Series cast summary: | |||
Frédéric Diefenthal | ... | David Nolande 6 episodes, 2006 | |
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Jean-Louis Foulquier | ... | Sauveur 6 episodes, 2006 |
Elsa Kikoïne | ... | Corinne 6 episodes, 2006 | |
Edouard Montoute | ... | Franck 6 episodes, 2006 | |
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Claude Faraldo | ... | Alexian 6 episodes, 2006 |
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Manon Lanneau | ... | Natasha 6 episodes, 2006 |
Advertising executive David Nolande, returning from a night of drinking to celebrate the signing of a major new contract, swerves off the highway to avoid a black dog and crashes into a Gypsy fortuneteller's trailer, killing the old woman instantly. After being found not guilty of negligent homicide, an old man curses Nolande, telling him that he will have to save many lives in order to make up for the death of the old woman and adds the caveat that for each life he fails to save one of his own loved ones will die. After his young daughter becomes mysteriously ill, Nolande comes to understand the curse is real. Thus begins a series of prophetic dreams that tell Nolande who he must save so that his family will remain safe, turning his life into a perpetual race against time to prevent one death after another: a man from falling off a ladder, a woman from throwing herself in front of a train, a death by fire, a deadly motorcycle accident... Each episode ends with the line, 'Pray that ...
During a long time, french TV was used to filling its schedules with foreign broadcasts, or exact adaptations of foreign programs (in this case, "foreign" means most of the time "american"). But we can see it's about to change: french TV seems to become more self confident, more creative, and, above all, more daring.
"David Nolande" is the best example of this new age. With a dynamic production, an imaginative and full of action storyline and a great work on light and music, the program rejuvenate the genre.
A word about the storyline : David Nolande, a young man who works as an advertiser, kills by accident a an old gypsy woman, who was known to be a medium. At the end of the trial, a man throws Nolande a whammy: "You'll have to save a lot of lives because you've killed a fairy! If you don't, one of yours will die!". That is how David's life will totally change.
Thanks to a pleiad of good actors like Frederic Diefenthal or Edouard Montoute, the tone is perfectly right: it's a mix between SF and psychological drama, with a bit of comedy. The result is absolutely tremendous.
So, OK, it can make think about other series (I'm thinking about "Medium", "John Doe" or "Dead zone") but "David Nolande"'s screenwriters and director have known how to use SF references to create a new program. It is not an imitation, it is emulation.
The second season will be shot at the end of 2007... We'll have to be very patient.
Till then "Pray he'll never dream of you" !