Maigret on PBS season 1, episode 5 review

SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Maigret Season 1, Episode 5.

There are times when Maigret Season 1, Episode 5 feels more like setup for Episode 6. After all, the title “Maigret Comes Home” does make fans wonder when he’s going to get there. But if there’s a little too much exposition, the PBS Masterpiece series makes up for it by reminding viewers why they became fans of this contemporary Maigret in the first place.

“Maigret Comes Home, Part 1” primarily deals with the stabbing death of student Antoine Batille, who happens to come from a high-profile if dysfunctional family. Maigret is especially connected to the case, as he was there when Antoine died. There’s plenty of plot threads to pull; the first inclination is that Antoine was slain by a member of the burglary crew he overheard planning their next job. But that would be too easy, and Maigret makes the bold move of baiting the killer through the media.

The case moves fairly steadily, if not with as much resolution as the previous opening chapters of the other Maigret stories. Everything viewers have come to expect is there: Cavre’s ego getting in the way, Kernavel interrupting to keep things on track, even the developing feelings between Torrence and Janvier. All of the main characters have…