Emotions were at their peak on the 168th and final episode of “L’Échappée” when the voice of Isabelle Boulay joined us to say goodbye to the characters who entertained us every Monday night for seven seasons.
The soap opera created by Michelle Allen, whose last three seasons were knitted by lead writer Mylène Chollet, ended with his song “Better Than Down Here.”
MARIO BEAUREGARD/QMI AGENCY
***If you haven’t seen the episode yet, the leaker alert is sounding***
Four years have passed in Sainte-Alice and everyone gathers at the Le Havre Hotel and Spa run by Martine (Sophie Bourgeois) to celebrate the wedding of Jade (Charlotte Aubin) and Xavier (Félix-Antoine Duval), who have found each other never to leave again. Jade now runs the Maja Foundation and Xavier is the starred chef at Chez Étienne restaurant, recognized by food critics.
It’s a moving, light-filled ending proposed to the hundreds of thousands of “L’Échappée” followers, as if to sow a little hope in this community that has seen its share of drama (and murder) in seven years. The main characters that we met at the very beginning of September 2016 are from the finale.
Robin (Jean-François Nadeau) is now working for the Majama Foundation, which is in the process of creating an intergenerational living environment called L’Arche in the former premises of L’Échappée. Robin and Sandrine (Marie-Ève Perron) now have a 4-year-old daughter, Emmanuelle (Simone Bellemare-Ledoux). Everything seems to be going well for Manu (Sam-Éloi Girard), who is also Emmanuelle’s godfather. He studies at Laval University to become a specialist educator, like Robin, and shows love at Jade and Xavier’s wedding.
Of course, Noémie (Anick Lemay) is back in Sainte-Alice for the big party with Mateo (Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon). Visiting the future premises of L’Arche, Noémie fondly remembers her work as a consultant at L’Échappée. Stock images allow us to see many characters worn by aspiring actors such as Laurie Babin, Émilie Bierre, Kelly Depeault, Étienne Galloy, Éléonore Loiselle, Sophie Nélisse and Noah Parker.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, MARIO BEAUREGARD
The one who has evolved for the better, Sonia (Marie-Claude Guérin), is always happy with Thomas (Sylvain Marcel). They are now based in Lac-Beauport where she is Director of Customer Experiences at the other Hôtel et Spa Le Havre de Martine.
Richard (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) is the new chief of the local police station and he has a son, Arthur (Moïse Desjardins), with Flora (Alexa-Jeanne Dubé), but the parents are not in a relationship. The handsome lieutenant is reluctant to win over Maggie (Larrisa Corriveau), the half-sister of his ex-fiancée Marie-Louise (Bianca Gervais). The latter is also mentioned in the final scenes when Richard receives a letter of apology from Keven (Thomas Boonen) for shooting Marie-Louise.
The latter’s mother, Gisèle (Chantal Fontaine), is now Claude’s (Frank Schorpion) florist, Astrid (Éléonore Loiselle) is a photographer and exhibits at the hotel, and Claudie (Kelly Depeault) is back in Sainte-Alice after years gone. She now bears the name of her birth mother, Balasko. Martine and she make up.
Brigitte is dead…
The ghosts of Sainte-Alice are also present at the wedding, but no mention of serial killer David Lelièvre (Patrick Hivon) in this final round. We learn that Clément (Rémy Girard) eventually died, as did Brigitte (Julie Perreault), Jade’s mother and the main character of the soap opera at the beginning. No further explanation is given for this.
The very last installment contains many beautiful landscapes of the Bas-Saint-Laurent, as we have come to expect from Amalga productions over the years.
We’ll soon know a little more about the series “Witches”, which will slip into the slot of “L’échappée” on TVA next September.