THE TUNNEL is the best remake of the original Scandinavian crime drama THE BRIDGE. FX Networks adapted it for the United States/ North American audience, but the character writing was all over for the second season before it was cancelled. THE TUNNEL: VENGEANCE (which is a British/ French co-production) is the third and last season. It is a powerful and addictive crime thriller like the previous two seasons, but the series ends in a bittersweet way where one of the final twists will leave fans and viewers sad through the rest of the final episode. This six episode season starts with the disappearance of refugee children from a boat with the smuggled has his tongue cut off. The children appear later in a British family home to only see that family's children get abducted. Also rats attack a maintenance worker in the Euro tunnel (aka the Chunnel which runs under the English Channel connecting the United Kingdom and France). British Inspector Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and his French police counterpart Elise Wassermann (Clemence Poesy) work together again for one more case as a new serial abductor and killer is drawing inspiration from the story of the Piped Piper. This new foe is discovered to be a couple working together as they pose the question of how much a life is worth as one of the couple is searching a boy named Saban who had been missing since 1994 in Bosina and demands the police locates Saban.

THE TUNNEL: VENGEANCE mixes drama and political commentary on the refugee situation vs. how certain types of kids get more resources when they go missing. Karl ends up with an impossible choice in the final episode which leaves me haunted after the final credits role. I will miss this well written series with a good cast. Any season of THE TUNNEL comes highly recommended.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
HOW WE MADE THE TUNNEL: VENGEANCE- this fifteen minute featurette goes behind-the-scenes of the making of the third and final season as the cast and crew reflect on the three season series. Interviews with cast and crew reveal that they had use VFX for the rat attack sequence and the challenges in filming an outdoor sequence for the final episode.

FINAL ANALYSIS: THE TUNNEL: VENGEANCE ends THE TUNNEL on a high and bittersweet note. It is a strong story as the other two seasons. It is a disappointment that PBS only offered this season on DVD and no blu-ray for season 3 like the other two seasons. I will miss this show and the flawed characters of Karl and Elise. Now I have to finish watching the original version of THE BRIDGE (aka BRON) by ordering season 2 and 3 of that show. Any of the three seasons of THE TUNNEL come highly recommended for fans of well written crime drama. If you haven't watched THE TUNNEL, I recommend you start with the first season as the three seasons develop the core cast of detective characters through the series.

This DVD review is (c)8-9-2018 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com and look for additional content and news at http://enterlinemedia.tumblr.com