Detective Forst – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Episode 3

Episode 3 of Detective Forst starts off with the unorthodox detective meeting up with his old contact, Frana, but this isn’t a warm reunion. Frana wastes no time and gives Forst a good old slap on the cheek, hinting at some unresolved conflict between the two. It’s possible that they might’ve been an item once upon a time, but things went south, probably because of Forst’s not-so-great track record with relationships. 

But why does Forst seek out Frana after all these years? Forst reveals to Frana that he needs her help to catch a serial killer who’s already taken three lives. Furthermore, Forst also shows her a map of Tatras that he found on the latest victim. Forst points to the map and asks Frana if she knows the spot, and Frana responds that she knows it even better than her own house, but not for any happy reasons. 

Back at the police station, the cops finally figure out who the headless body by the river belongs to – it’s Maks Rozwadowski, the Minister’s son, who’s been missing for weeks. We also learn that Rozwadowski has the same tattoo that was found on the other two victims. This isn’t great news, especially since the Minister has been pushing the cops to locate his son. To add insult to injury, the killer goes the extra mile and mails the politician his son’s finger.  

Frana and Forst start hiking to the spot marked on the map. Along the way, Forst discovers that the fancy villa sits atop Lomnica Peak and is named the Black Dolphin by the locals. The person who built it came here after World War II. Forst believes that all the answers he has been looking for are in that villa, so he tries to convince Frana to help him get inside. Frana is a bit unsure at first, but after some careful consideration, she agrees.

As the story unfolds, we find out that Edmund is actually working with the old woman named Halina. Surprisingly, she’s the one who ordered him to suspend Forst. But why is Edmund betraying one of his own and siding with Halina, who’s probably behind all the murders? Edward’s wife is terminally ill, and his police salary isn’t enough to cover the hefty medical bills.

To save his wife, Edmund agrees to work for Halina, earning a substantial 20k each month. However, once his wife dies, Edmund has a change of heart, and he returns the money to Halina, announcing that he’s done working for her.

With Frana, Forst enters the villa and finds it flooding with rich people engaged in questionable activities. Lowktarski is informed of their arrival and orders his guards to bring Forst to him. Lowktarski labels Forst as the greatest detective in Cracow’s history but points out his failure to save a young boy. So, is Lowktarski the beast of Giewont and the man responsible for the death of Chalimoniuk, Maja, and Rozwadowski?  

Lowktarski discloses that he’s not the murderer but is, in fact, one of the targets. Also, the disturbing photos seen on his desk in episode 2 were sent by the killer after each death. Given that Forst has seen what goes on inside the villa, Lowktarski cannot allow him to leave under any circumstances. Lowktarski has his men put Forst to a beating and confine him to a cage.

In the cage next to him is Frana, who is without any clothing. As the room empties out, Iwo Elijah infiltrates Lowktarski’s chambers and kills him. On the flip side, Fran and Forst attempt to run away. Unfortunately, Fran has to sacrifice herself to protect Forst. He, too, is eventually discovered, but as Forst is about to be shot by Lowktarski’s men, Iwo Elijah intervenes and takes them down. Iwo Elijah whispers to Forst that it’s not his time to die because he still has a lot to lose.

The Episode Review

Episode 3 of Detective Forst really ramps up the excitement! Forst and Frana team up to infiltrate the villa to find the identity of the serial killer. Things turn interesting when Lowktarski reveals that he’s not the killer, but a target. We also see Edmund engaged in a secret deal with Halina. The face-off with Lowktarski leads to disaster, leading to Frana making a bold sacrifice to save Forst.