Black Spot Season 1 Review: A Highly Addiction Mystery Set In An Isolated French Forest

"Black Spot" (translated from "Zone Blanche" which actually means white zone) is a NetFlix French/Belgian import. It originally aired in 2017. The show follows the small police force in the tiny town of Villefranche. It is surrounded by mysterious woods. There's no cell phone reception in many places and the residents are very isolated. In the beginning episode, DA Franck Sirani (Laurent Capelluto) travels to Villefranche to determine why the death rate there is six times higher than the rest of the country.

The show has a "The Returned", "Twin Peaks" or "Dark" vibe. The cinematography is beautiful. The overhead shots of cars driving down country roads adds to the sense of isolation. There's lots of fog and everything seems constantly damp.

The police team (gendarmerie) is let by Major Laurene Weiss (Suliane Brahim). She has her own mysterious past and is missing two fingers.

Other notable characters thus far include:

Martial Ferrandis (Nounours which translated to "Teddy Bear")- is a detective that works with Laurene. He has his own secrets.
Louis Hermann is a fellow officer who likes to go fishing.
Camille Lougier serves as receptionist for the three police officers while she studies to become one.
Leila Barami is the local doctor/coroner.
Bertrand Steiner- he's the major and owns the local (closing) saw mill. His daughter Marion has been missing for six months. Bertrand and Laurene used to be an item back in high school.
Lea Steiner- Bertrand's wife and mother of Marion.
Cora Weiss- Laurene's daughter Cora is a budding archer and also seems to have the tendacy of getting in way over her head. She is besties with the mayor's (missing) daughter Marion.
Sabine Hennequin- runs the local watering hole.

Over eight episodes we follow various mysteries. Some are solved in one episode and some build over the season. Why are there so many deaths in Villefranche? What's up with the caves that cause hallucinations? Is there something supernatural about the woods? Why do those trucks appear at night? How about those weird tree branch symbols? Is there some sort of cult at work? What is everyone in this town hiding? And most importantly what's up with those freaky crows?

Grade: 4 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). The eight episodes of NetFlix's "Black Spot" are definitely worth a watch. The show is a compelling mystery set in an isolated French forest. The woods are dark and foreboding. Some has complained that some of the story lines are a bit slow. The spooky atmosphere and qyurjt characters make up for any negatives in my opinion. Cant wait for season 2 (which is due out this Friday-- June 14).