Gone for Good

As this five-part French series, based on a book by Harlan Coben, opens in 2010 in the South of France; there is an attack at a house... a woman, Sonia, ends up dead in the pool and a man, Fred, is shot; his body falls into the Mediterranean and is never seen again. The two are linked by Guillaume Lucchesi; Sonia was his first love and Fred was his brother. Ten years pass and Guillaume thinks he has but the past behind him. Then one day his fiancée suddenly vanishes. As he tries to find out what happens he must also explore what happened in 2010 and the possible link to current events. As one would expect from a series based on a book by Harlan Coben there are lots of twists and turns and many things we, and characters, believe turn out to be somewhat different in reality. There are plenty of exciting moments as Guillaume and his friend De Costa ask questions of some distinctly shady characters and are followed by an ominous hooded figure. There are plenty of flashbacks to various important things that happened in the past; thankfully these are well signed so the viewer is never in doubt about when and where what they are watching takes place. The cast does a fine job; most notably Finnegan Oldfield, as Guillaume; Guillaume Gouix as De Costa; and Garance Marillier as Sonia's younger Sister Inès. There is much in the way of fine scenery to be enjoyed... as well as some locations tourists would give a wide berth. Overall I found this to be a gripping little series and would certainly recommend it. These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

An ok attempt at drama and intrigue but filled with unrelateable, unlikeable characters. The story way too complex and try-hard. Setting is great in Nice. Far too many contrived relationships and situations. I haven't read the book but I would guess that it is 100x better than this series. That said, an ok diversion in times of Covid.

I enjoyed aspects of this series, but felt there were just too many things going on, too many layers, plots and sub-plots, some relevant and some not. Developing every character in detail, when there are already other important threads to sustain in the story web, can detract from the story, in my opinion. Just too much going on for me to score this higher.