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Il commissario Montalbano: La pazienza del ragno (2006)
Very weak episode
Inspector Montalbano is a generally pleasing series, though its appearances in the UK are infrequent and belated.
However, this is one of the poorest Montalbano episodes I have seen. The 'storyline' is a haphazard implausible mess culminating in a denouement which is actually laughable.
The weakest parts of the Montalbano template are, however, present and correct including, worst of all the needless 'comedy' of Agent Catarella - which dissipates what little dramatic tension managed to elude the director and editor.
I generally enjoy Inspector Montalbano but this is one edition I wish I had not seen. The saving grace is Sicily itself - though the only way to ruin that would be leave the lens cap on the camera.
On reflection, it is arguably more entertaining to wonder why this episode was so weak than actually watch it. Perhaps the writers left having partially destroyed the script, key actors walked off set (maybe after a fight with the scriptwriters), and/or the budget was slashed and the story was patched together from the cutting room floor: it certainly looks like the first 15 minuted were from a different episode altogether: maybe those minutes cost too much to throw away? Ships, helicopters, extras? Not usually part of the Montalbano template.