I recently wrote that several excellent series fell by the wayside and were completely lost or diluted in the extremely rich offerings of Quebec television this fall. After the Flood, Noovo embodies the perfect example.
Published at 3:00 am. Updated at 6:00 am.
This bold and raw work by director and screenwriter Mara Joly deserved a better audience rating than the 176,000 people who saw it including the footage. It’s not enough.
After the Flood would certainly have had a more successful career on Netflix. On Noovo, it feels like it doesn’t exist, despite rave reviews and a lot of media hype.
Was it too intense, too urban, too niche or too confrontational for a more traditional clientele? Perhaps.
Set in a multi-ethnic red light district of Montreal, After the Flood still combined several compelling elements that set it apart from other television series on the air. First, unknown (and talented) headliners have been brought to the fore, which is demanded by many viewers who are tired of seeing the same actors on all airwaves and in all soap operas.
She then told a captivating story of four young delinquents, including three children of immigrants, who were taken under the wing of police officer Maxime Salomon (Penande Estime), who is also a mixed martial arts (the famous MMA) trainer.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY NOOVO
Erika Suarez in the series After the Flood
The six episodes, broadcast on Thursdays at 9 p.m., packed with suspense and immersed us in a world rarely depicted on Quebec television: the world of blacks and Latinos struggling to escape violence and poverty. Think of Montreal Nord – or Saint-Michel – of street gangs.
However, the many qualities of After the Flood, a show both hard and bright, did not gladden the hearts of viewers. It’s disappointing.
Personally, I really enjoyed “After the Flood,” and you can watch it for free on the Noovo website (or through the Crave platform for paying subscribers). You will discover characters who are twisted and complex, but endearing in their distress and vulnerability.
My favorite was Eva Ramos-Batista (Erika Suarez), a young woman of Cuban descent who supports her parents in her family’s cleaning business but chases love and money. Bright, resourceful and charming, Eva was hiding a secret that, once revealed, made her even more likeable.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY NOOVO
Penande Estime and Blanche Masse in a scene from After the Flood
Eva’s best friend, the intense Dylane (Blanche Masse), made me curse for six weeks, a goal. This 17-year-old teenager, impulsive and angry, made the worst decisions and at the end of the fourth episode, in a shocking scene that I won’t reveal, we understand that her situation will not improve.
This delicate part of the scenario, involving his big brother Jimmy (Karl Walcott) and his bipolar mother Pascale (Marilyse Bourke), was approached with due caution. It’s rare that a Quebec series ventures into this taboo territory, which boils down to: What a twisted and fucked up family Dylane’s is.
The second season of After the Flood, confirmed by Noovo, will undoubtedly solve the mystery surrounding Jay (Steve Diouf Felwin), whom those around him consider to be gay. It is not explicitly mentioned in the text, rather Jay was born in the wrong body. Understand: He is a trans character.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY NOOVO
Steve Diouf Felwin in a scene from After the Flood
The information was subtly inserted at the end of the second episode. As Jay planned his escape, his mother (Djennie Laguerre) gave him his grandmother’s wedding dress that she had made for him. “It’s beautiful,” Jay remarked as he placed the white garment close to his body. “You look beautiful, my daughter,” the mother replied before going to bed. Jay’s transgender identity was not discussed again after that.
The character of the university football player, the dapper Vincent (Samuel Gauthier), also showed a nice range of nuances. We thought he was selfish, spoiled and brainless, but we discovered a sensitive young man who was able to stand his ground and admit his mistakes.
Of course, Haitian-born patrolman Maxime Salomon, in a relationship with another dark-skinned woman (Leila Donabelle Kaze), allowed After the Flood to talk about racial profiling and dangerous interventions against black communities without turning it into a militant pamphlet.
OK, some of you are probably moaning, “Well, one transsexual, black woman, two lesbians, another series of wake-up calls!” No way. This is just a good story, well told and well executed.
And it’s hard to make it more modern than After the Flood. The series is primarily in French, with detours (subtitles) in English, Spanish and Creole. There is a secret bar owned by Stella (France Castel) where criminals hang out. The characters vape, smoke weed, take street drugs, and open OnlyFans accounts. They live in apartments that look like real apartments of Montrealers who, on the contrary, are not digging in gold.
The soundtrack is versatile, pulsating and invigorating, in short: “After the Flood” had all the ingredients to make a big splash this fall.
Why did it sink in the listener polls?