‘The Missing: Series 2’ DVD Review
Fans of The Missing will remember the show for its well spun web of mystery that kept us guessing. Now that The Missing: Series 2 has been released, the question surrounding it is, can it top the story that the show had already told? The simple answer is yes, and it is all thanks to Tchéky Karyo.
When a young woman walks out of the woods, it is revealed that she is a kidnapped girl who has been missing for 11 years. When she mentions the name of another girl, this grabs the attention of Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) a French detective. Digging into the case more though, he soon comes to realise that the girl may not be who she is proclaiming to be.
Shows like The Missing tend to rely on twists that soon become slightly surreal and confusing in nature. The audience can only take so much before they start to lose a grasp on the many strands of the web the story is trying to create. Thankfully with series two, this is not the case. There are many twists and turns in this one, but they are very well crafted and kept in control. While it is easy in places to work out where the story is going, this is a trick in many ways to pull the audience in. We are lulled into a false sense of security in the knowledge that we understand what is going on, and we can pinpoint who is to blame. What we are then given though is just one line that, at many times, turns everything on its head.
In many ways, The Missing: Series 2 is about Tchéky Karyo and his performance, and you can’t help but feel that he deserves awards for the portrayal of Baptiste. He is a man on a mission, even if he risks the lives of those around him. It may be a selfish mission, and even the audience ponder how idiotic he is at times, but underneath it all he is a man looking for closure. When it comes to the family of the mission girl, the quality is evident with Keeley Hawes and David Morrisey, but the whole cast are on top form. This helps to make this series of the show an impactful story. When we finally reach the conclusion in the last episode you can’t help but feel fully invested in the investigation and to see the guilty party finally meet justice.
What we do have in The Missing: Series 2 though is a slow burning story that in the first few episodes can feel slightly like a chore to watch, it is very dark and depressing, and that can make it hard going. Once it has its claws in you though, you’ll be hooked and won’t want to stop watching. With each revelation being well-timed to just keep on tightening that grip on your attention, it may be a dark watch but it’s one you don’t give up easily.
While this does feel like the end of the series, especially if we lose Julien Baptiste, you can’t help but hope that it continues. I just hope it isn’t without Tchéky Karyo’s character though, because he really is what makes the show so good. We’ll have to see if we are lucky enough to get another series out of this, but even if we don’t, this would be an excellent way for the show to end.
***** 5/5
The Missing: Series 2 is available on DVD from today, December 26th.
