SPOILER ALERT AND WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Maigret Season 2, Episode 2. It also contains discussion of suicide.
Maigret Season 2, Episode 2 ends pretty much as the PBS Masterpiece show’s audience expects it to. “The Hanged Man, Part 2” hits every note that mystery aficionados (or indeed, readers of Georges Simenon’s source material) will be looking for. Yet it’s all executed in such a way that the relative predictability does not at all detract from the series being once again satisfyingly entertaining.
Based on the information revealed in the Maigret Season 2 premiere, the audience can loosely map out what will happen in this episode. Maigret will uncover the dark secret in Adeline Jeunet’s past, he’ll decide to deal with it in his own way, and Adeline’s estranged mom will finally get some form of closure. Plus, Guichard and Cavre will continue to be a duo of blustery menace. There’s very little that surprises here, but showrunner Patrick Harbinson (again serving as writer and director) leans on the strength of his characters and the actors who play them to keep viewers interested. And in the end, they’re ready for what comes next.
The standout performer in the episode isn’t any of the police, but rather Stefanie Martini as Louise Maigret. Her husband being in the hospital allows Louise a wide range of emotions. Martini makes Louise’s expected spiel about fearing her husband dead still so wrenching to watch, and then she breaks viewers’ hearts again when Louise is upset by seeing the video that Adeline made for her mother. Her emotion is so palpable, and a lovely reminder of how much depth Louise has as a character. But then she also has some of the funniest lines in the episode, as Louise reacts to Maigret continuing to work, such as snarkily asking him if he wants another cracked rib. Martini truly shines in this episode, literally from beginning to end.
Elsewhere, actor Kerrie Hayes gets her own comedic moment as it’s Andrea Lucas’ turn to sit on the hot seat with Internal Affairs. Lucas insults ex-teammate Justin Cavre by saying he’s just trying to get back at Maigret, and then insults Cavre’s facial hair on her way out the door, leaving George Bonfils to offer a Pinky and the Brain-style meek rebuttal that he actually likes the beard.. Rob Kazinsky continues to play Cavre 2.0 by leaning into his villainy; he may as well be giggling with glee as he secretly logs into Lucas’ computer after hours.
At the same time, Cavre raises a legitimate point during Maigret‘s fourth act. Despite extracting confessions from Claude Van Damme and Genevieve Belloir about what happened ten years ago—they, Adeline and Emile Klein left a dead security guard on the floor of a government lab and let everyone believe his death was suicide—Maigret chooses not to arrest either of them. The fact that Director Xavier Guichard previously called off the investigation enables Maigret to decide that Claude and Genevieve are better punished by their own guilt. Cavre argues that they should be facing charges; after all, three people are dead. Maigret has an emotional point yet Cavre is right legally; can the police really look the other way when it comes to murder?
Speaking of Guichard, Nathaniel Parker is about one step away from twirling his mustache as Guichard complains about Maigret every time he’s on screen. He shows up in Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel’s office just to spell out his own plan to get back at Maigret. Hopefully, the rest of the season gives Guichard a little more depth, and explores his previous actually good relationship with Maigret. “The Hanged Man, Part 2” just has him repeat all the things that a typical boss on a TV crime show would say.
Despite all this, Maigret ends its first story of the season in a way that feels emotionally complete. Maigret solves the case, and does it in a way that’s true to him. All of his team members have a role to play in the solution. Adeline’s mother gets to hear some of her daughter’s last words, and that also enables Maigret and Louise to revisit their bittersweet conversation about trying to become parents. Plus, viewers know that Guichard’s still going to break up the band at some point soon, and Cavre is out there being Cavre. There are things to look forward to, even if they’re not all good news for Maigret. It would be nice to find out what happens to all that money Adeline had stashed away, but by not getting to that, Harbinson is making a point: the birthday wishes from Adeline mean far more than the money. It’s the human cost that the show is thinking about.
This isn’t the first adventure where a detective exposes a crime covered up in someone’s history, and it won’t be the last. Harbinson (and Simenon) have delivered a classic mystery plot. What makes it work is how easy Maigret and his team—including Louise—are to follow. The audience wants them to get to that “here’s what happened” spiel where they explain to Genevieve and Claude everything they already know. They want that moment where Maigret tells Cavre off (again). Maigret Season 2, Episode 2 is fun to watch and feels like the characters have taken a journey, even if the fans have been one step ahead of them most of the time.
Maigret airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on PBS Masterpiece, and is streaming on the PBS App and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Gabor Kotschy/Courtesy of Playground Entertainment and PBS Masterpiece.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 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.
