Van Der Valk Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Freedom in Amsterdam: Part 2
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
In the first installment of the latest season, we packed in plenty of drama just within the world of parkour. On Van Der Valk Season 3 Episode 2, “Freedom in Amsterdam: Part Two,” we enter more dangerous territory, and things quickly snowball.
True, most of that danger is offscreen, and our main characters have already faced their most dramatic scene in the shootout from the previous episode. Still, after so much focus on parkour, it’s jarring to find it just being used as a tool for smuggling drugs.
That isn’t where the roller coaster ends, and it isn’t even the biggest pivot in the plot. This criminal world is itself used as a red herring for the next death that occurs—one that leaves a seemingly bereft brother sobbing over a dead body.
It’s only near the end of the hour that we learn the brother, Curt, killed both Lenny and Casper out of an obsessive excuse for love. He drags the subject of that obsession to the top of a bridge in front of a crowd, threatening to jump with her handcuffed to him.
It does make for an effective and pulse-pounding climax. I could question the physics that go into Eddie shooting Curt without having either him or Marion fall, but it’s a relief to see them save one person, however traumatized she might now be.
That said, we spend one full hour focused on parkour and most of another focused on high-level crime. The true motive feels as though it’s thrown in for the sake of shock value. Curt’s deteriorating mental state, along with whatever got him there, deserve more unpacking.
The good news is that this episode feels more balanced between the case-related scenes and those that give us time with our characters. From quiet conversations in cars to bonding moments in the pub, we’re getting a chance to build on both good and troubling dynamics.
Piet is often brooding and distanced like any good main character of a TV drama. Still, we see the closeness that suggests these people will have the conversations they need to have to resolve issues, even if they happen in a roundabout way.
Unless I’ve missed it along the way, we still don’t get a good explanation as to the disappearance of Job and Brad. If there is one, it still goes by more quickly than they deserve for all they did in two seasons. We might just need to make peace with that.
For now, I’m happy to see the team coming together again with its blend of old and new members. They don’t seem too plagued by the trust issues that shows often throw into these situations. For a group that needs to work well as a unit, that’s always a good thing.
This episode was written by Chris Murray and Maria Ward and directed by Michiel van Jaarsveld.
What did you think of this episode of Van Der Valk? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Van Der Valk airs Sundays at 10/9c on PBS.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.