The small and elite team of French detectives (‘Les Invisibles' in French, somewhat predictably) are back for a second helping, investigating murders where the victim is unidentified – John or Jane Does, as they’re known on the other side of the pond.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Captain Darius (Guillaume Cramoisan), Marijo (Nathalie Cerda), Duchesse (Déborah Krey – somewhat cruelly nicknamed by Marijo, who took an instant dislike to her in S1) and Ben (Quentin Faure) are tasked not only with identifying the victims and giving them some dignity, but also giving a degree of closure to their friends and family.
Season 2 opens with disturbing news for Captain Darius when his superior tells him that his team are at risk of becoming victims themselves – victims of police budget cutbacks. He keeps the news to himself initially, but his demeanour is affected, and his colleagues notice the change. His mood isn’t helped when he recognises a woman being arrested by one of his colleagues. Who she is, we don’t know yet – but there’s clearly a connection there.
Each episode (there are six in Season 2 in total) is a standalone story. To be honest, you can dip in and out without the need to follow each one in sequence. Similarly, you don’t really need to have seen all of S1 to enjoy the second season. It’s up to you. There are backstories, but you can probably by-pass those and simply enjoy the individual stories as they are.
The story for the opening episode revolves around a family who, upon returning from their holiday, discover that not only has their house been broken into, but there’s a dead body in their bed. Forensic investigations – carried out by another series regular, Angie (Cécile Rebboah) – show that the victim had engaged in sex play prior to his death. Darius and his team find a condom packet that is branded with a logo from a local gay bar, and further inquiries lead them to reveal not only his identity, but also his involvement in a blackmail scam whereby gay men are threatened with exposure unless they pay up.
In my review of S1, I compared the characterisations to US series like the NCIS and CSI franchises, and that comparison still holds water. It’s way less glossy that the North American shows, but personally I prefer the grittier European approach to the super-slick American versions – but each to their own.
This is a very enjoyable, very watchable series. It’s nicely plotted, the characters are engaging and likeable, and the acting is decent. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but if you’re looking for 50 minutes of escapism, you could do a lot worse. ‘The Invisibles' deserves to be seen.
Walter Presents: ‘The Invisibles' Season 2 is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.
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