The Missing - The Complete Season 1 - DVD

Content: It was just supposed to be a nice, relaxing family holiday that Tony (James Nesbitt) and Emily (Frances O`Connor) were going to spend with their son Oliver (Oliver Hunt) in a small town in northern France during the 2006 World Cup. But then the five-year-old boy disappears one evening. The police launch a large-scale search operation and renowned investigator Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) takes on the case. But all to no avail. Oliver remains missing. However, Tony in particular does not give up hope. He continues to search for Oliver, desperately clutching at any straw. Eight years after the boy's disappearance, he returns to northern France a broken man. And sure enough, he and Baptiste find a new lead.

The Missing's sweeping story is told on two plot levels that keep intermingling. The first is set in 2006, the second in 2014, gradually piecing together a harrowing puzzle that remains gripping until the finale. Like Tony, the viewer has hope until the end that Oliver is still alive and can be embraced by his parents again. Whether it comes to that, of course, is not revealed here. Only this much: There are always moments that make you feel the despair of Tony and Emily, but then there are also moments that make you hope for a happy ending. And that's what this series thrives on.

It's to the creators' credit that they tried to portray such a horrible scenario and how the people involved dealt with it as authentically as possible. So while Emily can't forget and is repeatedly overcome by sadness, she has accepted that her life must go on. She has dared a new beginning and allows herself to feel something like joy and happiness again. That she hasn't been able to do that alongside Tony is absolutely consistent with his inability to let go of Oliver and his grief, anger, and self-recrimination.

Just Tony is a tremendously compelling character, as his desperate search for his son changes him more and more, bringing out sides of him that the once-loving family man didn't show at the beginning. The scenes in which he and Julien follow up every little lead are always among the emotional highlights of the series. You suffer with Tony, you feel his anger and you can also understand his morally not always perfect actions. In the case of this series, this attachment to a character is immensely important, especially for the final minutes, as this is what allows them to unfold their full power.

With some cleverly constructed twists and turns, the tension of the story is also carried over some somewhat lengthy moments. This makes for an eight-part thriller that is not only superbly acted, but also really engagingly directed. If you like gritty thriller fare and if the subject matter isn't too upsetting for you, this first, self-contained season of The Missing can be warmly recommended. Absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The coloring captures the atmosphere of the depressing story very well. Overall sharpness is at a good level, with only a few minor point deductions in detail in the darker scenes. Overall, the picture and sound quality are on a good TV level, with the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix primarily carried by the dialogue. Good.

Extras: For each episode there is a short episode commentary clip with explanations of the story or making of. On the first DVD are the clips for episodes 1 (approx. 1:21 min.), 2 (approx. 1:36 min.) and 3 (approx. 1:22 min.), on the second disc for episodes 4 (approx. 2:06 min.), 5 (approx. 1:37 min.) and 6 (approx. 1:45 min.) and finally on the third disc the clips for episode 7 (approx. 1:37 min.) and 8 (approx. 1:56 min.). As you can already guess, you shouldn't really expect in-depth background info due to the short running time. Unfortunately, the same goes for the promo featurettes The New Series (approx. 2:33 min.) and Time Changes Everything (approx. 2:02 min.), which aren't much more than trailers for the series pimped out with interviews.

Conclusion: The Missing is a moving, suspenseful, and stirring series that thrives on its relentless story and great cast. Even though the whole thing leaves a really depressing impression, this first season is really worth watching. The DVD box presents the eight episodes in very atmospheric picture and sound quality. The bonus material consists mainly of short promo clips, but has some interesting background information to offer. Overall, there is for this box a clear: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp