The Intern is a French series on Walter Presents USA that spans 9 seasons from 2015-2024. Constance Meyer (Michèle Bernier), a 50-year-old (in season 1) farmer and mother, decides to study at the National School of the Judiciary in Marseilles. From Mon-Fri, she interns for Judge Frédéric Filiponi (Arié Elmaleh), a workaholic, single, slightly awkward man who is younger than her. On weekends, she travels several hours back to her farm and husband, Barth (Philippe Lelièvre). As you may know, in France, the judges attend crime scenes and even interview subjects, working with the police to solve crimes. Together, Judge Filiponi and “Meyer”, as he calls her, investigate a murder-of-the-week. Plot wise, there is nothing new here, but the chemistry between Filiponi and Meyer is what makes the show work. He can be myopic and curt, so her soft touch and wisdom about human nature complements him, making them a formidable team. They remind me of Barbro and Peter in one of my favorite series, The Truth Will Out.
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The Characters
Interestingly, the log line for The Intern is this: “After a miscarriage of justice that has led her behind bars, Constance Meyer has decided to take a new career path.” However, that is not how she is introduced to us. The show drops us mid-internship without ever explaining why a middle-aged woman is studying law. (As a middle-aged woman, I feel qualified to describe her thus.) But really it doesn’t even matter. Meyer is so lovable, and she is us, the viewers. Her character acts much like we would if dropped suddenly into a detective drama. For his part, Judge Filiponi is a hard-working guy, but a little ascerbic. He’s not a grump, per se, but more clueless. He isn’t always kind to his admin, Fanny (Géraldine Loup), which drives Meyer nuts. Turns out he is a lonely bachelor, who pines after a fellow judge who is WAY out of his league. He has family troubles, too. His brother is an alcoholic who spends all of the money Freddy sends to his parents. Meyer’s family includes her rustic husband, Barth, who is resentful that Constance leaves him every Monday, and her two grown kids, Alice (Jeanne Lambert), who lives with Constance in Marseilles during the week, and Antoine (Clément Moreau).
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Our Take on The Intern
The Intern features a nice blend of humor, (including a running gag about who’s ride is better-the judge’s scooter or Meyer’s station wagon) pathos, and character development. The perpetrators are fairly easy to guess for veteran crime show viewers, but again, that’s not really the point of the show. The series is darker than a “cozy”, but certainly not to the level of a Nordic Noir. Like many episodic series, you can drop in and out of it when you are between binges, and it will satisfy you. And at 9 seasons, The Intern must be doing something right.
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