I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 of Baptiste set in the Netherlands. A gripping solid drama well acted by noted French actor Tcheky Karyo who plays the cop who specializes in complex missing persons cases.
Season 2 is more convoluted. Set in Hungary against the backdrop of a series of unfolding tragedies that befall the family of Emma Chambers (Fiona Shaw), the British Ambassador to Hungary. Shaw is a brilliant actress but the story line becomes tortuous and implausible and Baptiste is getting too old to catch criminals. The teenage boys of the Ambassador, 18 year old Alex (Stuart Campbell) and 16 year old Will (Conrad Kahn) become enmeshed in a radical, far right, anti immigrant movement who plan mass terrorist attacks. Alex is killed by Baptiste during one mass shooting event whilst the bulk of the show revolves around Emma's attempts to first find then 'deprogram' Will from his radical thinking. Kahn recently received three nominations for various British Best Emerging Actor/Rising Star awards for his role as Toby in County Lines and his intense performance in Baptiste underscores his emerging talent. Compared to Series 1, this latest series is too much of a stretch despite the excellent performances of the three main actors.
Season 2 is more convoluted. Set in Hungary against the backdrop of a series of unfolding tragedies that befall the family of Emma Chambers (Fiona Shaw), the British Ambassador to Hungary. Shaw is a brilliant actress but the story line becomes tortuous and implausible and Baptiste is getting too old to catch criminals. The teenage boys of the Ambassador, 18 year old Alex (Stuart Campbell) and 16 year old Will (Conrad Kahn) become enmeshed in a radical, far right, anti immigrant movement who plan mass terrorist attacks. Alex is killed by Baptiste during one mass shooting event whilst the bulk of the show revolves around Emma's attempts to first find then 'deprogram' Will from his radical thinking. Kahn recently received three nominations for various British Best Emerging Actor/Rising Star awards for his role as Toby in County Lines and his intense performance in Baptiste underscores his emerging talent. Compared to Series 1, this latest series is too much of a stretch despite the excellent performances of the three main actors.