Streaming series review - Sophie Cross: Season 2

Sophie Cross (a/k/a Crossroads): Season Two *** (out of 5) This emotionally intense French procedural returns with three more two-part, 50-minute episodes. In each pair, there’s a new murder for our crew of protagonists to solve, plus the continuing arc of lead detectives Sophie (Alexia Barlier) and Thomas (Thomas Jouannet) desperately trying to find their son who had been abducted three years earlier at the start of Season One. Although they open this round with a brief recap, it may not be informative enough for returning fans. So, here’s a link to my review of the first year:

https://patch.com/missouri/clayton-richmondheights/streaming-series-review-sophie-cross-k-crossroads

(One change from the previous review, in which I compared Ms. Barlier’s appealing looks to Claire Danes. Upon further exposure (screen time, not naughty bits) and consideration, I’ll amend that resemblance to a combination of Elizabeth Mitchell and Joely Richardson.)

The first crime evokes thoughts of the board game Clue, as someone kills a professor in the library with a ladder. His backstory and the current campus climate of political turmoil provide a cornucopia of suspects and motives. The second pair covers the murder of an Olympic-hopeful track star whose career and romance were decimated by a conviction for doping, despite her claims of innocence. The final one starts with the murder of a woman running a gambling con that proves to be the tip of the iceberg for her complex set of schemes. All are as well-written by Marie-Anne Le Pezennec and Paul Piedfort as what their collaboration produced in the first year. Perhaps even better, in terms of plot complexity and suspense.

Throughout the season, the search for young Arthur starts revealing a much bigger criminal conspiracy than they’d imagined, with more bodies piling up along the way. That arc provides much of the emotional impact and moments of urgency for the set of stories. The least gratifying subplot is the interminably awkward fits and starts between subordinate detectives Fred (Oussama Kheddam) and Amina (Mariama Gueye) at becoming a non-work couple. Some may find their course amusing or endearing; I’ve been around too long to remain patient with that much fumbling.

The good news is that all subplots reach closure. At the very end, the show offers a brief ominous hint of what might come next. But worry not, faithful readers: Season Two aired in 2023, and its final episode turned out to be the series finale. So there’s no frustration over an unresolved cliffhanger—only regrets that we’ve seen the last of this solid, multifaceted drama.

(Sophie Cross: Season Two – in French with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of