Summary
Feeling miserable on the surface, but markedly enticing, Unit 42 pits together two compelling characters attempting to fight cybercrime.
Belgian Netflix series Unit 42 Season 1 pits together two characters on opposite ends of the spectrum. Samuel Leroy (Patrick Ridremont) is widowed and has joined the Cyber Crime Unit in Brussels. Season 1 makes a point of his widowed status in the opening stages of episode 1, showing his morning routine of ensuring his children have breakfast before he goes to work.
His wife must have recently died as he’s feeding a baby from the bottle. My logical brain jammed at the fact that he has three children and still manages to hold down a job that could keep him away from his parenting for days; his childcare must be costly.
And then the polar opposite character, Billie Vebber (Constance Gay), a strikingly unpredictable woman and former hacker that has found herself a job in the Cyber Crime Unit. Her persona reveals a laidback, kind of reckless lifestyle, yet underneath the layers, she has issues of her own that could match that of a widow. Unit 42 season 1 could not have tried harder to pinpoint two characters who are woefully miserable with their own lives, yet the depressive nature of the series is somewhat appealing.
Together, Samuel and Billie tackle cyber crimes. By default, they both struggle to cooperate at first, but as season 1 of Unit 42 progresses, they start learning from one another as part of their character development. The story purposefully bubbles their growing partnership slowly, in a series that prides itself in a murky, slow-moving outlook rather than trying to be a fast-paced crime investigation hit.
My one criticism is that Unit 42 manages to make cybercrime feel rather dull. It’s not like Fringe, where each scenario of technological terrorism compels the audience – the Netflix series instead makes the entire experience feel routine. I guess that is the point. The characters’ experiences are ordinary for them, but the mistake made is that each case barely tries to entice your interest. Instead, the scope is imbalanced towards Samuel and Billie.
