity (sanctioned and unsanctioned). And finally, the pièce de resistance: murders! The pace of the episode was a little slow, but enthralling none the less.
Episode 102 really starts to build momentum by diving into a society’s capacity for hate and how that hate can incept a political war. That aspect of the story becomes even more compelling when you realize that the series is loosely based around historical events: The Dreyfus affair, specifically. Many of the show’s characters either represent or are representative of players and actors that participated in the machinations of the Dreyfus affair. Some of the names include Meg Steinheil (Évelyne Brochu), Jeanne Chauvin (Eugénie Derouand), and Louis Lépine (Marc Barbé).
History lesson aside, the beginning of episode 102 reintroduces us to one of the general’s in the political war brewing in Paris, Louis Lépine. He arrives in Paris, at the behest of the French government, to quell any unrest that might arise in the wake of the French president’s…untimely death. As another historical aside, episode 101 gives a rather accurate depiction of President Felix Faure’s death: Death by Deadly Lips. Back to Lépine though. His impeccable dress and stern demeanor demand respect as he struts through center frame. The director and show writers make it clear that Lépine did not come out of retirement to play games. This fierce commitment to the job is going to create some tension between him, his wife, and the complacent Parisian police force, and we’re here for it. Those tensions are critical elements of this episode and likely the rest of the series.
Puybaraud (Patrick d’Assumçao), head of the Paris criminal investigation department is the primary reason for this tension. He has been using his position to run a domestic black ops unit with impunity, and Lépine represents a threat to his autonomy and overall influence in Paris. The relationship is a little cliché, but d’Assumçao and Barbé work well on screen together in their adversarial roles. In fact, Puybaraud is so good on screen you almost forget that he is not the show’s primary antagonist, or is he? He claims to utilize domestic espionage and physical intimation to protect the nation, but I’m skeptical. We’ll figure it out later, but, for now, I think the distinction of villain goes to Jules Guérin (Hubert Delattre).
Besides having the audacity to wear a cream-colored suit out in public, Guérin is the embodiment of the evil and hate that threatens to tear France apart. His racism towards Jews is fatiguing at points because it feels so politically driven, but slicing the throat of piglets on stage for spectacle feels like pure evil every time. The showrunners have cleverly managed to proportionately infuse Guérin with equal parts Hitler, Klu-Klux Klan Grand Wizard, and Satan. It’s quite a creative feat! Jokes asides, the show is careful to show how dangerously effective organized hate can be. Episode 102 shows how The Antisemite League, which Guérin is in charge of, possesses the power to create a martyr out of a despicable human being like Alphonse Chagnolle ( Renaud Rutten), through its newspaper, The Anti-Semite. ( 0 points for creativity, Guérin!) The only hope Paris has for salvation appear to be a self-loathing Antoine Joiun (Jérémie Laheurte) and a reluctant Meg Steinheil…
Both have been through a lot through the first two episodes. Between the disappearance, and likely murder, of his pet project mademoiselle Chagnolle, watching his partner take two to the chest, and feeling compelled to execute a man, it’s been a rough go for Joiun, lately. Meg is not fairing much better. She killed a guy with her deadly lips and now must bear the moniker as a code name on an espionage mission that she might not get paid for or even survive. Sheesh! The show can be awfully dark for a story based off of escapades in the City of Light! However, the show’s story is picking up steam, the characters are developing, and the cinematography is great. Episode 103 should give some other characters a chance to shine!
