This is a wonderfully nostalgic series for those of us of a certain vintage who grew up in the 80s. Okay, so the topics covered – it’s based on true events surrounding police corruption and drug trafficking – occurred in Belgium, but a lot of the music and fashion depicted is universal and defies borders.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Marc and Franky are two young Belgian lads who have ambitions to escape their smalltown lives and escape to Brussels and join the police force. Marc’s father was a police officer of some stature, so when he and Franky are stopped for riding a motorcycle whilst drunk and without helmets, once the officer realises who he is, he gets let off with a warning.
For Franky, his relationship with his father is darker. He’s desperate to impress his dad – but his Old Man is heartless and selfish, and nothing Franky does is good enough. Franky’s relationship with his sister, Vicky, is equally difficult – but for different reasons. She loves her brother but believes – with some justification – that the Belgian police are corrupt and worries that her brother will get caught up in it.
Once enrolled in the police, they have conflicting experiences. Marc impresses his superiors and is recruited to escort a prisoner – a high-ranking former police officer – from prison to the station and back. He is also asked to attend the interview to make notes; and later suggests a route of enquiry to his superior.
Franky, a keen biker, is initially assigned to his dream job – as a police motorcycle rider. But when he shows off his skills, he’s considered too cocky for that role – and instead gets sent to work in the kitchens. But it is whilst he’s there that he too gets involved, inadvertently, with the more corruptive elements in the force.
Marc’s boss is Major Herman Vernaillen – an honest and proud officer who is trying to rid the force of its sordid underbelly. But he and his family are constantly under threat from malevolent forces, which leads to a bloody attempt on his life at his home.
Remarkably, what happened to Major Vernaillen isn’t fiction – this actually took place in 1981, when he and his wife were injured by gunshots fired from outside of their home as he went to answer the door.
There are some fabulous performances in this engaging series. Tijmen Govaerts (Marc), Aimé Claeys (Franky) and Peter Van den Begin (Major Vernaillen) are all superb. Van den Begin you might recognise from Tabula Rasa, Pandora and – most recently – The Twelve.
This is the very best of TV drama, with fabulous well-rounded characters, an engaging storyline, succinct script and superb acting. There’s a lot of good stuff coming out of the low countries these days, but this might just be the best of the bunch. Essential viewing.
Walter Presents: ‘1985' is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.
