Bassem enters the building and goes up to the woman’s apartment. She is afraid and tries to barge in when he doesn’t say anything. She passes out in the bathroom when she cuts herself with a piece of mirror. Bassem’s wife actually looked just the woman. He is a Syrian refugee, who came to the country a few years ago. At first, he is leaving but then his conscience sends him back to help the woman. Varese and Zacharie once again clash, as the latter instructs everyone out of the frame of the gallery as it is about to collapse.
Raina is unsettled when Max mentions Victoire. She realizes he only means good for his daughter and points him toward Aksha, a place where Victoire usually goes to buy drugs. Billy and Victoire are on a journey of their own after Hamidou isn’t on the fire scene. Victoire buys new clothes for herself and Billy and eventually ends up taking him with her to pawn off Larrier’s mojo for drug money. Zacharie focuses on cooling down the spire and the roof to make sure the eastbound winds do not spread the fire.
Alice jumps up on the entanglement of steel pipes to get a better angle and Taupin sees her. He tries to stop her but Alice is relentless. Zacharie and Varese are still discussing saving the nave and the vault. The “Crown of Thorns” is in there and this fills the religious Varese with even more determination to protect it at all costs. ..
Elena finally gets out of the vault and starts shooting at the firemen. She goes without a guide and the fireman who takes her in implores her to get out. But she can’t and is then stuck inside when one of the roof pillars collapses. As the roof comes down, Varese too is stuck with her team inside. The attempts of the firemen to resolve the situation from the South and the east transepts are all going to waste as the winds are too strong and the fire spreads every minute.
Max stations himself outside the store that Raina told him Victoire would come to for drugs. He remembers when he himself was taken to the cathedral by his mother. She showed him all the precious things in the gallery and the nave and it had a profound impact on him. When he had Victoire, he returned the favor to her and we see a glimpse of them together, praying in the cathedral. Adamski reaches the top but then falls off with the structure. She is buried once again under the rubble in a fire but this time she is alone.
The Episode Review
The story feels incomplete and unfulfilled. The subplots for each of the characters and how they have a personal connection with the cathedral do not have a punch. It is not to say that the dynamics won’t become interesting going ahead, but it feels like there could be more depth to the story if it were structured better.
The fire at Notre Dame has been a mystery to viewers for weeks. The plan of action by the departments is confusing, and it seems like the viewers are not getting what they want from the show.
As of now, it seems that Ducourt’s plan to rebuild the cathedral is unsalvagable and we have no idea how he will proceed. Random instructions about cooling the roof, and saving the spire and the frame are blurted out without them being legible for us. The inclusiveness charade through Bassem is another annoying waste of time that the makers really couldn’t afford.
The episode begins with a bang, with the revelation that the show’s main antagonist is alive and well. However, this is only the beginning of a difficult journey for our protagonists as they must now face off against him head on.
