Part 2 of 'Van der Valk's "Redemption in Amsterdam" Promises It's Never Too Late

Part 2 of Van der Valk’s second episode picks up directly after the death of Jan Kappel, Van der Valk’s former mentor and Julia’s former lover. Both are clearly shaken; even Hendrik lacks his usual ebullience as he studies the body. Julia tells Van der Valk she was married to Jan for a short time, years ago, and her attitude to the investigation makes a dramatic change. The next morning, she tells him she’s glad he’s pushing boundaries and encourages him to continue with her support. As we suspected, the historic sword in Max Langenburg’s collection was the weapon used to murder Ric, and Lucienne and Eddie summon him to the station for further questioning.

Joanna: “She just seemed to know what it’s like to have lost your soul. Not hers, the museum’s. It’s what they do, steal the soul of ancient cultures. She just gets that.”

He claims there’s a security camera on his collection at all times, which he’ll release, but admits he was angry with Ric’s efforts to borrow the sword for the exhibit. Ric threatened to go public with the dodgy provenance of other items to blackmail him into loaning it. Meanwhile, Citra and Van der Valk visit Jasmijn, arriving early in the morning. Citra is nervous about interviewing a murderer at home and asks Van der Valk for reassurance. Typically, he replies she’s probably met dozens of murderers without knowing it; he could be one. (She doesn’t look particularly comforted.) Jasmijn’s husband Vincent objects to the early hour until Van der Valk hints he’ll break down the door.

They probably shouldn’t have bothered. When they return, Julia calls Van der Valk into her office, where Hanna Zuiderduin, Jasmijn’s handler, is incandescent with rage because Citra and Van der Valk interviewed Jasmijn without permission. She threatens to report them if it happens again. Hanna insists that Jasmijn has been rehabilitated and needs protection. Henrik, meanwhile, examines the evidence from Jasmijn’s case. His office is cluttered with boxes of materials, including Jasmijn’s brothers’ favorite toy, a hobby horse, used to start the fire. 

The team turns their attention to Christine's building, where Ric's murder took place. While they’re there, Christine returns with Ric’s former girlfriend Zoë Waterman, both of them laughing and physically affectionate. Van der Valk and Lucienne interview them, and Zoë admits her relationship with Christine is fairly new; she hadn’t told Ric before the party happened. She says Ric was obsessed with Jasmijn, an insensitive boyfriend, aggressive, sexually aroused by cruelty, and liked to be in control and inflict pain.

Eddie and Citra head over to see Herman Zaal, director of the creepy True Crime Museum, who was also at the party, and is enjoying lunch with a skull on the table. When they show him a photograph of Jan and tell him he’s a victim in the case, Herman requests a copy and also pictures of the crime scene. Eddie tells him firmly no. But Herman, for all his weirdness, is perceptive enough to realize that he could be victim number three, not two, thanks to his connection with Jasmijn and her husband, Vincent. Jan had given Herman Jasmijn’s phone number, and the two met, but Vincent threatened him. Herman laments the loss: “This place is fine, but it’s not the same as a living, breathing murderer, is it?”

Max sends over his security footage; however, it turns out to be missing the two hours of the murder. Meanwhile, Citra finds Jasmijn supports RAA, the organization that pressured for restitution. RAA leader Johanna Kolen tells Citra and Eddie that Jasmijn was very active in the organization and worked as a mentor to several members, including her. It's not much, but it's enough that Van der Valk manages to get another shot at talking to Jasmijn again, this time on the level, with Hanna present. 

While Lucienne talks to Vincent, Van der Valk and Jasmijn sit outside the house in the sun with Hanna, the family’s dog, and her daughters nearby. Jasmijn is descended from planters in Sumatra, something she has never been comfortable about. She lied about RAA because she didn’t want Joanna involved and because she believed in the idea of redemption, national and personal. Meanwhile, Vincent tells Lucienne about how he and Jasmijn met — she would try to put him off, but he persisted. Finally, she told him about her past, and for three months, he didn’t see her, but they fell in love, married, and had kids. He didn’t want anyone bothering her; they deserved their happiness.

Van der Valk, Lucienne, Citra, Eddie, and Julia have their briefing in the bar. Eddie had an extra tidbit Vincent failed to mention: he was Ric’s counselor and found him deeply troubled. Eddie confesses that he’s ambivalent about her guilt. Everything about her tells him she was guilty of her brothers’ murder, but now he’s having doubts because she’s certainly not killing now. Van de Valk reveals that he’d always thought she was innocent and that she had suffered from false confession syndrome, taking on the guilt, but he couldn't prove it.

And right at that moment, Lena (whose calls Van der Valk has been ignoring all episode), walks into the bar. Van der Valk, highly embarrassed, says it’s not a good time; they’re busy. Enthralled, the rest of the crew watches as Lena, on her way out, stops, and makes her own plea for forgiveness: “I know I lied, and I know I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I regret that, and if you could see it in you to at least ... let me try to explain. I’d like to think we could at least be friends.” Van der Valk mutters, “I don’t really do friends. I mean, apart from this lot.” He gestures at his colleagues. Lucienne finally intervenes and tells Lena it’s really not a good time, and she leaves.

Citra and Van der Valk visit the crime museum that evening, where a seance is taking place, as Herman attempts to contact Jasmijn’s brothers. Van der Valk says he has a real murderer for Herman to meet but adds hastily that it’s too risky. “Risky is my middle name,” Herman boasts and accepts the challenge. The next morning, he meets them near a canal with a colonnaded building nearby, where, on Van der Valk’s instructions, he phones Jasmijn and threatens to call the press on her. He’s contacted her brothers, he says, and they’re not happy. She must meet with him.  

Eddie, Citra, and Lucienne position themselves among the pillars of the colonnade, armed and wearing body armor. Henrik chooses this moment to call Van der Valk to tell him his suspicions that the earlier investigation missed something have been proved correct — no one thought of checking the fibers of the hobby horse for evidence. Van der Valk drives off to fetch Jasmijn. Herman, seated on a stone bench, looks fairly scared for someone whose middle name is risky. He carefully watches every passer-by until a figure swathed in a hooded coat sits on the other end of the bench.

However, at that moment, Jasmijn runs up and asks everyone to stop. Van der Valk introduces Jasmijn to Herman. Herman doesn't recognize her. It turns out they don’t know each other because he never met the real Jasmijn. The hooded figure sitting on the bench reveals herself, and Herman recognizes her as "Jasmijn," but the rest of us know she's actually the handler, Hanna. Citra grabs Herman and hustles him away to safety, but Hanna grabs Jasmijn, gun drawn, and uses her as a shield.

Hanna has been using Jasmijn all along. She wanted revenge for her partner, a crooked cop who killed himself. As the team weaves around the pillars, trying for an angle to take her out, Van der Valk tells Hanna they know it was Ric who started the fire; it was his DNA found on the hobby horse. That’s why he was so obsessed with Jasmijn, and that’s why she killed him before he could confess to Vincent. Hanna killed Jan because he was getting too close to the truth. The confirming evidence was that the criminal activity was too professional –– the rental apartment was wiped clean, and the security video was erased by someone who knew what they were doing.

However, Jasmijn insists that cannot be true. She did it. She tells Hanna the new evidence is false, and while she’s grateful for a second chance, she doesn’t deserve it. Hanna hesitates, Lucienne charges her, knocking her to the ground, and Van der Valk captures her gun, freeing Jasmijn. As he drives her home, Van de Valk tells her he knew she was innocent. She reminds him she had blackouts then and still has memory gaps. While the forensic evidence cannot be argued with, it doesn’t change anything. But Van der Valk assures her that her heroic actions have helped bring Hanna to justice.

She confesses she also lied about not recognizing him from the case; she knew he held out for her innocence. Now she’s found happiness, she says, as they arrive at her house. She hopes Van der Valk does, too. She and her family hug each other. Just as he’s about to drive off, Vincent approaches the car, and Van der Valk tells him they won’t meet again. In a rare moment of intimacy, Van der Valk tells Vincent he envies his happiness and admits he hasn’t got there yet. They shake hands, and it’s a pity that this bromance between two grumpy guys won’t actually happen.