Drawn Together by Differences (Astrid TV show REVIEW)

 

"They laugh at me because I'm different.

I laugh at them because they’re all the same."

                                    ~Kurt Cobain

Although these words aren’t uttered until the final episode of the first season, the idea is a poignant leitmotif which runs throughout the French series, Astrid, from the very start… and I couldn’t be more enchanted. This show is an absolute delight.

Astrid, streaming on PBS via Amazon

Available to stream on PBS, Astrid (or Astrid et Raphaëlle, in its native French—no idea why they decided to drop the other name, stateside) is another fine police procedural/detective program from Walter Presents… but there’s so much more to it than just that. 

On paper, Astrid might seem not so different from a host of other cop shows over the years. It features an odd couple: the messy, loud detective, Raphaëlle (in a fantastic turn by Lola Dewaere), and the meticulous, withdrawn police librarian, Astrid (brilliantly portrayed by Sara Mortensen), whose help Raph enlists in solving cases. One of them is differently-abled: Astrid is autistic, and it is her brilliance in seeing patterns—and her passion for solving puzzles—which enables her ability to catch (and properly analyze) key details which others miss. 

While the cases are always interesting, and the setting—Paris—is certainly appealing (as a weary American, any place other than here is a welcome relief), what sets Astrid apart is the focus on the blossoming friendship between the two female leads… which happens in gloriously organic fashion.

There isn’t any “traditional” female bonding going on; no gossip while they repair their makeup in the restroom, and no love life confessions over coffee or cocktails. Instead, we see the dedicated (and typically grab-the-bull-by-the-horns enthusiastic) Raphaëlle being forced to slow down (and mellow out), in order to effectively work with her quietly-introspective (and easily-overwhelmed by too many stimuli) new partner, Astrid… while we watch Astrid ever-so-slowly become able to make allowances in her own carefully-(and-rigidly)-scheduled routine around Raph’s spontaneity and joie de vive. 

The fact that none of this understanding comes easily—to either woman—is the real joy of Astrid; we don’t go from “OMG, they’re such an odd couple!” to “Aww, look, now they’re BFFs!”, well… ever (at least not in the first season). Rather, what we’re treated to is a believable, gradual acceptance of each other, and all their differences, in a manner that makes neither a mockery—nor any sort of judgement—of them. (As viewers, we also learn more about each woman via flashbacks… useful for both, but especially so for Astrid, since it’s important that we see how very “different” her life has always been, and how she's managed to cope with so many setbacks and ostracization.)

There's a nice assortment of other key characters in the show, as well. Astrid attends weekly meetings of an autistic group (whose aim is to better understand the “neurotypicals” of the world), led by the utterly-charming William (Jean Benoit Souilh), a sweet soul whose special expertise lies in the area of maths. Arthur (Meledeen Yacoubi) works under Raph, and is as determined to fix her up with coworker Nico (Benoît Michel), who harbors a long-unrequited love for Raph, as he is with following orders. And finally, the gruff Dr. Fournier (Husky Kihal) is none-too-pleased to be upstaged as pathologist at nearly every crime scene by the criminal records keeper, Astrid.

Truly one of the most feel-good shows I’ve watched in a long time, Astrid earns my highest viewing recommendation.

~GlamKitty

[As of this writing—August 2021—only the first season of Astrid is available through PBS… but since the show is set to begin shooting on the third season any day, now, I’m crossing my fingers that the other seasons will cross the pond soon, too. :)]