Every crime series has its own hero, the flawed detective struggling to balance life and work while thinly treading the lines between right, wrong and plain survival. Following on from the success of Scandinavian dramas The Killing and The Bridge, Belgian thriller Salamander is another suspense-riddled crime series for avid fans of the genre. Its protagonist fits the profile perfectly: in appearance he’s strong and rugged and in character he’s brooding and fearless.
The series begins when 66 deposit boxes within a private bank in Brussels are robbed and the disclosed contents of the safes threaten to ruin Belgium and the forces that govern it. When rogue Chief Inspector Paul Gerardi (Filip Peeters) gets a tip off, his determination to find the perpetrators leads him and his family into a whirlwind of politics, corruption and secrets that both the authorities and the victims –chiefly the banks owner, Jonkhere (Mike Verdrengh) – will go to any lengths to protect.
Having aired on a prime time BBC4 slot, Salamander is now released on DVD, which will surely delight binge viewers across the country. Frank van Mechelen’s series is fast-paced, energetic and, at points, boldly brutal. Gerardi is, in many ways, a familiar character but what makes Salamander stand apart from others is that he is on nobody’s side and is himself a target of all other parties. Following the criminals as well as the police; it’s less of a “who” and more a “whydunnit”. This is a gripping drama that continues to build momentum until the final scenes of the 12th and last episode. The power-play between the characters makes Salamander exciting but the overarching political threat doesn’t come to fruition, rather unsatisfactorily. It’s likely that the second season (still in production) will take it further. For that, we’ll have to wait and see. One thing is certain: our hero will be as broken and as ruthless as ever in his fight for justice and that’s a formula that will be sure to keep viewers hooked.