Three Pines 1.3-1.8: Unique and Wonderful Series

Continuing my reviews of Three Pines on Amazon Prime Video, having watched the concluding six episodes (1.3 - 1.8) of what I hope will be just the first season of many.

Because I really think this is a top-notch, outstanding detective show (note that I haven't read the novels upon which the series is based.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Some of the things I like most about this series:

• How Inspector Gamache always tells the police on the scene, including his own team, to lower their weapons as he tries to talk the suspect/perpetrator down, i.e., to peacefully surrender.  It's a real pleasure to see a police detective who has such a strong belief in the possibility of logic winning the day.
• Alfred Molina's portrayal of Gamache is just superb.
• His team  -- Jean-Guy, Isabelle, and Yvette -- are excellent too.  I especially liked Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers -- an indigenous actress -- and her portrayal of Isabelle, but Rossif Sutherland as Jean-Guy and Sarah Booth as Yvette were fine, too.  All were fresh, delivering characters we haven't quite seen before on television.
• Speaking of indigenous people, the Crees were very well portrayed in this narrative. We're introduced to  a wide variety of people, of all ages, who play crucial roles with their wisdom and attitudes in solving the crimes, including the crime that weaves its way through all eight episodes, the murder of two young Cree adults. (Tantoo Cardinal -- Outlander, Stumptown, etc -- was memorable, as always.)
• A great example of this wisdom is the difference between white pine needles and red pines needles, conveyed to Gamache, and central in his solving the above murder.
• And speaking of nature, it's beautifully captured in every episode.

One thing I didn't like: Pierre getting the better of Gamache at the very end.  I suppose it's understandable, considering, again, Gamache's deep belief in rationally appealing to criminals to do the right thing.  But given that Gamache knows that his friend Pierre callously murdered Blue Two-Rivers, it still bothers me that he didn't search Pierre at gunpoint before walking away from him.

 

I do hope/expect that Gamache will survive, given that he wasn't shot in the head and showed some signs of life at the end.  And I really hope and expect that we'll see the aftermath of that final scene in a season two of this unique and wonderful series.

See also Three Pines 1.1-1.2: Murder North of the Border, and More