'Balthazar' Episode 2: Raphaël woos Bach and she reciprocates but a dilemma plagues the mother of two
We may only be in the second episode of the French crime-thriller series 'Balthazar' but we can’t get ourselves to stop thinking what its later editions have in store for us. The makers have emerged successful by teasing us with the less-explored characteristics of the protagonists, which forms the pivotal point of all that follows in the series.
The second episode of 'Balthazar' deals with the investigation of an unidentified body, found at a construction site. While Bach is convinced that the body with the skin on the face peeled off like a mask and no other traces of injury belongs to a construction worker from the site, Raphaël upon investigating thoroughly (which includes sniffing the crotch the corpse), states that the body was clad using the uniform of a construction site worker only to hide the victim’s true identity.
Raphaël adamant about finding the truth digs into nuances of the case and ponders upon a few clues, that help him a great deal with the further investigation. With the help of the projection of his own thoughts and the rest of the team, the forensic expert realizes that the body belongs to a man called Delanaye, whose past has a different story to narrate.
Fifteen years ago, when Delanaye was driving under the influence of alcohol, he had rammed his vehicle on a bus carrying children, causing over 15 deaths. To escape prison time, he goes absconding, while his family believes that he took his own life by jumping off the bridge.
He gets a face transplant and starts life afresh under a new identity, hiding his past from everyone including his second wife and children. As the investigation progresses Bach is convinced that one of the parents staged Delanaye’s murder to get justice to their dead children. However, Raphaël investigates Delanaye’s daughter and establishes that she killed her father seeking revenge against him for abandoning the family for his selfish reasons.
The second episode also focuses on Raphaël and Bach’s relationship, which isn’t strictly professional any longer. While he casually flirts with her saying how his “anatomical parts are more impressive”, the chief inspector couldn’t stop staring at the forensic expert’s bare chest each time he takes his shirt off.
At the end of the episode, it is evident that Bach is hopelessly attracted to Raphaël, but she also acknowledges the lack of decisiveness from her end, as a mother of two who is married to her husband still.
