Two years after the first successful season was broadcast, the anticipated and exciting adventures of Inspector Carlo Guerrieri, played by Claudio Amendola, and his deputy Malik Soprani (Miguel Gobbo Diaz) in Black in half, TV series co-produced by Rai Fiction and Cattleya with the collaboration of Netflix, in a second season with no holds barred. We had the opportunity to preview the first episode of the series that will be broadcast starting from 10 September, the subject of this article, in which old and new acquaintances will intertwine their experiences with that of Inspector Guerrieri.
Half black: beyond anti-racism
In Rome the sun is shining. Carlo Guerrieri, now head of the investigation unit, prepares for her marriage to Cristina (Anna Barela), while Malik he has just been promoted to deputy inspector of Warriors: everything is for the best. However, the stillness does not last long; a heart destined for a teenage girl waiting for a transplant is stolen by unidentified traffickers, while Paolo, a very young policeman, son of the inspector Marta (Nicole Grimaudo), dies hit by a car. These two crimes, which are intertwined by suggesting a connection between the episodes, will leave very little time to rejoice in his marriage to Carlo Guerrieri, who will throw himself headlong into the investigation assisted by his daughter. Alba (Rosa Diletta Rossi) and Malik, still in love with the young Guerrieri after their breakup.
If in the first season of Nero half the theme of the racism was tackled head-on, in the second season the fight against discrimination continues to be a thematic thread, but it will be accompanied by other themes, such as domestic violence and l 'psychological abuse illegal organ trafficking and Bullying. As stated by Miguel Gobbo Diaz during the release press conference, in this historical period, in a world where the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement are starting to have significant results, current events teaches and makes us reflect, underlining how Nero in mezzo intends to deal with the previously mentioned issues with strength and courage, drawing heavily from the news.
Not just drama
Despite this dramatic charge which is well present since the opening minutes of the first episode, Nero a mezzo does not aim to sadden or upset the viewers; in fact, as he claims Marco Pontecorvo (who deals with the direction of the series together with Luca Facchini), the drama represented is that of our life, in which we manage to live with traumatic events such as grief and abandonment. Claudio Amendola, moreover, is keen to reassure that in addition to the drama there are many light and comic moments in a mélange with which he is very satisfied.
In the first episode, in fact, the tragic nature of the double crime almost takes a back seat, giving more prominence to the characters that populate Nero in half and their personal stories. L'love, Pontecorvo confirms, is very present in the plot of the series, between new acquaintances, backfires and unhealthy jealousies. So Inspector Guerrieri will be divided between his new wife and sympathy for Marta, while Alba will be torn between Malik's flashback and the specializing in forensic medicine Aeneas (Eugenio Franceschini), and unhealthy jealousies will end up permanently compromising the marriage of Mario (Fortunato Cerlino) e Olga (Caterina Shula). The investigation into the cases presented during the episode is quite hasty and it tends to lack suspense, precisely because we preferred to give more space to interpersonal component than to the police one.
Nonetheless, half Nero lets himself be followed thanks to pleasant directed by Pontecorvo, which combines close-ups and details typical of the detective fiction ad wide long shots that take up Rome in all its splendor. Despite the wealth of topics covered, Nero a mezzo does not bring anything shocking in prime time, taking up the detective tradition of Spanish fiction in a mix of action, investigation, love and comedy. As stated by Pontecorvo, the production has one in the pipeline third season of the series, heralded by a launch ("a catapult", as Amendola ironically defined it) in the latest episodes, which should see the light in 2021. Waiting for further news on the future of the series, Nero a mezzo awaits you every Thursday evening on Rai 1 starting from September 10th, for a total of 12 episodes.
