Hotel Beau Séjour: Season 1/ Episode 6 “De bruiloft” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

This show is truly the epitome of what it means when I label the pilot as “Stick Around.” For not all shows can hit a home run their first time up at bat. Some bunt, some just get to first base, and they need some time. The more shows I watch, of which I’m pretty close to overload at this point, the more I realize that.

Speaking specifically on Hotel Beau Séjour, you got to look at it like a YA novel. Everything will start off familiar with your usual tropes, but then things build from there and you become so happy the Netflix marathon format exists. For it is like the next level beyond audiobooks. With that said, let’s talk about “De bruiloft.”

Episode Focus: Struggling To Maintain All Alliances (Alexander, Vanderkerk, Kato, Hilde [Tiny Bertels] and Schneider)

Alexander is having a tough time being there for Melanie, as well as keeping her out of jail, not losing his wife, not getting caught on obstruction charges, and now Vanderkerk has been arrested. Needless to say, if he could kill Kato and eliminate her from his life, surely he would. However, luckily for Vanerkerk, most of the obstruction is just seen as him and his team being amateur and while it isn’t forgiven nor forgotten, Schneider moves on. Especially since the evidence Charlie sent leads to Vanderkerk being pinned and thanks to Alexander pushing Gianni (Max Pauwels), Ines’ cousin, to snitch, they got a witness.

However, Vanderkerk isn’t going to let Kato, who he sees as his conscious, or Alexander take him down. With Kato, there may not be much he can do, but Alexander he has stuff on. What exactly? We are left unsure. What is known is when Vanderkerk brings this up and threatens Alexander, he doesn’t take it well. In fact, he draws his gun on him and they tussle. Eventually leading to the gun going off.

Commentary

Let me just begin by wondering what is it Vanderkerk has on Alexander? Also, why is it now that Alexander wants to take him down? He claims to Kato it was because he had no evidence, but that sounds like BS. Could it be that between Melanie and what Vanderkerk could do, he’d rather face off against Vanderkerk? Also, is Schneider really going to sweep all Alexander did under the rug? I get this show isn’t trying to harp on any topic that long, but the man has been dodging her calls and rather unhelpful for most of this case. Even to the point of having to be taken off due to conflict of interest. So why isn’t she seeing the light of day? [note]As I say that, I remind myself she needs the local police force and causing too many issues for their chief will lead them to not cooperate. Even if it would bite them in the ass. [/note]

Switching things up, I wonder what Hilde’s role is going to be in all this still. She ends the episode taking a video of Leon and Sophia hooking up and despite all that is revealed in Subplot 1, you have to wonder why? Is Sophia underage and Leon an adult and she wants to use him to keep Melonie away from her husband? I mean, it is hard to say why this adult woman would use these kids for her plans, but love makes people do crazy things.

Oh, and lastly, Vanderkerk makes it seem he wasn’t the one who killed Kato either nor did he drug her. He just gave her a ride for while he is a drug kingpin, he is also just a nice old man. Something which doesn’t seem to be a cover but simply part of his dual persona.

Subplot 1: The Affair & Its Effect (Leon, Sophia, and Marcus)

It is revealed by Marcus that Sophia’s mom and Leon’s dad were having an affair. In fact, they died together in a car crash. Pretty much everyone, but Marcus’ kids, knew. Yet, now with that secret out, it seems whatever issue there was for Leon to not hook up with Sophia is gone and they are making out, maybe on their way to having sex, by the end of the episode.

Commentary

I sort of wonder, now knowing that Sophia and Kato aren’t related at all, if maybe she drugged Kato knowing she would act erratic. For, so it seems, she was jealous, or rather, is still jealous of Kato. Plus, with her having the least amount of interaction with her, I feel like they are building up to some sort of surprise which may lead to a girl fight. For, as Luc notes, people are keeping secrets and have to be involved with Kato’s death somehow.

Luc by not watching her better, Charlie perhaps for the same reason, Ines sold the drugs, Sophia could have likely put the drug in Kato’s drink, and now we just need to know how Alexander and Vanderkerk play into this. Maybe Alexander paid Vanderkerk to try to get Kato out of Leon’s life maybe?

Subplot 2: Kato is Alive and Living (Charlie and Kato)

With there being real traction on her case, Kato decides to let go a bit with Charlie. Someone who she seemingly has developed mutual feelings for and it leads to them having sex. But what really matters here is that Luc reveals to Kristel that Kato is alive, or at least around, and he can speak to her.

Commentary

The more Kato does, the more you question the rules of her existence. She can be injured and can also likely injure people. She can selectively show up in photos, which only those who can see her can visualize, and she can apparently have sex? Also, she can eat? Does she need to? I mean, alongside minor things like that, I think the big thing to wonder is if, or when, her case gets solved, what happens next? Does she leave this sort of limbo and goes to judgement or is she permanently trapped on Earth with limited interactions?

Reminding me, how is it the people who see her can talk to her and no one find it weird when it looks like they are talking to themselves? Why is this, since perhaps the first episode, not noted as something weird people are doing?