Awarded by the public at the Luchon TV Festival since its unveiling three years ago, before becoming in 2022 the most watched Belgian series on RTBF (both on TV and on the Internet) then being bought around the world – from Australia to the United States, via Canada, France and Great Britain -, Pandora fully passed his entrance exam.
With Brussels as a backdrop, the first season introduced us to Mark Van Dyck (Yoann Blanc), an opportunistic parliamentarian, Claire Delval (Anne Coesens), a combative investigating judge, as well as a large gallery of characters. Ahead of an electoral campaign marked by the rape of a young activist, several of them were going to collide.
To bring to life a gripping political-psychological thriller that has never been seen before in French-speaking Belgium, co-created by a female trio, formed by Coesens herself with two directors noted for their first feature film, Savina Dellicour (All cats are gray) and Vania Leturcq (Next year). Three beginners in serial writing, preciously supported by a Flemish author – and lawyer, the experienced Willem Wallyn, creator of the series 1985.
Two years later, all these beautiful people are back with six episodes – instead of ten, as is the current international trend. Mark became Minister of Justice and Claire became a lawyer again. In particular, she will have to defend Alix (Jimony Ekila), a young geek who became a whistleblower for having denounced the abuses of a large company, closely linked to… Mark.
Enough to take our heroes into a vast affair, which once again involves us in the mysteries of power, this time especially economic. Never Manichean and well written (the scenarios were reread by lawyers, judges, police officers, lobbyists), the whole, tighter and more rhythmic, still captivates us, even improving from episode to episode.
And educates us about telephone spy applications which, according to the authors, are “much more present around us than we imagine”. Three exciting evenings in perspective, although RTBF is placing all the episodes (16, therefore) on its Auvio platform from this Tuesday. No wonder a third season is already being considered…
