Safe is inspired by the thriller behind closed doors by revealing the story of Tom Delaney, a widowed doctor who lives with his two daughters in a private and protected residence. Her eldest Jenny mysteriously disappears while her boyfriend is found drowned in a swimming pool at a party.
The British series was created by writer Harlan Coben. It is strongly reminiscent of Broadchurch with a heavy atmosphere, based on the disappearance/murder of a child, a member of the community.
The scenario takes place each time in a place where everyone knows or thinks they know each other. However, an ambient paranoia reigns throughout the episodes.
The story is therefore rather basic, but the course is very effective, so we forgive the lack of originality. The production has been able to overcome by feeding the addiction of the spectator who wants to know the end.
Michael C. Hall as a worried father
Tom Delaney is played by Michael C. Hall, known for his role in Dexter. Here he plays an overwhelmed father with his daughters, following the death of his wife. When his daughter disappears, he begins the search on his own.
His character is both touching and a little infuriating: he thinks he is doing the job for the police and puts himself in dangerous situations. Special mention to the actor who even manages to copy an English accent, not always successful!
The series is also marked by the presence of Audrey Fleurot (Engrenages). The actress plays the role of a French teacher, accused of dating one of her students. She manages to raise emotions with, however, from the beginning a game too refined, but which evolves over the episodes.
Small flat concerning the case between the teacher and her student which is not deepened, it is only flown over to become completely secondary then. She is totally overshadowed by the disappearance and murder. Spending more time on this passage, would surely have given even more dimension to the plot.
A scenario under tension
While the different stories seem to take different paths, they all end up finding each other over the course of the episodes. The accumulation of tracks creates a constant tension.
The plot that is visible from the beginning of the first episode becomes more and more complex until the denouement in episodes 7 and 8. There is a rise in suspense that makes the atmosphere almost unbearable.
Even at the end, when you think you know the culprit, there is a final twist that leaves the viewer speechless. All the characters seem to be surrounded by a form of discomfort and we come to distrust everyone, and rightly so!
A worthy successor to English thrillers
The episodes are particularly well constructed with each time a passage of the evening that caused the disappearance of Jenny and the murder of her boyfriend. These flashbacks give clues about what will happen during the episode and create a kind of revelation. This same process is used at the end, but this time with a cliffhanger that pushes the viewer to continue watching to know the rest.
Each episode represents a day after Jenny's disappearance, it shows the passage of time and especially the fact that it becomes harder and harder to find a missing person as the days go by.
Despite the few lengths in the setting up of the plot, this series takes a frantic pace with a scenario that becomes more complex. It will be necessary to wait until the last minutes for the whole truth to come out.
Safe is therefore a good series, captivating and entertaining. It confirms the success of English thrillers as Bodyguard had already proved.These series manage to attract our attention from the first minutes until the very end with a shocking outcome.
