Review of the Netflix series ‘The Law of Lidia Poët’
Combination of period drama and detective about the first female lawyer in Italy.
The Law of Lidia Poët She is the first female lawyer in Italy, who had to fight all her life to be able to practice her profession and thus was officially sworn in when she was no less than sixty-five years old. The series based on her life sees the young Lidia in her fight for justice. The road to get there is paved with murder cases.
Someone struggling to become the first Italian female lawyer is already a very interesting premise and the theme fits into the current debate around feminism, but the series goes much further. In each episode, Lidia is presented with an exciting case and she must do whatever she can with limited resources to help people she cannot accept as full clients.
It’s understandable that Lidia has to roll up her sleeves to take over from her male colleagues who don’t even bother. She is inventive and investigates, making the series feel like a detective. Lydia thus becomes a kind of Enola Holmes, but with handsome Italian lovers.
Actress Mathilda De Angelis is perfectly cast as Lidia. She plays the role of her with humor and grace, and the magnificent outfit in this period drama is unparalleled on her. Up to and including the statement earrings and the dotted makeup. All of this, of course, in an Italy that is beautiful in its own right, which makes the series a joy to watch.
The first few episodes are impressive, but it soon becomes clear that Italian Enola is presented with a murder case every time and that makes things a bit monotonous. With a little more variety in things, the series would have been more interesting. Plus, of course, there is the question of what was going on in Turin at the time, as a result of which local residents continually wanted to steal each other’s lives.
Surprisingly, Lidia confronts the perpetrators with their actions by means of a trap, whether set up by herself or not, usually in an annoyingly underexposed night scene. The recipe for murder and heroin forcing men to be blown away by her abilities is chewed on with this.
But at six episodes, the first season isn’t so long that this repetition gets really annoying and the decor and humor ensure the viewer doesn’t get bored. Fortunately, because the ending is super exciting and the cliffhanger suggests a second season, which this series and the legendary Lidia Poeta undoubtedly deserve. Although the fictional Lydia probably won’t have to wait until she’s sixty-five to redeem herself, then the concept of repetitive murder would be really boring.
The Law of Lidia Poët can be seen in Netflix.