10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Màkari' Is a Sun-Dappled Italian Mystery
The show is based on a series of books by Gaetano Savatteri and comes from some of the same writers as 'Detective Montalbano,' which is also set in Sicily and has a similar aesthetic. Technically, Saverio is not a detective and thus does not have a partner. Practically, he totally is, and his partner is the excitable Peppe Piccionello (Domenico Centamore), who ropes him into schemes and side gigs and frequently offers philosophical musings and sauce-making guidance. Saverio also immediately strikes up a romance with a local waitress (Ester Pantano), though his reputation as a womanizer precedes him.
'Màkari' is not quite as snappy as the Caribbean-set British procedural 'Death in Paradise,' but it follows in that show's sandy footsteps. As in 'Paradise,' it's best for both the show and the viewer not to dwell too much on the loss of human life but instead to revel in those gem-blue waters and clever deductions. 'Màkari' has all the requisite real estate porn and some jazzy cars, too; every rock is sun-dappled, every table set with stylish yet unfussy serving ware. Let's brainstorm theories of the crime while bobbing romantically in the ocean, why don't we.
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There's a languid ease to everything here, a comfy absence of real tension, and even the pace of the installments is relaxed. Although there are only four per season, each is just under two hours long, which can feel leisurely, a way to unlearn one's internal 'Law & Order' clock of when suspects should be confessing.
This article originally appeared in
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