Detecting in Amsterdam: a Case of Synchronicity Led to My Recent Binge Watches ("TV Tuesday")

Synchronicity: an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.

Soooooo… pretty sure it wasn’t because I did some search for “cool shows set in Amsterdam” (because I definitely didn’t), but the fact remains, nontheless, that I found myself watching, back-to-back, two different series set… in Amsterdam. 

Anywho, I'm going with "synchronicity is totally a thing", mkay? (The fact that there's also a totally-legit The Police tie-in, here? I mean, just kill me now.)

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The series about the quasi-retired French detective, on holiday with his wife in Amsterdam? Yeah, Baptiste was a no-brainer for me, because I found both seasons of The Missing riveting (My review of the first of that series’ two seasons can be found here.)

Baptiste, let me say, is definitely best appreciated after watching both seasons of The Missing, because—while it certainly stands on its own, just fine—there’s so much added depth, when viewed via the lenses of experience and time

Julien Baptiste fascinates me, with his  calm presence, and almost (but not quite) soporific way of speaking; were I a suspect, it wouldn’t surprise me if that man could get me to admit to ANYthing. 

He's also insightful and patient, but never entirely… because there are plenty of times when he zips off (always in his station wagon, lol) to wherever, to confront or investigate someone, without fully thinking out the consequences of his actions. (That he survived a brain tumor--and is keenly aware he will never again be quite the man he used to be--adds an extra bit of interest.) 

In Baptiste, his focus—when a long-ago (pre-wife days, here) ex-girlfriend-cop asks for his help—is on finding an Englishman’s niece, who's gone missing in Amsterdam. The fact that the girl is a drug addict strikes an extra chord in Julien, because his own daughter (and thus, he and his wife) has/have also struggled with addiction and its repercussions.

But, when Julien actually succeeds in finding the girl—who has drifted into (legal, because Amsterdam) life as a sex worker, to fund her habit—things take a very hard right (or maybe left) turn… and suddenly, nothing Julien has been told about the case, from either the police or the girl’s uncle, rings true.

To say more would be to give away hints of where this multi-layered story goes (which you should already know I’m not about to do), so let’s just leave it at this: Baptiste is a more-than-worthy successor to The Missing, and did NOT leave me disappointed. (And the turns from Tchécky Karyo, in the title role; Tom Hollander [long a secret crush/favorite of mine!], as the uncle; and Jessica Raine, as the Europol officer with a whole lotta baggage, are really, really good.)

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Immediately on the heels of that, I landed on Van der Valk—technically a British (and more about that, in a minute) production about a detective in Amsterdam, one Piet Van der Valk. (Do all shows about Dutch police use the last name of one of the detectives in the title..? My inquiring mind wants to know, now...)

Google tells me that this is actually a continuing (after a substantial absence) series, with a new fellow—Marc Warren— taking the reins in what I’m assuming is a reboot. 

Van der Valk concerns an Amsterdam police squad, of which Piet is a lead detective with his own merry crew: Lucienne, the smart/tough/cool lesbian second (and seemingly the closest thing to a BFF that Piet has); Brad de Vries, the cheeky-but-also-kinda-slimy everyman detective; Henrik, the louche (and imminently likable) pathologist; and Job Cloovers, the delightfully-brainy(-but-somewhat-clueless) new protégé, all tasked with solving Amsterdam's homicide cases. 

Those cases (on Amazon, at least, they’re split into two 45-minute eps) feel complete after each has been solved, but there’s always something that leaches over into the next case (or cases)… which I enjoy (because that’s How Life Is, innit?).  

While there’s nothing particularly earth-shattering or new here, the locale—beautiful Amsterdam (which, seriously, after these two series, I suddenly reeeeeally want to visit, someday)—and the compelling characters, have me hooked. Van der Valk is a slick yet believable study which feels modern and realistic, and is easy to watch.

The only (slightly) off-putting thing about this one, for me, is that it feels a bit odd having everyone speaking English, rather than listening to them in their native language, and reading a translation. (I'm a purist, and LOVE getting to hear the sounds and cadence of other languages. Give me a foreign language and subtitles, any day... but of course, YMMV on that.)

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Anyway, maybe I’ll look hard to find something not in Amsterdam for my next binge-watch? Then again, maybe I won’t... ;)

~GlamKitty