And thats the reason why he ultimately confesses his crime to the police as well. And, of course, like any good courtroom drama which De Twaalf undeniably is we, the audience, are that extra jury member, presented with evidence throughout and allowed to come to our own conclusions. At first, Belgian courtroom etiquette takes some time to get used to, as both prosecution and defence lawyers are allowed to back and forth with pretty much who they want when they want, and with themselves. In the closing moments of 'The Twelve', the court concludes that Frie is guilty of killing her best friend Brechtje, but is innocent when it comes to her daughter's murder. The only evidence that may have shown Claire had choked to death in the final scenethe negatives of those photographswere destroyed by Diane, thus handing her a verdict for her wrongdoing. The house mistress of Claires hostel, Ms. Fiona West (Danielle King), testifies and explains that Claire regularly fled. AppleTV Indian Crime Drama It looks bad for Frie, because she recently lost custody of Roos to Stefaan and his new wife Margot. Frie is unlikable, but so is Stefaan. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Also, she suffers from psychopathy and borderline personality disorder. She phones Noel, for lack of any better options, and it leads to Mike being led away in handcuffs, which he richly deserves. In the closing moments of The Twelve, the court concludes that Frie is guilty of killing her best friend Brechtje, but is innocent when it comes to her daughters murder. This is what the entirety of The Twelve has been building towards, and Brechtje en Roos gives it the momentous treatment, as it should. Icelandic Crime Drama Starz I liked the show it was very captivating and made you change your opinion wether shes guilty or not. While the daughters mystery gets resolved to an extent, Brechtjes murder remains to be one big mystery even after the shows credits start rolling. The jurors wrestle with their own intriguing personal dramas as they weigh the evidence against Frie. Endeavour: Whats going to happen to Fred Thursday. Looking for more of the best in foreign TV? Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { The Twelve is a riveting Flemish series that subverts most tropes of courtroom dramas. She adds that not only did she utilize her niece in her filthy practice of adult grooming and exploitation, but she also killed her by strangling her and dumping her body in Sydney Harbor. Joeri is wracked with guilt over the death of an undocumented immigrant on his construction site, and eventually begins to believe he deserves the strictest punishment possible. Ukranian Crime Drama By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Is the result moral, if not legally, correct? If some questions still remain about Fries precise motives, they make for ambiguous grace notes to a season that otherwise ended quite conclusively. The Belgian crime drama is currently streaming on Netflix. Although there is disagreement among the public regarding sufficient evidence to establish Kates crime, her defense attorneys argued that Kate should not be accused of murder unless there is concrete evidence that Claire actually died, since no dead body has yet been found. Otto, the gallery owner, bribes him first and then blackmails him to get information from the jury board because he wants Kate to be free of all charges. In the final moments, her attorney also discovers the missing gloves that she used for killing the daughter in one of her daughters old books; this further confirms that she did it. Dutch Crime Drama Australian Crime Drama To begin with, lets talk about the incision made on the daughters neck. It doesn't matter that they were justified in their fear of Frie they didn't tell the truth when it mattered most for the integrity of their relationships. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Throughout The Twelve, Kates teenage years are frequently brought to our attention. The plot-point, which reveals that Steefan is also left-handed, only seems to be a red-herring. Dr. Kantor, a forensic specialist, informs the court that sodium hypochlorite, a potent industrial bleach, was discovered in some photographs and the wheelbarrow, indicating that she attempted to clean those items, probably in an effort to obliterate evidence. AsFrie Palmers (Maaike Cafmeyer) stands on trial for allegedly killing her daughter Roos (Estelle Sys) after losing custody of her to her ex-husband, she's also accused of murdering her best friendBrechtje Vindevogel (Lynn Van Royen), who once dated Frie's ex-husbandStefaan De Munck (Johan Heldenbergh). We are fast becoming the number one independent website for streaming coverage. Margot later does the same. The day begins with the jurys selection of fourteen individuals representing a variety of backgrounds, to hear Kates case. Later, Diane testified that her ex-husband was very controlling towards his own daughter. The series theme of growing relationships and parallel stories, while not always perfect, worked well enough in the end. But it did all happen and as the final scene tells us via pop song, it's not over, just keep going. The Twelve makes a concerted effort throughout its ten episodes to separate law from morality. Using its character-driven premise, it creates an immersive experience by purposely confusing viewers and ending on an ambiguous note. One of the judges confirms this as legally correct, and that if any jurors doubted the existence of intent, the juror should vote to acquit and they do. To quickly set the context, 'The Twelve' is a Flemish courtroom drama that intertwines a murder mystery and the lives of the 12 jurors who are connected to the case. Holly makes her best effort to point out the flaws in his logic and attempts to assuage him and his guilt even going so far as to reveal that she was indeed present at her own parents' murders but to no avail. However, he's completely willing to fall on his own sword for his sleazy addict brother Bjorn (Dominique Van Malder), who suggested the hare-brained plan to leave the worker on a public bench anyway. The Belgian courtroom drama makes it to the UK. gads_event = event; The two additional jury members were chosen after the twelve pre-selected members . Delphine, who was previously a substitute, takes her decisions based on her own previous experiences. We learn that the automated flashlight was captured on camera when Kate was gone that night, and Kate finally admits to her lawyer that she was angry when Claire tried to shoot the final piece by herself but inadvertently died. WHO ARE THE FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE TWELVE (DE TWAALF)? Your email address will not be published. Most of what occurred onThe Twelve inside and outside of the courtroom wasn't fair to anybody. Will her past trauma endanger her position on the jury? Israeli crime drama In the dock is schoolteacher Frie Palmers (Maaike Cafmeyer), who stands accused of murdering her baby daughter Roos earlier that year and, in 2000, her best friend Brechtje Vindevogel. But while Fries was pregnant with Stefaans baby, he shacked up with Margot. (LogOut/ She seems guilty, as many jurors explain helplessly; we ultimately learn that she is in both cases. And I can see why you go on such a journey with Frie, the jurors and the other characters (including, I should mention, a brilliant turn by Josse De Pauwas wily defence lawyer Ari Spaak), and invest time and emotional effort, you feel as though youre owed a payoff. We know as an audience, at the end, that hes innocent bc of the scenes we're privy to, but the jury doesn't. They also dismiss the professor as not having motive to kill Bre. It is the apology she never made to Belinda for her true wrongdoing. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The kicker here, however, is why. The evidence is almost all circumstantial, so the jury has a difficult decision to make. In court, he also lied about having no clue about Brechtjes pregnancy before her death, while a flashback reveals otherwise. (For the record, it doesn't seem like these two cases would be tried as one, but I went with it). "We found it thought provoking to focus on the ordinary people that get drawn by lot for jury duty. Each of the featured jurors from Delphine, Nol and Holly, to Arnold, Carl and Joeri all managed to find find a path out of their respective quagmires during and after the trial. Lies are human nature lies we tell others as well as ourselves, and the (very, very gray) heroes of the story break themselves free of the lies they've constructed for themselves. Along with this, the show suggests that a left-handed person most likely made the incision. But when he discovered that the employee died moments after being taken to a hospital, he was left with nothing but remorse. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. (Greet Verstraete) But frankly, it doesnt look much better for Stefaan, who is a narcissist and serial cheater. eventAction: 'load' There doesnt have to be a unanimous decision, so there is only 1 vote for the jurors. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Holly learns the value of forgiveness and what conscience can do to punish more than the law ever could. We see Corrie Dsouza, an employee of a charity shop and the jurys foreperson, as she tries to flee from the painful memories of discovering her parents homicide. Frie requests her lawyer Ari (Josse De Pauw) bring a pop-up book from her home to her. As a consequence of his underlying regret, Jorie believes that no matter how guilty someone is, he/she deserves punishment. Endeavour: Whats going to happen to Fred Thursday. Also in flashbacks, we see that Brechtje and Stefaan were having problems, mostly around his unwillingness to fully commit to her. Set in the city Very confusing. Arnold is grieving the loss of his wife, and the environment around him is starting to fall apart his neighbours are constantly noisy, and the monkeys he looks after at a sanctuary are showing signs of anti-social behaviour. Joeri is the alpha-male of the jury, but soon his world comes tumbling down co-owner of a construction business with his brother, an on-site accident forces him to reassess his life and reset his own moral compass. Luxembourg Crime Series The story is directed collectively by five talented Australian filmmakers and is based on the Belgian TV series Da Twaalf. The story unfolds with the murder trial of a 14-year-old teenager, Claire Spaces(Coco Jack Gillies), after a prominent hiatus. In confessing to Ari with the critical items that prove guilt in both cases, she's revealing herself to be the person the prosecution says she is: pathologically unwilling to accept reality and seen as a bad mother. Nordic Noir And one of those cases was left open-ended. Theres something about courtroom dramas that lend themselves to binge-watching. Dont miss our other great reviews. ga('ads.send', { The Twelve wonderfully illustrates the underlying torment and escape routes of the jury members. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. }); Frie can live with the conviction for killing Brechtje; she can't live with the public knowing that she's responsible for what happened to Roos. "The Twelve" is one of the most acclaimed Australian TV series and features a scintillating courtroom drama where twelve regular individuals with regular lives not only serve as a jury in a horrifying murder case, but also become emotionally invested . The Twelve flew under the radar this summer when it landed on Netflix, and Im glad I circled back to it. What Happens To Him In The End? hitType: 'event', So many on the jury feel it's necessary that some punishment be meted out to Frie, even if it doesn't necessarily have to do with the murder. We all have our different backgrounds as a person, and maybe it's next to impossible to be completely 'free of bias.' Now, Kate feels compelled to speak because she fears that if she stays silent, the jury will never understand her predicament. Since Frie had seemingly convinced Brechtje to make that fake video against her father and also possessed her missing necklace, it is possible that she either knew that Steefan killed her or she was his partner in crime. After Kate returned home, she found her body, which she had actually dumped using a boat. When the police arrived at Dokics house, they discovered that he was driving Belinda to the hospital. Though she was filling her diaries from a tender age, her interest piqued after she visited a theatre and began working there as a script writer. She claims that because Kate is so fascinated by death, the many shades of postmortem lividity or death bruises excite her. Although Dokic repeatedly insisted that the girl was not raped, the evidence was against him. Fries reasons for hurting her daughter are also made pretty clear. Back in court, and with a final, impassioned speech from Frie, matters are adjourned so that the jury can reach a decision. "Maybe there's also a problem of our definition of what prejudice or bias is. The ten-episode drama follows Maaike Cafmeyer's Frie Palmers, a headmistress accused of a double murder, her daughter Rose (Estelle Sys), and best friend, Brechtje (Lynn Van Royen). She develops a friendship with Alexi (Damien Strouthos), a divorced construction manager and father of two young kids, who is a fellow juror. eventAction: 'click_ads' Comparatively, the jurors have a much neater time in their own stories. All4/Walter Presents next binge-worthy crime series is Belgian story, The Twelve (De Twaalf). ga('ads.send', { Was it an accident. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Change). Belgian Crime Drama He despises Kate so much that he called the police and said that she killed her daughter while she was missing. The Twelve centers around the heinous case of Frida Palmers, a woman accused of the murder of her best friend and daughter. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. One juror, Lily (Bishanyia Vincent), has an obsession with astrology and horoscopes. When shes selected its almost as if someone has pulled the rug from underneath her she pleads that shes a busy mother of three and its impossible for her to find the time to fully commit, but you also get the sense that theres disproportionate anxiety bubbling under the surface. To be honest, I truly did not know if Frie was guilty, even up to deliberation. All rights reserved. When Holly was younger, her parents were killed by a group of burglars while she hid in her closet and did nothing to help them. Films However, I do not agree with the final . Their decision may have been made, however, the scintillating part that remains a mystery is how the jurors manage to judge Frie. During a previous scene, Ari explains to Frie that he'll start the paperwork to declare a mistrial something that could easily be granted since Nol (Piet De Praitere) leaked trial proceedings to the press. When one of his illegal immigrant employees got injured at his constriction site, he just left him on a bench and fled. Were then introduced to the case itself. }); Some shows are worth their salt. The Twelve, a Belgian series on Netflix, opens with jury selection for a scandalous case against a woman, Frie Palmers (Maaike Cafmeyer), who is accused of killing her best friend 19 years earlier and mortally wounding her own child three years earlier. The Twelve episode 10, the finale, brings matters to a close, and while it has been a long perhaps too long road to get here, the journey has for the most part been worth it. Posted by Kelly Luchtman | Sep 7, 2020 | Spoiler Free Show Reviews | 0. He got her pregnant, which means hed have to tell his wife and ruin his family. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ After losing custody of her daughter, she simply wanted to prove that Steefan is not capable of taking care of her. When the intention of a gritty series is to ensure it troubles the mind, then 'The Twelve' (De Twaalf) has done hit the nail on the head as it leaves the viewers with enough to ponder over even after the end credits roll. Frie is guilty of both acts of violence, and she's confessing as much to her attorney all these years later at last. "We hope The Twelve shows both sides after ten episodes because this is very much how we feel,'" they said. He leaves Frie while she is pregnant with their daughter Roos. She does so because her husband had previously tried to kill her out of anger. He says his boat could not make it to Sydney Harbor in the allotted two hours and his fuel tank was full. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); hitType: 'event', After Frie fell pregnant with their daughter Roos, Stefaan did the dirty on her, too, and left her for Margot. Quiet and always on the outside, Nol has his secrets, too hes had affairs and is battling sex addiction. An animal rights activist, hes locked horns with hormone dealer Guy Vanneste, one of the main suspects in Brechtjes murder. Mum-of-three Delphine is the reserve member of the jury but plays a major role in The Twelve. The final minutes of the show see her attorney find the pair of missing gloves that were used for the child's murder in one of her old books leading to the conclusion that Frie indeed was responsible for the death of her daughter. Outside of its native Belgium it was shown in the US and other territories on Netflix, where it was generally very well received, and now we get it here in the UK thanks to the diligent work of the Walter Presents brand. These delicious double-crosses, affairs and hand-over-your-mouth twists and turns mean that each of the main characters who are in the dock (and you can include Brechtjes father Marc in this) really arent very likeable. Trevor is a middle-aged man without a strong personal opinion who frequently sides with the majority. 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