2024-09-05 09:35:37
Ondřej Vetchý, Marek Taclík and Matěj Hádek try to investigate the murders. The stoic Ivan Trojan and the choleric Tereza Ramba get tangled up under their feet. The second season of the crime series Docent, which is broadcast on Czech Television on Sunday evening, begins unintentionally comically and tirelessly.
During the launch of the three new episodes, director Jiří Strach was asked, among other things, what he himself was watching. “Preferably to the night sky full of stars,” he replied. Although it was hopefully an exaggeration, the answer describes the problem of many criminal mini-series and series on Czech Television. With the exception of a few more ambitious exceptions such as Blue Shadows, Traitors or Aquarius, they do not at all reflect how the genre has changed in the last twenty years.
Anti-heroes in the roles of investigators, more psychologically drawn criminals, non-stereotypical female characters, narrative intricacy, dynamic style, reflection of current social issues – none of this is usually encountered by the viewer on public television prime time.
Thanks to more advanced technology, the picture looks better than before, here and there an effective shot from a drone is used, but otherwise it is as if the local TV crime drama is stuck in the time of Detective Martin Tomsa from the mid-90s of the last century.
At the same time, one cannot be angry with Jiří Strach and other reliable routiners for following the stars in the sky rather than foreign trends. Docent got a sequel thanks to high viewership, almost 2.1 million people watched each of last year’s three episodes. For a long time, the metric of television has been given as the main indicator of success, just like Nova or Prima. So there is no reason to change the known scheme. And the continuation of Docent, at least according to Sunday’s first episode, really does not come with anything new.
Unimaginative variations
A woman who was returning from a meeting with a friend was strangled in Prague’s Bohnice. The head of the murder party Šera, played by the traditionally tight-fisted Ondřej Vetchý, has reasonable suspicions that the case could be related to an unsolved series of violent deaths from the 1990s.
The heroes of the new series seem like implausible caricatures. The picture shows Ivan Trojan as associate professor Stehlík and Ondřej Vetchý as Milan Šera. | Photo: Zuzana Páchová
He obviously doesn’t have much faith in the investigative abilities of his investigators, nicknamed the “twins”. Not surprisingly, the duo portrayed by Mark Taclík and Matěj Hádek is even more reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy than the latter.
That’s why Šera addresses docent Stehlík from the police academy. The specialist in psychological profiling is played by Ivan Trojan as a boringly measured intellectual who loves order in life and at his desk.
A completely different energy emanates from his partner. Captain Fous, embodied by Teresa Ramba, has a shorter haircut and doesn’t scream as often as before, but she still seems to be just as unfit for police work. He flouts regulations and authorities and threatens investigations.
Fousová once again embarks on a search for her own axis. The main attraction of the series is therefore not the fun incompatibility of the two characters. When they find themselves in the same room, there is an unimaginative variation of one and the same type of situation. He behaves distinguished, she leisurely. The only shift in their relationship is a greater tolerance for each other’s bad habits, such as when he eats unportioned cake with a tablespoon.
The first episode of the new series Docent is broadcast by Czech Television on Sunday evening. | Video: Czech Television
The force of habit
During the first 40 minutes, the creators keep us hoping that they have completely left out the unruly policewoman this time. No one even mentions her. Only then is she called into action by the police presidium. Regardless of the fact that she used to be more of a burden than an asset and she doesn’t stand out for anything other than her audacity.
Oblivion describes well that the authors of the series, journalist Jan Malinda and former head of Prague’s homicide department Josef Mareš, were apparently so interested in police work that they neglected the characters.
Captain Fousová, played by Tereza Ramba, does not scream as often as last time. On the right is Ondřej Vetchý as Milan Šera. | Photo: Zuzana Páchová
Also, the charismatic associate professor Stehlík, who at least according to the title should be the main star of the series, appears on the scene only after the academic quarter-hour, when we only watch Šer’s clumsy crew.
Even then, the protracted opening episode does not catch a second breath. Only more and more interrogations follow, without any substantial progress. At the same time, the crime itself does not acquire an aura of disturbing mystery due to the lackluster direction. There is no surprise, no ambiguity, nothing to stimulate curiosity.
In reality, the investigation seems to be no different. Mostly dialogues, no action chases and dramatic twists. But if the creators, just like in their previous serial hit Cases of the 1st Department, were striving for authenticity, why are all the Docent’s heroes psychologically implausible caricatures?
After all, the endless questioning of witnesses and gathering information would feel more alive if it were carried out by characters who have depth, do not make amateurish mistakes and can be sympathized with.
Emotions are aroused only by Jiří Hájek’s music, which is, however, inappropriately serious and tense. The rest would work better as parodies. The astonishment of an experienced police officer at the word “essenbák” or the scene where one of the suspects builds a paper house for victims of domestic violence at home cannot be taken any other way. Also, Tereza Ramba, who sullenly walks around the office, chews furiously, looks at her mobile phone and shouts something here and there in a cracked voice, basically plays a character from a comic book.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough similar pleasures in a muddy eighty-minute episode to make it worth turning on the TV. For most of the time, the docent remains a bland detective without atmosphere, sense of humor and sense of narrative. The Sunday program window will pay off and will fulfill the role of an audiovisual backdrop, but this will not be a sign of its qualities, but of convenience and force of habit.