(English: ''Home Grown'') was a 2013-2019
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
television series on the Belgian channel
Eén
Eén (stylized as één; en, "one") is a public Dutch-language TV station in Belgium, owned by the VRT, which also owns Ketnet, Canvas and several radio stations. Although the channel is commercial-free, short sponsorship messages are broadca ...
. It was the most watched TV programme in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
in 2013.
The show revolves around a family of local Belgian
potato farm
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United S ...
ers, Jos () and Ria Welvaert (), who lost all their money and try to win it back by growing
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
. For this reason, it has been called "the
''Breaking Bad'' of Flanders". A spin-off series, ' (2022) has reprising her role as Ria's policewoman friend in the title role.
Languages
The main language in the series is not the standard
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
spoken in Belgium (
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
) but
West Flemish
West Flemish (''West-Vlams'' or ''West-Vloams'' or ''Vlaemsch'' (in French-Flanders), nl, West-Vlaams, french: link=no, flamand occidental) is a collection of Dutch dialects spoken in western Belgium and the neighbouring areas of France and t ...
, a dialect in the province of
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
.
As a few characters are from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
is also spoken. In order to communicate with them, the locals also speak
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
with a very strong Flemish accent.
Dunglish
Dunglish (portmanteau of ''Dutch'' and ''English''; in Dutch ''steenkolenengels'', literally: "coal-English", or ''nengels'') is a popular term for an English spoken with a mixture of Dutch language, Dutch. It is often viewed pejoratively due to c ...
is used extensively throughout the series, especially by Frank. This English interspersed with (West) Flemish pronunciations was appreciated by the viewers of Eigen Kweek. Eén responded to this popularity on its website with a 'soundboard' collecting Frank's most striking statements.
Parts of the third season take place in the
French Flanders
French Flanders (french: La Flandre française) is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France where a dialect of Dutch was or still is traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day region of Hauts-de-France and r ...
and therefore
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
is also spoken.
Only conversations in Filipino have subtitles.
Plot
Season 1
Jos and Ria Welvaert are potato farmers in
Wijtschate
Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rur ...
. Their nephew Geoffrey proposes them an investment to earn money quickly. However, eight months later, Geoffrey ends up in prison after he spent all the money received from the Welvaerts, who are now in financial troubles.
Meanwhile Jos and Ria's eldest son, Frank, meets Nenita, the wife of Lucien, a neighbour of his parents. She shows him a picture of her younger sister Julita, who still lives in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and is willing to be a
mail-order bride
A mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. In the twentieth century, the trend was primarily towards women living in developing countries seeking men in more developed nations. The majority ...
. After Frank picks her up at the airport, their initial conversations are difficult, partly due to Frank's broken English. Moreover, Julita thinks something is wrong with her, as Frank refuses to have sex straight away. They eventually grow closer and Julita realises that Frank really loves her and didn't bring her to Belgium just for sex. On the other hand, she also sees her sister Nenita being exploited by Lucien.
Frank's younger brother Steven has a small weed plantation in a hangar, together with his friend Fluppe. Jos learns, via the regular house friend and policewoman Chantal, that a lot of money can be made with growing weed. He makes a proposal to Steven to grow more weed together to get rid of their debts: they buy seeds in
the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and start their cannabis plantation.
A little later, the police arrives near the Welvaerts' house. Jos and Steven think they have found their hangar full of weed, but it turns out that they came for his neighbour Lucien's, who is also involved in drug deals and is immediately arrested. The police raid scares Jos, who decides to tell Ria about their weed plantation.
In the meantime, Nenita finds Lucien's drug money, about 150,000 euros, and wants to flee back to the Philippines with Julita. However, Julita has fallen in love with Frank and does not want to go back. Nenita then leaves alone to the Philippines with the money, while two thieves break into Lucien's house on the same night, but fail to find the drug money.
Geoffrey, released from prison, returns to Jos and Ria, after Jos realises that Geoffrey knows some drug dealers. The next time that Jos and Steven drive to the hangar, however,a police car is there. It is Geoffrey, who had sex with Chantal, tied her to the bed and drove with her car to the hangar, where he still had money from before when he was arrested.
Later, the two thieves return to Lucien's house and Julita, who happened to be there, is kidnapped. The kidnappers are Klaas Museeuw, known as "Den Hollander", and Bernard Warlop, who feels pity for Julita and eventually develops
Lima syndrome
Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is supposed to result from a rather specific set of circumstances, namely the power imbalances contained in hostage-taking, kidnapping, and ...
. In order to recover the drug money, Den Hollander demands a ransom of 150,000 euros from the Welvaert family. Steven proposes to give the kidnappers the 120 kilograms of weed they grew themselves in exchange for Julita and 150,000 euros, since they can easily sell the drug for double for it.
After Jos and Frank have left to meet Den Hollander, Chantal visits Ria and tells her that the federal police plans to capture Den Hollander, as they know that he is going to make a big deal with weed. Steven transports the weed to Bernard, so that Den Hollander can release Julita to Jos and Frank; when the police arrives, Den Hollander leaves by car but is shot. Just then also Ria and Chantal arrive, explaining that Jos and Frank wanted to arrange the ransom behind the back of the police but have nothing to do with the drugs. This is confirmed: no drugs are found in both cars, but 150,000 euros are present, which are handed over to the Welvaerts.
Six months later, Julita is heavily pregnant, just like Chantal, from her night with Geoffrey, of whom she has not heard anything since. In the last scene, Bernard explains to his five children that they should put five grams of the stuff in front of them in a bag, and do this until the entire supply is gone...
Christmas special
Julita is heavily pregnant and a week overdue. Due to a house fire, she and Frank have to stay at Frank's parents for a while. The Welvaerts traditionally celebrate Christmas Eve with the pastor. However, it turns out that Lucien has been released and lives in the care of the pastor, who wants to take him along.
When Frank learns that Lucien has been invited, he leaves with Julita, looking for a hotel. Since everything is fully booked, they decide to celebrate in their car next to the road. When Julita's water breaks, the car's battery is dead due to the Christmas lights. They leave on foot and eventually end up in the
Nativity scene
In the Christianity, Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian language, Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christ ...
of the Nollet family, where Julita gives birth to Franky.
Season 2
Four years later, Patrick Museeuw shows up to claim his brother's money. Since the Welvaert family have already spent it, he forces Jos to grow cannabis again in order to recover the money as quickly as possible, by threatening little Franky. Bernard has debts with den Hollander, so he is forced to help.
Chantal discovers accidentally the cannabis plantation but she is knocked down by Museeuw, who orders the Welvaerts to move the plants to their own hangar, where their cultivation was done four years ago. At Frank's house, meanwhile, Bernard becomes friend with Pepita, Julita's aunt who is visiting for three months.
Eventually, the entire Welvaert family manages to overpower and chain Museeuw. Later on, Ria finds the code to open the safe at Museeuw's house and recovers the photos that he took with his polaroid, which could incriminate her family. Steven, who is transporting part of the drugs to
Dranouter
Dranouter (Dutch, locally known as ''Nouter'') is a village and a '' deelgemeente'' in the municipality of Heuvelland in West Flanders, Belgium. Dranouter was an independent municipality before the 1977 local government reforms. Since then, it has ...
, receive a call from Jos: he should go to Museeuw's house, where they can put the weed in order to get Museeuw caught by the police.
Before their plan is fulfilled, however, Museeuw frees himself and claims to the police to have evidence that the drugs were grown by the Welvaert family and drives with them to his house. Jos, who was waiting there, calls again Steven and asks him to stay out of there with the weed. Then he calls Frank and Ria, so that they can empty their hangar from the rest of the weed, because Museeuw will tell the police to go there. Jos escapes from the back door, while Museeuw discovers that his safe is empty.
Frank's family car turns out to be gone, as are Bernard and Pepita. When he and Ria arrive at the hanger, simultaneously with the police, they have no time to remove the weed. Museeuw accuses them to grow drugs in the hangar together with Bernard. However, to everyone's surprise, the hangar turns out to be empty: nothing is found except a few car seats. Frank recognises the seats of his family car and understands what happened: Bernard took all the drugs and growing material from the hangar during the night.
Museeuw is definitively arrested, while Jos and Steven burn the photos and throw the rest of the weed in a forest. Bernard sells all the weed and equipment, and a few days later Julita receives a text from Pepita, saying that Frank can pick up his car at
Schiphol Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...
.
The last scenes show Julita pregnant with her second child, while Chantal receives a report that Bernard Warlop has left Schiphol for the Philippines. Since Pepita is also on the same plane, Chantal thinks it is not a coincidence, so the story of den Hollander could be true...
Season 3
Chantal is convinced that the brother of 'Den Hollander' spoke the truth and that the Welvaert family has indeed secretly grown weed, so she conducts a private investigation to prove it. She sees Jos and Fluppe at the hangar and thinks they are dealing with weed again. When Chantal confronts the Welvaert, Jos is forced to admit to Ria that he was trying to sell the potato farm because neither Frank nor Steven want to work there.
Meanwhile, a new
police commissioner, René Vanderlinden, has arrived from
Antwerpen
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, . He wants to transform the local police into a modern and efficient team, but enters immediately into conflict with Chantal's independent way of working. He finds her file on the Welvaerts and informs the
examining magistrate
In an inquisitorial system of law, the examining magistrate (also called investigating magistrate, inquisitorial magistrate, or investigating judge) is a judge who carries out pre-trial investigations into allegations of crime and in some cases ma ...
, who has a search warrant extradited. Due to her friendship with Jos and Ria, Vanderlinden suspects that Chantal could be an accomplice.
Griet finds out to be pregnant by Steven, but the two broke up a while ago. While babysitting Chantal's daughter, she discovers a lot of photos of the Welvaerts in Chantal's desk, including a picture of a weed leaf. She informs Steven, who manages to keep her quiet by promising to marry her. Griet introduces him to her parents but her father Piet, who is the examining magistrate, refuses to speak with him until the case involving his family has been cleared.
Julita is also pregnant and is expecting a triplet of girls. When Frank and Julita's house are searched, plans of a weed plantation are found in Frank's car, leading the police to a small hangar filled with weed. Frank ends up in prison after the owner of the hangar shows a rental contract with Frank's signature.
Meanwhile, Chantal starts an investigation into her new boss, since she believes that he is the one who framed Frank. She follows him to a brothel in
Oost-Cappel
Oost-Cappel is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France on the Belgium, Belgian border.
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
References
...
, where he appears to be a friend of the owner, the French criminal Maurice Le Moko. Moreover, she hears them talking about her as a nuisance.
When the court suspects that the signature was falsified and the witness lied, Frank is released pending trial. On request of Chantal, he goes to Oost-Cappel together with Steven and Jos to find information on Vandenlinden; they discover that he met Maurice only a few weeks ago. Since Steven is reluctant to the marriage, Ria goes to Griet's parents hoping to talk with them. There she overhears that Griet's father Piet was corrupted by Maurice and was responsible for putting the weed plans in Frank's car.
Vanderlinden confronts Chantal, who realises that she misunderstood the dialogue at the brothel and that Piet profitted of Vanderlinden's overzealousness to frame Frank. Vanderlinden admits that he visits regularly the brothel for the prostitutes, but he is otherwise innocent. When further evidences appear, he understands that Chantal's suspicions over Maurice and Piet are right.
Piet, who is passionate about military history, organises a
re-enactment
Reenactment or re-enactment may refer to:
Legislation
* Consolidation bill, a bill that consolidates several Acts of Parliament into a single Act in the United Kingdom
* Repeal with reenactment, where a law is replaced with one more suitable
Oth ...
for the 100th anniversary of the
Battle of Messines Battle of Messines may refer to:
*Battle of Messines (1914)
*Battle of Messines (1917)
The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of ...
, where he will play
general Plummer, and the Welvaerts will also participate. After Piet refuses to further collaborate with him, Maurice devises a plan to kill him, since he is the only one knowing his activities. He instructs his gangsters to pose as soldiers but secretly carry real weapons to shoot Piet.
Vandenlinden and Chantal start working together and become attracted to each other. They follow the gangsters to their hangar in order to trap them, but they have sex in the car and don't see them leaving. At the re-enactment Piet is shown to be sorry for his actions and promises that he will help Frank to win the trial. The gangsters barely wound Piet and flee, but are followed by Frank and Steven until the hangar, where they are trapped by Maurice and the other accomplices. Vandenlinen and Chantal, who never left the hangar, are able to save them and arrest the gangsters.
After the birth of Julita's and of Griet's babies, the entire family Waelwart, together with Chantal and Vanderlinden, celebrate with a barbecue. Jos has not sold the farm, and his two sons work there together. In the last scene Fluppe is seen returning from the airport with a Filipina wife, facing the same communication problems experienced by Frank and Julita at the beginning of the series.
Cast
In the table below C stays for Christmas special.
Production and distribution
The filming took place in Wijtschate, a sub-municipality of
Heuvelland
Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rur ...
, in
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
.
The first season was broadcast on
Eén
Eén (stylized as één; en, "one") is a public Dutch-language TV station in Belgium, owned by the VRT, which also owns Ketnet, Canvas and several radio stations. Although the channel is commercial-free, short sponsorship messages are broadca ...
in the fall of 2013. Initially, the series had one season, but due to the great success, it was decided to add two more seasons. The second season aired in spring 2016. A special Christmas episode aired on Christmas 2016; although it aired between seasons 2 and 3, it takes place between seasons 1 and 2. The third season aired from New Year 2019 and concluded the series.
Spin-off
In 2020 a spin-off of the series, entitled , was announced. It focusses on the policewoman Chantal Vantomme, who moves with her daughter to the small town of Loveringem to lead the local district police station.
The first season aired from September 2022 and the series was renewed for a second season.
Episodes
Season 1
# (An Interesting Investment)
# (My Mother Came Along)
# (Operation Bud-tokers)
# ''What Is That With The Washing Machine''
# (For 7x70 times)
# (And No Cops!)
Christmas Special
# (Christmas special)
Season 2
# (There's a man over there)
# (Keep out of my drawers)
# (potato beetles)
# ''Sick from Stockholm''
# (Jos, let me go)
# ''The Code out a Dream from Mama''
Season 3
# (Busy with something)
# (Accused of something)
# (All alone)
#
# ''Ze blow up job''
# (the end)
References
{{Reflist
Belgian crime television series
Belgian comedy television shows
Belgian drama television shows
2013 Belgian television series debuts
2019 Belgian television series endings
Eén original programming