Walter Presents: ‘Pandora’ preview – fine lead performances

Claire Delval (Anne Coesens) is a judge investigating a major fraud case in Walter Presents‘ new show ‘Pandora’. During a party to celebrate her father, Simon’s, 75^th birthday, she learns from a colleague that her parents’ home is an address of interest in the case. She confronts her father, a politician and candidate for the PLF party, in his study, hoping to uncover the true extent of his involvement before their home is searched. But the stress proves too much, and he collapses to the floor.

If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.

Simon Delval’s hospitalization means there’s an opportunity for someone else to represent the party – an opportunity Mark Van Dyck (Yoann Blanc) had hoped to fulfil. But he soon learns that the position will go to a rival, Alain. However, the press conference to announce the party’s new candidate doesn’t go as expected when a group of topless young women storm the stage and throw fake blood at party officials.

When the women scatter, one runs into an underground car park where her clothes and push bike had been left. But when she gets there, her bike is being stolen. In what is a harrowing scene that follows, she chases the thieves into a deserted part of the car park, but is overpowered and raped repeatedly.

As he leaves the press conference, Mark overhears raised voices in the car park. Curious, he follows the sound and sees what is happening to the woman, but is too scared to intervene. He tries to call the police, but there’s no phone signal. Instead – bizarrely – he videos the attack on the victim’s phone that he happened to find on the floor during the fallout from the press conference.

Once the gang disperse, he picks up the woman and drives her to a local hospital, where he meets Claire Delval, who is visiting her sick father. Mark is later interviewed by the police, but for some reason doesn’t reveal that he videoed the attack on the woman’s phone.

Later, Mark confides in his PA and shows her the video. Rightly ashamed of his actions, he’s unsure what to do. However, his PA is made of sterner stuff, and she finds a way to share the video anonymously on social media, thus enabling the police to use facial recognition to identify the perpetrators.

So many crime dramas depend on the often-bewildering actions of human beings when under stress, and so it is with Mark’s actions here in Walter Presents: ‘Pandora’. Had he confronted the rapists, shouted something, got into his car and honked the horn or summoned help, then the outcome might have been very different. But he did none of these things. His actions were odd and cowardly; but faced with the same situation, who’s to say how we’d react. But I’d like to think most people would do something to prevent or stop the rape of a woman, rather than simply video it.

There are some fine performances from the two main actors, Anne Coesens and Yoann Blanc, and it’s fast-paced and entertaining. The sexual assault portion is tough to stomach, but the series is more about the relationship between Mark and Claire, whose lives are linked not only by the rape, but also by Mark’s ambitions to succeed Claire’s father on the political stage.

Walter Presents: ‘Pandora’ is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.