Soneri is back: cranky but good!
Series 2 confirms all the highs and lows of series 1 (please see my other review), but with a few differences. This time, the relationship between Soneri and lawyer Cornelio is mostly strained and confrontational. Cornelio's fiercely independent and secretive nature rubs Soneri's suspicious, dominant personality the wrong way. While still being a dedicated, brilliant detective, Soneri is often cranky and frustrated as his cases seem to take a toll on him. The prospect of him moving to Rome to head an anti-terrorist squad comes up in each episode and is quite tiresome: why not wait until the last two or three episodes to hint that the series as we know it is about to end? Go figure. But when all is said and done, all the good things I loved about series 1 are still there and I can't help but clap my hands and exclaim: Bravo!
Foggy characters, foggy town
I enjoy all of the international mysteries on MHZ, and have sampled most of them. Soneri's character is a believable, dedicated investigator, but his relationship to Angela, his lawyer girlfriend, leaves me cold. I hope he eventually terminates their relationship and moves to Rome where he will be facing the challenges of running a counterterrorism department. The writers could work more on developing the characters around Soneri, such as the forensics doctor, his superior, and his assistant. The rest all seem to blend into the background of fog. Is there really that much fog in Ferrara?
Despite my obvious criticisms, I woud still watch all of the series, as the stories are very unpredictable and interesting. The scenery is great, and the main character, Franco Soneri is wonderful.
Even better than series 1
So far, I have watched only three of the six episodes. It is even better than series 1: interesting plots, very good actors, beautiful views of Ferrara and the Po. Note also: The protagonists' private life does not interfere with the investigation (no sex scenes); there is no gratuitous violence (murders of course, but not on-screen); and the dialogue is in good standard Italian (no bad language, no slang) with good sound. Great entertainment that children can watch too!
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