Baptiste - General Discussion

[raven]

Here is where we'll discuss all things related to Baptiste. 

Quote

This spin-off of The Missing follows the mercurial detective, Julien Baptiste, on holiday in Amsterdam with his wife, assisting in an investigation for his former girlfriend, the Amsterdam Chief of Police.

Thank you @ApathyMonger for finding the teaser.

 

[ApathyMonger]

First episode aired tonight. I'm on board.

[HollyG]

So, any guesses who Edward Stratton really is if not the missing girl's uncle? 

Good episode, I'm hooked!

[ApathyMonger]

12 hours ago, HollyG said:

So, any guesses who Edward Stratton really is if not the missing girl's uncle? 

Good episode, I'm hooked!

I don't know, but I'm glad they got that twist out of the way in Ep. 1. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be her uncle, but I thought they might drag it out a few episodes.

[HollyG]

Oh, I agree. Glad they got the twist out of the way. And he apparently killed the guy in the house by the sea too .(had him killed) So it will be interesting to see his story unfold. And also a surprise was the dangerous criminal Baptiste was focused on finding is now a trans-woman. I didn't expect that either. 

I'm happy they brought back Baptiste. I only saw recently that they changed the name from "The Missing". It's one of my favorite series.

Edited February 18, 2019 by HollyG

[Nicmar]

I'm totally on board. First episode was great. I already knew that the cafe owner ( i forgot her name) was trans. I can't wait for more episodes

[HollyG]

Ok, so a little learned about Edward Stratton, but still more questions than answers. I hope they don't hurt Baptiste's family.

My only complaint about this series is that all the episodes don't come out at once. Can't wait until next week.

[dcalley]

The first of six episodes aired on Masterpiece last night. I haven't seen it yet but wanted to find the thread to follow it.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/baptiste/

[AuntiePam]

So is it a bad sign that we've only had comments on two episodes? 

I've seen just the first episode and I liked it.  If the characters are interesting, I usually don't bother to think about possible twists, or to try and figure out who's doing what to who.  So far, the characters are interesting, so I'm just going with the flow.

 

[sinycalone]

I am not participating just yet....don't want to be spoiled.  I can binge it on PBS passport, but am trying to resist that.

[AuntiePam]

I gotta say it -- Baptiste is hot. 

Interesting sub-plot with Neils (sp?).  There's no chance he's Baptiste's son, is there?  Have we met Martha's husband?  I guess it doesn't matter and it would be kind of a soapy thing to do, make Neils Baptiste's son. 

I'm really curious about what was in the letter that the Tulip Dog Man read, and if it was so important, why didn't he read the letter sooner, rather than let it sit in a pile until he saw Natalie on the monitor. 

I liked that he was going to turn the money in to the authorities.  An honest man, which means he's probably doomed.

Why did Stratton save the head? 

[sempervivum]

34 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I gotta say it -- Baptiste is hot. 

Except when he's walking- what exactly happened that made him so spraddle-legged? I thought he had brain cancer, which shouldn't have caused that. Despite that, he seems to have a lot of stamina as he runs after various criminals. 

Can anyone explain what afflicts Neils/Nils? Guessing scrotal cancer? (I must have missed the subtitled dialogue).

Why on earth wouldn't Baptiste have warned his wife about the potential for danger, after already getting one person killed ?

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

Can anyone explain what afflicts Neils/Nils? Guessing scrotal cancer? (I must have missed the subtitled dialogue).

Why on earth wouldn't Baptiste have warned his wife about the potential for danger, after already getting one person killed ?

It wasn't explained in the subtitles.  At first I thought they were talking about a penile implant.  My mind goes there sometimes.  So yeah, testicular cancer, and testicle implants so he can appear "normal".  They have those for neutered dogs -- they're called neuticles.

As for Baptiste warning his wife, I wanted him to try to figure out how Stratton knew that Baptiste had found Natalie.  If he'd spent a few minutes pondering that, maybe he'd figure out that his wife was being spied on.

[seacliffsal]

Watched the first two episodes and really enjoyed it.  Lots of things to try to figure out (for me as a viewer).  I like that Baptiste acknowledges that he is not what he used to be-but he still has skills and knowledge and is a reminder that just because some of us are older, we still have value.

I have no idea what will come next in the story-which is what I love.  I am so in.

Never watched The Missing, but after reading comments above, I am going to seek it out.

[LennieBriscoe]

LOVE "Baptiste"!

Adore Tom Hollander ("The Night Manager"). Didn't expect the trans-villain (haha)! Really didn't expect the girl's drowning. 

Enjoying the scenery. Back in the day, my husband and I visited Amsterdam several times as a stepping-off point to elsewhere. The Red-Light District was pretty much as shown on this show. 

Edited April 24, 2020 by LennieBriscoe

[sinycalone]

Some questions answered this week...some new ones arose.

I could not figure out who the woman was (visiting in a nursing home or hospital).  Was I supposed to know her?  Of course, later in the episode we did find out.

 

[AuntiePam]

I wonder if all the twists have been revealed.  Who would have thought that Stoddard would turn out to be such a sympathetic character. 

Disappointed that Neils is Julien's son -- that stuff's for soaps. 

Also disappointed that Julien's daughter isn't more understanding about the situation.  She IS his daughter, isn't she?  Not a stepdaughter?  Because I'm wondering how long Baptiste and Celia have been married, and whether Neils' mom was married when she got pregnant with him.  Why is Julien just now suspecting that Neils might be his son?

Silly of Herman to leave the money in his trunk.  Should we have been suspicious of the man who stopped to help him?  Or was he just being followed?  And if he was being followed, why not stop him and take the money sooner?

[sinycalone]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

I wonder if all the twists have been revealed.  Who would have thought that Stoddard would turn out to be such a sympathetic character. 

Disappointed that Neils is Julien's son -- that stuff's for soaps. 

Also disappointed that Julien's daughter isn't more understanding about the situation.  She IS his daughter, isn't she?  Not a stepdaughter?  Because I'm wondering how long Baptiste and Celia have been married, and whether Neils' mom was married when she got pregnant with him.  Why is Julien just now suspecting that Neils might be his son?

Silly of Herman to leave the money in his trunk.  Should we have been suspicious of the man who stopped to help him?  Or was he just being followed?  And if he was being followed, why not stop him and take the money sooner?

Did you mean Stratton not Stoddard?

I can believe either situation with the money stolen from the car....the man who was so helpful or someone following Herman.  My question if he was being followed....why let Herman live?  I realize that it would have meant (most likely) killing the boy, too.  Considering how ruthless  the bad guys are in this story, killing a small child would not be surprising.

[AuntiePam]

54 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

Did you mean Stratton not Stoddard?

I can believe either situation with the money stolen from the car....the man who was so helpful or someone following Herman.  My question if he was being followed....why let Herman live?  I realize that it would have meant (most likely) killing the boy, too.  Considering how ruthless  the bad guys are in this story, killing a small child would not be surprising.

Yes, Stratton -- thanks. 🙂

Good question, about Herman and the money.  Is Thijs important enough that the gang would spare Matty, and Matty's grandpa? 

And it's not like Herman could even put up a fight.  They could have stopped him anywhere along the road and taken the money. 

[LennieBriscoe]

I'm all in the weeds now. I think I have to watch Episodes 1-3 in a row today, because I have no idea of the names Herman, Marty, Neils, or Celia, nor what the opening of this episode in the  nursing home (?) meant. 

Maybe I shouldn't try to color while watching! 

[AuntiePam]

Herman is the older man who took Matty (his grandson, Natalie's son) out of the hospital. 

Celia is Baptiste's wife. 

Neils is the good-looking young man working for the police -- he's the son of the blonde officer (her name is Martha) and now we know Baptiste is his father. 

[seacliffsal]

The twist was amazing.  I went from hating Stratton to totally sympathizing with him.  Oh, the horror of coming home to the severed head of his father-and it explained the first scene of the series.

I think that Baptiste suspected that Neils was his son when Neils mentioned his blood type (B- I think).  Although I like both characters I could see that coming from the 1st episode (prior relationship with the mom, getting the son involved in the case, etc.).

I also think that the gas station attendant was the one who stole the money-he watched Herman get the cash out to go and buy a new car.  I think he followed him and stole it when Herman went in his house (not everyone wants a direct confrontation when stealing money...

Anyone know why the daughter doesn't speak the same languages as the parents?

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Anyone know why the daughter doesn't speak the same languages as the parents?

You mean Baptiste's daughter?  Yeah, the languages and accents are confusing.  It's hard to know how much of that is related to the story and how much is because of the actors.  Seems like Baptiste is French -- is he just visiting Amsterdam?  Were he and Celia always together?  

[Florinaldo]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Yeah, the languages and accents are confusing.

I find it very annoying that some characters who should know better pronounce the "p" in Baptiste; don't they listen to how Karyo says it? Even Alan Cummings does it in his intros and outros, the bad example coming from the top; so it's no surprise that so did the Europol detective, who I guess is British despite her first name being pronounced "GeneviÈve" from what I heard.

[sinycalone]

22 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

The twist was amazing.  I went from hating Stratton to totally sympathizing with him.  Oh, the horror of coming home to the severed head of his father-and it explained the first scene of the series.

I think that Baptiste suspected that Neils was his son when Neils mentioned his blood type (B- I think).  Although I like both characters I could see that coming from the 1st episode (prior relationship with the mom, getting the son involved in the case, etc.).

I also think that the gas station attendant was the one who stole the money-he watched Herman get the cash out to go and buy a new car.  I think he followed him and stole it when Herman went in his house (not everyone wants a direct confrontation when stealing money...

Anyone know why the daughter doesn't speak the same languages as the parents?

I realize they could have been try to deceive us by the angle of the shots showing that someone was lurking and watching, but I don't think the attendant would have had the right perspective for spying.

[dcalley]

On 4/28/2020 at 6:52 PM, seacliffsal said:

I think that Baptiste suspected that Neils was his son when Neils mentioned his blood type (B- I think).

AB-

[dcalley]

Recaps are available here, if anyone could use them: https://blogs.weta.org/tellyvisions/tags/baptiste-recaps

[raven]

On 4/20/2020 at 1:21 PM, AuntiePam said:

I gotta say it -- Baptiste is hot. 

Yes he is!

I caught up on the three eps yesterday - thought I would watch just one but I was so involved I watched all three.   I was shocked at Natalie's drowning; just when I'm rooting so hard for her, she showed guts getting in the water and damn, that was a knock-out. 

Some of the other twists weren't shockers - figured Stratton wasn't really her uncle (and the actor was doing a good job looking concerned, then shady).   Finding out the shell guy was just his dad - the death was so brutal I was hoping it would come out the man was some other amoral criminal - was a good twist. 

I did get a bit of whiplash - Stratton's a bad guy, no he was just trying to help but dumb, Natalie was trying to save her sister, then we have Opa, the grandson who had surgery, a million euros, the car dies, the money's stolen...just.so.much.   Leaving the money in the car was not a smart move, Opa!  My money's on the good Samaritan or just some other random person who saw an opportunity.

I'm shocked at how easily people allow the faux gas guy into their homes.  I give Celia points for escaping.

On 4/28/2020 at 8:12 PM, AuntiePam said:

Seems like Baptiste is French -- is he just visiting Amsterdam?  Were he and Celia always together?  

Yes, Baptiste and Celia are in Amsterdam visiting their daughter and the baby.  He and Celia have been together a long time.  I think there were the usual marital issues and strain when the daughter's life was tanking because of drug use.

Regarding the daughter, she has resented her father for a long time because IIRC he was so involved with his job and she blamed him for her getting involved with drugs.  This is revealed on the show The Missing, which is a good show and worth watching if you're a Baptiste fan.

 

[AuntiePam]

4 hours ago, raven said:

Regarding the daughter, she has resented her father for a long time because IIRC he was so involved with his job and she blamed him for her getting involved with drugs.  This is revealed on the show The Missing, which is a good show and worth watching if you're a Baptiste fan.

 

Oh cool.  I knew the actor was in The Missing but I didn't know it was the same character.  That's great!

[raven]

Julien!  Stop trusting Stratton!

Tom Holland is entertaining as Stratton - kinda snarky then actually telling both the gangster and the cop what's going on, then doing a Spiderman routine.  He always looks shifty so I'm never trusting him unlike JULIEN, whom I love but come on!

I also enjoy how Julien breaks into people's houses and then sits down and has coffee or whatever.  Heh.

The show really does not need to make everything so complicated.  I thought the man in the nursing home that the police woman was visiting was a relative but nope, he's married and she was seeing him and somehow caused his condition; something to do with the gangs. 

Just tragic about Kim. 

 

[scrb]

Stratton was relatively too cool to have Constantin hold a knife to his neck.

He's not the regular civilian that he's suppose to be.

This isn't some guy who just happens to figure out how to slip police like that and then also conspire with the call girl to pull the heist.

Show does a good job of ramping up suspense several times, like Julien finding the head, Edward walking along the parapet, Julien breaking into the creeper's padlocked basement.

[AuntiePam]

9 minutes ago, raven said:

I also enjoy how Julien breaks into people's houses and then sits down and has coffee or whatever.  Heh.
 

 

Yes!  Usually break-ins don't end so peacefully.

I was sure that Mr. Visser had some kind of captive in his basement.  I didn't look to see if most of his cameras were in bathrooms.  "I'm not a pervert!" 

 

[sinycalone]

14 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Yes!  Usually break-ins don't end so peacefully.

I was sure that Mr. Visser had some kind of captive in his basement.  I didn't look to see if most of his cameras were in bathrooms.  "I'm not a pervert!" 

 

It appeared that most of the screens showed pretty ordinary venues - laundromat, outside of a garage, etc.  Visser had to do some digging to get that shot inside the garage's bathroom.  Of course, not sure if it was his camera for the bathroom...or he was tech-savvy enough to hack into the garage's CCV camera.

[seacliffsal]

I was wondering how he could afford all the electronic equipment.

I also was wondering why Julien would get out of the car to speak to the driver of the other car rather than ask the passenger (Stratton) to get out and talk to her.  I mean, after all, there was money in the car and the engine was running.  What could go wrong?

[DonnaMae]

Although the actor is fine, I think he was a poor choice to play Baptiste and the police woman's son.  He looks too ethnic with his dark coloring.

[LennieBriscoe]

On 5/5/2020 at 9:18 PM, DonnaMae said:

Although the actor is fine, I think he was a poor choice to play Baptiste and the police woman's son.  He looks too ethnic with his dark coloring.

 I first read this as being about Julien, who isn't dark!

Nonetheless, that is the Julien we see now. Perhaps in his younger days his hair and brows were as dark as Niels'. As for skin coloring,  I don't see much difference between father and son.

This latest episode 5: Wow! Unexpected deaths by murder, and a totally unexpected traitor!

The most depressing element is that this sex-trafficking is all too true. It might even have contributed to the death of Jeffrey Epstein. 

 

[AuntiePam]

Something happened and the recording but off as Baptiste was on the phone with Stratton, right after Stratton had been attacked.  Darn PBS! 

How much did I miss?  Who's the traitor? 

What did Kim's husband (forgot his name) find in the medicine cabinet? 

[Broderbits]

5 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

What did Kim's husband (forgot his name) find in the medicine cabinet? 

There was a secret compartment containing a key to a storage unit. In the unit he found a box with pictures of young Kim and a folder which probably contains info on the Brigada.

Julien thinks blonde policewoman (mother of his son, I can't remember her name) is the traitor.

Are you up-to-date on all the deaths?

[LennieBriscoe]

I was vague so as not to divulge, but it's Katy, bar the door now!

In the bathroom cabinet were Kim's hidden heroin paraphernalia. I think the point of the photos in the storage unit was that they were of the young Dragomir Zelincu, before he became a gangster and then Kim Vogel. 

The traitor is Martha, the policewoman mother of Niels, presumably because she hates former lover Baptiste. 

I was totally shocked by the murders: Constantine's being thrown to his death; and the slayings of Edward's  ex-wife and her husband. 

I really can't see how Edward is even functioning, like existing,  after the hideousness surrounding his father's murder. Now this? AND his daughter had been a suicide! 

I appreciate good plot twists, but....

You know what's been completely irrelevant? Testicular cancer prosthetics, that's what! 

Edited May 12, 2020 by LennieBriscoe

[AuntiePam]

4 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Are you up-to-date on all the deaths?

Thank you, and yes.  I expected Clare and her BF to be victims as soon as Edward left.  So sad though -- she seemed like a good person, and she had good advice for Edward.

Do we know who killed Constantin?  That was one tense scene in the car, with Genevieve.  Woman's got guts. 

Martha is the traitor?  She must have more of a reason than hatred for Julien.  She's gotta be protecting someone.

 

[Dawn]

12 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

In the bathroom cabinet were Kim's hidden heroin paraphernalia.

This is what I first assumed, too, but then I started to wonder -- is it possible they're hormone-blocking drugs, or some sort of drugs related to her transition? Since that was a secret, it would make sense for them to be hidden.

 

11 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Martha is the traitor?  She must have more of a reason than hatred for Julien.  She's gotta be protecting someone.

I'm don't think we know this yet for sure. That was Julien's conclusion right at the end of the episode, but we got no confirmation of that. I wouldn't be surprised if there were another twist and she turns out not to be the traitor.

[raven]

49 minutes ago, Dawn said:

- is it possible they're hormone-blocking drugs, or some sort of drugs related to her transition?

This is what I thought it was.

If Martha is the traitor, I wonder if it has something to do with her drinking, which they've made a big deal about recently.  I doubt it has anything to do with Julien - she could have been working with the gang for years; remember, Constantin offered Genevieve a bribe, so maybe that is Martha's deal - money.  She could have gotten worn down over the years and decided to work with them and not fight them.  She may feel her time is getting short and that's why she told her son that Julien is his father.  

I have to laugh at Stratton - he must be on his ninth life by now!  I should have seen it coming, the murder of the ex, since we were spending so much time there, but I didn't so good job, show.

Everyone keeps saying a million euros but the dentist? spent some, Opa bought a car, Stratton has spent some and now Julien bought the boat.  Has anyone counted it ;)

Damn, I'm going to miss this show after next week!  There is a season 2, though production was shut down due to the coronavirus.  Be careful if you look up S2 info, there is some mild spoilery info about this season in some articles, though not in the one I linked.

 

[swissair100]

Like this show, along with Modus & other Nordic noir crime dramas. I have seen Baptiste S1 in full, & many twists as expected when it's full of swarmy characters.  Looking forward to Baptiste S2 whenever production gets completed, especially with the wonderful Fiona Shaw joining (& get to listen to Baptiste speak English in that lovely French accent).

 

[Florinaldo]

On 5/12/2020 at 11:04 AM, raven said:

If Martha is the traitor, I wonder if it has something to do with her drinking,

It is a frequent writing shortcut to use alcoholism as a motive for such actions, with balckmail sometimes being involved. She also seems bitter about a few things, both professionally and personally.

Genevieve finally learned that being cordial to people instead of constantly snapping at them is the best way to get them to cooperate and help in her investigation.

On 5/5/2020 at 5:45 PM, seacliffsal said:

I also was wondering why Julien would get out of the car to speak to the driver of the other car rather than ask the passenger (Stratton) to get out and talk to her.

That was really a rookie mistake on the part of an experienced cop. Or perhaps his illness dulled some of his policeman's reflexes and skills.

[seacliffsal]

Okay, the biggest question that I had while watching was...why would an experienced interpol (?) agent have her car doors unlocked while staking out a suspect?  I have known my whole life to not sit in the car without making sure the doors are locked.  

 

[HerkyJerky]

I wonder what happened to the boat?

[LennieBriscoe]

Niels should have died. Traitor to the law, his mother, the girls. Linchpin for all the horrors (drowning, beheading, throat-slitting, stabbing, shooting, falling, and rape understood). 

And the writers spared him?? Oh, right; Niels went in with a bad crowd because....cancer. Just like most cancer patients. 

Feh.

And who's that guy in the home, anyway?

 

[Suzysite]

6 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

And who's that guy in the home, anyway?

I'm guessing he was Genevieve's former partner/coworker who somehow was injured on duty and she failed to protect him.   Hence the guilt she said she has.   Although she didn't seem to feel terribly guilty for having an affair with a married man, but whatever. 

[sinycalone]

At least we got to see Herman, Caspar, and the little boy having a somewhat happy ending.

Constantine and the other hired hands were evil, conscienceless men...but we saw that Niels demanded that kind of behavior and obedience.  To me, that makes him the worst villain of all.  It appears that he went to a Netherlands jail.  Considering the crimes covered several countries (Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Romania, etc.) would he be tried in an international court eventually?  I want them to use the laws of the country with the strictest penalties...and the worst prisons.

Genevieve and Julien laughing hysterically in the car after they had been chased and shot at....loved it.  "Did you get the license?"

I, too, believe the man in the nursing home had been injured because Genevieve failed to protect him. She may have felt guilt about an affair with a married man....but that could not compare to the guilt she lives with for causing him to end up in a vegetative state.

No happy ending for Edward....by far.  As he said, he just wanted to help....and look at the havoc that was wreaked.  Of course, he made some poor decisions along the way.

 

[raven]

Unsatisfying finale for me.   I had inadvertently read that "Baptiste suffers a devastating loss" which is not how I would classify Martha.  He loved her 32 years ago and has been happily married for decades.  Meh.

Niels turned into a whiny asshat.  Meh.

I guess the police kept the remaining money and the boat? 

I didn't expect (though I hoped) they would rescue Natalie's sister.  At least they got the other girls out.

So henchmen guy breaks into Genevieve's apartment, lurks around with a cleaver and then just leaves?  Did the major mob guys call him off, not wanting to kill a police officer?  Meh.

10 hours ago, sinycalone said:

Genevieve and Julien laughing hysterically in the car after they had been chased and shot at....loved it.  "Did you get the license?"

Yes, this was a  lot of fun.   The chase was exciting too.

Other than that, I was underwhelmed.  I enjoyed the series overall but this last episode just seemed to be "oops, gotta wrap up" 1,2,3.

Eh, maybe I'm just cranky.  I also liked that Opa and his grandson and dog seemed happy together.