Baptiste: What the Must Watch reviewers think
Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.
This week Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan share their thoughts on Baptiste series two on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Julien Baptiste travels to Hungary to help the British ambassador, Emma Chambers, find her missing family in this final series of the detective drama.
BBC / Two Brothers Productions
Scott says: "A good watch but not a Must Watch"
"I watched the first series of Baptiste and it was one of those shows that I started and didn’t finish, even though I loved The Missing. I couldn't get into Baptiste. It was just missing that depth and suspense The Missing had. We’ve all forgotten to finish a show before, haven’t we?
"I thought that series two of Baptiste would be a great opportunity for me to get into it again, but I couldn't. I found the flashbacks and flash forwards really quite jarring. I don’t like it when such tricks are used by the writers, because it is there to deliberately mislead and frustrate the viewer. The characters end up knowing a lot more about what is going on than you do. Towards the end you just shout ‘just tell me what’s going on!
"I also found some of the twists and turns a bit too far-fetched for my liking. I reckon this show is a good series to watch during the summer, when there is not too much else on. I think this is a good watch, but I don’t think it’s a Must Watch."
BBC / Two Brothers Productions
Hayley says: "I really don’t know where it’s going, and I like that"
"I liked it. It’s miserable, and long-time listeners of this show will know I love miserable detective shows. Plus, it’s got Fiona Shaw in it and I would watch her in anything. She was excellent in ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘Fleabag’, and she’s particularly good in this. She just looks emotionally destroyed.
"I love the bleakness of the Hungarian setting; we’ve got all these mountains and forests where the family went missing, so it’s something new to look at. But mostly I just think it’s a really solid whodunnit. We’ve got hours of this TV show, so we all know that Baptiste is this watchable, great character already. So what makes this one different? I really like the flashbacks and flash forwards because it hooks you. You can't figure out how they got there from here. I really don’t know where it’s going, and I like that."
BBC / Two Brothers Productions
Series one and two of Baptiste are available now on BBC iPlayer.
Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.
This week, the team hear from Tchéky Karyo about the final series of Baptiste on BBC One. Plus they review Can I Improve My Memory on Channel 4 and Sexy Beasts on Netflix.
