Monsieur Spade Series 1 Finale Recap

Monsieur Spade Series 1 Episode 6 Recap

The finale seemingly opens in the past before Jean-Pierre Devereaux (Stanley Weber) left for the war. He and Marguerite (Peggy) Devereaux (Louise Bourgoin) spend the day making love as opposed to talking. In the present, Marguerite holds a meeting at home with Sam Spade (Clive Owen), Chief of Police Patrice Michaud (Denis Menochet), and Samir (Hazem Hammad), where they discuss everything from Zayd (Ismael Berqouch) to Jean-Pierre’s burial wishes.

Spade finds himself in the Town Square near the café after Marguerite calls an end to the meeting. After bumming a cigarette from Edgar (Eric Colonge) and a huge coughing fit, he notices the biker rumble by and proceeds to follow on foot.

The footage quickly flashes over to Marguerite as she reads Jean-Pierre’s will. She gets as far as learning that the document contains information that will keep her safe before Spade follows the biker to Anatole’s (Benjamin Duc) Garage. Being in a foul mood, it doesn’t take Spade long to uncover Henri Thibaut (Oscar Lesage) as the biker and his ultimate goal to assassinate Philippe Saint-Andre (Jonathan Zaccai). Henri claims to care for Teresa (Cara Bossom/Ella Feraud) while at the same time admitting to following Spade and taking the shot at him in the orchard. Although Spade does not doubt Henri and Anatole’s dedication to France, he does suggest they are going about it the wrong way. Spade also promises to not share his discovery with Helena Thibaut (Clotilde Mollet) for fear that it would break her heart.

Spade’s return trip home is abruptly interrupted by a conversation with Basem (Romeo De Lacour), who appears to be loading fallen limbs and twigs in the back of his trucks. Since there were no recent storms, Spade appears to be surprised to hear that Basem claiming to be cleaning up a tree that was split by lightning. On Spade’s exit, the tree is shown with a bullet wound, apparently from the day he and Teresa were shot at.

Spade is in for an even bigger surprise when he arrives home to discover a Mister Khan (Sofiane Belmouden) waiting for his return. Khan claims to be there on behalf of Detective Dundee. Although he refuses to tell Spade who hired him, he claims to be an investigator, deadset on reuniting Zayd with his biological parents. Before the meeting ends, Khan also provides Spade with a short history lesson on the origin of the word “sabotage.” It becomes clear that he sees Spade as a saboteur in his quest to return Zayd, however, he says it’s Teresa that really concerns him.

The veiled threat sends Spade immediately to Teresa’s room. While he does not find her there, the discovery of Gabrielle LarVaron’s (Chiara Mastroianni) altered clothes and favorite scarf takes him back to the day when she introduced him to the pool. Gabrielle didn’t just have the pool filled, but she bought all new outdoor furniture in an attempt to inspire Spade to get outside more. His response is to ask why he would want to be outside when everything he wants is in the house. She says that it would be good for him, especially since he’ll have to pass through the vineyard to access it, allowing him to get to know the workers. He becomes upset upon learning she is doing all this in an attempt to keep him busy while she goes off to die elsewhere. In the present, he averts this agitation to Helena, after discovering she’s not only watching him but encouraged Teresa to make the alterations to Gabriella’s clothes.

Maurice Michaud (Frank Williams) is in the process of leaving the police station when a nearby sound attracts his attention. As he goes to investigate, the focus reverts to the inside of the police station where Patrice is studying black and white surveillance photos. He notices that the people after Zayd appear to be able to hide in plain sight. When he attempts to convey the discovery to Maurice, he notices he’s gone.

Several important things appear to take place while Maurice investigates the noise. Philippe is shown assembling his sniper rifle while Teresa meets with Henri and confesses to stealing his notebook in an attempt to discover Philippe’s location. He claims he couldn’t say anything about Philippe’s location because there is a plan in play.

George Fitzsimmons (Matthew Beard) meets Gazala (Ines Melab) in a dark alley, where they only get intimate, but she provides information about Philippe’s schedule. He asks if Philippe suspects her. She claims he doesn’t and in turn, asks if “the woman” suspects him. He assures her that she is in the dark. As they continue to make out and trade information, George promises it’s only a matter of time before they can be together in public. When they part ways, George is not only run over by Cynthia Fitzsimmons (Rebecca Root), but she shoots him several times for good measure.

As Cynthia works to load George’s body Philippe is shown opening a window from his snipers perch. Spade is shown making several passes around the alley while looking for Teresa. At the same time, Patrice learns from a distraught Miss Huchet (Fannie Lineros) that a woman is holding an Algerian boy at gunpoint near the bridge. Marguerite finds Audrey Saint-Andre (Caroline Sihol) at the club and shares Philippe’s betrayal of Jean-Pierre before giving her a pistol.

Teresa hears and follows the same sound that Maurice heard earlier. She is also the first to uncover the source as the Monk (Luke Tinson) responsible for the murder of the nuns. He holds her at knifepoint, but it’s not long before Maurice joins them and intervenes. He ends up stabbed but provides Teresa with the opportunity to slip away. She doesn’t get far and finds herself not only back in captivity, but staring at the end of a pistol this time.

Philippe’s sniper perch is revealed to be in the attic above the club when he is shown eavesdropping on Marguerite Audrey’s conversation. The mysterious lady is revealed as Gazala when she and Zayd meet Mister Kahn at the bridge. A very short conversation is followed by Kahn’s offer of a briefcase full of cash. This is all interrupted when a shot rings out and Henri is revealed to be the shooter. Gazala races for the money, retrieves it, throws it over the side of the bridge, and goes after it. Although Henri does take several shots at her, he ends up on the defensive thanks to Philippe. Zayd continues to stand still until another man tries to coax him across the bridge. This is interrupted by shots from Philippe, who appears to get shot in the side by Henri. This finally spurs Zayd to run in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, both Patrice and Spade have discovered Maurice, who tells them about the Monk and Teresa. The Monk has now made his way to the bridge. With Teresa held captive, he threatens to shoot her in the head should anyone take a shot at him. No one dares take a shot, but it’s unneeded thanks to the return of Zayd who mesmerizes The Monk, providing Teresa with ample time to escape. Taking Zayd with her, it’s only seconds later when they are joined by the now-armed Spade. The run to the bridge, however, has exacerbated his emphysema to the point where he can’t score a direct shot. Thanks to Patrice and Henri, his shots are not needed.

Teresa searches for Zayd, while both Henri and Philippe prepare to make their escapes. Philippe’s escape is, however, interrupted by an armed Cynthia at the front door.

At the bridge, Inspector Laurent Suchet (Victor Assie) appears out of nowhere and his arrival is followed by newcomer, Virginia Dell (Alfre Woodard) and several associates. She immediately takes charge of the situation. Marguerite is not only surprised to discover Zayd outside the club but she appears to be taken aback by his sudden embraces.

Sometime later Virginia gathers everyone aware of Zayd’s existence to discuss what to do with him. It is Cynthia who makes the first claim for him on behalf of MI6 and that’s followed Laurent. Father Morgan (Dean Winters) makes a surprise visit at the meeting, where Virginia accuses him of being a spy and ultimately responsible for The Monk. The meeting also reveals that Zayd’s father was arrested for treason but traded Zayd’s location for his release. Although Henri is the one to shine a light on Zayd’s code-breaking talents, no one appears to be particularly interested as each continues to stake a claim of ownership.

When the theme of the meeting becomes hostile, Father Morgan is ordered away and followed by Inspector Laurent, although he leaves on his own free will. Philippe attempts to leave but is arrested for murder. Spade, who has remained quiet throughout is shocked when the context of the meeting reveals Teresa as 17 years of age, not 14. When the meeting winds down to Virginia, Spade, Zayd, and Teresa, it becomes clear that Spade doesn’t believe much she told them. It’s also clear that she wants Zayd as much as anyone else and she ultimately leaves with him.

The season ends with Spade returning his sleuthing gear to its rightful spot in the armoire before going outside for a naked swim. After undressing, he slightly hesitates before Gabrielle asks if he’s coming in.

 

Monsieur Spade Review

Although there is a fairly open shot of the pool before Spade jumps in, it’s unclear whether Gabrielle was actually there. More than likely, it was just a memory. In addition, the prospect of Teresa being Spade’s biological daughter is still up in the air. These were no doubt two clever tactics that could justify a second season, although I doubt that’s in the works. It would certainly be interesting and I’d likely tune in, but the series was not without its faults.

As far as finales go, giving this episode a 5.4 out of 10 is being generous.  I did enjoy the series, but my biggest complaint would no doubt be the long-winded dialogue. Although clever at times, many of the conversations beat around the bush. Perhaps it is just me, but I also would have liked to see Zayd’s talents get more attention.

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