Episode list

Bruges chief inspector Pieter Van In, grumpy head of detectives, is even less friendly as his bank is about to foreclosure on his house due to systematic mortgage payment delays. New substitute (assistant public prosecutor) Hannelore Martens soon flirts with him, while taking an instant dislike to politically connected, ambitious veteran magistrate Joris Creytens, who invokes his experience to wave routine forensics and close cases without proper investigation. The city is hit by a wave of violent crimes, including an apparent terrorist bomb at a statue, which the mayor orders police chief Roger De Kee to give top priority, especially the theory it may link to a never solved Walloon extremist bomb decades ago. Van In's detectives team, effectively lead by his gay deputy Guido Versavel, and Hannelore, who has access to justice files, team up to look into prostitution, organized crime, shady dealings with city zoning and mob family reckonings, all linked with high level corruption and generating new crimes.

A child digs up an old skeleton on the land of a former farm, converted into a bordello, later semi-donated to a shady charitable foundation which sold it to the present owner couple, former whore Linda Aerts and the husband William she reports missing and cleared out a bank account she claims joined and has the banker compensate privately, as price for privacy. Van In soon suspects the key is the link to the murky activities of the foundation and its rich main donor's present 'executive' bordello, formerly managed by William. It turns out he's presiding a committee of notables, one by one being murdered grotesquely, including criminal attorney Provoost. Junior detective Dirk Baert opposes in vain the undercover mission accepted by colleague Carine Neels, whom he has an eye on, as resident in the foundation's smart compound for debt-crushed people, expected to 'get on her feet' by modeling with a twist. Finally it all ties back to a generation back schooldays abuse among ambitious pupils, which a hired killer is ordered to keep covered up.

Jeweller Ludovic Degroof is held up. Nothing is stolen, but a note is left behind, a letter with a mysterious square.

A crazy high-profile poison murder recalls the old ritual cases of the Church of Asmodeus, so far believed defunct for a generation. About to be pensioned off forensic chemist Raf Geens arouses Van In's interest, not just for spotting a usually undetected rare poison. The only trail is to the cult's mysterious master, who goes by the Latin pseudonym Venex, the only probably useful witness junkie Jasper Desender, estranged son of a tycoon, whom Pieter takes in at home, but returns on shopping mission for Hanne to his dodgy church contact and dealer Richard Coleyn, equally estranged son of hospital surgeon John Coleyn. Pieter is typically rude to pushy reporter Saartje Maes,whom De Kee imposed on his team, but isn't as irrelevant as she seems, yet way more obnoxious. Hannelore is even more moody as childbirth is nearing, but even the hospital maternity not safe for the fanatics.

Rich investment adviser Patrick Claes is strangely reserved and uncooperative after the robbery of his expensive antique guns collection. The workaholic cares little about his wife Judith Claes-Noordervliet's open promiscuity, all the more about exclusive clients, as their 'privacy' is compromised by the real loot inside the gun cabinet: a CD with his secret accounts if illegal dealings. Later author client Olaf Asselberghs is murdered, Russian mob super client Serov posts his henchman Diego Cardoen who poses as Claes's butler. Judith is missing, actually locked in the atomic shelter, but not as short as his usual punishment for her infidelities. Van In is plagued not only by the noisy twin babies but also by his wife Hannelore, just promoted to supervising magistrate, insisting to stick her nose in at field work, which proves far too dangerous as he warned, not just obnoxious.

High court justice Heydens's corpse is found in his Bruges estate, a staged suicide. His son Valentijn starts the investigation by telling his suspicions to ex Hannelore, but jealous Van In can't handle any contact between them, so she moves out a while, leaving him with the twins. Commissoner De Kee only cares for the royal visit and orders Van In to supervise security measures and wants the embarrassing case swept under the carpet, as suggested by haughty, influential notary Broos. Heydens's remarried ex is found hanging too, another apparent suicide.

Van In delegates security for a museum visit by the daughter of Spanish prime minister Aznar to Neels, while he and Versavel suspects links between violent crimes and the security breach at that very Gruuthuse museum, where security chief Ferdinand Boedt waves a warning, while his wayward son Olivier is a next victim. Van In's fanciful acquaintance, the Spanish director of Bruges' 'College of Europe' (post-graduate EU studies) next door, is somehow connected with the ETA terrorist cell that plans lucrative and political crimes.

Hannelore's niece Merel visits Bruges with her Chilean-born US husband Silvio Pavez, who comes direct the Dutch version 'Vagevuur' of his hit play Purgatory, freely inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet. Van In sends Versavel on holiday to make up with his gay partner, feeling he can cope without his right hand in the case of the amputated finger found in the Concertgebouw (theater) subterranean parking. It doesn't belong to Frank Lernout, the petty criminal wrongly assumed to have died in the his home's arson. To chief De Kee's fury, Van In focuses on Shakespearean drama and questions the culture alderman who invited Pavez, but stumbles onto more Chilean and Thespian links.

Thierry Steen, managing owner of a Belgian advertising company, is murdered at his wedding, lured upstairs in the grand Bruges estate -with a secret passage- of his extremely rich, conservative father Jacob Steen, who forced the fake marriage upon the closet gay. Koen Verhelst, executive of the country's largest, internationally branched media firm Big NV, commits suicide shortly after. Pieter Van In duly mistrusts television presenter Linda Tensen, who was sent to cover the wedding and ignores her editor's veto to try proving herself an investigative reporter. It all fits a grand plot of tycoons to control the 'trias politicas' by taking over and abusing the European media. A municipal politician is drowned in his bath, having got hold and blackmail-demanded a fortune for a document outlining their strategy to control broadcast and written press through advertising, written by Ilse Beerten, right hand of Big NV owner Vincent Carron.