This Tuesday, December 3, 2024, France 3 is rebroadcasting an episode ofAlex Hugo. And not just any one! The last track in fact marks the last appearance, to date, of Angelo, the debonair and friendly character played by Lionnel Astier. The ideal opportunity to redo a top 5 of the best episodes of the series after the one produced by Télé-Loisirs, already 2 years ago…
Black sunbecause the habit does not make the monk
You should never trust appearances… This episode, originally scheduled for September 2016, shows an astonishing friendship between a little girl and a man with a worrying attitude and physique. And it is precisely this difference which immediately makes him guilty of the child’s disappearance in the eyes of the police and the villagers, determined to take justice into their own hands. The only one who doesn’t believe in his guilt is Alex Hugo, who alienates everyone around him, Angelo in the lead. Lots of emotion in this adventure which condemns prejudices.
Day of angerbecause Leblanc is coming out of the woods
In this episode, broadcast for the first time in March 2020, the very friendly and endearing brigadier Tony Leblanc suddenly disappears. Not his type as Angelo reminds us: “In ten years, he [Leblanc] didn’t go pee once without letting me know!” Kindness, respect, loyalty, always quick to help, the character played by Fabien Baïardi alone embodies the positive values of the series. Discreet and worried about not measuring up to his partners, Tony finally gains momentum. As for the police investigation, it is just as successful.
Winter’s Daughterbecause it is the most original episode of the series
When a terrible avalanche threatens to destroy Lusagne, the rural police evacuate the village. Bad luck, Alex, Angelo and Tony remain stranded… with a gang of dangerous killers on their tail. Mutual aid, friendship, humanity, kindness, redemption are at the heart of this remarkable episode, the production of which is clearly inspired by the western. It’s also difficult not to see a form of handover between Angelo and Leblanc, since this adventure was broadcast after the announcement of the departure of Lionnel Astier. As usual, this episode, broadcast for the first time in February 2022 and available on france.tv, benefits from superb natural settings, including snow-capped mountains and a magnificent abbey (in reality, two abbeys were used during filming: that of Boscodon and Thoronet).
Those involvedbecause the mountain has never been so well filmed
Since its very first episode, broadcast 10 years ago, Alex Hugo has always highlighted its exceptional natural mountain settings. An environment which undeniably contributed to the success of the series and which has always served as a backdrop to the intrigues. In this episode, broadcast for the first time on Tuesday November 12, 2024, and still available on france.tv, the mountain is more magnified than ever. The staging chooses the visual scale: the height, the perspective, the vertigo, the smallness of the human being in the middle of these majestic natural spaces… The use of drones to print the magnificence of the places on the screen and the perfect use of light to sculpt these decorations end up making it one of the most beautiful episodes ofAlex Hugo. Finally, its plot, anchored in the ecological question, makes it a part which fits perfectly into the DNA of the series and into the very identity of its main character.
The last trackbecause it marks the moving departure of Lionnel Astier
It’s difficult to remain impassive in front of this episode dating from March 2023 when we know that it is Lionnel Astier’s last. The 71-year-old actor delivers a beautiful score in this choral story. Addressing the themes of revenge and redemption, this episode provides good suspense with twists and turns, before ending with a touching sequence between Samuel le Bihan and Lionnel Astier, whose characters say their goodbyes. This final sequence made of few words, around a drink and with glances exchanged and charged with emotion, constitutes the most beautiful tribute to Lionnel Astier. A discreet departure, like the series, modest and warm… before, perhaps, one day, a return!
