Notre-Dame – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Episode 2

Elena, another new character and a familiar face for someone in the command center, practices her questions before an event during Notre-Dame episode 2. Her boss Steph phones her and redirects her to Notre Dame. Alice has actually lost herself in the spire, which is unredeemable, and an alert Taupin pulls her off to safety just barely.

In a flashback that goes about 2 years before the present day, we see a performance of the orchestra group in the church. All of our chief players are present there. Max’s wife plays the cello, and we see Victoire with him too in attendance.

It is revealed that Ben already has a wife while having an affair with Alice. From there on in, we switch to the funeral but the key thing to notice here is that Alice came under Zacharie’s radar in both places. Zacharie is also shown to have visited Denis’ parents, who mourn their son’s loss.

There is a constant internal struggle for Zacharie, who is an atheist, and others around him who seem to be devout Christians. Alice is shown to suffer from PTSD, where she tries to hurt herself to punish her and is barely able to sleep at night. The guilt keeps her awake.

She also calls Zacharie’s cell without ever saying a word but he only comes to know of it later, when Alice confronts him at the park. In the present, the operation to save Notre Dame is going poorly.

The gallery and spire are already lost, while the nave is still something that can be salvaged. But to do that, the roof will have to be called from above and that is a difficult task. Varese is leading the charge in the cathedral, and she is exactly thinking the opposite of Zacharie. Faith divides them both and guides their actions in different paths.

Elena’s hand is forced to do something when Steph reports that the network is sending Gregoire, the star anchor/host, to cover the event. She spots Antony Casemira, the fireman with the ops in the command center, and jumps toward him.

They seemed to be an item long back and she uses the remnants of feelings in him to leverage a coverage inside the cathedral. Varese is determined to make sure the symbol of Christianity is preserved at all costs but it is a race against time. Back in the past, we see Alice following Zacharie. The erstwhile general meets with Ben’s wife, who informs him of the divorce. In a scuffle with the men who return with weapons, Max overpowers them but the engine of his car is shot.

The small black boy is named Billy Diallo. He is looking for his father Hamidou, but he isn’t with this department, probably. He inadvertently loses his ball in the river and jumps after it. Victoire sees him and jumps in to save Billy. They reach the shore together. She promises to help him find his father. Max reaches James Larrier’s home and he gets into the secure building.

At Larrier’s apartment, his wife storms out in anger as Max tries to get information out of him about Victoire. He says he only recognizes Raina and gives Max her number. The Police Commissioner and Zacharie have a conflict. While the former does not want media inside the cathedral, the latter wants to authorize it. He believes letting the people see would benefit the confidence in the department.

Zacharie is also shown to have changed his perspective on his job after Alice confronts him. She says that the deaths of all the firemen under his command are on him and not on anyone else’s shoulders. On the scene, he prioritizes the life of his men and communicates his decision to retire after the fire to Varese.

The Episode Review

Episode 2 was all about trying to juggle the big ensemble and their own life stories panning out with the burning Notre Dame at the center. While the fire itself took secondary focus, the primary intent of the makers seems to be to give viewers many avenues from Paris’ different spectrums of society.  This diversity can only inspire if the balance of storytelling is maintained.

Episode 2 does that well but the substance of the relationships has yet not been settled. Billy and Victoire definitely promise a heartfelt dynamic. Maybe he is the guiding light that brings her back to her family and a good life.

The constant divide between Varese and Zacharie based on faith and religious beliefs is another part of the overall fabric. Elena is a charming addition to the fore and her off-on thing with Antony will surely make matters complicated for the couple. The rescue needs a miracle right now and we will have to tune in again to see where that is coming from.