In the shadow of France 2: how much is this exciting new political series worth?

what are you talking about

Paul Francoeur has just won his party’s primary and is launching what promises to be an eventful presidential campaign. Cesar Casalonga, his chief adviser, must fend off attacks from other candidates and quell the displeasure of his own political family. When rumors of primary fraud threaten to undermine his boss’s candidacy, Cesar realizes he will have to fight the toughest battle of his life.

who is he with

The Shadow series relies on a cast led by Swan Arlod, winner of several César Awards, the most recent of which he received for his performance in Autumn’s Anatomy.

He is surrounded by a five-star cast that includes Karin Viard, Melville Pupa, but also actors and actresses who are as distinguished on the big screen as they are on the small screen. Thus we find Evelyn Brochu (Tom Farm, Orphan Black), Sofiane Khames (November, BRI), Philippe Ouchan (Albert Dupontel, Tapie Films) and Maud Wyler (Alice and Mary, Irma Vep).

Shadows also boasts a place for young talents such as Baptiste Carrion-Weiss, seen in Les Amandiers, or Clara Antoons, seen in Maigret, or even Étienne Beydon, seen in Panda and The Spies of Terror.

is it worth watching

After making a sensation at the Mania festival last March, where it was presented in the official competition, and at the CreaTVity festival, where it received the prize for the best script, the series in the shadows is finally released on France 2. And it took a lot. It’s time for this adaptation of Edouard Philippe and Gilles Boyer’s novel of the same name.

Based on their long political (and literary) collaboration, the duo teamed up with screenwriters Lamara Leprêtre-Habib (D’argent et de Sang), Cédric Anger (The Next Time I Set My Heart) and Pierre Scholer (L’Exercice). State), who also donned the hat of showrunner to embody the script of this political thriller for the general public.

Like other series of the genre before it, such as Baron Noir, House of Cards or At the White House, Shadow relies on a certain technical, lexical, historical, but also human realism, thanks to the original material written by Edouard Philippe. Gilles Boyer. Sometimes one wonders what is reality and what is fabrication.

From the very first moments, we are with these politicians, these advisors, these communication strategists, these representatives and we believe in it. And we are held by the character of Cesar Casalonga, who serves as a gatekeeper and connector between the audience and the underbelly of this political arena.

And it is through the performance of the brilliant Svan Arlod, in an unforgiving, cold and difficult role, that the public can get as close as possible to the sometimes hard-to-decipher faces of political figures.

The rest of the cast is also solid, breaking away from caricatured incarnations to play a mixture of famous or familiar figures and a theatrical sense of the power of words to tell us about the immersion behind the scenes. Fascinating as it is terrifying politics.

Between a political-family theater and a breathtaking thriller

In the Shadows takes on all the codes of any self-respecting political fiction with just the right dose of cynicism and comedy, the dramatization of serious subject matter and an almost documentary-like intimacy and sense of urgency.

A light glance at the cameras, a sharp break between certain scenes, a startling pace and palpable tension, supported by the obscure, dramatic and haunting music of Julie Rue (Jeune Femme, Perdrix)… The whole staging of the series approaches the grandiose theatricality and the tragicomic pursuit of power in the same political family.

We can’t help but think of legacy when we look more closely at the dynamics that unfold between characters trying to find their place and voice (even more so for female characters who thrive in an all-too-masculine environment) and establishing themselves as fighters in a world that, despite In addition, it is very advantageous for them compared to ordinary mortals.

Shadow manages to take the pulse of a society gone bad, the complex and corrupt use of French politics and a system based on the conquest of poisonous power.

But this almost eternal series in a parallel political world also leans on the side of thriller with a fascinating investigation, consisting of spectacular twists, election fraud that occurred during the Republican right.

Who is behind the scam? Who benefits from crime? How to get out of such a scandal? What ideals should we abandon? What is the best strategy? Can we really win at all costs? So many questions that the characters in the shadows will ask themselves throughout the exciting season, amidst the paranoia, until the explosive, grand finale, which has a way for its ambitions, as well as its unique characters.

The first two episodes of the series “Dans l’ombre” will be broadcast on October 30 on France 2, and the rest will be broadcast on November 6 and 13. The series is available on france.tv.