Victor

Haunting, disturbing, emotional and thrilling sums up this week’s instalment of The Returned, as we finally get some answers about the mysterious Victor.

The back flash immediately sets the tone, as we witness a scene that happened 35 years ago. Everything looks peaceful as the mother of Victor (Swann Nambotin) gets her boys ready for bed. Victor seems to suffer from nightmares and his mother tries to sooth him. Unfortunately barely an hour later, masked intruders enter the family home, we hear Victor’s older brother screaming as loud shots are being fired. A petrified Victor (and so are we!) hides inside his bedroom closet as one of the men tells him to ‘think of something pleasant, a song perhaps you learned at school‘ before his partner mercilessly shoots Victor.

It’s exceptionally haunting and disturbing to witness what happens to Victor, thankfully the camera only picks up the pool of blood that is forming on the floor. The suggestion is enough without having to see the entire scene inside the closet.

We’ve returned to the present day as Victor seems to have woken up from a nightmare. Did he fall asleep and awoken? Or was it just a memory? It’s important to find out as normally the returned can’t sleep… Mme Payet is found dead by the neighbours, and as the police are called in – Laure comes to find Julie (Céline Sallette) to question her. Julie asks Victor to hide before she opens the door, the light dims in the bathroom and poor Victor is haunted again by that same memory and voice from one of the intruders. This is an important clue as by this point we should be able to recognise that voice – especially as the next shot shows Pierre (Jean-François Sivardier) scheming with a police officer, asking information about Clair’s ex Jérome (Frédéric Pierrot). Jérome is being questioned by the police about Lucy as it is established that she’s not a prostitute but a medium who can talk to the dead…

Léna (Jenna Thiam) isn’t having a good day as she wakes up, finding the scar on her back has spread. She later finds herself in hospital as she blames Camille (Yara Pilartz) for everything.

There are three sets of love triangles playing out and all get really messy: Claire (Anne Consigny) and Jérome start the day by trying to make it work. Hours later their relationship has completely broken down, as eager Pierre told Claire how Jérome beat up Léna the year before during an incident at ‘The Lake Pub’.

The very same happens to Simon (Pierre Perrier) and Adèle (Clotilde Hesme). They’re both toying with the idea of getting back together. It’s a very emotional scene  to watch when Chloé meets Simon, Adèle explains to her that he’s her dad and that he has returned – he’s an angel. Thomas (Samir Guesmi) wouldn’t exactly call Simon ‘an angel’, his eyes literally almost bulges out of their sockets when he sees Adèle and Simon having sex, not to mention Chloé finds one of his spy cameras in her bedroom. The game is up, and Adèle threatens to leave him on the spot before Thomas drops a massive bombshell: Simon didn’t die in an accident but committed suicide! Should we believe Thomas, or is he manipulating Adèle into staying?

Talking of suicide, the post-mortem reveals that Mme Payet intentionally plunged a knife in her stomach. After seeing one of Victor’s drawings, not too sure about that! Even Julie shudders and doesn’t fight Laure, when she picks Victor up to take him to Pierre’s shelter.

What follows is the best scene of the episode as Pierre tells Victor all will be well, and that he’s safe at the shelter. He mentions the exact same phrase – ‘think of something pleasant, a song perhaps you learned at school‘. The look that Victor gives Pierre will give you goosebumps, it’s so powerful and daunting, enough to unnerve Pierre! So has Pierre set up the charity to amend his wrongs, or is he one of The Returned?

Still have trouble believing the whole Léna – Camille – Frédéric love triangle, especially as Léna leaves the hospital as she can apparently sense when her twin makes out with Frédéric. She walks in on them at The Lake Pub, telling everyone ‘Alice’ isn’t her cousin but that she is Camille. Not one believes her of course and as Léna makes her way home via the infamous tunnel – she faints again just as Serge passes by…

The best episode of The Returned so far, a thrilling and emotional ride which raises plenty more questions. Victor has a haunting past but is he really all that innocent? Stay tuned for next week’s episode as Serge will have to fight his demons (read try not to kill Léna).