In November 2017, Amazon Prime acquired the rights to stream Season 1 globally outside of Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — a first for any French series.[1] A second season was commissioned by France 2 and was released globally on Netflix on 14 June 2019.[2]
Plot
Police-Major Laurène Weiss is the head of the Gendarmerie (police) of her hometown of Villefranche, a small, isolated, fictional town surrounded by a 50,000-acre (200 km2; 78 sq mi) forest in the mountains. Prosecutor Franck Siriani arrives to learn why the town's murder rate is six times the national average; he also has an interest in investigating the major's clouded past. The forest is a strange and exceptionally dangerous place, in which many of the murders take place.
Cast
Suliane Brahim: Laurène Weiss, the major of the gendarmes in Villefranche
The corpse of a young woman is found hanging in the forest. Major Laurène Weiss tries to solve this mystery while welcoming the eccentric new prosecutor, Franck Siriani, to Villefranche. The townspeople are already tense from the announced closure of the local sawmill and the disappearance of the mayor's daughter.
Laurène comes across a wolf protecting a hidden newborn. She tries to find the child's parents, while being followed by the mysterious animal. As events quickly escalate, her past memories return.
A traumatised amateur speleologist resurfaces from a labyrinth of caves, claiming to have been separated from a companion while underground. Laurène tries to distinguish truth from lies in his testimony before considering a perilous descent. Meanwhile, a mysterious graffito appearing around Villefranche leads Cora to suspect a group of shadowy activists has kidnapped the mayor's missing daughter.
4
4
"Nous n'irons plus au bois" "No More Walks in The Woods"
A phone is found with videos showing a group of young people terrified by a macabre discovery in the forest. After finding one of their corpses, Laurène and her team investigate to determine what happened during their night out. Meanwhile, she reflects on her complicated relationship with Bertrand, the town's mayor.
A gang of thieves hit Sabine's bar. With the town on lockdown, Laurène must locate them to learn their purpose in Villefranche. Meanwhile, Cora and the children at Arduinna follow mysterious trucks roaming the forest at night.
A woman commits suicide the same day that her husband is awarded a medal of honor. Laurène suspects the man is not the hero that everyone thinks he is. She tries to discover his dark secrets, but he is protected by the mayor, his childhood friend.
7
7
"Le secret derrière la fenêtre" "The Secret Behind the Window"
The father of a mentally-handicapped teenager is found dead. The townspeople are concerned about the boy and want to know what happened. Laurène begins a difficult murder investigation, but is troubled because Siriani has put Bertrand in custody. Laurène must uncover the truth.
8
8
"La fin n'est que le commencement" "The End Is Only the Beginning"
The investigation into the disappearance of the mayor's daughter rebounds with the strangely staged discovery of her body. While Bertrand seeks revenge, Laurène finally gets closer to the hidden enemy that she has been tracking for years.
Series 2
No. overall
No. in series
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
France viewers (millions)
9
1
"Comment Nous Vivons Maintenant (part 1)" "How We Live Now (Part 1)"
Thierry Poiraud
Mathieu Missoffe & Antonin Martin-Hilbert
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
While Major Laurène Weiss is recovering and some believe she has returned from the dead, the murder of a Steiner driver puts Villefranche under tension. Everything points towards the environmental activists of the Children of Arduinna and, to calm the spirits, Laurène has no choice but to try to find them. But the discovery of a 2,000-year-old skull pushes her to look elsewhere.
10
2
"Comment Nous Vivons Maintenant (part 2)" "How We Live Now (Part 2)"
Thierry Poiraud
Mathieu Missoffe & Antonin Martin-Hilbert
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
The death of a second driver launches Laurène on the tracks of an ancient treasure sought by the victims. Following the trail of Celtic rites practised in the region 2,000 years ago, she comes to wonder if this affair would not be linked to her own kidnapping. Meanwhile, prosecutor Siriani is quick to pressure Cora to press charges against Gerald Steiner.
11
3
"Dans une Autre Vie" "In Another Life"
Thierry Poiraud
Florent Meyer
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
The inhabitants of Villefranche are the target of deadly bee attacks. With the help of Delphine Garnier, a specialist in environmental disturbances dispatched by the Department, Laurène discovers a wild hive formed around ... the corpse of a man. At the same time, she secretly questions a breeder who has been in contact with the mysterious individual she has been looking for years. He tells her that this creature would be none other than ... Cernunnos, the Horned god.
12
4
"Coup de Lune" "Moonstruck"
Thierry Poiraud
Juliette Soubrier
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
The moon is full and, as every year in the fall, Villefranche is preparing for the worst. As tension mounts, a harassed young woman leads the brigade to revisit an old case involving Hermann. Madness seizes the city and even resurfaces a ghost.
13
5
"La Jeune Fille et le Mort" "The Maiden and the Corpse"
Julien Despaux
Sylvie Chanteux & Mathieu Missoffe
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
A young man is found dead in the middle of the forest in front of a mysterious moss-covered piano. Laurène investigates around his fiancée, a blind virtuoso, and leaves on the track of a merciless night hunter… At the same time, Cora discovers who is the real chief of the Children of Arduinna and Siriani's past resurfaces.
14
6
"Sanctuaire" "Sanctuary"
Julien Despaux
Florent Meyer & Mathieu Missoffe
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
After the Cernunnos attack, Laurène and Nounours find themselves stranded at the bottom of a ravine in the heart of the forest. It is in fact, a Celtic sanctuary which is none other than the place where Laurène was kidnapped and imprisoned when she was 18. As they desperately try to get out, Laurène is overwhelmed by the memories of her past captivity. For his part, Siriani is surprised at the sudden disappearance of Delphine.
15
7
"Comme un Chien" "Like a Dog"
Julien Despaux
Antonin Martin-Hilbert
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
Now certain of the threat that Cernunnos represents for Villefranche, Laurène tries to convince her hierarchy to send her reinforcements. Especially since they are approaching Samonios, the day when, among the Celts, the Deer God hunts with his dogs ... At the same time, hounds out of nowhere arrive in town and start to attack ...
16
8
"La Proie et les Ombres" "The Shadow and the Preys"
Julien Despaux
Mathieu Missoffe
14 June 2019 (2019-06-14)
N/A
Laurène makes a pact with Bertrand and his men in an attempt to flush out Cernunnos. The hunt is launched deep in the forest. Gérald intends to take the opportunity to settle his accounts with his son, unless Siriani can bring him down before. Cora and the Children of Arduinna are on the verge of destroying the Steiners.
Notes
^While the original French series title is Zone Blanche, which literally translates to English as "white zone", "white area", or "white region", the expression refers to a "dead zone," which describes the cellular dead zone of the setting.
although, it literally means, “white zone,” in this case, it can be translated as “Blank zone,” or what, in English, would be translated to “Dead Zone.”
