Tax The Rich

I normally post Falco episode translations two at a time, but it's American tax season, I'm preoccupied with my documents, and I’m exhausted. Therefore only one Falco this time.


Falco S03E07, “Sous les cendres” (Under the Ashes), runtime 50:49
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Alex finally takes the plunge and acquires real estate— but it's a converted space that looks more like a squad room than an apartment. The brigade has moved too, and Eva’s not happy with technical issues at the new office.

Meanwhile, the squad investigates a skeleton uncovered on a vacant lot, and they link it first to an old missing person case, and then have the realization that they are really dealing with two homicides.

Alex continues the search for Edouard Ponthieux, the hood threatening Éléonore.

l-r: Stévenin, Manuel, and Barlier

NOTES

3’31”: The French title of The Deer Hunter is Au bout de l’enfer (To the depths of hell), not Chasseur de cerfs.
      Ah, Gravity, what people were watching at home in the mid-2010s.

When speaking of a marriage, l'alliance (4’01”) is the ring.

Notre petite ambassade, Ep. 5 & 6

Notre petite ambassade (Our Little Embassy) Ep. 5, “La clé du bonheur” (The Key To Happiness), runtime 21:13
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Kai the courier brings the diplomatic bag, containing state secrets and (most importantly) treats from home. But Konsti is injured in a watermelon accident and can’t remember where the key is. Lupe plans an operation to rescue Walti.

Lupe’s elite strike team (l-r: Cristo Fernandez, Anaïs Decasper, Valentin Villaverde)

MISC

Remember, I'm translating the dubbed-French audio from the show's France 3 broadcast.


NOTES

Although Switzerland as a federal state was formed in 1848, it has been known as ‘the Confederation’ (0’28”) since medieval times when it was the Swiss Confederacy.

The map (2’01”) has no clues as to the series location.

Notre petite ambassade Ep. 3 & 4

Notre petite ambassade (Our Little Embassy) Ep. 3, “Qui sème le séisme” (Who sows the earthquake), runtime 21:20
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Walti’s attempt at mojito diplomacy appears to have become a full-fledged hostage situation; it's Lupe and Guillermo's silver anniversary; Selina receives an important assignment just when she’s feeling professionally underchallenged; Konsti tries to deliver on his parental (!) commitments; Mrs Zybach and Chili Gonzalez are among the earthquake casualties.

Earthquake drill: the earth doesn't actually move for Marisol and Adrien (Sandra Zellwegger and Jonas Gygax)

MISC

I now have a second source of the show available to me for this project, but it's in the original German. I'll use it when the French dubbing is less discernable.

Arturo’s character started as a paranoid rookie cop, but has become a half-sweet motormouth..

Notre petite ambassade, Ep. 1 & 2

Notre petite ambassade (Our Little Embassy) popped up recently in my France 3 feed, it’s a 2025 sitcom about the staff of a Swiss embassy somewhere in South America. The series’ original title is Unsere Kleine Botschaft, so it’s from the German-speaking segment of Switzerland, and what France 3 is showing is dubbed into French (except for some in-context Spanish).


MISC

The cast includes Cristo Fernandez, who was Dani on Ted Lasso.

According to Cineuropa, this was the first Swiss sitcom in 20 years.

It was canceled after this first season, due to low ratings.

The Federal Council is Switzerland’s ministerial cabinet, the seven members are the collective chief executive of the country.


Notre petite ambassade (Our Little Embassy) Ep. 1, “L'échec fait partie du succès” (The Success Game), runtime 21:40
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Béa Laïtenegger (Susanne Kunz) is Switzerland’s ambitious ambassador to an unnamed South American country. She’s just finalized an agreement for building a Swiss train to take coffee beans to a seaport, when the Swiss bureaucracy rains on her parade: the Federal official being sent to sign the accord is her ex-husband.

Ambassador Béa (Susanne Kunz, r) and Lupe her assistant/fixer (Darinka Ezeta)

NOTES

4’12”: Well-done fake photo of Béa and her ex-husband meeting Barack Obama.

There is no one named Follie

My new semi-regular thread Rewatch Project kicks off with “Follie’s,” what I feel is the best episode so far of my favorite French mystery, Capitaine Marleau. I’ve watched the episode again and made a number of changes– some retranslations, some formatting improvements, and application of my current stylebook.


Capitaine Marleau #30 “Follie’s” (2023), runtime 1:37:03
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Marleau is basking in the glow of news reports about her capture of an escaped fugitive. She’s about to head off down the road when a woman stops her in the commissariat lobby begging her to find her missing daughter, Sylvie. Marleau’s boss pro temps Cmdr. Duchesne had been less than helpful when Sylvie’s disappearance was originally reported, owing to her being a stripper (under the stage name Sunlight) at the local cabaret, Follie’s. Duchesne shares some choice insults about Follie’s’s colorful staff, at which point Marleau decides they must be her kind of people.

However the Follie’s family closes ranks, indicating Sunlight isn’t missing so much as hiding. There are also corrupt politicians and businessmen, sex tapes, and a blackmailer who is as scarce as Sunlight. So Marleau and her assistant Melissa– and to an equal extent Vincent, Sunlight’s roommate– have to do it the hard way: by annoying the hell out of the suspects one by one.


MISC

I originally posted the translation for “Follie’s” on August 27, 2023. Yes, MHZ is way behind.

What makes “Follie's” so wonderful, the apostrophe notwithstanding?

• The sheer volume of work that must have gone into it: it's two episodes, a mystery and a musical.
• The Easter eggs.
• The world inside Follie's and the connections Marleau builds with the inhabitants.
• Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite Sam- I mean Marleau vs. Duchesne.

Catherine Ringer (Rosa) is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/actor/musician, who also had a career in adult films and traded insults about it with Serge Gainsbourg on TV.

Samuel Mercer (Vincent) played Samuel Muir in the first Marleau series episode, “Philippe Muir.”

Zahia Dehar (Sunlight) first entered the public eye in 2010, when she was arrested in connection with a prostitution investigation involving footballers, and again in 2020 when the case was reopened.

Why did I think translating a 26-year-old episode would be fun?

It’s the second anniversary of Translation Notes.

Florence Larrieu: La juge est une femme (Florence Larrieu: The Judge is a Woman), “Suspectes,” 2000, runtime 95:21
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MHZ recently posted the final episodes of Alice Nevers: The Judge is a Woman, moving the long-running series from Paris to Normandy, where Alice and Fred go for their perfect life together. Alice brought the kids but not her clerk, who shows up briefly in the epilogue. Fred didn’t bring his partner Karim, which is just as well as since Karim would probably be afraid of the horses in the final case.

Before Alice’s arrival in 2002 the show went by the name Florence Larrieu: The Judge is a Woman. Apparently female judges were such a rarity that the fact had to be part of the title. Florence Pernel played Judge Larrieu for 17 episodes between 1993 and 2002. I have this joke that there are only 12 actors in France, because the same actors keep popping up over and over. Well, Florence Pernel is three or four of them. If you watch a lot of French TV like I do, she seems to be everywhere.

Florence Pernel, with Frederic Diefenthal

I got it off YouTube. Because it’s 26 years old the audio is not all one would hope for, much of the higher registers are fried or blown out. When I couldn’t make out what was being said, Vosk was usually no help; I did my best.

The episode is titled “Suspectes”: Larrieu and her assistant Lt. Colas investigate when hardened robber Jackie breaks out of a women's prison, in which the inmates are contract employees for a tech company. A guard dies during the escape. Jackie just wants to see her daughter but also denies being the killer, as well as the earlier robbery. Will the tech company get any blame, or is it a red herring? Will Florence and Colas ever stop bickering like siblings?


MISC

The Judge is a Woman was created by Noelle Loriot based on her trilogy of Laurence Larrieu crime novels— so, prior to Nevers all the names had to rhyme.

Larrieu was the judge for seasons 1-7, Nevers for seasons 8-26.

The only character present for both judges was Édouard Lemonnier, their clerk, played by Jean Dell (seasons 1-9). Édouard’s nephew Victor (Guillaume Carcaud) became the clerk for seasons 9-26.

Lt. Victor Colas was played by Frederic Diefenthal (Meurtres à Rouen). He was with the show 1993-2001, and “Suspectes” is from Season 5. But at 21’45” he mentions that he and Florence’s partnership is still new.

There’s a cut in the video at 43’21”, probably done by whoever posted it. Of course this affects the subtitles sync for viewers who might have the uncut version.


NOTES

Surveillante (5’22”) can be translated as ‘matron,’ but it feels dated.
      The prosecutor asks Florence au moins que c'est au plus vite (At least do it ASAP). Or it could be au manque c'est au plus vite– something like ‘we’ll be short (handed?), be quick.’ As though someone had announced their departure in the previous episode.
      Which might help explain when Florence replies trois jours, ‘three days’ (5’27”). Whatever that meant, the prosecutor doesn’t seem thrilled.

Brest Friends

Les Trois Brestoises, “The Three Women From Brest,” runtime 1:30:09
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Recently widowed Léanne Vallauri (Deborah Krey) is back in her hometown of Brest to take command of the local La Crim, the crime squad. Luckily, for support she can count on her two best friends: Vanéssa Fabre (Charlotte Gaccio), a criminologist, and Elodie Quille (Garance Thenault), a doctor/pathologist. The case is the unusual and gruesome murder of Corentine Le Dantec, a perfect grandma loved by all. Except Léanne uncovers an abusive neighbor, a gang of con artists who scam and steal from the elderly, and their fence– leads which all turn out to be going in completely the wrong direction.

L-R: Léanne (Krey), Elodie (Thenault), and Vanéssa (Gaccio)

MISC

Krey is in Les Invisibles, and lately appeared in Piste Noire and Meurtres a Montauban. Gaccio recurs as Delphine on Astrid et Raphaelle. And Thenault appears everywhere, including Meurtres Sur La Côte Bleue.

Brest is a port city located at the northwest tip of France, and is the third-largest city in Brittany. Like Le Havre, Brest was extensively rebuilt following heavy bombardment in World War II.

Vincent Heneine (Lionel) appeared in 2024’s Follow, with Marie Colombe.

Yvan Le Bolloc’h (Cmsr. Pierre Pouchet) is a well-known TV host and radio performer.

Happy Hallydays

This will be my last project for 2025, may you all enjoy the holidays. Let's hope 2026 brings an improvement in the state of the world.


Ardennes, “Secrets,” runtime 1:30:32
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Ardennes is a new treat from director Josée Dayan (Capitaine Marleau) and her Passion Films production house. Subtitled “Secrets,” it is clearly a pilot.

Who are Dr. Olivier Rimbaud (David Hallyday from Capitaine Marleau, “À contre courant”) and his ‘housekeeper’ Olga (Bénédicte Cerutti)? Where do they really come from, what are they hiding (other than their matching tattoos), and whom or what are they hiding from? What are they up to in their Batcave beneath Olivier’s sumptuous chateau?

(L-R) Bénédicte Cerutti, Luba Azabal, Ben Attal, David Hallyday

Why does everything teen Zoé (Aminthe Audiard) sees turn hot pink when she's under stress, and why does she think she's actually a ghost? Just how badass but vulnerable is Cmdr. Anna Charrou (Luba Azabal)? Will she and Olivier be able to find and stop a serial kidnapper/murderer? What is causing the strange malady interfering with Anna’s— social life, let’s say. Is Olivier keeping fit, or combat-ready? And why is that almost-albino guy watching the chateau?

“Secrets” does a good job switching between the plotlines, and manages to fit in a couple of unexpected twists. It's fun when Rimbaud uses some of his psychiatrist skills to change the course of the investigation (or cover something up). It's all a very entertaining setup for what will hopefully become a long-running series.

Falco S03E05, “Sans pitié,” and S03E06, “Sacrifices”

Falco S03E05, “Sans pitié” (Merciless), runtime 48:15
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Alex and Romain respond to the scene of a widow attacked and tortured in a cemetery. If that wasn’t enough, the MO is the same as a homicide of a doctor ten days earlier. The link between the victims is the city of Versailles, where she once lived and the doctor once worked– at the city’s women’s prison.

The jour-J for Carole and Philippe’s wedding approaches. Eleonore’s man problems get worse. We learn a little about Alex’s origins. Joy prepares to meet Romain's mother.

It doesn’t get more uncomfortable: Joy and Romain (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux, L, and Clement Manuel) dine with his mother Marilise (Sophie Mounicot).

MISC

I’ve been working on and off on this and the following episode for a number of months, apologies to anyone waiting for them.


NOTES

1’20”: Aumônière au ravioles are very tiny cheese raviolis in a ‘purse’ of thin crepe-like pastry.

The EMT says he’ll give them more info sur place, ‘on-site’ (3’58”). But they’re already on-site, so he must mean ‘in/at house,’ as in ‘at base.’

Emergency surgery

Return To Paradise S02E01, “Apex Predator,” runtime 56:26
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I’m one of those who have been sucked in (lured in?) by the light & comfy, easygoing exposition festival that is the Paradise franchise: first Death in, then Beyond, and now Return to. In Return, instead of a fish out of water away from home or returning to spawn, it’s a detective who is a fish out of water in her own home town.

Anna Samson (Mackenzie) and Lloyd Griffith (Colin)

Anna Samson is Australian detective Mackenzie Clarke, who some years prior fled her wedding in Dolphin Cove to become a DI in London. In Season 1 she has vague Internal Affairs trouble, and goes to wait out the deliberations back home down under. Only everyone remembers how she stood up local boy Glenn at the altar and left her job with the town police outpost, so they all hate her to some degree. Her old police boss– Glenn’s mom– nonetheless ropes Mack in to help out on a homicide, then hires her back short term as a DS. Is that the equivalent of British DI? I know from Brokenwood that a Detective Senior Sergeant is like a DCI… And then there’s Colin, the teddy bearish detective who was slated to become the DS. But I digress.

So that’s the premise. From episode to episode Mack works a fresh case while trying to sort out her feelings, especially toward Glenn (oops, complication: Glenn is now the medical examiner) and his mom. Mack’s only healthy emotional relationship is with her dog— which she had left with Glenn.

The show is now in its second season, coming soon to— I assume— Britbox.


MISC

I wasn’t planning on Return being a subtitling project, but I have trouble understanding some Australian accents, and I couldn’t watch the first episode of season 2 because the subtitles weren't good— sub-par, I mean. Boo, ABC.
      First, they seemed totally out of sync. The 1’8” recap was not subtitled, which is fine, but a subsequent 2’13” passes before the subtitles finally start. And I just can’t have that.
      1) I synced-up the titles that did exist, then 2) filled in the missing opening. As I worked though, I continued finding subtitle gaps, so I decided to keep going with the entire 56:26.

A standout in the cast is Celia Ireland as Reggie the civilian police helper, who is absolutely hilarious.

I encountered the same Subtitle Edit bug users have been reporting since 4.11, crashing when the spacebar is used for pause/play. I've reverted to 4.10– and it still happens! Only not as often.


NOTES

3’31”: This is the first line in the original subtitles, and it was originally coded as 00:05.982. All the subtitles before this were missing.

Here’s a strange pattern: subtitles for Colin were all missing. Even in the end credits Next Time reel. Even in conversations, Colin’s lines are missing but not those of who he’s talking to.
      I can only guess that whoever captured those subtitles used OCR on multicolored subs, and it ignored Colin's color.  

34’30”: Reggie is very bi this season.