Will justice ultimately prevail in this exciting, yet cynical political drama in Pandora? **Warning: spoilers! If you haven't seen the first season yet**
Three years ago, this Belgian political series made an impression both nationally and internationally, but left the audience with a sense of injustice. The main character, Mark Van Dyck, had not only made political capital out of the rape of activist Ludivine, but was also involved in her death. Only investigating judge Claire Delval saw through him, but did not find the necessary evidence. Mark rose to minister, while Claire lost her job.
The story is picked up again two years later.
Claire has started a law firm with her former clerk. Although she has accepted the fact that she has not been able to achieve justice or revenge, she continues to work for justice. She offers her services pro bono to the most vulnerable in society.
Mark is still Minister of Justice. He has managed to convince Sacha Hamzaoui, the journalist and close friend of Ludivine, to join his cabinet. Together they are working on a law that will protect women from violence. Mark sees this law as an opportunity to make political gains and to realize his ambition to become Prime Minister.
Elsewhere, Alix Diaby, a young software developer, discovers that his employer, Gaï-App, has developed a protocol that can hack smartphones. When he tries to expose this, he is caught and accused of sabotage and espionage. He hires Claire as his lawyer.
Krystel Horrens, who has left politics behind, is now an advisor to Gaî-App. She uses her connection with Mark to steer the legislation in the right direction. Mark in turn is very interested in the technology and the possibilities that the app offers.
The pawns are back on the chessboard, and past grudges will affect the course of the game.
Meanwhile, Hélène, Mark's wife, begins to doubt his integrity. When she decides to file for divorce and hires Claire as her lawyer, Mark panics. Hélène was his alibi, and Mark knows that Claire has never lost sight of him. Haunted by the choices he made in the past, Mark is confronted with his demons. His desire for power has made him give in time and again, and the risks he now takes are becoming greater.
From the very first episode, this season contains all the ingredients that made the previous one so successful: a critical look at the legal and political systems, an excellent cast, and a special focus on women and the violence they face. The second season introduces a new, worrying theme: the impact of intrusive technologies on the lives of citizens, making companies more powerful than the government or justice system. This is highlighted by giving Krystel a more powerful position in the story. As in the first season, it is the powerful, combative women who take center stage. Some cross moral and legal boundaries, while others choose certainty and take flight.
With only six episodes, the story has a high pace, with each episode ending with revelations that leave you wanting more. The only downside of this season is perhaps that it only consists of six episodes.
While the season offers a fitting ending, the creators leave a small opening for a possible sequel.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
