Anyone yearning for a French holiday will watch the opening scene and instantly book a flight or Eurostar trip across the channel, because the beautiful city of Strasbourg is the backdrop for the opening episode of five in this series (‘Disparition Inquiétante’ in its native French).
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
There is some sort of celebration happening in town, with fire-breathers, jugglers and much medieval merriment. We witness a group of school kids run through the square, freed from the confines of the stuffy cathedral they’ve just visited. The female teacher, Mme Stoller, decides to let them let off steam whilst she watches the entertainment – but not for long, because Mme Stoller is next spotted lying dead on the cobbles, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
And if the murder of a grown adult in a bustling market square wasn’t already a stretch of credibility, it gets worse – because all nine school children have disappeared into thin air. But surely, there’s CCTV everywhere these days, isn’t there? They’ll be on a grainy videotape somewhere, surely? Well, yes, but the script-writers old friend – the camera blind spot – means the kids wandered out of shot and into the thin air. Or maybe a van.
Brought in to investigate is Police Commissioner Maya Rosetti (Sara Forestier), a headstrong copper who has the cliched chaotic home and personal life (we hear her on the phone at various times throughout the episode trying – and failing – to arrange the delivery of a bed). Working with her is her ex-boyfriend, Clément Herrmann (Pierre Rochefort), a psychiatrist who is able to provide some helpful insights into the case. Their tempestuous relationship makes for some entertaining verbal sparring – but one might question whether someone who isn’t actually a police officer would really be so involved in working the case – Rosetti drags the poor bloke everywhere (doesn’t he have patients to see?).
The episode draws on the pied piper of Hamelin legend, where the local rat catcher would lure the rodents away from town to their death. When the mayor of Hamelin refused to pay him, the piper took revenge by enticing the town’s children away. In this case, the children are taken by a man dressed as a piper (yes, really!) to a van and on to an abandoned building. The kids are told it’s all part of a game – a prank they’re playing on the teacher. One child is diabetic, but the abduction is so well-planned that their captors have insulin prepared to ensure the child’s health isn’t affected. Another child – an Armenian boy, bullied because of his immigrant status by the other kids – is more suspicious of their captors’ motives than the others; and it is he who ultimately plots an escape.
The plot is utter piffle, it must be said. And I found myself losing patience and interest towards the end of the lengthy 90 minutes long episode. More interesting is the quirky character of Rosetti and the fabulous location. However, as I understand it, the cast mostly changes from episode to episode.
Not one of Walter Presents finest, it must be said. But worth checking out for the location as much as anything.
Walter Presents: ‘Disturbing Disappearances’ is airing on More 4 at 9pm from 14th July for six weeks. The series is also available on Walter Presents via C4 streaming each week.
