User Reviews

This episode opens with Montalbano and his team assisting at the port as migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean. It is not an easy job as there are tragedies to deal with... a boy who fell overboard and washed up on the beach near Montalbano's house; a pregnant woman who loses her child and a girl who was raped. This last incident provides the first case to be solved. A second case emerges when a local dressmaker, who had recently measured Montalbano for a new suit, is found murdered. Solving this case takes up most of the episode.

This was an enjoyable episode; the opening made me think that it would mostly dwell of the migrant issue but following the arrest of the rapists the episode leaves them and concentrates on the murder. This case provided a decent number of suspects to keep the viewer guessing. The final resolution may disappoint some viewers but I rather liked it as it answered key questions without being a standard ending to murder mystery stories. As well as an enjoyably mystery there is the expected humour... much provided by Catarella, who also provides the episodes most tragic moment as he talks about his experience with a migrant who's baby died. As expected the cast are on good form. Overall I'd say fans of the series are likely to enjoy this instalment.

These comments are based on watching the episode in Italian with English subtitles.

This is series thirteen, and by now Montalbano's emotional fatigue is really starting to show, and this episode flags three principal drivers to this.

There is the tragedy of the refugee situation, with nightly boat arrivals of desperate people, some of whom don't survive the crossing.

There is the energy-sapping long-term long-distance relationship with Livia.

And there is yet another murder, this time of someone he knew and liked, and he is visibly wounded to the core.

And so it is that we feel that he is reaching the end of his tether, and can't take very much more, but this is handled elegantly, delicately, sensitively, and one very brief scene in a church, a highly unusual venue for Salvo, speaks whole volumes. Those reviewers here who have totally canned it really should stick with American cop shows that are all shooting and special effects.

The slow pace and deliberate understatement of the episode is in total keeping with his feelings, that this has become a very slow and heartbreaking grind of a way to spend all the days of your life.

Mid-way through, a bit of genuine slapstick from Catarella serves just to lighten the tone a bit, but Mimi and Fazio seem very much in tune with Salvo and all that is going on, and eventually through their teamwork the mystery is solved.

For those who have come to feel so close to these characters, this was one of their most powerful portrayals, and I will pay full marks. Ten out of ten!

Slow, humorless, politically correct nonsense. This is from a Montalbano fan.