A catastrophe and many questions – the suspense series “Departure” from creator Vince Shiao is back with this recipe for success. In the third season of the Canadian-US American co-production, which celebrates its German premiere on Universal TV on July 15, the mysterious accident of a ferry is at the center of the story. What new stars can fans of the series expect this time – and why is the third season of “Departure” also suitable for newcomers?
Once again, the experts at the Transport Safety and Investigations Bureau (TSIB) are faced with a puzzle: all of a sudden and at a speed that would not have been thought possible, the fully occupied ferry “Queen of the Narrows” sank just off Newfoundland. The majority of the approximately 500 passengers die in the disaster, and the search for survivors is under immense time pressure.
For TSIB investigator Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi, 51) and her team, meanwhile, the questions are piling up the more they try to clarify the incident. What role did the corrupt captain of the ship play? Where do the stowaways come from? What does it have to do with the hidden drugs on board the ferry? And can an alleged collision with an iceberg really have led to the catastrophe with hundreds of fatalities?
In the premiere season of “Departure” from 2019, the sudden disappearance of an airplane caused tension. In the following season, on the other hand, it was a derailed train that called the TSIB investigators into action. So now Kendra Malley and Co. are heading to the high seas – and deep to the bottom of the sea.
Since each of the “Departure” seasons revolves around a self-contained case, this also allows for the possibility of a lateral entry into the series. It is of course better to start chronologically in order to know all the movements and backgrounds of the recurring characters. In general, each season focuses primarily on the case, as leading actress Panjabi noted in an interview with regard to season two: “It is a very good starting point, because even if you haven’t seen the first season, it’s all yours own story.”
Unlike comparable formats such as “True Detective”, “Departure” does not rely on a completely new cast per issue. Kris Holden-Ried (49) as her partner Dominic Hayes and Mark Rendall (34) as colleague Theo act as constants alongside Panjabi’s character Kendra. Hollywood legend Christopher Plummer, who played Kendra’s mentor in the first two seasons, is unfortunately no longer part of the cast – the star died immediately after filming the previous season at the age of 91.
All sorts of well-known newcomers will be added in the next six episodes. Like “Will
In the best Whodunnit manner – a genre that has been enjoying increased enthusiasm lately anyway – the spectators go again in search of clues at the side of the TSIB. For the third time now, the series manages not to get tangled up in the multitude of trials and tribulations – by no means a matter of course.
The six-episode third season of “Departure” will premiere in Germany on July 15 and 16 on Universal TV. Three episodes will be broadcast in a row starting at 8:15 p.m.
