The Living Room Bijou: “Balthazar”: The Talking Dead
An entertaining, sometimes hilarious, French police procedural featuring an eccentric, egotistical forensic medical examiner, a humorless cop, and chatty murder victims. What more could you want?
If you ask me, there’s so many crime shows streaming right now that it constitutes a crime all its own.
No, I know you didn’t ask, but, really, who’s got the time for all this mayhem and mystery? Not me, by decades. But does anyone listen? No. Crime shows stream on in a bloody blur, packed with cliches and tropes that are as familiar as buttered toast.
There’s some tweedy comfort and wit to be found (Poirot, Midsomer Murders, Endeavour) or some compelling subject, story, or stylish innovation (Prime Suspect, Criminal: United Kingdom, Kieler Street, Mother Goose) but mostly I just thumb the sweep button.
“Serial Killer?” No. “Tough alcoholic detective with haunted past?” Uh-uh. “Tough alcoholic detective with haunted past pursues a serial killer.” Please. “How about while sobbing all the way through!?” STOP IT!
Sometimes you can nail the culprit before the credits are even over. Recently, Mrs. B and I sampled a series called The Sounds and within five minutes, we knew (a) spouse was going to be murdered; and (b) spouse would turn out to be not dead after all…
