Two-Rivers, Three Pines, a Forest of Mystery

If you are looking for a great who-dunit along the lines of Agatha Christie, the new Amazon Prime series, “Three Pines”, just may fit the bill. Led by the inimitable Alfred Molina in the Hercule Poirot position as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache with a rag-tag team standing in for Miss Lemon and Captain Hastings. Weekly on Friday nights, we will be indulged to a new unlikely murderer hiding in an idyllic Quebec village.

Three Pines on Prime Video

Two Rivers

If that was all there was to the show, it would be binge-worthy. There is, however, a créme rising to the top of this mystery cup. With a deeply respectful nod to the red handprint movement, there is a larger mystery focusing on a missing young Indigenous woman named Blue. Not only does this provide another deep mystery that stretches across the season, but it also brings an element of magic. Looking forward to future episodes, there are hints of a Twin Peaks surreality.

The entire cast is terrific from the weekly regulars to the weekly players. Sarah Booth, Rossif Sutherland, and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers ground the investigative team across both the episodic and seasonal mysteries and are quite up to Molina’s par. The Two-Rivers family, as well, is heart-breakingly poignant in their hunt for Blue and deftly played by Georgina Lightning, Crystle Lightning, and Isabel Deroy-Olson. And then there is Anna Lambe, as Blue herself, no spoilers.

Sarah Booth as Yvette Nichol

Three Pines

In a streaming world oversaturated with the good, the great, and frankly, the mediocre, this falls under the truly great. This is not mindless viewing, it’s old-school appointment television. Amazon, if you’re listening, a big yes to a Season 2!

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I had the great opportunity to speak with Sarah Booth on behalf of FSM Media.

Check out my interview with Sarah Booth on YouTube