HPI S04E02, "ISO 8601"

Haut Potentiel Intellectuel S04E02, "ISO 8601," runtime 58:26 Subtitles download link

Morgane is late for her ultrasound appointment, but the murder of a clinic doctor makes her even later.

Morgane explains what 'ISO 8601' is.

Ordinarily all the SHOUTING in this episode would make it difficult to translate (it did) and I would hate it. But I didn't hate it due to the introduction of Fred, and his seeming rivalry with Karadec.

NOTES

PMA (4'55") is Medically Assisted Procreation (e.g. in vitro), which I have footnoted as Assisted Reproduction.

Gilles utters the swear Bordé de nouilles (6'17"), which literally translates as Lined-with-noodles. This is a real thing in French and means Very lucky. But the English doesn't work in this context. What would make sense is if he says Bordel de nouilles, Fucking noodles. But no one says that, so I've put 'Oh fudge!', which at least involves food.

When the investigation yields the name of a couple who may have a grudge against the doctor, Karadec says, On les attend elles risquent d'arriver, We're waiting for them to arrive (9'06"). Fred then says to Gilles, Oui, 'elles,'  Yes, 'they' (9'10"). But in both cases it's the feminine 'they,' meaning the couple is two women. So I've used "two women" and "woman-woman" instead of "they."

Fred's nickname for Morgane is Cent soixante, 160 (9'42").

Qued (9'49") seems to be a contraction of que dalle, Nothing.

Jardin Vauban, Vauban Garden (17'16"), is an 8½ acre English-style park adjacent to the Lille Zoo and the Citadel. It is south of Avenue Mathias Delobel, whereas the zoo and Citadel are north of that street.

The zoo gate where Morgane, Karadec, and Fred are staked out (17'28" and 36") is the actual gate of the actual Lille Zoo.

Joan of Flanders Hospital (21'45") is a real place, part of the University Hospital Center district in southwest Lille.

At 32'06" it sounds like Morgane and Fred are using pareil (Same) and parait (Seems) in quick succession.

Audrey Fleurot

When Fred asks Morgane about her relationship with Karadec (35'49"), he says C'est quoi le passif contre le Commandant Grognon et toi? (What's the liability between you and Commander Grumpy?) In this case I've translated passif as Damage, which is very Heathers.

Qui a pas une tune (36'36") literally means 'Doesn't have a tune.' I've put 'Doesn't have a cent' instead.

Bof (37'41") means a lot of things-- or just about anything, seemingly-- but usually Meh or Ugh. But since Morgane is using it as a question, and since it could mean anything, I've put "Hey?" as if she means 'Hey, don't bail on me now.'

As she guesses at what to do about the bomb, Morgane says what sounds like peut-je pouf, Can I poof, or maybe pousse pouf, Push the pillow (40'33"). Neither makes sense, so I'm ignoring it in favor of the in-context 'If I have to choose.' She is kind of pushing herself to make a choice.

C'est ma seule entorse, It's my only infringement (46'12"), isn't conversational, so I've put 'The only time I've broken the rules.'

Yes, rosbifs, Roast beefs, (48'38") is a nickname synonymous with Brits or Limeys. I've put 'English.'

HPI S04E01, "Recto-verso"

Haut Potentiel Intellectuel S04E01, "Recto-verso" (Double-sided), runtime 59:46
Subtitles download link

Morgane returns to work at the Lille Crime Squad for the first time since the fiasco in the Haut Potentiel Intellectuel Season 3 finale, Kikeriki. The case is the murder of Alexandre Collet, stabbed to death while preparing a quiche. As the episode begins, Morgane still hasn't told any of the potential fathers about her pregnancy. Thea and Eliott are definitely not into having a new sibling, and are researching abortions in nearby countries.

Notes

Morgane meets the team at the crime scene, and Gilles says (3'46") something like ton bonne nuit toi, 'Goodnight to you'-- or, 'Say goodnight!' I've translated it as 'Looking good!'

Examining bags of flour at the crime scene, Morgane notices "the T45 was rolled up and not folded like the other packages on the shelf" (4'49"). Type 45 is a soft wheat white flour used for making pastries.

Alexandra's husband Christophe, explaining why she doesn't work (5'53"), says notre fils Paul est sourd rais (Our son Paul is Deaf rais, at least that's what it sounds like). The closest translation is 'Deaf,' and since rais isn't really a word, I've translated it as 'our son Paul is Deaf.'

L'Epine (12'56") is a neighborhood in eastern Lille.

30° Celsius (16'23") is 86°F. So the murder took place on a very hot day.

Un notaire, a notary (19'56"), is a public official that might best be called an "appointed public estate lawyer." There are thousands of them who advise on and certify private contracts within couples & families, as well as wills & inheritances. I've translated it as "public notary."

Thea asks Morgane (22'0") about 'the other two dads,' n'aura pas un petit peu payer, Won't they have to pay a little. I've translated it as "won't they chip in?"

La quête (25'08") means "The quest/search." But in church it also means "The collection." Faire la quête means "Take the collection," or "Pass the hat."

Morgane takes Gilles' car, without telling him, to follow a suspect, so he reports it stolen. When a police cruiser starts chasing her she yells 'Why are you allumé le gyro?', Why did you turn on your lights and siren? (34'53"). I can't think of a one-word equivalent for gyro in the US, so I've translated it as "blues-and-twos."

Morgane confronts the 3 suspects (L-R, Pierre Laugier, Catherine Claeys, and Amar Oumaziz).

Morgane responds à lutter, Struggle/strive (39'33"), to a suspect's lie about the funerals. In this context I've translated it as "She doesn't give up."

Thea yells at Morgane for avoiding breaking the baby news to Karadec (41'53"): "What are you expecting? He's gonna say 'Great, I've always dreamed of having a baby with une nana avec qui j'en veux à mort'?" (a woman I'm mad at to death!). I've changed the last part to "a woman I'm sick to death of."

When the culprit confesses, Karadec asks (47'28") tu avais pris en chasse Robin (literally, It was you who hunted Robin). I've translated it as, "it was you chasing Robin?"

The euphemism fricotaient, Rubbing (51'59"), I have translated as Getting it on. Although the most entertaining definition I found is "Skoodilypooping with."

Les Pennac(s): Police & poulet

Les Pennacs (aka Les Pennac, Les Pennac(s)) is a light procedural set in Montpellier, in the Languedoc. The story focuses on father & daughter police captains, Hannibal Pennac (Christian Rauth) and Annabelle Pennac (Julie-Anne Roth), as well as her son and daughter (Louis and Lea). Hannibal and Annabelle were estranged for decades, but are in touch again following Annabelle moving to France from Reunion Island. Now they are getting to know and trust each other.

A complication is Annabelle's dyslexia, which the audience sees as letters scrambling, and manifests when she goes left when she means right, and in her difficulty with reading and writing (which she has kept secret), relying instead on text-to/from-voice apps.

The show has a running gag involving Hannibal's pet chicken, Marguerite. It's common to call the police poulet because the words sound kind of the same. It's about as common as flic, and maybe slightly more affectionate. On HPI, Théa has more than once referred to Karadec as Super poule (e.g. “Décalage horaire,” 0'54").

Les Pennacs began with a 2022 pilot episode I haven't seen, and so is not among the subtitles I've created. I'm identifying the episodes by title rather than season/episode numbers because I don't know for certain whether the pilot is episode 00 or episode 1.

I'm uploading the series to Opensubtitles as I translate them, two at a time. Here are the first two:

Episode: "Mort d'une poucave" (Death of a Snitch), runtime 52:42.

Hannibal comes out of retirement after he finds a former informant dead. Louis asks Hannibal for help with an egregious PE teacher; a dyslexia-related error endangers the investigation; Annabelle sends Hannibal undercover.

NOTES

The victim Tom is found at the cité Auroras (3'06"). Cité does mean "city," but here it refers to a usually-public block of housing. In England they are called estates, perhaps ironically, and cité is usually translated as such.

The Tour de la Babote (3'43") is a 12th century stone tower that was part of the fortifications of Montpellier. It became an observatory in 1745, and a monument in 1927.

A pantoufle vair (21'30") as used here means "glass slipper," although just vair is sufficient, pantoufle is redundant. Weirdly, vair also means "squirrel fur" (21'43")

Rauth (L) as Hannibal, and Roth as Annabelle.

EHPAD (42'02" and 42'48") stands for Établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes ("Accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people"). EHPAD Les Hortensias is a real private retirement/assisted living facility-- but it's in Burgundy, not Herault.

Hannibal asks Odile why she's so angry (48'32"), but what he says, sarcastically, is pourquoi tu es charnamment (Why are you so charming?)


Episode: "Mort d'un innocent" (Death of an Innocent Man), runtime 51:32.

A kidnapping alert leads to a social media lynching. Louis conspires with his grandfather to keep Annabelle from finding out where Hannibal is living; Annabelle's ex shows up with some exciting news; an influencer is a headache for the Pennacs; after receiving her ex's news, Annabelle decides to transfer back to Reunion.

NOTES

Napoléon est mort à Saint Hélène (00'16") (Napoleon is dead on Saint Helena), is a nursery rhyme!

A macaron (4'34") is a cookie, but it's also a car window sticker-- in this case a handicapped parking permit.

Quadriller can mean "patrol," and so quadriller la ville (5'34") means "Patrol the town." In this context I have translated it as "dragnet."

Louis says he's hoping for a 12 on a book report (16'59"). The French grading system runs from a low of 0 to a high of 20. A 12 would be considered assez bien ("Adequate" or "Good enough").

Alexia Chicot (L) as Lea, and Valentin Pinette as Louis.

Une petite châtaigne (17'12") is a chestnut treat which comes in many different recipes.

The kidnappers used a rental car, and Smercesky says it's from N'uncar (36'28")-- at least that's what it sounds like. I decided it means No Car, a made-up rental car company.

When it looks like they're being taken off the case, Hannibal warns Annabelle (38'52") si tu t'écrase (If you crash). T'écrase means crash, and also shutting one's mouth. In this context I've translated it as "If you give in."

At Annabelle's dinner with Marco, he says "the Scooby's Stew was incredible," which she laughs at (48'16"). I think the joke is that Marco, who is Italian, is saying the stew est inoubliable (is unforgettable) but mispronouncing it.

Subtitle Edit crash!

Had a scary software issue today when SubtitleEdit version 4-something (Windows 11) dropped the video file's audio (which it has done before) and then, after a little while, crashed and refused to stay open. No error messages. 

After looking to see what new free/open source titling apps there might be, I decided to try a Subtitle Edit reinstall. Step One-- remove the current copy. Which is when I discovered the original version 3.x was still on my computer-- updating to 4.x did not overwrite the previous version. Subtitle Edit users looking to update, take note. Did the copies interfere with each other? Why wait until now to be fatal?

Step Two, with both copies removed I ran a freshly downloaded 4.0.5 installer. I'm happy to report I'm back up and running. 

Le Grand Froid

Capitaine Marleau #33, "Á contre-courant" (Against The Current), runtime 1:39:04

Subtitles download link.

A big chill ran down my spine when I hit Play and was hit by the sound of a boat motor and shouting. Luckily the dialogue in the cold open was rudimentary. Otherwise, this story is about the death of a man while staying with friends at a house by the sea.

You might call "Á contre-courant" 'the nepo baby episode'-- in the cast are Romane Bohringer, daughter of film legend Richard Bohringer, and David Hallyday, son of French rock legend Johnny Hallyday. (Another Hallyday child, Laura Smet, half-sister of David, appeared in the 2017 episode "Sang et Lumiere," as well as the more recent "Morte saison.")

Riwan Belkacemi, who was 'Bixente' in "Morte saison" and 'Greg' in "La cité des âmes en peine," is Gendarme 'Hakim' in this episode.

Riwan Belkacemi (L) and Corinne Masiero

Piste Noire finale

Subs are finished for Episode 6, the finale of Piste Noire. The story reaches its tragic conclusion.

There was a lot of shouting and words running together in this episode. I did my best.

Dimitri Storoge (L) as Jourdan, and Thibault de Montalembert as Servoz.

The rundown: 

Madame La Juge does some grilling, there's a confession, and then another confession. 

The Monfort sawmill is in deep shit and Denis can't cope. Jourdan is going to lose his investment. Tatiana takes off. Alexia unveils her group's big surprise.

On the bright side, Emilie and Anne come to terms with the past. Emilie and Alexia have another interlude. Servoz gets justice for Florence.

It was fun, folks. On to the next project.

Erratum:

I'll be working on Capitaine Marleau after all, but not Le secret d'Alba (the one with Philippe Bas). Instead it's the episode A contre-courant (the one with Romane Bohringer).

Piste Noire, episode 5

It's a wrap on episode 5.

This episode is a great setup for the finale.  We see the aftermath of the pedestrian bridge; Servoz deals with grief; Alexia has an unwelcome encounter, then starts planning a "hike"; TENSION for the Karras household; TENSION for the Monfort household; TENSION for Charlotte, Tatiana, and Jourdan; the person who torched the trailer (and killed Fabrice Emery) is revealed.

Notes: I hope the make up artist got an award, Alexia's injuries (9'12") look amazing.

Yeux noirs (27'12") means "black eyes," but one of the meanings refers to Romani/Travellers, and that appears to be the context here.

At 47'33" Emilie is on the phone and orders up... something that involves ramonage (sweeping).  I can't make out the rest of what she says.  But what happens with Charlotte at the beginning of episode 6 means it could only refer to phone data, so I've translated it as a "phone sweep."

Erratum:  Any new Capitaine Marleau work is off due to technical reasons-- no one could be more disappointed about this than I am.

Piste Noire, episode 4

The subtitles for Episode 4 are up and should be live soon (remember, only minimal SDH related to key action).  In this episode: Emilie enjoys the afterglow; we say RIP to Corto; Boris is on the road to Losing It-ville; Jourdan and Tatiana come on like wiseguys.

Boris (Pierre-Yves Bon) starts to lose it;
Charlotte (Deborah Krey) is not far behind.

Cliffs of Falaise (7'29") refers to Chateau Falaise, in the town of Falaise in Normandy, which is on a 600-foot crag in the middle of town.

Idioms:

Je vais pas y aller par quatre chemins (7'39") literally translates to "I'm not going by four paths"-- which means, "I'm not going to beat around the bush."

Un cas de force majeure (15'47") means "a case of major force" or more commonly "act of god." But here it means "a case of absolute necessity."

une bande d'allumer (36'28") means "a band of the enlightened." Given the times in which we live, I've translated it as "some woke group." 

Piste Noire, episode 3

The subs for part 3 are up at Opensubtitles (keep in mind there is SDH, but minimal). Things get bloody in this episode; Boris's situation gets desperate; we get to see where the Major lives; we finally get confirmation of which way Emilie swings, although we had some signals earlier.

Solene Rigot, left, and Constance Labbé

"Cité des Cimes" means City/Housing Project of [or ‘on’] the Peaks. Seems to be a step up from The Reserve.

Early on, Fauvel makes his escape across the Pas de Mongins on the road to Monthey, Switzerland. This road has to be the D22, meaning Clairies in real life is Châtel. However, the scene at 1'56" was shot on a different road, as the border crossing does not look like the real Pas de Mongins. 

Let's nail down the question of what a Prefecture is. The best way to express it is the Prefecture is the national government's local presence. You probably go there to access national government services and officials.

Idiom note: At 23:54 Loic says C'est n'importe quoi, fouetter un chat, which literally translates as "It's nonsense, whipping the cat." I have translated it as "Why are your whiskers in a twist?"

Wikipedia entry for Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, 1809-1865

Projects note: I'll be doubling up, working on Piste Noire while I harvest the French subtitles from episodes of Les Pennac(s).

Piste Noire, episode 2

Subs for Piste Noire episode 2 are completed and uploaded. Someone we thought was dead, isn't! Yet. We meet the next link in the trafficking ring! Speaking of family, we meet Emilie's daddy issues! The sexual disdain between Emilie and Boris is palpable! Why is Servoz so antsy? There is indeed a lot of shouting in this episode.

Solene Rigot as Alexia.

Episode 3 may take me longer, as it is American income tax season and I have paperwork to prepare.