Balthazar - Season 1 - DVD

Content: That Raphaël Balthazar (Tomer Sisley) is a gifted forensic scientist is something no one knows as well as he does. However, he can certainly pride himself on his talent for making the dead literally speak. This is charming to many of his fellow men, but extremely exhausting to others. Such is the case with Capitaine Hélène Bach (Hélène de Fougerolles), the new addition to the police department. She is bothered by the fact that Balthazar rarely follows rules and so it is not long before the two clash for the first time. But it soon becomes clear: together, the dedicated policewoman and the maladjusted medical examiner can solve even the toughest cases. Besides, not only Hélène has to fight with private problems. Also the outwardly so calm Balthazar fights with the demons of his past: he hunts on his own the murderer of his wife.

"Balthazar" is an entertaining crime series from France, which is built conventionally, but has enough strong aspects to stand out a little from the mass of representatives of this genre. At the forefront, of course, is the main character Raphaël Balthazar, a pathologist who literally talks to dead people. With his dead wife in particular, he repeatedly engages in dialogue, which works surprisingly well and never comes across as ridiculous - something that could easily have happened if the staging had been wrong.

Main actor Tomer Sisley also manages very well to believably portray the various facets of this character - his casual arrogance, his engaging charm, but also his deep-seated anger and grief. In doing so, he skillfully avoids turning this character into a very one-dimensional stereotype. The same goes for Hélène Bach, who is embodied by Hélène de Fougerolles in a very strong and multi-layered way. She is an equal partner to the pathologist, which proves to be one of the great strengths of the series.

Another strength is the actual cases that are dealt with in the six episodes of the first season. Certainly, their structure is very classic. The execution is very involving, and not just because of the often rather unusual ways in which people die. Also, the mix of conventional police work and very unconventional, not infrequently very macabre moments, gives the series a special spice. This is exciting, emotional, but also quite amusing and extremely entertaining.

"Balthazar" offers high-quality series entertainment, which is not always something for the faint-hearted, but at any moment the right food for all crime fiction fans. The fact that the series is a great success in France is no coincidence. That's why I give it a clear rating: Absolutely worth seeing - and gladly more of it!

Picture + sound: Picture and sound quality of the series are on a good to very good TV level. Powerful colors, a pleasant image sharpness and harmonious contrasts provide an all-around positive overall impression. The fact that there is some minor blurring here and there is hardly a negative factor. The sound is available as a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, which sounds rather centrally mixed. Especially the dialogues are mainly in the foreground. Not much spatiality is to be expected here. All in all, there is a satisfied for the technical implementation: good!

Extras: Bonus material there is unfortunately not.

Conclusion: "Balthazar" is a very entertaining crime series from France, which can score with a charismatic main character and a rousing production. In addition to the main character, however, the supporting characters are also very interestingly drawn, which adds an extra spice to the series. The first season, consisting of six episodes, was a big hit in France and is now also available here on DVD. The technical realization is on a good level, there is no bonus material. However, in view of the high entertainment value of the series, this is definitely something to get over. Therefore, a very clear case of: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp