GRAND HOTEL 5 (SECOND HALF OF S3, FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

Spain in the early 20th century. The idyllic luxury of the prestigious Grand Hotel, located just outside the (fictional) town of Cantaloa, conceals secrets, lies, intrigue, and danger.

Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel, 2011-2013), the acclaimed Spanish mystery drama, is availaible on DVD in France thanks to Koba Films. 

Produced by Bambu Producciones, the company of Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, for private channel Antena 3, Gran Hotel was sold to more than 60 territories, including France (groupe M6), the UK (Sky Arts) and the United States. Series three of Grand Hotel initially consisted of 14 X 70-minute episodes. However, when Antena 3 reduced by half the second series to preserve ratings the channel added 8 of its 16 episodes (already filmed) to the third (1). Released in January 2016, the "Grand Hotel - Saison 5" DVD set from Koba contains the second half of the third and final series (7 x 70-minute) plus a bonus featurette.

Andrés (Llorenç González) is arrested for the murder of Belén (Marta Larralde). Julio (Yon González), Alicia (Amaia Salamanca) and Maite (Megan Montaner) try to prove his innocence with the help of Inspector Ayala (Pep Anton Muñoz) and Agent Hernando (Antonio Reyes). The suspiciously obtuse Chief Inspector Bazán (Daniel Pérez Prada) strives to slow them down. Don Diego (Pedro Alonso) faces an invisible and powerful adversary from his past, who stops at nothing for revenge. Jesús Cisneros (Lluis Homar), the empathic maitre d'hotel, prevents Doña Teresa (Adriana Ozores) from doing something irreparable. Javier (Eloy Azorin) tries to adjust to the personality of his wife Laura (Martha Hazas).

Known internationally as "the Spanish Downton Abbey", Grand Hotel was actually born from the passion of its creators Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (Gran Reserva) for mystery stories and the work of Agatha Christie (2). This last series of Gran Hotel is packed with suspense, mystery and romance. Rare are the things which doesn't work, mainly the story arc with Doña Sofia (Luz Valdenebro), Don Alfredo (Fele Martinez) and Father Grau (Roger Coma). The riveting twists and turns reach the heights of the first series. The cast is amazing, the music of Lucio Godoy is magnificent and the settings are gorgeous (3). The ultimate episode is one of the most beautiful and elegant conclusions ever made for a television series.

Gran Hotel has been remade twice, in 2015 for Italian pubcaster RAI as Grand Hotel and in 2016 for American Spanish-language network Univision as El Hotel de los Secretos. Yon González, Lluís Homar, Pedro Alonso and later Concha Velasco worked together again on Bajo Sospecha (2015-2016), a crime/mystery drama produced by Bambu for Antena 3. González has joined Bambu's Las Chicas del cable, due to air on Netflix in 2017. Amaia Salamanca is another of the prodco's familiar faces, with Velvet (2014) and La embajada (2016). The 7 episodes of this DVD set from Koba Films are on 4 discs in French only (the featurette is subbed). French subtitles for the hearing impaired are available.

(1) http://blogs.formulatv.com/aldia/antena-3-corta-la-segunda-temporada-gran-hotel-para-emitirla-mas-adela/
(2)  http://nachomedivas.es/secretos-gran-hotel-creador-ramon-campos/
(3) Grand Hotel was primarily filmed at the Palacio de la Magadalena, an early 20th-century palace on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander (http://palaciomagdalena.com/en/).

http://www.kobafilms.fr/series-tv/401-grand-hotel-s5-5051889561897.html

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/08/grand-hotel-4-first-half-of-s3-french_18.html (First half of Series3 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/06/grand-hotel-3-second-half-of-s2-french.html (Second half of Series 2 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/08/grand-hotel-series-two-french-region-2.html (First half of Series 2 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/05/grand-hotel-french-region-2-dvd_10.html (Series 1 DVD review) 

THE SECOND SERIES OF BAJO SOSPECHA ENDS TONIGHT ON ANTENA 3

Series 2 of Bajo Sospecha, the excellent Spanish crime/mystery drama from Bambú Producciones, concludes tonight on private channel Antena 3 with Episode 10.

This second series didn't disappoint, it was even better than the first one. But a renewal is less than guaranteed given the rating decline, particularly significant since mid-February. The move of Bajo Sospecha from Tuesday to Thursday and a clash against the Spanish equivalent of Celebrity Big Brother didn't help. 

The first teasers of La Embajada, the new series of Bambú Producciones for Antena 3, are now available. The channel also recently commissioned a series about narco-business called Fariña to the same producers. Two actresses of Bambú's Gran Hotel are amongst the cast of La Embajada: Amaia Salamanca and Megan Montaner.

[Update - March 18, 2016] The ratings of Episode 10: http://www.formulatv.com/noticias/54432/audiencias-17-marzo-bajo-sospecha-roza-15-por-ciento-adios/

See:

http://www.vertele.com/noticias/bajo-sospecha-tiene-muy-complicado-renovar-por-tres-razones-de-peso-en-antena-3/ 
http://www.formulatv.com/noticias/54187/antena3-aprueba-farina-nueva-serie-bambu-narcotrafico-gallego/
http://mizonatv.com/antena-3-arranca-la-promocion-de-la-embajada-en-todos-los-organismos-existe-la-corrupcion/

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/01/bajo-sospecha-series-2-episodes-1-and-2.html (Spoiler-free review of Episodes 1 and 2)

BAJO SOSPECHA - SERIES 2, EPISODES 1 AND 2 (ANTENA 3)

[Spoiler-Free] Series 2 of Bajo Sospecha, the hit Spanish crime/mystery drama, started in a promising way last week on private channel Antena 3

It gets even better with the second episode of this new case.
 

Isabel Freire, head nurse at the Hospital Policlínico Montalbán (a nod to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán?) is kidnapped in the car park of the hospital and later found dead. There could be a link between this murder and the disappearance of Catherine Le Monnier, daughter of a French politician and a Spanish woman, who was completing her medical residency at the hospital. Undercover cop Victor (Yon González) is sent there by Commissioner Casas (Lluís Homar) as a nurse in order to find out who killed Isabel and what happened to Catherine. He must work in conjunction with an old acquaintance as well as with French detectives.  

Another woman, psychiatrist at the Montalbán hospital, disappears. The team arrests a suspect. Adela Valcárcel, the hospital manager, destroys a possible evidence. The first series of Bajo Sospecha was lazily nicknamed "Broadchurch in Spain" (1). Bajo Sospecha 2 (10 x 70-minute instead of 8 x 70-minute for Series 1) confirms that the drama is rather a worthy successor to the beloved mystery drama Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel), created like Bajo Sospecha by Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira for Bambú, the same prodco. Once again the excellent Yon González, who played Julio in Gran Hotel, investigates in a place full of secrets, mysteries and lies. 

This similarity is reinforced by two other ex-regulars of Grand Hotel in the cast: the talented Lluis Homar (Cisneros in the third series of GH) and, this year, the great Concha Velasco as "Doña Adela" (which sounds like "Doña Angela"). Another common feature is the presence of a cop character who'd deserve its own spin-off. In Grand Hotel it was Inspector Ayala (with of course his deputy Hernando), in Bajo Sospecha it's Rafael Vidal - played by Vicente Romero. 

Sophie Leduc is performed by Mar Sodupe (La famille Bélier), a French actress born in Spain. Alain Juillard is played by the impressive French actor Hugo Becker (A Very Secret Service, Gossip Girl). Gonzalo de Castro, who plays Miguel Manrique, was Mateo Sancristóbal in Doctor Mateo (2009-2011), the Spanish Doc Martin. Other guest actors include Luisa Martin (Lidia Abad), Olivia Molina (Belén Yagüe), Unax Ugalde (Daniel Legarra), etc...

Bajo Sospecha is produced by Bambú Producciones, the company also behind Velvet, for Atresmedia Televisisión. Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés are the producers. Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-Valdés and Carlos Portela exec produce. It is distributed by Beta Film. Music composed by Federico Jusid.

(1) See http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/03/television-de-rattrapage-february-2015.html

http://www.antena3.com/series/bajo-sospecha/

http://www.lavanguardia.com/series/20160112/301350076958/bajo-sospecha-estreno-segunda-temporada-yon-gonzalez.html

http://www.formulatv.com/videos/10338/hugo-becker-actores-espanoles-imitan-franceses/ (An interview in Spanish with Hugo Becker)

See also: 

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/01/watched-this-week-whodunnit-edition.html

WATCHED THIS WEEK (WHODUNNIT EDITION)

Spain, land of mystery and suspense...

- Bajo Sospecha (Antena 3, January 12). [Spoiler-Free] The second series of the hit Spanish crime/mystery drama (10 x 70-minute instead of 8 x 70-minute for Series 1) started this week. Produced by Bambú Producciones, the company behind Velvet and Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel), for Atresmedia Televisisión.  

Isabel Freire, head nurse at the Hospital Policlínico Montalbán (a nod to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán?), is kidnapped in the car park of the hospital and later found dead elsewhere. Undercover cop Victor (Yon González) is sent by Commissioner Casas (Lluís Homar) to the Montalbán hospital as a nurse in order to find out who killed her. There seem to be a link between this murder and the disappearance of Catherine Le Monnier, daughter of a French politician and a Spanish woman, three weeks ago. Victor must investigate in conjunction with new (or not so new) colleagues.

The first series was sold as "Broadchurch in Spain" (1), whereas it was rather the worthy successor to the beloved mystery drama Grand Hotel. The premiere episode of this new case of Bajo Sospecha doesn't disappoint. The great Concha Velasco (Ángela in Gran Hotel) plays Adela Valcárcel. Gonzalo de Castro (Miguel Manrique) was Mateo Sancristóbal in Doctor Mateo (2009-2011), the Spanish Doc Martin. Alain Juillard is performed by French actor Hugo Becker (A Very Secret Service, Gossip Girl).

Music composed once again by Federico Jusid. Created by Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (Grand Hotel). Produced by Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés. Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-Valdés and Carlos Portela exec produce. Bajo Sospecha is distributed by Beta Film.

(1) See http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/03/television-de-rattrapage-february-2015.html 

http://www.antena3.com/series/bajo-sospecha/

http://www.lavanguardia.com/series/20160112/301350076958/bajo-sospecha-estreno-segunda-temporada-yon-gonzalez.html

- Midsomer Murders (ITV, January 13). See the spoiler-free review here: http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/01/midsomer-murders-incident-at-cooper.html

- [Update] Death in Paradise (BBC One, January 14). See the spoiler-free review here: http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/01/death-in-paradise-series-five-episode_14.html
 

GRAND HOTEL 4 (FIRST HALF OF S3, FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

Spain in the early 20th century. The idyllic luxury of the prestigious Grand Hotel, located just outside the (fictional) town of Cantaloa, conceals secrets, lies, intrigue, and danger. 

The first half of the third and final series of Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel, 2011-2013), the acclaimed Spanish mystery drama, will be available tomorrow in France on DVD from Koba Films as "Grand Hôtel - Saison 4".  

Produced by Bambu Producciones, the company of Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, for channel Antena 3, Gran Hotel was sold to more than 60 territories, including France (groupe M6), the UK (Sky Arts) and the United States. Series three of Grand Hotel initially consisted of 14 X 70-minute episodes. However, when Antena 3 reduced by half the second series to preserve ratings the channel added 8 of its 16 episodes (already filmed) to the third (1). Everybody at the Grand Hotel is in shock after the tragedy, starting with Doña Teresa Alarcón (Adriana Ozores). Wounded, Julio Olmedo (Yon González) is looking for his lover Alicia (Amaia Salamanca). But the wife of Don Diego Murquia (Pedro Alonso) has vanished. Lawyer Maite Ribelles (Megan Montaner), the best friend of Doña Alicia, arrives at the establishment.

Maite joins Julio, Inspector Horacio Ayala (Pep Anton Muñoz) and Agent Hernando (Antonio Reyes) in their search. Diego believes his wife left him and he's annoyed by Maite's presence. In the shadows, someone behind the recent events and the disappearance of Alicia will stop at nothing for revenge. Known internationally as "the Spanish Downton Abbey", Gran Hotel was in fact born from the passion of its creators Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (Gran Reserva) for mystery stories and the work of Agatha Christie (2).  Following a spectacular cliffhanger worthy of the U.S. supersoaps of the 1980s, this "Grand Hôtel - Saison 4" DVD set by Koba Films contains Episodes 1 to 7 of the third series.  

Doña Sofia (Luz Valdenebro) is left for dead in a cold room. Javier Alarcón  (Eloy Azorin) falls in love with nurse Laura Montenegro (Marta Hazas), who's not quite what she seems. Inspector Ayala is suspicious about Diego, whose self-assurance cracks as his past resurfaces. Hernando is a pioneer in K-9 policing... sort of. Alicia reappears but is she a pawn between the hands of an invisible adversary of her husband? Doña Ángela (Concha Velasco) and her son Andrés (Llorenç González) are fed up of Belén (Marta Larralde) to the point the young man goes to extreme measures. Jesús Manzano Cisneros (Lluis Homar) becomes the new maitre d'hotel. Teresa remains dangerous and Don Alfredo (Fele Martinez) meets the King of Spain.

The amateur sleuth trio Julio, Alicia and Maite helps Ayala and Hernando, the Spanish Poirot and Hastings, to find the answer to this question: who is Adrián Vera Celande? The 7 episodes of this DVD set from Koba are on 4 discs in French only. French subtitles for the hearing impaired are available. Overall effective, this ultimate series of Gran Hotel is packed with mystery, suspense and romance. Its twists and turns are more riveting than ever, the settings are gorgeous (3), the cast is composed of Spain's best actors and the music of Lucio Godoy is magnificent. An Italian adaptation of Grand Hotel produced by Cattleya (Gomorrah) and Beta Film for pubcaster RAI 1 will start on September 1. It stars Eugenio Franceschini and Valentina Bellè.

(1) http://blogs.formulatv.com/aldia/antena-3-corta-la-segunda-temporada-gran-hotel-para-emitirla-mas-adela/
(2)  http://nachomedivas.es/secretos-gran-hotel-creador-ramon-campos/
(3) Grand Hotel was primarily filmed at the Palacio de la Magadalena, an early 20th-century palace on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander (http://palaciomagdalena.com/en/).

http://www.kobafilms.fr/reservation/grand-hotel---saison-4-449.html
http://www.bambuproducciones.com/?language=en 

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/06/grand-hotel-3-second-half-of-s2-french.html (Second half of Series 2 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/08/grand-hotel-series-two-french-region-2.html (First half of Series 2 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/05/grand-hotel-french-region-2-dvd_10.html (Series 1 DVD review)  

GRAND HOTEL 3 (SECOND HALF OF S2, FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

Spain in the early 20th century. The prestigious Grand Hotel, located just outside the (fictional) town of Cantaloa, belongs to Doña Teresa, the merciless matriarch of the Alarcón family. The idyllic luxury of the establishment actually conceals secrets, lies, intrigue, and danger. 

The second half of the second series of Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel, 2011-2013), the acclaimed Spanish mystery drama, is available in France on DVD from Koba Films since May as "Grand Hôtel - Saison 3".  

Produced by Bambu Producciones, the company of Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, for channel Antena 3, Gran Hotel was sold to more than 60 territories, including France (groupe M6), the UK (Sky Arts) and the United States. Series two of Grand Hotel consisted initially of 16 X 70-minute episodes but Antena 3 decided to reduce it by half to preserve ratings and the remaining 8, already filmed, were added to the 14 episodes of the third series (1). Lovers Julio Olmedo (Yon González) and Alicia (Amaia Salamanca), the youngest daughter of Doña Teresa Alarcón (Adriana Ozores), search for Fernando Llanes (Victor Clavijo), the man spotted in the film of her wedding with Don Diego Murquia (Pedro Alonso). They're convinced Llanes tried to kill Julio's best friend and fellow waiter Andrés Cernuda (Llorenç González).

Alicia is blackmailed by Diego's henchman Garrido (Miguel Mota) who plots revenge against his master. Doña Ángela, the austere head housekeeper (Concha Velasco), holds many answers to the questions of Alicia and Julio. Doña Elisa (Kiti Mánver) visits her son Alfredo, the marquis of Vergara (Fele Martinez), much to the annoyance of his wife Doña Sofia (Luz Valdenebro). Doña Beatriz (Cristina Brondo), an old flame of Alfredo, arrives at the establishment. Julio and Alicia get help from the shrewd inspector now simple agent Horacio Ayala (Pep Anton Muñoz) and his "superior" agent Hernando (Antonio Reyes). The life of Andrés is threatened again during the Grand Hotel masked ball and Alicia gets in big trouble. Belén (Marta Larralde) and Gonzalo Alarcón (Alfonso Bassave) join forces to bring problems.

Known internationally as "the Spanish Downton Abbey", Gran Hotel was in fact born from the passion of its creators Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (Gran Reserva) for mystery stories and the work of Agatha Christie (2). A young incarnation of the novelist, "Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller" (Carolina Lapausa), even appeared in the sixth episode of this second series. Another real-life figure, Harry Houdini (Jorge Bosch), appears in an episode where the famous magician challenges Ayala and Hernando, Spain's Poirot and Hastings (regrettably they didn't get their own spin-off). It's all mystery, suspense and murder as the infamous Gold Knife Killer resurfaces.

Series two of Grand Hotel is definitely not exempt of problems: a couple of added characters (Don Ernesto, Angela's sister Violeta) don't work and the tiresome antics of Javier Alarcón  waste the talent of Eloy Azorin. Nevertheless, Gran Hotel remains generous in riveting twists and turns culminating in a spectacular cliffhanger worthy of the U.S. supersoaps of the 1980s. The settings are gorgeous (3), the cast is composed of Spain's best actors and the music of Lucio Godoy is both magnificent and ingenious. Asunción Balaguer (the Miss Marplesque Lady) and the great Manuel de Blas (the ex-maitre d'hotel Benjamin) are back.

The 8 episodes of this DVD set from Koba are on 4 discs in French only. French subtitles for the hearing impaired are available. An Italian adaptation of Grand Hotel produced by Cattleya (Gomorrah) and Beta Film for pubcaster RAI 1 will start this autumn. It stars Eugenio Franceschini and Valentina Bellè.

(1) http://blogs.formulatv.com/aldia/antena-3-corta-la-segunda-temporada-gran-hotel-para-emitirla-mas-adela/
(2)  http://nachomedivas.es/secretos-gran-hotel-creador-ramon-campos/
(3) Grand Hotel was primarily filmed at the Palacio de la Magadalena, an early 20th-century palace on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander (http://palaciomagdalena.com/en/).

http://www.kobafilms.fr/catalogue/grand-hotel---saison-3-438.html
http://www.bambuproducciones.com/?language=en 

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/08/grand-hotel-series-two-french-region-2.html (First half of Series 2 DVD review)
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/05/grand-hotel-french-region-2-dvd_10.html (Series 1 DVD review) 

TÉLÉVISION DE RATTRAPAGE (FEBRUARY 2015)

A few words about things I couldn't review due to unforeseen circumstances.

- The Casual Vacancy - Episode One (BBC One): A 3 X 60 minute adaptation of the 2012 book by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) for the BBC and HBO. In a picture postcard English village, the death of a local councillor reveals in the most nasty way the conflicts between its inhabitants. 

As subtle as a hammer (with its heavy social satire) and moderately entertaining, The Casual Vacancy is basically an extended pre-credit sequence of Midsomer Murders. We wonder if the characters of this highly dispensable piece of television will all kill each other in the end of the third part. Adapted by Sarah Phelps (Great Expectations) and directed by Jonny Campbell. Starring Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie, Keeley Hawes, Rufus Jones, Rory Kinnear, Emilia Fox, etc. 

- Midsomer Murders: A Vintage Murder (ITV): It seems everybody does Midsomer better than the worn-out detective drama these days, starting with the ever effective Death in Paradise. Thank God, the supremely talented writer Lisa Holdsworth (New Tricks) concluded a both tired and tiresome 17th series with this gem. The expectations were high because Miss Holdsworth previously killed Martine McCutcheon with a giant cheese in the episode Schooled in Murder (2013).

 A Vintage Murder is simply the best episode since series 15. Naoko Mori (Torchwood) is hilariously brilliant in a performance reminiscent of Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous. The guest cast includes Mark Bonnar, Lloyd Owen, Claire Bloom and Rosie Cavaliero. Directed by Nick Laughland.

Midsomer Murders is produced by Bentley Productions Ltd, an All3Media company, for ITV. 

- Bajo Sospecha - Episode One (Antena 3): The most interesting drama of February comes from Spain and it is produced by Bambú Producciones, the company behind Velvet and Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel), for Atresmedia Televisisión. 7-year old Alicia Vega disappears without a trace after her first communion. 10 days later, she's still missing and the police is convinced that the culprit is one of the guests at the ceremony or a member of the Vega family. 

Two undercover cops are sent to their village as husband and wife: maverick covert operations expert Victor Reyes (Yon González) and behaviour analyst Laura Cortés (Blanca Romero). Only Commissioner Casas (Lluís Homar) knows their true identities and their mission as they search answers amongst the secrets, lies and mysteries of the community.

Sold as "Broadchurch in Spain", Bajo Sospecha (10 x 75 minute episodes) is in fact the worthy successor to the beloved Grand Hotel, with which it shares not only three actors (González, Homar and Pedro Alonso as Alicia's father) but also some format similarities. There's even a nice nod to Gran Hotel in the premiere. It is not unreasonable to expect from this creation of Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (developed by them with Adolfo Valor) the amount of twists and turns we had through the corridors of the luxurious hotel of Cantaloa.

Bajo Sospecha is produced by Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés and distributed by Beta Films. The (superb) music is by Federico Jusid.

GRAND HOTEL - SERIES TWO (FIRST HALF, FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

The second series of Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel, 2011-2013), the acclaimed Spanish mystery drama, is available in France on DVD from Koba Films since last month. Produced by Bambu Producciones, the company of Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, for private channel Antena 3, Gran Hotel was sold to more than 60 territories, including France (Téva and M6), the UK (Sky Arts) and the United States. 

Spain in the early 20th century. The prestigious Grand Hotel, located just outside the (fictional) town of Cantaloa, belongs to Doña Teresa, the merciless matriarch of the Alarcón family. The idyllic luxury of the establishment actually conceals secrets, lies, intrigue and danger.

Julio Olmedo (Yon González) is determined to clarify the suspicious circumstances of the accident which happened to his best friend and fellow waiter Andrés Cernuda (Llorenç González). Alicia (Amaia Salamanca), the youngest daughter of Doña Teresa Alarcón  (Adriana Ozores) and Julio's love interest, is married with Don Diego Murquia (Pedro Alonso), the scheming hotel manager. Julio convinces her with his theory about Andrés and they devise a plan to get the assistance of Horacio Ayala (Pep Anton Muñoz). But the shrewd inspector is now a simple agent who must take orders from his deputy Hernando (Antonio Reyes).

Javier Alarcón, the black sheep of the family (Eloy Azorin), gets into more trouble. Alfredo, the marquis of Vergara (Fele Martinez), is "on travel" while his wife Doña Sofia, Teresa's eldest daughter (Luz Valdenebro), fakes her pregnancy. The manipulative maid Belén (Marta Larralde), Andrés' wife, is really pregnant and has a letter of the highest importance for Doña Teresa. This letter leads Alicia and Julio to the biggest mystery in the history of the Grand Hotel. And Doña Ángela, the austere head housekeeper (Concha Velasco), could hold answers.

Series two of Grand Hotel consisted initially of 16 X 70-minute episodes but Antena 3 decided to reduce it by half to preserve ratings and the remaining 8, already filmed, were added to the 14 episodes of the third series (1). Koba Films releases the first half of this second series as "Series 2". Known internationally as "the Spanish Downton Abbey", Gran Hotel was in fact born from the passion of its creators Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira (Gran Reserva) for mystery stories and the work of Agatha Christie (2). A young incarnation of the novelist, "Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller" (Carolina Lapausa), even appears in the elegant sixth episode.

Agatha teams up with Ayala and Hernando, Spain's Poirot and Hastings (they deserve their own spin-off), and finds inspiration for The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The plot thickens for star-crossed lovers/amateur sleuths Julio and Alicia, who gather clues with a little help from Ayala's mastery of forensic science and a new invention called the "cinématographe". A figure from Julio's past resurfaces in a Hitchcockian episode to complicate the situation. Meanwhile, Doña Teresa and Don Diego stop at absolutely nothing to protect the hotel and their own interests.

This second series of Grand Hotel is not exempt of problems: the character of Don Ernesto, the new maitre d'hotel (Juan Luis Galiardo in his final role), doesn't work. The antics of Javier become rapidly tiresome. Nevertheless, Gran Hotel remains generous in riveting twists and turns. The settings are gorgeous (3), the cast is truly fantastic and the music of Lucio Godoy is both magnificent and ingenious. Asunción Balaguer and Kiti Mánver (returning respectively as Lady and Doña Elisa), Silvia Marsó, and Alfonso Bassave are amongst the guest stars.

The 8 episodes of this DVD set from Koba are on 4 discs in French only. French subtitles for the hearing impaired are available. An Italian adaptation of Grand Hotel produced by Cattleya (Gomorrah) and Beta Film for pubcaster RAI 1 will air in 2015. It stars Eugenio Franceschini and Valentina Bellè. A Mexican version is also in preparation.

(1) http://blogs.formulatv.com/aldia/antena-3-corta-la-segunda-temporada-gran-hotel-para-emitirla-mas-adela/
(2)  http://nachomedivas.es/secretos-gran-hotel-creador-ramon-campos/
(3) Grand Hotel was primarily filmed at the Palacio de la Magadalena, an early 20th-century palace on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander (http://palaciomagdalena.com/en/).

http://www.kobafilms.fr/reservation/grand-hotel---saison-2-381.html
http://www.bambuproducciones.com/?language=en 

[Update July 20, 2015]

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2015/06/grand-hotel-3-second-half-of-s2-french.html (Second half of Series 2 DVD review)

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2014/05/grand-hotel-french-region-2-dvd_10.html (Series 1 DVD review)

GRAND HOTEL - SERIES ONE (FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

Spain, 1905. Julio Olmedo, a young man of modest origin, arrives in Cantaloa to visit his sister, Cristina, a maid at the prestigious Grand Hotel. There, he's told she was fired and disappeared.  To find out what happened, Julio becomes a waiter in the luxury establishment as "Julio Espinosa".

He collects clues amongst the staff and the clients of the palace hotel owned by Doña Teresa, the merciless matriarch of the Alarcón family. In a place full of secrets, his only allies are waiter Andrés Cernuda and Alicia, the youngest daughter of Doña Teresa. Meanwhile, a dead body is found in Cantaloa.

Series one of Grand Hotel (Gran Hotel, 2011-2013), the acclaimed Spanish mystery drama, is now available in France on DVD from Koba Films. Produced by Bambu Producciones, the company of Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, for private channel Antena 3, Gran Hotel was sold to more than 60 territories, including the UK (Sky Arts) and France (Téva and M6). Known internationally as "the Spanish Downton Abbey", the creation of Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira has in fact more than meets the eye.

Both Downton and Grand Hotel are period dramas with conflicting characters in a luxurious countryside estate, upstairs and downstairs, but the later is a bona fide detective mystery à la Agatha Christie. The first series is centered around the smart, dashing and tenacious Julio Olmedo (Yon González, excellent), who investigates the suspicious disappearance of his sister Cristina (Paula Prendes). Before she vanished, Cristina confronted Doña Teresa Alarcón, owner of the  Grand Hotel (Adriana Ozores, who reminds of Jane Wyman in Falcon Crest).

Doña Teresa will stop at absolutely nothing to protect her own and the hotel, with a little help of her scheming manager Don Diego Murquia (Pedro Alonso). Her eldest daughter Sofia (Luz Valdenebro) is married with Don Alfredo, the future marquis of Vergara (Fele Martinez), and she's pregnant. Javier (Eloy Azorin), the son of Doña Teresa, is the black sheep of the family. Determined to uncover the truth about his sister, Julio bends the rules and social conventions so dear to Doña Ángela (Concha Velasco), the head housekeeper, and maitre d'hotel Benjamin (Manuel de Blas).

He gets assistance from fellow waiter Andrés Cernuda (Llorenç González, amazing), the son of Angela, who's in love with the manipulative maid Belén Martín (Marta Larralde). He also convinces Alicia Alarcón (Amaia Salamanca), the ravishing youngest daughter of Doña Teresa and Don Diego's fiancée, to join his search. Things get even more complicated for Julio when Inspector Ayala (Pep Anton Muñoz, who deserves his own spin-off), a shrewd homicide detective interested in modern policing methods, arrives in Cantaloa on the case of a woman stabbed with a gold knife from the Grand Hotel.

Suspense, intrigue, gorgeous settings, a star-crossed romance and a bit of humour make this fast-paced first series of Grand Hotel compelling. Its riveting twists and turns quickly become addictive. Most of the characters are interesting, the cast is great, and the music of Lucio Godoy is simply magnificent. Gran Hotel was primarily filmed at the Palacio de la Magadalena, an early 20th-century palace on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander. The 9 X 70-minute episodes of this series one DVD set are on 4 discs in French only. French subtitles for the hearing impaired are available.

http://www.kobafilms.fr/serie/grand-hotel---saison-1-367.html
http://nachomedivas.es/secretos-gran-hotel-creador-ramon-campos/ (In Spanish)
http://palaciomagdalena.com/en/ 
http://theboar.org/2014/01/10/grand-hotel-spanish-downton-abbey/#.U23YdHbvz7M
http://www.bambuproducciones.com/?language=en