Gallery Fake – Love in the twisting labyrinth of Paris

- Making stamps and dolls exciting since 2008

Episode 14 of Gallery Fake is yet another addition to what is turning out to be a brilliant run of episodes in what i’m now officially dubbing The Best Show You’re Probably Not Watching. This week Fujita heads off to Paris, where Sara – his partner/girlfriend/middle-eastern royalty type – becomes obsessed with delivering a 20 year old love letter found stuck inside the frame of an old painting.

Over the course of their search for the truth they find themselves exploring the old shopping arcades in the passages that criss-cross the back alleys of Paris, uncovering Cold War intrique, drug deals, precious ancient antiques and the loneliness from a 20 year old broken promise…

Once again this is Gallery Fake at its best. There’s a clear affection for Paris here, and this episode manages to capture the beauty and mystery of that ancient place despite the shows always iffy animation quality. From the winding back alleys to the banks of the Seine at sunset, we get a mix of tourist travel guide, art history, Cold War thriller and love story all rolled into one. It’s a thoroughly complete episode, and doesn’t suffer from the random under-developed side plots or pointless, mis-judged comedy that this show is sometimes prey to. And, of course, no GIANT SNAKES this week either.

Well, next weeks preview promises a duel between Fujita and an undercover British police officer over the black market sale of a long lost portrait. If that prospect doesn’t at least have you interested, then you obviously have no soul at all, and should probably rush off back to your next episode of Spice and Wolf and the loving embrace of mindless fox-girl nudity doing a poor impersonation of entertainment.

For the rest of us, cross your fingers and hope that the subs keep coming. As ever – show your support.