[NB: possible "spoilers" below, though IMO most not specific enough to black out]
I expect you've "moved on" since writing this comment about three years ago. Still, I must belatedly and regretfully agree with your (and AureliaBuendia's) criticisms.
FWIW, I watch "Montalbano" courtesy of Mhz Network's "International Mystery" series, although I have gotten a few DVDs. It isn't in the rotation very often these days, which is a shame since it's still better than a lot of the mediocre and inferior European mystery/police procedural programs that now clog the schedule.
I mention this to say that by happenstance, during the past week Mhz showed "August Heat" (Series 7, 2008) and "Angelica's Smile" (Series 9, 2013). Watching these episodes back-to-back, I was bothered not only by some of the points you raise, but also by the discouraging realization that they've fallen into the trap of over-recycling these formulaic themes and plots.
I have sympathy for prolific authors like Andrea Camilleri and the TV scriptwriters with whom he collaborates; they must constantly struggle with the problem of successful and popular character traits and situations reaching a point of diminishing returns. It's not a good sign when they resort to more of the same, especially when they abandon nuance in favor of sensationalism.
So, for instance, they recycle the dubious "femme fatale" plot. And this time the stunning beauty, who like Ingrid is played somehow "larger than life", appears topless. The expression "tarted up" suggests itself.
I don't object to this as such-- on the contrary, what really grates on me is the prudish rule that incidental semi-nudity is always electronically censored, so during these scenes Angelica's upper torso must be shown floating in a kind of pixelated mist.
My objection is that I think this does a disservice to Montalbano's character. It's one thing to have a single episode where Montalbano is "disarmed" by a seductive woman, but once it becomes a permanent weakness it's harder to tolerate; it turns the normally hard-headed, shrewd Montalbano into more of a "Mimi".
Also: I think they televised the episode after this one, but I can't remember offhand if Angelica returns; I suspect she might, since they seemed to make a big deal out of guest star Margareth Madè. But I'm not sure if, as the ambiguous ending suggests, Montalbano lets her off the hook despite her obvious criminal complicity in a series of crimes that included wanton murder.
If so, this is another case of going a step too far with Montalbano's usually commendable judgement. It's one thing when his conscience and heart override his sense of duty when he's dealing with people at arm's length, so to speak. But protecting and implicitly condoning an unscrupulous criminal conspirator because she's uncannily like the love interest in a chivalric romance is indefensible.
Unlike previous instances, in this case Montalbano's occasional willingness to bend the law for the sake of a deeper justice is contaminated by the problem that letting Angelica off the hook is also self-serving: it also lets him off the hook for being bamboozled by her in the first place.
There are other disappointing elements in "Angelica's Smile", but I'll save that for another chapter. It is worth mentioning that I was disappointed that in this episode, Il Dottore Pasquano (Marcello Perracchio) phoned in his cameo. I hope it's only because Perracchio wasn't available for that particular episode.
Per Wikipedia, there are three more episodes after this one, and a new series is/was being filmed in 2015. It'll probably be a long time before they turn up on Mhz, so all I can do is keep my fingers crossed and hope they pull out of this incipient tailspin.
reply
share