If you live in Paris, you couldn't have missed the abundant advertising campaign for Riviera, SFR Play original series created by Neil Jordan. Carried by a Julia Stiles as convincing as seductive, this first episode offers us an introduction certainly academic, but also promising.
A very (too much?) first episode introductory:
Riviera immediately takes us to a world we know too little about: the art collection and the opulent lives of billionaires. We follow Georgina, wife of billionaire philanthropist Constantine Clios, who dies in the explosion of a luxury yacht where he was spending the evening. Convinced that many elements need to be clarified, she will then begin to conduct her own investigation.
This first episode is a perfect introduction to the rest of the series. The characters presented are intriguing and the stakes set up as well.But perhaps this is also the problem with this episode: too introductory. Certainly, the characters are interesting. Certainly, we must introduce the universe in which we will navigate during several episodes. But if it is good to introduce the characters and their environment, perhaps it would have been interesting to press more on the psychology of certain characters. Here, the episode focuses mainly on the environment in which the protagonists evolve, but the characters themselves are slightly neglected, despite several interesting elements for each of them. Let's hope that the sequel will rely on the psychology of each and everyone, to make us discover dark secrets of families or the world of art collectors.
An aestheticized realization with perfect sounds
One thing particularly striking in this first episode of Riviera : its realization.Particularly focused on aesthetics, each shot of this pilot seems studied to the millimeter and is of a rather impressive harmony. It must be said that the warm colors of the Côte d'Azur are conducive to creating plans as magnificent as those offered to us. We can also highlight the realization of the credits, which has some similarities with the realization of the credits of James Bond. Probably a tribute wanted by the creators of the series (or maybe it's a coincidence but… hard to believe!)
In addition to the particularly worked images, we must also highlight the remarkable work on the sound. Whether it's the discreet music during the emotional sequences, the tense music during the nervous scenes, or the disturbing sounds during the suspense sequences, all the music is perfectly superimposed on the desired atmosphere. Great potential for the upcoming episodes!
An international and well-run cast
In addition to offering us a more than enticing cast, Riviera has the luxury of shooting an international cast. Thus, we follow the American Julia Stiles, perfect in her role as a young widow, the British Iwan Rheon (yes yes: the awful Ramsay Bolton from Game Of Thrones), through the French Roxane Durant.Each character is for the moment perfect in his role, but as mentioned before, they are not yet developed enough for us to really attach ourselves to them.
The pilot episode of Riviera promises us a series well conducted scripted and perfect aesthetically. Will it hold out from start to finish? Will the investigation be breathless enough to get us hooked like other series do? Answers from Friday, June 16 on SFR Play.
