Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Marc Warren, Maimie McCoy, Luke Allen-Gale, Elliot Barnes-Worrell, Darrell D’Silva, Emma Fielding, Taj Atwal, Juliet Aubrey, Tim Dutton, Taheen Modek, Paul Tylek, Eva Marie de Waal, Teun Kuilboer, Mike Libanon, Martijn Nieuwerf, Martijn Oversteegen, Anniek Pheifer, Jeroen Spitzberger, Gonny Gaakeer, Frieda Pittoors.
Art has the ability to provoke dialogue, the close examination of light, colour and shadow, the heated exchange of whether a Master produced the piece or is it a copy faithfully offered or with nefarious intent; such is the opinion of one person that the copy itself can take on greater significance, offer a greater mystery than the original could hope to incite.
Every nation on Earth lays claim to the belief of enlightenment, of replicating humanity’s need for beauty, for discussion and for the kudos of ownership, art galleries are stacked to the rafters with original pieces, and arguably with a few copies inserted into place, discreetly, unknowingly and it to art, the forgeries, the fake, that the second episode of the updated version of Van der Valk immerses itself within.
Only In Amsterdam, never mind what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, it is to the provocative Dutch city a visitor has its eyes opened, the cinematically pushed desire of diamonds, of openness towards religious freedoms, social awareness and proactive insight into gender relations and how to deal with prostitution and the scourge of narcotics, The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular are what you think of when it comes to progressive and positive action; and yet even in the midst of all this liberal open-mindedness, there is still the thought of being fake, of the counterfeit illusion preying on the innocent and the virtuous.
Art implores itself to be copied, a regard of the beauty it offers, and yet as Van der Valk and his team find themselves in a case that sees the art of the copy being given more significance than original thought, with a young woman murdered in a way captured by artists consumed with the religious iconography and substance of the death of Christ, the worms that spill are both dangerous, filled with manipulation and the loss of honour, and one that brings Van der Valk into a world in which the copy is more beautiful because of the temptation it bestows.
Whilst the series itself unfortunately feels as if it is wearing a younger person’s clothes, a very good replica of a classic, during Only In Amsterdam there were moments of original moulds and patterns beginning to take shape, especially in Elliot Barnes-Worrell’s characterisation of new detective Job Cloovers and Juliet Aubrey’s rendition of a sexually liberated and explicit nun.
A faithful copy can still bring as much joy as a master’s original if the intention is to create harmony between the periods, of paying homage to a cause, and within Only In Amsterdam, that cause is recreated passionately.
Ian D. Hall