SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Maigret Season 1, Episode 4. It also contains discussion of pregnancy loss.

The best part of Maigret is how the PBS Masterpiece series goes right when it should go left. Season 1, Episode 4, “Maigret’s Failure, Part Two” could be angst-ridden and joyless. And it does involve a fair amount of pain. But it doesn’t thrive on tragedy and darkness.

Episode 4 picks up with Maigret investigating the murder of Ferdinand Fumal, and having no shortage of suspects given how despicable Fumal was illustrated to be. The mission of the episode is for Maigret to narrow down the list before finding the killer—and maybe getting some closure about his childhood in the process. Of course there’s some criticism that Maigret didn’t prevent the murder, but this is thankfully kept to a minimum. “Maigret’s Failure, Part One” established why Maigret (and therefore the audience) felt like there was a solution. To that extent, it’s also appreciated that there’s a minimum of brooding. There are far too many brooding detectives in the genre, and Maigret has other things to worry about.

What becomes bigger than Fumal’s death is that Maigret and Louise lose the baby they were so happy about at the end of the last story. This is a very quick reversal of fortune, and some audiences may hate this story point for reasons bigger than this one show. Pregnancy loss is a very sensitive and painful topic, and it’s become more commonplace in TV dramas, such as the current season of Chicago Fire. The way that Harbinson writes that scene, and the way it’s played by Benjamin Wainwright and Stefanie Martini, is the best depiction of this idea. The episode shows the absolute minimum, letting Wainwright and Martini’s reactions speak volumes, and does not linger any more than it needs to. This is devastating for Maigret, Louise and viewers that have already become invested in them, but at least it’s handled with grace and dignity.

Most importantly, Louise is not reduced to simply having lost her child. She maintains her place in the main plotline, and continuing to look into Layla’s disappearance is also made part of her personal arc. Maigret takes care of her by giving her space to grieve but also making sure she has story elsewhere, and that story respects what she’s going through. It’s a pleasant surprise at the end when Maigret brings Louise with him to meet Layla, and the final scene between them is the antithesis of most crime shows. It’s a moment of happiness in an hour that could have ended in darkness. But Maigret chooses the untraditional ending, choosing to look forward with hope.

The actual unraveling of who killed Fumal might be the weakest part of “Maigret’s Failure, Part Two” just because there’s no unexpected answer. The reveal that Fumal’s bodyguard is actually one of Maigret’s childhood acquaintances isn’t terribly shocking; those flashbacks are in the episode for a reason, after all. It’s how Maigret handles the situation that makes the conclusion interesting. He’s once again drinking with a suspect, and just having a conversation. The defining characteristic of Maigret as a detective is his ability to put himself in another person’s place—and that’s on full display here. But this case is more about Maigret and the effect it has on him than the whodunit.

Likewise, the conclusion that Layla isn’t being stalked by Marcus, but actually working with him to get away from her opportunistic parents won’t qualify as a big surprise. The scene between Maigret, Kernavel and the parents in “Part One” was enough to establish that Layla’s mother and father were exactly those people. But Layla living her life on her terms is a welcome counter-balance to the bitterness and death in the Fumal storyline. At least one mystery has a happy ending, and the idea of her getting out from under the thumb of someone who hurt her is the exact opposite of how Fumal held everyone down for so long. Harbinson effectively contrasts ideas and tones to create an episode that, as a whole, feels much more well-rounded and complete. But it’s Wainwright and Martini who are the real stars here, delivering vulnerable performances in subtle ways that separate this from all the other tragic detective stories on the air.

Maigret airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on PBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Playground Entertainment and Masterpiece.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.