Two years ago, the first Belgian political series passed the crash test: critical and audience success. Finally, a Belgian fiction which showed us the mysteries of power in our small country. But it left us with a feeling of injustice. Mark, who had emerged victorious from this electoral campaign and who was especially responsible for the death of an activist, had escaped the cracks. Worse, he had become Minister of Justice. The investigating judge Claire Delval had masterfully failed to catch him. A sequel to “Pandora” could not have been more anticipated. But we don't pick up the characters where we left them. “We wanted to find them two years after leaving them as they moved on in their lives. We wanted to explore how when we run away from things they always end up resurfacing,” explains Anne Coesens, co-creator, who plays this woman of the law. The ex-magistrate resumed her lawyer's dress, moved, opened a practice with her clerk who became her partner. The defense of one of her clients will bring her back into the path of Mark, who is busy passing a law aimed at protecting women. “Mark is a man who made bad choices, dealt with them, rose in popularity and power. At one point, he spiraled, one of his choices went so far that he either broke down and collapsed or he slipped into denial. We made him leave in this denial. His brain has managed to dissociate, but his unconscious reminds him at night,” adds Savina Dellicour, one of the three creators. “We mirrored the characters of Mark and Claire to see how they dealt with what happened two years ago. We kept what guided us in season 1: the intimacy of the person in power. When you have such an important place in society, how does one reflect on the other,” continues Vania Leturcq, the third component of this trio of creators.
Ciné-Télé-Revue Awards 2024: vote for your favorite personalities, shows, series and films
The overwhelming power of money
Mark and Claire will therefore have to face the demons of the past but also confront each other in another blatantly current fight via Claire's client. Alix, developer for a software and app company, denounces the abuses. Because a simple text message sent by this company to a smartphone can provide access to all of its content. This example of technology veering towards mass surveillance is reminiscent of the Pegasius spyware scandal which infiltrated even the mobile phones of members of the European Commission. The three creators have researched extensively on the subject, meeting professionals in this sector, whistleblowers, white hackers and lobbyists. “Our whistleblower is an ordinary citizen so revolted by what he sees that he has no other choice but to denounce the abuses, even if he does not have an activist background, nor “soul of a hero, He is like us and that gives hope, that ordinary people are fighting against multinationals, who have armadas of lawyers, communicators and financial means”, underlines Anne Coesens. This season therefore explores the economic power of multinationals which crushes politics and the judiciary. To embody her, the creators brought Mark's ex-collaborator up to speed. Krystel has left ministerial cabinets, she is now the one who advises the leaders of this technology company and will pull the strings of the game.
Just as much as last season, “Pandore” highlights combative women – some will push the cursor even further, others will take flight – and is crossed by the feminist question (harassment, invisibility, women's rights), but it multiplies the social issues. More compacted into six episodes, it gains in efficiency and density.
“Pandore”, Tuesday November 5, 8:50 p.m., front page
