The Bureau (Season 5, 2020)

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The Bureau (Season 5, 2020) – E. Rochant

Perhaps I would have enjoyed watching this series as it unfolded rather than 5 years of episodes all in one go. But the suspense may have been excruciating.  Just the conclusion of Series 4 alone would have meant living with shock and uncertainty for an extended period.  Of course, moving straight to Series 5 helped to resolve my anxieties (but not until Episode 2!).  That said, the final season (if it is final) was gripping but opened up a whole new front for the show in Russia, letting our stalwart DGSE spies engage with their counterparts in the FSB.  It is Pacemaker and Petrossian, apparently recruited to the Russian spy agency (but actually double agents…or are they?), who get most of the screentime, in addition to JJA, now the Head of the Bureau who has a particular fixation with Russia (and we learn why). Jeanne-Marie has been relocated to Egypt, doing field work in Cairo.  Her story intersects briefly with that of Jonas (dealing with terrorists) and Raymond (investigating a story leaked to the press, possibly by Jeanne-Marie).  Controversially, Series Creator Eric Rochant decided to let famous auteur Jacques Audiard write and direct the final two episodes in the series.  This takes them in a different (more fantastical and dreamlike) direction and fails to tie up more than a few loose ends (some well-loved characters get short shrift).  Some fans were hostile but I thought the conclusion (including another shock) was apt, if rather sadistic. The arc that started with Malotru’s decision to contact Nadia El-Monsour comes full circle.  That said, I hope for a Series 6 but it feels like it is not to be…