Three Pines

Three Pines is a mystery television series starring Alfred Molina based on the novel series by Louise Penny, centered on Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 2 December 2022 with four murder mysteries, each spanning two episodes.[1] In March 2023, it was announced that the series would not receive a second season, remaining a miniseries.[2]

Three Pines
Genre
Created byEmilia di Girolamo
Based onInspector Gamache
by Louise Penny
Starring
ComposerToydrum
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
Original languages
  • French
  • English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Andy Harries
  • Sharon Hughff
  • John Phillips
  • Sam Donovan
  • Emilia di Girolamo
  • Alfred Molina
ProducerJohn Griffin
Production locationQuebec
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkAmazon Prime Video
Original release2 December (2022-12-02) –
23 December 2022 (2022-12-23)

Premise

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec police force sees things that others do not: the light between the cracks, the mythic in the mundane, and the evil in the seemingly ordinary. He investigates a series of murders in Three Pines, an idyllic village in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, and he discovers long-buried secrets while facing ghosts of his own.[3]

Unlike the books, the series includes a secondary storyline throughout the season, with Gamache investigating the disappearance of a young woman.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4]
1"White Out - Part 1"Sam DonovanEmilia di Girolamo2 December 2022 (2022-12-02)
Gamache ignores his superior's orders and investigates the disappearance of Blue Two-Rivers. As punishment, he's dispatched to the remote village of Three Pines to solve the murder of a wealthy socialite, with no shortage of suspects.
2"White Out - Part 2"Sam DonovanEmilia di Girolamo2 December 2022 (2022-12-02)
Gamache looks into the victim's enigmatic past and learns that one of the villagers withheld information. Gamache's delight at a breakthrough in the Blue Two-Rivers case is short-lived when the family has doubts, leading to a desperate act.
3"The Cruellest Month: Part One"Tracey DeerJamie Crichton9 December 2022 (2022-12-09)
Gamache returns to investigate the disappearance of a popular resident, but it soon becomes a murder case. Meanwhile, Lacoste discovers that a key piece of evidence has been faked and secretly reopens the case.
4"The Cruellest Month: Part Two"Tracey DeerJamie Crichton9 December 2022 (2022-12-09)
The villagers confront the truth of their past and exorcise their collective demons, as Gamache makes a breakthrough and realizes that Marc's killer had a very personal motive.
5"The Murder Stone: Part One"Daniel GrouCatherine Tregenna16 December 2022 (2022-12-16)
Gamache's anniversary celebrations are cut short by the discovery of a body. He and his team investigate the case which focuses on the hotel's owners, the dysfunctional Morrow family.
6"The Murder Stone: Part Two"Daniel GrouCatherine Tregenna16 December 2022 (2022-12-16)
Gamache is certain that he is closing in on solving the mystery of Julia's murder. Kevin and Lacoste have a tense encounter as Kevin tries to defend himself, saying that he was framed for murder.
7"The Hangman: Part One"Sam DonovanEmilia di Girolamo23 December 2022 (2022-12-23)
A man is discovered in the woods near Three Pines, seemingly the victim of a group lynching, and Gamache finds himself wondering whether all the villagers are capable of murder.
8"The Hangman: Part Two"Sam DonovanEmilia di Girolamo23 December 2022 (2022-12-23)
Gamache and his team unearth a tragic story that provides the key to the victim's desire for vengeance, which leads the team to his murderers.

Production

On 21 May 2020, it was announced that Left Bank Pictures had optioned the 18-book novel series by Louise Penny,[5] which is about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, with Amazon Prime Video in final negotiations to order the project to series. Emilia di Girolamo was attached as head writer, and Sam Donovan was announced as the lead director, directing four episodes.[6] Indigenous Mohawk director Tracey Deer is a series consultant and directed two episodes.[7] On 2 September 2021, it was announced that Alfred Molina was cast in the lead role of Gamache.[8] Rossif Sutherland, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Tantoo Cardinal, Clare Coulter, Sarah Booth, and Anna Tierney were also cast in main roles.[9]

Principal photography was completed between August and December 2021.[10] Filming took place over five five-week periods in Montreal and rural Quebec, specifically in the Eastern Townships, the region of Quebec where the novels take place and original author Penny resides.[11] Specifically, outdoor scenes in the village are filmed in Saint-Armand.

The soundtrack includes music from Elisapie, The Bearhead Sisters, Chloé Stafler, and Riit.[7]

Release

On 1 November 2022, Amazon Studios announced the premiere date and official trailer of Three Pines. With eight one-hour episodes in total, the first two episodes premiered on 2 December 2022, with two new episodes released each week until the finale on 23 December. Initially, the series was set to air only in certain countries: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Greenland.[12]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the show has an approval rating of 72% based on reviews from 18 critics.[13]

Chase Hutchinson of Collider praised Alfred Molina's performance as Inspector Gamache, rating the series a B and wrote, "It is in its more melancholic and macabre moments that Three Pines stumbles upon something more sinister that elevates it a bit beyond a standard mystery tale."[14] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called it "a collection of intelligent two-hour mysteries that fans of Agatha Christie or even Columbo should watch."[15] Amber Dowling of Variety gave it a positive review and concluded "For now, this short-but-sweet adaptation offers a sweeping cinematic taste of cultures and stories that are deserving of the global platform Prime Video offers, all while doing justice to the best-selling novels on which they're based."[3]

Cancellation

On 13 March 2023, it was announced that the series was canceled after one season.[2] The partners behind the show including Left Bank and Prime wanted the show to return but were unable to reach an agreement.[16]

References
  1. "A Tiny Village With Big Mysteries: Prime Video Reveals Trailer and Launch Date For Three Pines, the New Series Based on Louise Penny's International Best-Selling Chief Inspector Gamache Series". Amazon Studios. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  2. Ravindran, Manori; Dowling, Amber (13 March 2023). "Prime Video Cancels Alfred Molina-Led 'Three Pines' After One Season". Variety. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. Dowling, Amber (29 November 2022). "'Three Pines' Amplifies Indigenous Voices in Cinematic First Season Louise Penny Fans Will Love: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. "Shows A-Z – Three Pines on Amazon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. Counter, Rosemary (1 December 2022). "This Time, Louise Penny Thinks She Got It Right". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. Kanter, Jake (21 May 2020). "'The Crown' Producer Left Bank Adapting Bestselling Inspector Gamache Books In First Series For Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. Schneller, Johanna (1 December 2022). "Three Pines, based on Louise Penny's wildly successful novels, arrives on screen". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. White, Peter (2 September 2021). "Alfred Molina To Star In Amazon Police Drama Series 'Three Pines' From 'The Crown' Producer Left Bank". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  9. Horton, Tom (2 September 2021). "Three Pines image offers glimpse of Alfred Molina as police detective". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  10. "Amazon Prime Video and Left Bank Pictures Begin Production on the Scripted Canadian Amazon Original Drama Series Three Pines". Amazon Studios. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  11. Demers, Maxime (23 August 2021). "Une série d'Amazon tournée au Québec" [An Amazon series filmed in Quebec]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  12. "Alfred Molina finds multiple bodies and a town full of secrets in mysterious Three Pines trailer". Entertainment Weekly. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  13. "Three Pines". Rotten Tomatoes. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  14. Hutchinson, Chase (30 November 2022). "Alfred Molina Shines in a Solid Louise Penny Adaptation". Collider. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  15. Tallerico, Brian (2 December 2022). "Alfred Molina Grounds Smart Mystery Series on Prime Video". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. Dowling, Amber (13 March 2023). "Prime Video Cancels Alfred Molina-Led 'Three Pines' After One Season". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
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