Moresnet - First episode

Five friends dig up a time capsule in Moresnet and find a diary in it stating that they will all die within ten days.

It grew into an example of how people from different countries can live together peacefully.

The most remarkable thing after watching the first episode of Moresnet was the fact that what presents itself as a fictional village is based on a real-life mini-country. Between 1816 and 1920, Moresnet, a strange mini-country, was located on the Dutch southern border. Due to the freedom that prevailed and the extremely low taxes, thousands of adventurers soon moved to Moresnet. It grew into an example of how people from different countries can live together peacefully. Idealists wanted to establish the ideal state there. Just when they wanted to implement this plan, the First World War broke out and the country was swallowed up.

However, the first images of Moresnet take place elsewhere. When we meet Ben Schotz (Boris Van Severen, Baptiste), the man is sitting in a casino playing roulette. However, while playing he suffers a strange epileptic-like seizure after which the chilling intro to the series starts. We then see a recovered Ben who receives a letter informing him of the death of his father.



Ben returns to Moresnet to attend the funeral and receive his inheritance. In between acts we see flashbacks in which a thirteen-year-old girl is stabbed to death, whether on purpose or not, by her brother who is now in an institution. That event has left its mark on everyone involved. The seven children had also buried a time capsule that evening.

In between, the focus is also regularly placed on the German company Thalamus and its new CEO Eva Rolin (Leonie Benesch, Babylon Berlin). Thalamus, a research center where the brain is studied, was founded by Eva's grandfather. He left the management of the company to Eva.
Eva is visited by journalist Zoë Kuypers (Jade Olieberg, Geldwolves), a friend of Ben and one of the seven who buried the time capsule. When she mentions the ETERNECO project during her interview, she is shown the door.



Now that we know the two important sides of the story, we can move on to the key moment of the first episode, the unearthing of the time capsule buried in 2002, exactly 22 years after she was buried. After a lot of drinking, the five remaining children from that time decide to open that capsule three years earlier than planned. That capsule also contains the diary of Daan, Ben's brother. The cover says; If you're not me, don't open this book. Ben does so and comes across a list with the names of the six who buried the coffin with him. The list shows the dates on which each of them will die. One already died in 2002, so there are still five left and according to the diary their lives will end in the coming days.

As a viewer you are forced to stay focused in order to continue to follow the nuances of the story.

Writers Jef Hoogmartens (Thuis) & Jonas Van Geel (In Flemish Fields) have already made their work on the first episode of Moresnet, a series that can be described as a psychological mystery thriller with a good dose of fantasy. The structure and introduction to the characters are perfectly constructed and as a viewer you are forced to stay on top of things in order to continue to follow the nuances of the story. Maybe we gave away a bit too much of that first episode, but five friends dig up a time capsule and find a diary in it that states that they will all die within ten days, but it didn't seem like a given to get our readers excited about Moresnet.

Even if you largely know what happens, the viewer who has not yet seen the first episode will still discover many surprises in this first episode of Moresnet. However, this debut episode sets the bar high for this series, but I am sure that Moresnet will meet those high expectations with the maximum five subtitles.