Brokaw: ‘The Mallorca Files’ moves to Prime Video
“The Mallorca Files” is a classy and fun police series that has been streaming on BritBox but is now available on Prime Video. Viewers can still stream the first two seasons on BritBox; however, beginning with Season Three, the episodes will be exclusive to Prime Video. The first two seasons are also available to stream on Amazon Freevee, and some Prime Video customers can also stream Seasons One and Two on Prime Video.
The series stars Elen Rhys as Miranda Blake, a detective from the U.K. who, while responsible for bringing a fugitive from Mallorca to England, had a little mishap, to put it mildly. When the dust cleared, she was assigned permanently to the police in Mallorca. Her partner is a German detective, Max Winter (Julian Looman) who happens to also be a permanent member of the local police force.
While Miranda is mainly by-the-book and very intent, Max is the opposite. He is laid-back, easy going and takes life calmly. However, that’s not to say he is not a great detective. On the contrary, he is always on the job doing what needs to be done. He just does it differently than Miranda. Together, they make a great team, and they do respect each other, except when Miranda slams the door on Max’s precious BMW. It takes him a couple of seasons to get her to gently close the door.
Max is like Pierce Brosnan as he was in the popular series “Remington Steele” (1982-1987). As a matter of fact, some of Max’s mannerisms are just like those of Brosnan. Yes, he is eye candy for many female viewers.
The repartee between Miranda and Max often brings chuckles to viewers as they hunt down killers in the beautiful Spanish island. Many of the episodes are like travel ads, showing Mallorca as a glamorous destination. However, their work often takes them to the seedy parts of the island, negating all the beauty of what most visitors to the island encounter, especially those who are well-to-do.
Miranda and Max must answer to their boss, Inéz Villegas (Maria Fernández), who does not have a sense of humor. She is always demanding and commanding them to get the killers, and quickly. She wants the cases closed as soon as possible, which puts strain on the detectives who always come through.
Police shows are ubiquitous on TV and streaming channels. What makes some stand out are the characteristics of the characters. And Max combined with Miranda are very often cute together even though they are hunting down ruthless killers.
Season Three continues the camaraderie between the partners as they put the clues together and come up with the culprits. Miranda tends to work well into the night and early morning while Max is more comfortable working the usual hours, but nevertheless she manages to wake him up with new clues and evidence. So much for a good night’s sleep.
How a detective from the U.K. and one from Germany ended up on a Spanish island is one for the books. Nevertheless, they are there and their partnership evolves over the seasons. And as of now, their partnership is strictly business as Max has a live-in girlfriend. But this season, she moves to Madrid, so perhaps that relationship might be over, leaving some room for a new direction in his life.
“The Mallorca Files” is a fun series with two endearing characters set against the backdrop of a mainly luxurious tropical island. While Season Three can stand on its own, viewers might want to watch the first two seasons for the full backstories of Max and Miranda. Fans of the series have waited two years for Season Three, but the wait is over and all eight episodes are now available to stream on Prime Video.