✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
TV

Baptiste episode 2 review ★★★★★

On 24 Feb 19, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

In Baptiste episode 2, Julien (Tchéky Karyo) finds Natalie Rose (Anna Próchniak) and finds out as much as he can about the enigmatic Edward Stratten (Tom Hollander)

By Euan Franklin on 23/2/2019

Tchéky Karyo in Baptiste, BBC One
Tchéky Karyo in Baptiste, BBC One
Baptiste episode 2 review 4 Baptiste episode 2 review Euan Franklin
‘Most of my life, I’ve looked for people who’ve gone missing. Perhaps trying to find their soul is a stretch too far.’


This is like a soliloquy for this series, a spin-off from the emotionally dark The Missing. Baptiste, as we found last week, is not about uncovering a disappearance and hunting the culprit. No, this is about uncovering a person and unlocking who they really are.


Edward Stratten (Tom Hollander), the very shady ‘uncle’ looking for a sex worker, is like the embodiment of an enigma, which retired detective Julian Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) is determined to solve.



Tom Hollander's performance as Edward Stratten is vividly chilling


Baptiste looks at Edward like an unfinished puzzle, and a complicated puzzle at that. Episode 2 (and maybe the whole series) tries to figure Edward out, and nothing is consistent. He’s picking up a dropped item for a woman in one scene, and delivering a psychopathic monologue in another. Does he know he’s being watched? It’s hard to tell. But he’s fascinating to examine – we’re never sure how he’ll react or what’s next on his agenda.


This is no surprise from writers Harry and Jack Williams, considering their previous aptitude in The Missing for crafting morally complex monsters, but Edward Stratten is a new high for them. He’s not painted as a seven-headed beast – there’s some tragedy or emotional imbalance whirring inside him. This episode is Tom Hollander’s playground and although his performance is not entirely natural, it’s vividly chilling.


And it’s exciting whenever Edward and Baptiste are in the same room, like watching Batman and The Joker have a coffee. Their dialogues are tense – both are onto each other. It’s a classic game of I-know-you-know.


This suspense shifts into a more Hitchcockian fashion later on, during an exceptionally frightening scene on a house boat. The scene is inventive, especially in Börkur Sigþórsson’s direction, and made even more chilling with the absence of music. Just footsteps and water.



Footsteps and water: an exceptionally frightening scene on a house boat


The Chief of Police’s son Niels (Boris van Severen) is introduced in this episode. He’s given a sympathetic backstory, and grows deeply critical of Baptiste’s analyses (‘I have huge respect for the work you’ve done…’). Hopefully, he’ll prove to be more than just another doubting obstacle for Baptiste. Distrusting the cracker of famous cases, when the Amsterdam police have been so appalling, is a silly path to take. And it's not overly convincing.


Baptiste continues to be a thrilling, explorative noir that loves to conjure new questions. Why have the police been so clueless? It’s suggested by Natalie (Anna Prochniak) that the police are in cahoots with the fierce Romanian gang led by Dragonir Zelincu, which leads back to Edward. How involved is he? Is the chief of police involved? Is it a massive conspiracy?


It’s hard to know what’s true. But the head in Edward’s basement is starting to rot. Maybe he’s ready to be honest?


Baptiste continues on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One




What Baptiste episode 2 review
When On 24 Feb 19, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Price £n/a
Website



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 27–29 January
Things to do in London this weekend: 27–29 January
Harrison Ford in Shrinking, AppleTV+ (Photo: Apple)
What to watch on TV this week
Culture After Dark: The Best Museum Late Night Openings
Culture After Dark: the best museum late-night openings

Editor's Picks

Harrison Ford in Shrinking, AppleTV+ (Photo: Apple)
What to watch on TV this week
Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Killing Eve
Killing Eve season 2, BBC review
Tchéky Karyo in Baptiste, BBC One
Baptiste, BBC One review
Mila Kunis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
New to Netflix UK: March 2019
Diana Gómez in Valeria, Netflix (Photo: Netflix)
The best sex comedies on Netflix
Olivia Colman in The Crown season 3, Netflix
Best female-led dramas storming 2019
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

Baptiste

BBC

The Missing

TV

Detective

You might like

  • Emma Appleton in Traitors

    Traitors, Channel 4 review

  • David Tennant and Michael Sheen in Good Omens, Amazon Prime

    Good Omens, Amazon Prime/BBC Two review ★★★★★

  • Aaron Paul returns as Jesse Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

    El Camino: Breaking Bad returns in Netflix film

  • Eric Bana and Connie Britton in Dirty John, Netflix

    Dirty John, Netflix: release date, plot, cast, trailer, photos

  • Sheridan Smith in Cleaning Up, ITV

    Cleaning Up finale review ★★★★★



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×