Just to recap. The tiny town of Villefranche is surrounded by mysterious woods. There's no cell phone reception in many places and the residents are very isolated. Everything is green and often foggy and wet. For some reason the murder rate in Villefranche is six times higher than the national average. Enter DA Frank Sirani to try to figure out what's up. He joins forces with a three person police force. There's Major Laurene Weiss and officers Martial (known as Teddy Bear) and Louis.
SPOILERS AHEAD: Turn back now if you havent watched season 2.
In the first episode of the new season, we get a flashback to 1 BC. Two Roman soldiers are discussing the numerous men who have died while in the woods. They were supposed to building a road but instead they're dropping like flies. One says "The forest is against us".
In present time, the forest is apparently still out to get people. And it appears the bees, crows, wolves and deer may be conspiring with it. Franck has now been in Villefranche for four months.
Laurene has quickly recovered from three gunshot woulds that occurred some two months earlier. Police-Officer-In-Training Camille shot Lauren to cover up her involvement in Marion's death. Camile was secretly working for Gerard Steiner and found out Marion was a mole. Camille almost offed Cora (Laurene's daughter) as well. But she was stopped by a deer antler to the gut. Doctor Leila Barami is amazed at Laurene's miraculous recovery. She should be dead but was instead saved by that stag creature that lives in the woods. There is also something from the forest in her blood stream that is keeping her alive. Yes, I know it doesnt make any sense. Just roll with it.
Franck visits a higher up. Sirani is still after the Steiners (Marion's father Bertrand and grandfather Gerard) but there's no evidence to link them to anything. Remember: They own everything (and everyone) in town. Cut over to the rock quarry. We see men wearing respirators. There are toxic barrels of... something. And we're off to the races.
The Children of Arduinna are still around. They are blamed for lots of mayhem and murders (even if they didnt commit them). Cora ends up rejoining (much to her mother's chagrin). We also learn that barkeep/hotel owner Sabine is secretly backing the group. There's something about her losing a child years earlier. She also meets with the horned dude in the woods. Me thinks there is much more to Sabine than meets the eye.
Louis struggles with the death of Camille (even though she accidentally killed Marion). It takes a while before he will let anyone clean off her desk.
Louis struggles with the death of Camille (even though she accidentally killed Marion). It takes a while before he will let anyone clean off her desk.
Laurene continues to search for the person who kidnapped her 20 years ago. Just a reminder that she escaped the shackles by cutting off two of her fingers. That girl is HARD CORE. We also learn that there was someone else being held captive with her. After a lot of detective work, they learn his name was Sylvain Tessier but arent sure why he was kidnapped or what his connection is to anything.
Laurene visits a librarian named Verbeck about a skull she found at a dead guy's house. He tells her the story of the Romans. Apparently the Celtics worshiped a stag god named Cerunnos. Anyway, he apparently didnt like people in his woods and killed the Romans. The two truckers who found the skull as teenagers have been searching for the hidden Roman treasure ever since. Both men were killed with belladonna. When Laurene goes back to Verbeck for additional info he poisons her the same way and drags her out to the woods. He wants to know where the "sanctuary" is and plans to keep the treasure for himself. Laurene finds it gets a sword through Verbeck before he can kill her.
Laurene and Bertrand still have a thing for each other. He is still suffering from the death of daughter Marion and finds out wife Lea is pregnant again. They have a rocky relationship to say the least. Lea knows she plays second fiddle to Laurene. Franck also gets a love interest this time around. Delphine Gardnier is called in to confer about the environmental issues plaguing the town. The two secretly hook up.
The relationship between Lauren and Teddy Bear is one of the highlights of this show. I love how the two kids support each other (even when they dont agree). When Laurene goes looking for the stag creature in the woods, Teddy Bear follows. Unfortunately they both end up off a cliff. Teddy Bear is seriously (maybe fatally) injured. Laurene must climb out in order to get help. It looks like Teddy Bear's a goner. Lauren then has a flashback of when she was held captive. A stag again appears and shows her the way out. Bertrand has a strange feeling and goes searching for Laurene. He runs into her. They are able to retrieve Teddy Bear and, after being in a coma for several days, he miraculously survives. Those Villafranche police officers are hard to kill.
Laurene eventually figures out that some ancient Celtic holiday is just around the corner. That apparently means the forest will claim more victims. She first calls in the military for backup. But the colonel thinks she's crazy and moves to have her suspended. They finally decide to go it alone. A number of townspeople end up with bloody deer vertebrae in their houses. What's that supposed to mean? They all head out into the woods with their shotguns.
Bertrand encounters Daddy Gerard and his henchmen. Gerard knows that his son has been working to dethrone and imprison him. Gerard pulls the trigger on Bertrand but the gun doesnt fire. The hired help is tired of being treated like dogs by him and have switched sides. Bertrand shoots his father. Good riddance.
All of a sudden a number of people are pulled straight up into the trees and then violently thrown back down-- killing them. Laurene follows the stag creature. He's injured by Louis but she cant seem to bring herself to kill him. Remember, he saved her life in season 1. Six people are dead. As if the death toll wasnt high enough normally.
Doc Barami tests DNA from the monster. It proves Laurene's suspicions are correct. The stag creature is actually fellow kidnap victim Sylvain.. Oh and one more bombshell. Laurene is related to him. Say what? I have no idea what's going on.
In the end, the CoA blows up some tankers/pipeline. Bertrand sees the smoke from his house. What does that mean for the citizens of Villefranche? I guess we'll have to wait till next season (if there is one) to find out.
Laurene eventually figures out that some ancient Celtic holiday is just around the corner. That apparently means the forest will claim more victims. She first calls in the military for backup. But the colonel thinks she's crazy and moves to have her suspended. They finally decide to go it alone. A number of townspeople end up with bloody deer vertebrae in their houses. What's that supposed to mean? They all head out into the woods with their shotguns.
All of a sudden a number of people are pulled straight up into the trees and then violently thrown back down-- killing them. Laurene follows the stag creature. He's injured by Louis but she cant seem to bring herself to kill him. Remember, he saved her life in season 1. Six people are dead. As if the death toll wasnt high enough normally.
Doc Barami tests DNA from the monster. It proves Laurene's suspicions are correct. The stag creature is actually fellow kidnap victim Sylvain.. Oh and one more bombshell. Laurene is related to him. Say what? I have no idea what's going on.
In the end, the CoA blows up some tankers/pipeline. Bertrand sees the smoke from his house. What does that mean for the citizens of Villefranche? I guess we'll have to wait till next season (if there is one) to find out.
Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5) "Black Spot" is on the surface a whodunit murder mystery. But underneath, it's much, much more. Season 2 returns with eight more episodes that focus more on the supernatural forces at work in Villefranche. Suliane Brahim and Laurent Captelluto continue to knock it out of the park as Laurene and Franck. While I enjoyed this season, the pacing seemed a bit off. At time it's glacially slow. Luckily, I'm in it for the long haul.
There were some bombshells in the finale but they just succeeded in bringing up even more questions. I desperately want to know what going on in town (and more specifically in the forest). I hope we get at least one more season of "Black Spot" to tie things up.
There were some bombshells in the finale but they just succeeded in bringing up even more questions. I desperately want to know what going on in town (and more specifically in the forest). I hope we get at least one more season of "Black Spot" to tie things up.
Photo Credits:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackspotZoneBlanche/
https://www.netflix.com/title/81079046
https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/46067306/image/46067493/Black-Spot-Season-2
https://howdoi.mom/2019/06/hdim-reviews-black-spot-season-2-2019/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackspotZoneBlanche/
https://www.netflix.com/title/81079046
https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/46067306/image/46067493/Black-Spot-Season-2
https://howdoi.mom/2019/06/hdim-reviews-black-spot-season-2-2019/
GMonsterTV
TV: Heavy On Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy & AdventureJuly 6, 2019
I want to KNOW how is Laurene related... By the weird forest DNA, or by blood DNA??? And did Jasper kill off Dafnene,(or what's her name)? Frank's love interest?? Or was it the woodsman?
ReplyDeleteAnother blog post has two theories about Sylbain. One is that he always was the creature and another is that he can still occasionally appear human. They're probably both wrong. The dna thing will be from the healing Lairen did from the gunshot wound. The most probable explanation for Sylvain is that Lauren was the crucial Young-Maiden sacrifice the creature needed at that point in time to maintain survival but she escaped. This probably (well another theory anyway) meant the creature had to survive by merging with Sylvain.
ReplyDeleteGreat post
ReplyDeleteSure hope there is a season three as well. I never watch an episode at night!!
Just finished watching Seasons 1 and 2 of Black Spot. Im so confused. I hope there's a season 3 soon.
ReplyDeleteWow. I had a completely different interpretation of the final episode of S2. Laurene and Sylvain are siblings (maybe from different mothers) and it was Laurene’s father that originally kidnapped them and chained them up.
ReplyDeleteDelphine was shot by Gaspard under the orders of Bertrand? Otherwise what was that scene with him sticking the gun in his pants at the end.
I did have a theory that the forest creature was only a hallucination caused by gases in the forest caused by the toxic waste. Linking back to S1 where Nounours and Laurene went down to the caves and were hallucinating.
Oh and Sabine/the Children of Arduinna are behind all the animal carcasses and general scaring of people in town as a threat/reminder of their need to respect the forest rather than covering the Steiners.
The child she lost years back was Sylvain. The reason she goes to the woods and visits him and he doesn’t hurt her is because Sabine is his mom. Laurene and Sylvain are siblings (different moms). The reason the forest healed her, or the stag rather, is because he is her sister. He is tied to the forest, which is why Sabine is behind keeping the forest, to preserve the life of her son.
DeleteI believe Laurene and Sylvain are related. After all Sabine did give up her son and he could be it. Since Laurene's parents were into Celtic beliefs he may be the one that kidnapped to honor his beliefs. He was secretive and wanted her to forget everything.Sylvain keeps trying to protect Laurene,he knows. They can both share the same father. I think Bertrand will follow right after his father.
ReplyDelete