Under a Dark Sun opens with way too many twists than expected and the drama just keeps intensifying 

Netflix's latest limited series, Under a Dark Sun (originally titled Soleil Noir in French), is now the talk of the town, and it should definitely be number one on your weekend watchlist if you are a fan of crime thrillers. Though the numbers for Under a Dark Sun on Rotten Tomatoes do not look very convincing so far (and the number of reviews is also less), the French limited thriller opens with several twists and turns.

The story centers on a woman named Alba Mazier (portrayed by Oscar nominee Isabelle Adjani) whose tumultuous past forces her to seek refuge by taking up a small job at the Lassere family' rose business. Alba does not want to lose custody of her only child, Leo, and so when she arrives at Arnauld Lasserre's (the patriarch and the head of the business) mansion, she looks desperate for employment.

However, her somewhat bad luck again seems to find trouble for her as she gets caught up in a murder investigation. But that's not the end of things, as Alba apparently has a deeper connection to the Lasserres in Under a Dark Sun, which indirectly makes her the pivot of a high-stakes family drama.

Under A Dark Sun unravels with murder, twists and intense family drama

Under a Dark Sun Episode 1 builds up the perfect atmosphere of a thriller with brooding suspense and limited dialogue. As it appears, Alba is away from her parents - she wants to go to Spain in an attempt to leave her troubled past behind and start a brand new life with her son, Leo.

While she aimlessly drives around in a car (and has no money in her account), Alba receives a notification on her phone about a seasonal job at the Lasserre Estate. This becomes the first turning point in her life for good as well as for bad.

Though Alba initially is not well-received by Arnauld during the interview, something seems to have dawned on the Lasserre patriarch when she tells him about the email. Instantly, Alba comes on board their farming business (in a small role), and she and Leo even get a small cottage of their own.

As she starts working, Alba has a face-off with Arnauld (where she his questioned about her true intentions of taking up the job) and the latter asks her to meet him alone the next morning on the field. But as tragedy strikes again, Alba arrives at the farm and finds Arnauld lying dead (a gunshot near his abdomen).

Scared and traumatized, she flees the scene after panicking, but unfortunately gets spotted by one of the employees. The job, which was supposed to bring her a new home, leaves her entangled in a murder investigation. As Alba is brought in for questioning, Leo comes across a diary of hers (while hiding in their cottage) which reveals abstract drawings and figures - introducing another element of suspense.

While all of this is going on in Under A Dark Sun Episode 1, the Lasserre's family lawyer arrives at the mansion, and as it appears, Arnauld had made major changes in his will and testament before his passing. As it read, his will also included Alba Mazier's name as an equal shareholder of his possessions - a twist that no one saw coming.

While Alba is held at the station for interrogation (she was seen fleeing the scene of the crime), an attorney named Manon Simoni makes her surprise appearance. Her sudden involvement initially looks strange, and Alba becomes paranoid, but it's not long before she reveals that she is the granddaughter of Arnauld Lasserre.

It is through Manon that we learn that Arnauld's family (her wife Béatrice and her children Mathieu and Lucie) have always wanted him out of the picture. And one of the biggest perfumers in all of France, Mason Oris, was looking to get exclusive access to the Lasserre's roses and make a lifelong deal. However, as seen in Under A Dark Sun Episode 1, Arnauld backed out of the deal at the last moment.

Manon tries to warn Alba about her family's intentions (when they come to know that she is actually innocent) and offers to help her get out of the situation. However, the drama in Under a Dark Sun Episode 1 keeps further intensifying with more twists and turns.

On the day of Arnauld's funeral, his daughter Lucie comes across a gun (packed inside a plastic bag) hidden inside one of the washrooms - probably the murder weapon. Manon guides Alba to her grandfather's office in an attempt to find any plot that might have lured the latter to the estate.

Alba finds out that she and her son have been spied upon for a very long time. As she manages to copy some of the files from Arnauld's computer and escapes the mansion just in time, she is hit on the back of her head with a shovel by an unknown figure. The next thing we know is Alba waking up inside her dead father's coffin (Arnauld), and Under a Dark Sun Episode 1 ends on a claustrophobic note.

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