SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Maigret Season 2, Episode 4.
Episode 4 of Maigret Season 2 isn’t great for Jules Maigret, and it’s not fun for PBS Masterpiece viewers either. “Maigret’s Revolver, Part 2” is one of the more grim episodes of the series, which makes it a sad watch. Yet it does wrap up the season’s second mystery with the show’s usual efficiency.
It’s not a major surprise that there’s a connection between the paranoid Francois Lagrange and the murder of Andre Delteil; there’s usually some kind of secret connection between seemingly disparate elements in most crime stories, and Lagrange as a character obviously has to serve more of a purpose than being an annoyance to Maigret. But Harbinson unravels a suitably seedy political scandal involving (what else?) a powerful lobbyist named Jeanne. What’s interesting is how coincidentally timely the plot is; Jeanne works for online gambling companies, aiming to stop legislation that would restrict them, and American audiences know how pervasive a problem sports gambling is right now. (And it’s not just sports gambling; it’s also the “prediction markets,” which have included DraftKings sponsoring election news coverage with ads encouraging people to bet on those same elections.)
It turns out that one of Jeanne’s many friends is Director Xavier Guichard, and Maigret throws another wrench in their relationship when Guichard not only complains about Maigret searching for her, but then ultimately declines to prosecute her because of her connections. One of the few weaknesses in Maigret Season 2 is that Guichard is not much different from any other bureaucratic villain in a TV crime show. What makes him distinct—his past as Maigret’s mentor—doesn’t feel fully utilized, and that limits what actor Nathaniel Parker has been able to play so far. Guichard isn’t doing much more than frustrating everyone, including the audience. The same goes for Justin Cavre; actor Rob Kazinsky is still in full villain mode, although it is delightful when Cavre’s former partner George Bonfils tells him off.
Viewers will be able to predict that Lagrange’s son Alain will reappear with Maigret’s gun to try and kill Jeanne, and Benjamin Wainwright is fantastic in that scene. The hook of Maigret as a character—which is explicitly stated here in a handful of newspaper clippings—is his ability to be sympathetic toward criminals and others caught up in his cases, and watching Maigret talk Alain down is the epitome of that talent. That one scene is a reminder of why Maigret is worth watching.
Elsewhere, the case of Olga Borisenko’s murder just gets even more depressing. It’s nice that the killer isn’t Dr. Armand Giroux—that would be too obvious—but it turns out to be the assistant of the local baker, whose fixation on Giroux led her to try and murder his three kids with poisoned pastry. The audience reacts exactly as Maigret and company do when he figures that out. Laurence is a fairly typical obsessed killer, down to the collage of photos of Girard in her kitchen cupboard. The one thing that makes this part of the story stand out is its character development for Berthe Janvier.
Janvier is forced to shoot and wound Laurence when the other woman attempts to attack her and Maigret. Harbinson devotes a decent amount of time to Janvier’s reaction to having to shoot someone, including touching moments with Maigret and Andrea Lucas. Shaniqua Okwok takes these opportunities and gets the most out of them, and it’s a bittersweet moment when Lucas tells Janvier that Torrence would be proud of her. It’s absolutely true, yet also reminds viewers how much Torrence is missed. Not only in his relationships with Janvier and the team, but because the only real comic relief in “Maigret’s Revolver, Part 2” is Bonfils being even more clueless. And this is an episode that really needs it.
Another valuable player in the hour is Stefanie Martini, because the audience sees the most tension yet between Louise and Maigret, over his treatment of Lagrange. Louise treats him as a patient, while Maigret knows Lagrange is his best chance at finding Alain. Both of them have valid points of view, and Harbinson’s writing for Louise continues to be very much appreciated. She may be Maigret’s wife, but that doesn’t mean she’s just there to support his story. In fact, it’s Louise who ultimately breaks the case open. And that the last scene is of Maigret and Louise, with Maigret telling her Guichard’s behavior is making him question his career, is fitting. This is Maigret in a way audiences haven’t seen him before, adding to the vibe of uncertainty that Maigret Season 2 is cultivating. The casework may be a bit predictable, but the audience is as uncomfortable as Maigret.
“Maigret’s Revolver, Part 2” is a hard watch purely because of how sad and ultimately unsatisfying the mysteries are. There’s great scenes for Maigret, Louise and Janvier, and Harbinson doesn’t leave any loose ends. But it also makes the viewer question what the point is, just like Maigret. This episode connects all the dots; it simply may not be one fans want to watch again.
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.
