Based on Louise Penny’s #1 New York Times bestselling novels, “Three Pines” from Amazon Prime Video and Left Bank Pictures stars Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, a man who sees things that others do not: the light between the cracks, the mythic in the mundane, and the evil in the seemingly ordinary.
Discuss the series with other Louise Penny fans here!
307 replies on “Three Pines Series Discussion”
When I saw the trailer for the series, I thought, good gawd, it looks awful. And then I read the comments here, there were only five or six at that point, and they were all glowing. And at least one referenced that Louise Penny liked the series. All right, I’ll give the first two episodes a chance.
Now, a visual adaptation of a book cannot be literal, but it must capture the essence, the spirit of the book, and the message the story conveys. A handful come to mind that have done it beautifully: the Ron Bass adaptation of “The Joy Luck Club;” Emma Thompson’s adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility;” Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women;” and Andrew Davies adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” for the BBC with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. They are the standard against which I compare.
As soon as I saw three scrawny lifeless pine trees and a Welcome to Three Pines sign, I suspected this was going to be a painful ride. Alfred Molina as Gamache? Meh. Uninspired casting. I’m a fan of Molina, but he doesn’t visually read as a man in his 50s, and I was surprised at the New York-ish American accent. The same goes for Rossif Sutherland as Jean-Guy. So much of the casting missed the mark in so many ways, not to mention the lack of appropriate accents. Slenderized Gabri, Myrna, Crie, and Clara? It’s more than just missing pounds; their weight is intrinsic to the way they experience and move through the world. And a loose and rumpled Peter Morrow splashing paint around like a Pollock wannabe, the dynamic of Clara and Peter’s marriage is lost in the translation.
The denizens of Three Pines come across as a coven of malevolence. I’d sleep with one eye open if I stayed there for a night. The scenes with Gamache and Emilie come closest to capturing the essence of the books: he shows kindness and curiosity, and believes that goodness exists. It’s a peek at the nature of friendship and relationships that is the core of the books.
Mostly, though, it’s about the writing. If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage. I understand bringing the missing indigenous women and mission schools storyline forward because of the Arnot case interwoven throughout the books. That part of the story needs to be told differently than in the books for it to make sense to the viewing audience. Overall, the writing is flat without any poetry, drive, energy, or urgency. It’s very inert and passionless. And the quintessential differences and mutual suspicions between the Anglais and French Quebecois that is such a source of humor, and an education for non-Canadians, is nowhere to be found.
I won’t be back for further episodes. A couple of friends who have not read the books are enjoying the series — vive la difference!
I was at the new book introduction with Louise Penny and of course the discussion turned to the series. She said they had to find a village to make this, as Knowlton was too far for the unions and also due to Covid, it had to be very isolated. So they adopted a small almost empty village, planted the pines (thus scrawny, not sure if they could find better ones), repainted some houses, dug up a pond, etc. But it doesn’t have the same atmosphere that we all imagined from the books. I agree with your about the weight and its significance, plus it’s like Gabri and Olivier castings were flipped! For several episodes I thought Gabri was Olivier and Olivier was Gabri…am I the only one? Clara is totally wrong, too young and not disheveled enough. It must have been hard to distill the books into two short episodes each but still they could have made them more accurate.
I don’t get the role/character reversal of Gabri and Olivier. Gabri should be plump, Olivier slender,. This is too much, in Hangman!!
The only thing that has bothered me about this series is that they reversed the names of Olivier and Gabri. I don’t see this mentioned anywhere except in your comment. If people are such devotees how cone they haven’t noticed
I have struggled with this series. Why is Gamache so maudlin? Why have Gabri and Olivier been switched? Yes to all the weight issues! And so many casting mismatches? Like Clara’s artistic messiness and crazy hair and clothing? And why is Jean Guy so weak instead of hard and impeccable? Nicole doesn’t match her book character, but she is delightful. I did like the highlighting of very real indigenous issues.
Flipping Gabri and Olivier was the final straw! I thought I was crazy…!
I am relieved but saddened to learn I have so much company in my disappointment. Three Pines the village was atrociously portrayed, the bistro unwelcoming, the “pines” too scraggly for serious consideration. Clara was too young (with no potato chips in her hair) as was Myrna. Jean-Guy was scruffy and terse, Gabri and Olivier interchanged, Reine-Marie bland, and Agent Nichol a goofball.
I have ached for Louise after watching all 8 episodes, waiting for something remotely akin to her beautiful, evolving characters, who are so human yet so lovingly connected and forgiving, to show up somewhere. And her never preachy respect for all people and their histories was ignored among Three Pines residents. With the possible exception of the weird “responsibility” an 8 year-old Armand may have had for his parents’ deaths. What?
I thought I was alone in my bewilderment, but while misery may love company, the hacking and ignoring of her writing, goodness, and always engaging, relatable characters was clear to most devoted readers.
It appears the producers MUST have failed to read the books. Or thought making the series as dark and cold as most series/movies currently being released, a wise choice. The entire series is so inferior to the gorgeous storytelling, characters, themes and writing Louise has graced her millions of readers with for almost twenty years, that except for the names of people and places, her genius was almost unrecognizable. She deserved so, so much better.
Season one, episode 4. Looks like autumn. Have 2 seasons gone by? Or is this poor production? Last episode there was SNOW!.
Very well said, Karen! I made it as far as episode 4 and I’m so disappointed in what the writers and producers have done, I don’t think I can finish. They had such amazing source material…why? I don’t get it. I hope they don’t hold the rights indefinitely. I’d love to see someone do justice to Louise Penny’s work with a true-to-source production in the future.
Thank you – your critique is right on target and comprehensive. The people who created this series don’t know or understand the books. Expanding on your comments I am finding the buildings and interiors, jarring because they seem foreign to the originals in most cases, but occasionally familiar. I like the bistro and the gallery. Those seem to fit.
“Inert and passionless.” That’s it exactly! There’s a lot of angst among the characters, but that isn’t what LP wrote about. The villagers aren’t living their lives, they are waiting to be found out, like suspects rounded up in a cozy mystery. And Molina, an actor I enjoy, is not filmed as a man of authority and presence, but as a rather rumpled and puzzled guy who impresses no one. His near breakdown as he phones Reine-Marie is not surprising (and is rather tedious) because he doesn’t come across as a man of self-control or substance. Even she seems less alarmed about his state of mind, but more exasperated, as if this happens regularly. So disappointing that the show runners didn’t take the time needed to get to know the characters.
Yes, wrote my own comments but yours really nails it. That Gamache isn’t French Canadian says it all.
Series had potential, but it is a cliche ridden disappointment. Weak writing undermines a good cast.
What a disappointment! For all the reasons already mentioned by others, I’ve stopped watching after the 4th episodes. A great opportunity to bring the Three Pines/Armand Gamache series alive and/or to new audiences was missed! Quel dommage!!
One of my favorite aspects of the Three Pines books is getting to know and love the residents of Three Pines. The TV series diminishes the importance of the people of three pines and their friendships and support of each other. I have watched the movie ‘Still Life’ on Acorn twice. I think it has done a much better casting job than the TV series and has remained true to the book story line. Was so looking forward to that being the case with the TV series. Greatly disappointed but will always love and recommend the books.
I’ve always thought these books would make a fabulous tv series and was so looking forward to seeing the characters translated to the small screen.
What an utter disappointment. Such a missed opportunity.
It seems to me that the writers added plot lines that they thought would be more controversial and reduced the three pines residence to extras when they should have been in the forefront . By doing so they completely missed the point of the books and cut the heart out of the series.
And why does Ruth already have her duck. Another missed opportunity to tell the story of how she came to have her…
As a huge Gamache series fan, I was thoroughly disappointed in the show. None of the characters, the ensemble, were believable as the characters Penny created.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! The books are great but the series sucks. I’ll watch them all with my friends. I’ll watch them all till the end. 😘
Well said! 😅
I was open to watching the series, and episodes 1 and 2 were okay. Like Molina as Gamache, as many have said. Can see the producers wanting to ‘update’ the indigenous storyline with the residential schools and missing women instead of what is written in the novel. That is a very poignant series arc. However, agree that Three Pines seems too eerie, unwelcoming. (Where would the bench go?) Miss the scenes in the bistro. Olivier and Gabri mix-up makes no sense, and generally, I feel another missed opportunity to tell a Canadian story. I was disappointed it was made by the producers of The Crown (another series that veered far from the original!) and not Canadian producers. Episodes 3 and 4 are nothing like The Cruelest Month and the characters, especially Peter, are so changed. But, we always have the books. Thank goodness! Won’t be tuning in anymore and sad that viewers who haven’t read the books won’t know what they could have been watching.
The show is all right and Gamache is pretty close to what I had imagined. But correct me if I am wrong, there is not story of missing women in the novels is there? By adding and emphasizing that story, they do not have sufficient time to flesh out all the characters we all know and love. The Bistro is such a central part of the story and the gatherings there. Perhaps this is due to wanting amore controversial series, but it doesnt work for me at all.
Anyone know why they decided to skip the first book?!
Because they made a movie of the first book and consequently the tv rights are not available!
I echo the many F.I.N.E. fans’ disappointment with several aspects of the tv series. The physical village is not all as described in the book. I never envisioned a highway going through the middle of town and the church is far too big. While Molina is a fine actor, he lacks the sophistication and polish I expected–just too informal and dressed very sloppily and never carries a gun. Jean Guy is silver-haired already? The only actor fulfilling my mental picture is Ruth. LOVE her (and the duck)! Of course I’ll watch the rest of it, but I far prefer the books.
I agree with you entirely. I was so disheartened, I shut the TV off and went upstairs to reread The Cruellest Month just to rid my mind of the debacle they’ve made of Louise Penny’s finely crafted characters, individual stories, the town misrepresentation and terrible choice of cast.
Louise Penny must be so disappointed in having her work reduced to a hodgepodge of muck.
I love the Armand Gamache series and was hoping that the Amazon series would be at least “good”. First issue:
where are the Giant 3 pines that define the village? I’ve only watched 2 episodes of the series so am withholding more comments (except: Alfred Molina seems very good as Gamache—“kind eyes”). So far I’ve haven’t seen the giant pines. Please let me know if you’ve seen them in any episode. Seems rather silly in a series called “Three Pines” to leave them out!
I listened to all the books and am now listening to the newest one. I’ve formed stronger images of the characters and place than I’ve done with any other fiction I’ve read. In addition, the audio books conveys an added layer to those images. I realized right away that the tv version did not capture and probably could not capture my internal Three Pines nor its inhabitants. I am happy people who haven’t read the books will experience the stories. But I won’t watch another episode because I prefer my Three Pines to that of the series.
I agree with you entirely. I was so disheartened, I shut the TV off and went upstairs to reread The Cruellest Month just to rid my mind of the debacle they’ve made of Louise Penny’s finely crafted characters, individual stories, the town misrepresentation and terrible choice of cast.
Louise Penny must be so disappointed in having her work reduced to a hodgepodge of muck.
I’m very disappointed in the tv series. None of it – the characters or the village (which is a town, not village) seem true to the books. I’m surprised Louise Penny allowed a series so untrue to here books! Such a disappointment!! Also, the film mixes and combines the books.
I agree 100%. The movie “Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery” was so much better, in every way including the casting. I wish they had continued that as a series, with the same actors. I just watched it again tonight and it’s so good. The new series misses the boat in casting and in depicting the village. How can anyone who loves the Three Pines books like what they’ve done with this series? And good grief, those three trees are just pathetic. I’m beyond disappointed.
Like everyone else here, I’m a huge fan of the books. I actually don’t mind a lot of the changes they’ve made in the series except for two things:
– Beauvoir is barely a main character which bums me out and I hope it changes as the episodes continue. His relationship with Gamache is a backbone of the series so I’m suspicious about his lack of involvement in the first few episodes :/
– Why switch Gabri and Olivier’s characters? Seems pointless and just throws me off completely
100% agree!
I like three pines and appreciate that the stories are different then the books. The acting is spot on. I liked that they didn’t try and sublimate the quirkiness of the place but kept the quirkiness of the characters. I can’t wait to see more and to read the next mystery
Actors for Gamache and Ruth were perfect. The others not so much. Finished number 18 today. Exciting.
Just finished watching the 3rd episode. Don’t know whose book this is from but it’s not Louise Penny. The Cruellest Month was about a seance and a woman being ‘frightened to death’, and this episode wasn’t even close. I realize movies are rarely like the books, but usually they’re each very good in their own right, eg. Ann Cleeves and her Vera series and Shetland series.
Having read Louise’s books at least 3 times, maybe I’m just upset they haven’t done ‘my friends’ justice.
I just finished watching episode 4. Gamache never carried a gun.
I tried watching the third episode and gave up. I am not enjoying the series at all. How can it be that I don’t like the villagers? Having read all the books in the series, I think of the villagers as friends and Three Pines as a place I would like to live. The series seems too cold (not weather related) 🙃 and the creative license is irritating me. Unfortunately, I am done with the series.
Every book was better than the preceding. I have each character’s face firmly imprinted in my mind and when I saw the advertisement for, Three Pines, the movie I could not make myself watch.
You see, had I watched someone else’s vision of Gamache and family, my own memory of the place would be gone. Faces conjured up while reading would be lost.
Thank you for being brave enough to allow someone else’s concept to be allowed but it is not for me! Rather, I would have another long delicious book to read and allow my own fantasies to continue!