“Fosca” Season 2 TV Series Review

In the first season of “Fosca Innocenti” we followed the light mystery adventures of the eponymous Deputy Police Chief (Vanessa Incontrada) and her mostly-female team of detectives in the picturesque Tuscany city of Arezzo (where the series is filmed). Each of the four 100-minute episodes presented a different case, with ongoing subplots for the principals. Some were romantic. The major one was Fosca’s barely-repressed desire to transcend her lifelong Friend Zone status with Cosimo (Francesco Arca). But the charming café owner was planning to emigrate to the U.S. for a major career advancement, further reducing her odds of securing that upgrade. The scripts were appropriately suspenseful while developing a likable set of protagonists and making fine use of the beauty of the setting. For a unique element, Fosca’s acute, almost canine, sense of smell helps solve the crime in many of the episodes.

At the end of Season One, it looked like Fosca and Cosimo just might become a couple. Season Two picks up from there, with the two seeming blissfully happy, nestled into the magnificent estate she’d inherited from her adored father. But how dull would that idyllic state be for another quartet of adventures? Impermissibly is the answer. That’s when Lapo (Giovanni Scifoni), Fosca’s beau from 20 years earlier, shows up with a deed indicating that her dad had signed the property over his dad! Lapo’s coming home after a long absence to claim the mansion, grounds and contents, forcing her out so he can list it for sale. It soon becomes apparent that his underlying agenda is winning her back with a combination of this leverage and triggered nostalgia.

But wait! There’s more! Rosa (Cecilia Dazzi), the married member of the team, discovers that her long-term hubby is cheating on her. Lesbian Giulia (Desiree Noferini) runs through a handful of affairs, of which one is particularly frustrating. Pino (Francesco Leone), the only guy in the crew, finds himself torn between his fiancée who has moved to Sicily, imposing a difficult long-distance romance, and Rita (Caterina Signorini), the cute new member of the staff, who also seems drawn to him.

As for the crimes, the first involves a bride fallen or pushed from a window hours before tying the knot with the owner of a large vineyard. The second centers on a seamstress murdered in a dress shop, exposing a mare’s nest of secrets from her past, greatly expanding the suspect pool. The third gives us the attempted murder of Fosca’s neighbor and close friend, from which a successful offing ensues. The fourth puts us in the middle of crimes among those in the perfume industry occurring during a major trade show.

For Season Two, the producers switched to a different writer and director from those who crafted the first. It shows. This round shifts the running time balance considerably more to the personal stories than the subject crimes they’re solving. Depending on your preferences, that could be a plus by getting deeper insights about, and empathy with, the set of protagonists; or you might think their cluster of romantic story arcs veers too heavily into soap opera territory. There’s little nudity or on-screen violence, making the melodrama more prominent.

The season ends with reasonable closure for all the plot threads, making the package satisfying as an intact miniseries, if it’s over. Since it aired only last year, it’s still early enough for the cast to be around for a Season Three. I’d welcome it – especially if they return to more time for the crime.

“Fosca: Season 2,” in Italian with English subtitles, is available streaming starting Tuesday, June 18, on MHzChoice.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars