Series / Recht Op Recht

From left to right: Louise Haagdoorn (Chris' mother), Luc Lievens, Chris Haagdoorn, Gabriël Nukerke, Hugo van Eyck, Jessie Vinck and Paul-Emile Leduc. Not in the picture: Stanny Michel

Recht op Recht was a Flemish legal drama, which originally ran from 1998 until 2002 on the VRT. The series revolves around Chris Haagdoorn, a female defense attorney with a strong moral conscience, who handles (and usually solves) legal cases with her partner Hugo van Eyck, a former DI of the federal judicial police turned PI.

Chris Haagdoorn is one of the attorney's working for Leduc & Partners in Brussels, where she predominantly pleads the law firm's criminal cases. In one of those cases, she represents Hugo van Eyck, an inspector at the judicial police in Brussels, who forged a police report to protect an informant. When the informant is found dead in her bath later on, Hugo is removed from active duty and eventually even accused of ordering her murder. Chris and Hugo work together to clear Hugo's name and prove that her pimp ordered the murder to silence her. However, Hugo's dislike towards his boss has reached a breaking point by the end of the case and Hugo gets (permanently) suspended for punching him in the nose. When Hugo tries to arrange a payment plan for Chris' fee, he gets hired as an administrative employee at the law firm. Hugo's only an administrative employee in name, as he actually performs investigative tasks for the law firm. Together, Hugo and Chris handle a (broad) variety of criminal cases, ranging from theft and vandalism to homocide.

At Leduc & Partners, Chris and Hugo work together with Paul-Emile Leduc, their kind-hearted boss and Chris' mentor; Gabriël Nukerke, their amoral and opportunistic fellow attorney; Luc Lievens, the law firm's meek attorney in training and Jessie Vinck, the firm's young and energetic secretary. They furthermore get help from Louise Haagdoorn, Chris' mother and manager/barkeep of a local diner, and Stanny Michel, Hugo's former partner at the judicial police, who occasionally provides information to Hugo. As the series progresses, Luc becomes a certified attorney, while Gabriël is forced to quit after making a (grave) deonthological error and takes over his father's bussiness, when he becomes ill. The series was furthermore well-known for the romantic tension between Chris and Hugo, which was eventually resolved in the series finale.

The series was a major hit in Flanders during its original broadcast and became the breakthrough for several of its lead actors. It ran for a total of 45 episodes divided over four seasons, after which it ended rather abruptly. It has seen relatively little exposure outside of Flanders, however, and has been reran only twice on Flemish television since its original run. The series can be watched on Youtube (for now), as well as on Eén.

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This show contains examples of:

• Abortion Fallout Drama: In the episode "Bankwezen", Chris finds out that her mother had an abortion several years after her father died. This shocked her gravely, as her mother always claimed that her dad was (and always had been) the only man in her life. The fallout of this reveal causes a rift between Chris and her mother, which lasts until the end of the episode.
• Abusive Offspring: Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" was this, predominantly to her mother. Near the end of the episode, it was also shown that she stabbed her father in the gut, when he refused to give her money.
• Abusive Parents:
  • In the episode "Soft / Hard", it eventually turns out that the father of Chris' client framed his own son for possession of heroin, as a means for him to "better his life" (he was an artist). While he wanted to prevent his son from falling in with the worng crowd, everything eventually backfires on him, when his son gets addicted to heroin in jail.
  • The reason why Stefan Leurts from the episode "Vuur" turned to arsony, was because his mother was a prostitute, who locked him in the closet with their (aggressive) cats and burned him with a sigarette when he (or the cats) made noise.
• Accidental Murder: The murder victim of the episode "Verloren weekend" was killed by her twin brother in a fit of rage. The brother subsequently feels so guilty, that he tries to end his own life.
• Achey Scars: Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" has two large scars on his shoulder blades, which start to itch whenever his twin brother commits a murder.
• Acquainted in Real Life: A somewhat darker example happens to Hugo's niece Karen in the episode "Familiezaken". After getting raped by her boss, Karen starts sending hate mail to an online chatbox. There, she meets someone nicknamed Salomé, who says that he wants to help her publish any evidence she has against her boss. When the two of them meet, Salomé turns out to be Karen's boss, who intimidates her into handing over the evidence.
• Addiction-Powered: Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" shows a (rather mundaine) version of this trope, as she much sharper and wilier after she gets her hit. On drugs, she can even pretend that she an ordinary teen, while she's a bit of a mess without them.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • The episode "De Rietdekkers" was this for Gabriël, who even delegated Chris to a supporting role for once. It seemed fitting, as it was one of his last episode's in the series.
  • The episode "Vuil" became this for Stanny, who's personal life was under scrutiny in this episode. It nearly turned into A Death in the Limelight for him.
• Agonizing Stomach Wound: Chris' client from the episode "Adel verplicht" receives one at the hands of a group of organ thiefs.
• Agony of the Feet: The first victim of the two-parter "De jacht" was ensnared in a snare trap with her right foot. The look of the flesh wound during the post mortum betrayed that it must have been a painful wound.
• A Hero to His Hometown: Frank Plaatsnijder from the episode "Jan zonder kleren" was this to the factory workers (and most of the other working class people) in Vilvoorde. Not only was he the face of a strike against a mega-corporation, he was furthermore an example of the little man getting harrassed by a big corporation. Even the security guards of the mega-corporation and the police officers arresting him were on his side.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Near the start of the episode "Huisje, tintje, kindje", Leduc & partners receive a new telephone system for the office, which connects their phone to their e-mail, fax and other electronics. Initially, it works as well as you'd expect such a complicated system to work, with calls being put through to everywhere within the firm, except the place they should go.
• Alas, Poor Yorick: Daniël Huysmans does this to the decapitated head of his twin brother Theo in the two-parter "De jacht", after he decapitated him. The irony of it all was that he was desperately looking for Theo, but couldn't find him, because he had undergone a sex change. It was only after he saw the scars on his/her back, that it dawned on him that he killed his twin, after which was overcome with grief.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: This could be said for Jessie, who once dated a burglar for a year. She still has some feelings for him, when he gets released from prison in the episode "Voorwaardelijk".
• Always Murder: A good example is given in the episode "Geduld", where a (clear) case of self-defense eventually turns out to be murder.
• Amicable Exes:
  • Initially played straight between Gabriël and his ex Evelyne in the episode "Vuur". Quickly subverted, however, as Evelyne merely tried to trick Gabriël into implicating himself in a blackmail attempt, set up by her. When they (eventually) confront her, she states that she implicated Gabriël out of spite.
  • Also played straight between Chris and proscecutor Bernd de Jaeger in the episode "Geduld".
• Amoral Attorney:
  • Barrister Monnard from the episode "Geschorst" falls under this trope, as he goes as far as sacrificing one of his lesser clients to save a notorious pimp / drugs dealer.
  • Gabriël sometimes shows traces of this, as he isn't afraid to use underhanded tactics to better himself.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: The two-parter "Haat / Liefde" revolves around a terrorist attack by members of a right-wing extremist movement called Wodan, who drew most of their inspiration from the Nazis.
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: This was apparently the reaction to Mangelschots getting Kicked Upstairs at the GP, if Stanny's word could be taken for it. Then again, Stanny was his successor as commissioner.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: A good example of this is given in the episode "Adel verplicht", where (nearly) all of the episodes villains were nobility.
• Armoured Closet Gay: Gabriëls client in the episode "Dode Rambo" fits the trope perfectly, as everyone in showbizz knows he's gay, but he can't come out publicly due to the backlash it would generate. He even wants to come out at some point, but his manager convinces him not to, as it would end his career.^note The show was taped in the 90's, when gay celebrities couldn't come out that easily
• Arms Dealer: Patrick Coels and Pascal Dufour from the episode "Maten" were this and even killed two innocent farmer for walking in on one of their weapon deals, which kicks off the plot. They eventually get arrested during another weapon deal.
• Artistic Stimulation: The episode "Soft / Hard" has this in spades, as the case is about an artist who gets arrested for possession of heroin. He and his friends initially merely smoke weed, but Chris' client transfers to heroin by the end of the episode.
• A Scar to Remember:
  • Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker" gave his ex-wife one, when he carved his name into her chest with a gutting knife.
  • In the episode "Quartier chaud", an elderly woman gets one during a robbery, as revenge for calling the cops on one of the robber's friends.
  • Henri Penne from the episode "Lijk in de kast" carved a Fleur-de-Lîs on his victims as a means to brand them (like cattle).
• Ask a Stupid Question...:
  • The episode "Verloren weekend" had one the curtesy of Chris.
    Chris: Sander, you're here as well?
    Sander: No, I've gone snowboarding...
  • The episode "W.I.L." had an entire list of these, at the curtesy of the eponymous cult. A few excerpts:
    Hugo [Reading the questionaire]: Jessie, what do you want to achieve in life?
    Jessie: That I don't have to answer you're stupid questions any longer...
    Hugo: Okay, Luc, what do you want your peers to do for you?
    Luc: That they leave me in piece while I'm working.
    [Later in the episode]
    Hugo [reading from a personality test he received]: Jessie, would I stay true to one partner, or flutter around like a butterfly looking for nectar?
    Paul-Emile: The first would be the most prudent, as fluttering requires a certain degree of finesse...
    Hugo [laughing]: Next question: Do I take the feelings of others into account?
    Luc: No, or you wouldn't have asked the first question to Jessie.
    Hugo: Thanks for that... Am I trying to get rich or do I merely want to provide for my basic neccessities?
    Jessie: Basic neccessities! Otherwise you wouldn't be working here...
    Hugo: And do I avoid confrontation or face it head on?
    Chris: You make specific detours to find confrontation, if there isn't any.
• Asshole Victim:
  • The victim of the episode "Geduld" was this to such a degree that his wife spent 10 years planning the perfect murder, after which Chris (who's renowned for building her cases on honesty and facts) lied in court (together with all of Leduc & Partners) to keep her client (the murderer) out of jail. Furthermore, when they were looking for character witnesses, they had to refuse people from applying, as there was more than a busload of people who wanted to state in court how much of a bastard the guy was. It obviously didn't help that the guy was a renowned wife beater, who spent more time in strip clubs than at home and who was drunk almost every day.
  • The victim of the episode "Pro Deo" was this as well, as he promised his daughter's fiancé (who had a mental handicap) that he could marry his daughter if he saved 1 million Belgian francs (25000 €), only to pocket the money and come back on his word (stating that he meant 1 million €). The fiancé wasn't pleased and murdered the man.
• Ate His Gun: At the start of the episode "Haat", Rob Scherpenberg tries to do this, but fails because his gun is out of bullets. He later feeds his gun to district attorney Leopold to shut her up.
• Bad People Abuse Animals: Or psychopatic people, in the case of Stefan Leurts from the episode "Vuur". Severe abuse in his childhood gave him a deep hatred for cats, which he showcased by dousing them in deodorant and setting them on fire as a means of starting arsony. This eventually gets him off the hook for murder, as a copycat arson didn't use this cruel method of starting a fire.
• Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: When Joseph Marais from the episode "W.I.L." is introduced to his newest members, he seems to be wearing an orange robe, while humming a mantra. He quickly shows, however, that he's not some wooly spritual advisor by revealing that he's wearing a white suit under his robe. The "robe" was, in fact, a table cloth he was using to dress the table with.
• Bank Robbery: The episode "Bankwezen" revolved around the (alleged) role of Chris' client in a bank robbery.
• Bathroom Search Excuse: Used by one of the Albanian cronies in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15" to clog the toilet of a store's bathroom with tampons, which later on causes the toilet to back up (with all of the nasty consequences).
• Beat Them at Their Own Game: This is Chris' strategy in the episode "Schoolslag" to make the bully of her client (one of the school's teachers) stand down. The bully had decided to gang up on the teacher with all of the other teachers to drive her out of the school, so Chris decided to go over her head and play politics with the district representative to drive her out instead (using a prank that could have seriously gone wrong as leverage).
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Stef Molenaar from the episode "Broers" wanted to take revenge on George Windey for shooting his brother in the face (which cost him his sight). In the end, he decides (just in time) not to go through with it, because Chris believed in him and even wanted to give him a paid internship at Leduc & Partners. Unfortunately for him, George had other plans and tried to kill him by shooting him in the back.
• Bedroom Adultery Scene: In the episode "Tortelduiven", it takes this to finally make Chris' client stand up for himself (and against his wife and her lover). It ends with the lover either dead or seriously injured.
• Bedsheet Ladder: Billy Müller, Chris' client from the episode "Prima Donna", makes one to run away from the institution where she's being detained.
• Behind Every Great Man: The episode "De chauffeur" has a good example of this in the wife of senator Defreyne, Linda. She sacrificed her own career to orchestrate her husband's career and even went as far as attempted murder on her husband's misstress to saveguard it.
• Beneath Suspicion:
  • Fonny Breseels from the episode "Vuur" falls into this category, as he wasn't suspected by the police (or the viewer) of murder through arson throughout most of the episode. The only reason he was present during the hearing was as a witness. It eventually turns out that he committed the murder to get rid of a bungalow, which was blocking his plans for a restaurant and terras.
  • Joeri from the episode "Rode kaart" was this as well, as he was the only person who was never mentioned as a suspect for his girlfriend's rape. His girlfriend even covers for him during the court case, as she really wants to see Chris' client go to jail. He's eventually caught after Crhis and Hugo eavesdrop on the pair.
  • Michael Nachtegaele from the episode "Nachtvlucht" also fell under this trope, as he was the only man who was never suspected of the murder. Chris and Hugo evetually only find out by chance that he was involved, as he otherwise would have gotten away with it.
• Benevolent Conspiracy: In the episode "Een goed verhaal", the judicial police and the ministry of internal affairs conspire against a local news network to obtain the name of one of their sources, even going as far as detaining a journalist for complicity to criminal acts, simply because he wouldn't share the name. The reason they did this, however, is because the network was on the trail of a large amount of highly toxic waste, which could end up in the environment because of their broadcasting, which would lead to a Chernobyl-esque situation in Belgium. They even state that the only reason the culprit is hanging on to the waste, is because he doesn't know how toxic it is and that if he would know, he would certainly dump it to get rid of it.
• Betrayal Insurance:
  • In the episode "Voorwaardelijk", Chris' client gets released after spending seven years in jail. However, it turns out that he didn't commit the murder and that he was taking the heat for his lover. When she rejects him, he threatens to release the camera footage for the night of the murder, which he kept hidden somewhere. She eventually tries to kill him to keep her secret safe.
  • Danny Verelst, Chris' client from the episode "Maten", is blackmailed into Taking the Heat for his squad leader for two accounts of murder. When Chris starts digging, the squad leader and his henchman use their blackmail threats to remind Danny of his vows and reinforce his loyalty to them, causing him to lie to Chris.
• Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon:
  • Happens in the episode "Verloren weekend", when the police finds the murder weapon because the son of Chris' client draws attention to it by trying to hide it, putting his fingerprints on it in the process. Appears to be subverted near the end of the episode, as the son eventually turns out to be the killer.
  • While he doesn't handle the murder weapon (as it's long gone), Chris' client from the episode "Pro Deo" manhandles the victim's corpse instead (while staunching the blood and checking for a pulse), which makes him the prime suspect for the murder. He even gets convicted because of it.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Stefan Leurts from the episode "Vuur" speaks very little and seems quiet and benign, but he's a sadistic arsonist, who has little to no moral compass.
• Bigot with a Crush: Rob Scherpenberg from the two-parter "Haat / Liefde" counts as this, as he's in love with a Muslims girl, while being a part of a Neo-Nazistic movement called Wodan. The predominant reason why he became a Neo-Nazi was because she wouldn't reciprocate his love.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Steffie from the episode "Schoolslag" was a typical example of this, as she incited all of her colleagues to bully a rival teacher she wanted out of the school, while pretending to be near-saintly herself. She even made it look like her victim lost her mind, merely to (kindly) whisk away any allegations as the onset of Alzheimers (which she had every bit of understanding for). She's eventually exposed for what she is after taking a prank to far.
• Blackface: The perpetrator of the episode "Rode kaart" applied soot on his hands and face, in order to frame Chris' client, Justin Okiko, for rape (as he was the only one in the neighbourhood with dark skin). His ruse is (eventually) spotted by Hugo, when he finds the cork used to apply the soot near the crime scene.
• Bluff the Eavesdropper: During the episode "Een goed verhaal", Chris and her client have their offices bugged by someone working for the ministry of internal affairs. When Hugo finds the bug in Chris' office, he calls Chris (who's at her client's office) and warns her about it. Chris then quietly whisks her client outside, where she tells her that her office might be bugged, after which the follow this trope to mislead the eavesdropper.
• Bluff the Impostor: Rob Scherpenberg does this to "The Commander" in the episode "Liefde". Throughout the two-parter, "The Commander" claims that he was best friends with Rob's grandfather. Hugo eventually finds out that this was a lie, as they never could have met during the war. He relays this to Chris, who in turn relays it to Rob. This leads to the following phone conversation between Rob and "The Commander".
  Rob: One more thing, "Commander". After I detonate my grenade, I want to be buried near my ancestral home in West-Flanders.
  "Commander": Consider it done! Your grandfather told me much about his birth region... He was proud of his heritage!
  [Rob hangs up the phone]
  Rob [to Chris]: My grandpa was from Limburg... The bastard lied to me!
• Bondage Is Bad:
  • Chris' client from the episode "Prima Donna" (a sixteen-year-old prostitute) is confronted with a case of this, when one of her clients turns out to be a (sexually) sadistic physician.
  • Henri Penne from the episode "Lijk in de kast" was probably one of the most evil clients Chris had throughout her career (and one of her other clients was a convicted serial killer). He was also really into BDSM (in particular the sadism part), complete with leather masks, whips and other implements.
• Both Sides Have a Point: In the episode "Liefde", when Hugo gets a call from the Neo-Nazis who kidnapped Chris about an (unrelated) weapon trade (used by Hugo to find Chris), Hugo wants to leave for the meeting straight away, while Paul-Emile wants to warn the district attorney first. Louise eventually comes up with the ideal compromise: Hugo already leaves for the rendez-vous, while Paul-Emile warns the district attorney.
  Louise: Men... They always want to be the only one who's right!
• Bottled Heroic Resolve: In the episode "Haat", Rob Scherpenberg gets an order of "The Commander" to kill one of the hostages (as they only need one for their plan). "The Commander" subsequently give Rob a pill to boost his "bravery", which essentially functions as this trope.
• Bound and Gagged: Happens to Chris several times throughout the series.
  • In the episode "De zaak Ryckaert", Chris is bound and gagged by one of her clients, after she tries to return his daughter to her mother.
  • In the episode "Haat", Chris and district attorney Leopold are kidnapped by a gang of Neo-nazis. They end up getting bound and gagged by one of them, who subsequently guards them for most of the episode.
• Boxed Crook: Rudy Nooteboom becomes one in the episode "Pentito". He wants to marry his (pregnant) fiancé, but the marriage is declined by city hall, because Rudy has a criminal record and his fiancé has no residence permit. The only way he can marry her (and prevent her extradition) is by ratting out his former associates (at the risk of his own life and his wife's).
• Break Them by Talking: Chris does this to Rob Scherpenberg in the episode "Liefde". It eventually works and he ends up surrendering to the police.
• Breather Episode:
  • Season two had the episode "Prima Donna", which was occasionally quite humoristic and light-hearted, despite the Bitter Sweet Ending (complete with Soundtrack Dissonance). It was, however, one of the only episodes of the season that was somewhat light-hearted^note In a season featuring the car bombing of one of Chris' clients, a pedophilic priest, a sociopathic con man, a pyromaniac who uses cats as an ignition source and a deadly stalker with a crush, who kidnaps Chris as well and was set in between "De Rietdekkers", where Gabriël gets suspended as a lawyer, and "Vuil", where Stanny nearly gets murdered by a Detective Mole (who, in turn, nearly provokes Hugo into murdering him).
  • Season three had two of these, both somewhere near one of the two-parters from the season.
    • The first one is "Jan zonder kleren", which was somewhat light-hearted, despite the Bitter Sweet Ending. This episode came between the rather harsh (and personal) first three episodes, which featured a Miscarriage of Justice, a confrontation with the Albanian maffia and the death of a young girl respectively, and the (unoffical) two-parter Haat / Liefde, which features an extremist attack (and kidnapping), as well as the death of district attorney Leopold.
    • The second one is "W.I.L.", an episode about Hugo infiltrating a (hippie) cult to convince the (wealthy) wife of Chris' client to return home. This episode comes before "Quartier chaud", where Chris loses her baby after being pushed down a building and the two-parter "De jacht", about a Hannibal Lecter-esque serial killer, who strikes from the (heavily guarded) institution he's locked away at.
  • Despite the bullying and gaslighting taking place in the episode, "Schoolslag" was this in season four, as it wasn't merely the only episode not to feature a murder or other horrible crime, but it was furthermore one of the few episodes of the season, which didn't end with a downer ending. In addition, it fell in between the episode "Lijk in de kast", which contained one of the show's most sadistic villains, and the final four episodes, which featured the near-murder of Chris ("Nachtvlucht"), a blatant case of Miscarriage of Justice which made Chris doubt her career choices ("Pro Deo") and the series finale (the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld"), which got both Chris and Hugo nearly killed.
• Bribe Backfire:
  • Happens to J.C. Pickery in the episode "Familiezaken", when he tries to bribe Karen into dropping her rape case against him. Not only does she refuse the bribe, but she steals a floppy disk containing evidence of Pickery's tax evasion.
  • Henri Penne from the episode "Lijk in de kast" forces Chris to bribe a high-class escort, after he drugged her, raped her and maimed her face. This goes as well as you would expect it to go (not well at all). In an ironic spin on this trope, the victim eventually does want to take the bribe, only for Penne to refuse to make her the offer again (because he wants to see her squirm.
• Bring My Brown Pants:
  • During the robbery that took place in the episode "Bankwezen", one of the clients at the bank (the son of the bank manager) wets himself out of fear. This might have been a ruse, as he turns out to be in league with the robbers all along.
    Simone Jonkers [In response to people calling her a hero]: I'm just glad I didn't pee myself like poor Mich did.
  • George Windey from the episode "Broers" wets himself when he gets threatened with a gun.
• Broken Bird: Hugo's niece Karen becomes one after getting raped by her boss. This doesn't improve when he's exonerated of the charges by the end of the episode.
  Karen [bitter]: The next time I have a problem, I'll solve it myself!
• Broken Pedestal: Justin Okiko, Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart" suffers quite harshly from this after he gets accused of raping a sixteen-year-old, as all of his (former) fans turn on him without a second thought, forming an angry mob at his door.
• Broken-Window Warning: Used by Chris' client of the episode "Jan zonder kleren" to pressure the mega-corporation into keeping a local branch of their bussiness open.
• Burning Rubber: In the episode "Quartier chaud", Chris' client gets into to trouble for doing a burn-out^note spinning your tires while remaining stationary to generate smoke on a public road.
• Cabin Fever: Chris' client from the episode "Soft / Hard" suffers from this during his time in jail, to the point that he nearly goes insane when he's placed in isolation.
• Calling Card: the calling card of Daniël "The Angelmaker" Huysmans was that he cut off two strips of skin on his victims shoulders, where their wings were supposed to be. His copy cat killer uses the same calling card, but elaborates on it by sowing the victims together (in pairs), shoulders to shoulders.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Luc, as shown in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15", where he gets sloshed after two glasses of brandy. In his defense, they were (apparently) large glasses of brandy.
• Cassandra Truth: Chris' client from the episode "Schoolslag", Lydia, becomes the victim of this. She's continuously being bullied and [[Gaslighting gaslighted]] by her colleagues, who are trying to get rid of her, because she's near retirement anyways (which would allow one of them to take her job). Whenever she tells anyone about the bullying, however, no one believes her, because her bullies made it look like she's become forgetful lately, which would be a (far more benign, but false) explanation for the things happening to Lydia.
• Caught on Tape: Dennis Moerman, Chris' client from the episode "Voorwaardelijk", has camera footage of a murder in his possession and holds it against his (former) lover, who eventually tries to murder him for the tape.
• Cement Shoes: It's implied that this happened to a young pimp turned informant in the episode "Prima Donna".
• Changed My Mind, Kid: When Gabriël is initially asked by his sister to take over his father's bussiness, he refuses because he fell out with his father years ago. He eventually makes things right with his father and joins the family bussiness anyways.
• Chekhov's Gun: Near the start of the episode "De chauffeur", Jessie finally convinces Paul-Emile to buy a mobile phone. This phone comes in handy later in the episode, when Paul-Emile gets locked in a room by one of the culprits of the week.
  Paul-Emile: Long live the mobile phone.
• Chekhov's Gunman: The episode "Haat" has a well-hidden example of this. Near the start of the episode, Chris and district attorney Leopold get kidnapped in the trunk of a car. When Hugo tries to give chase, he's blocked by an old man who fumbles his clutch. The old man eventually turns out to be "The Commander" of Wodan, the enigmatic (and anonimous) leader of the right-wing movement and mastermind behind the escape of Rob Scherpenberg and kidnapping of Chris and Leopold.
• Chew-Out Fake-Out: Hugo gets one in the episode "W.I.L." when he infiltrates the eponymous cult. During the introduction, he's called out by W.I.L.s leader for the mistakes he made in his life and how he uses humor to hide his flaws. Then, the conversation takes a different turn, when the leader tells him that they'll support him regardlessly and that he's welcome in his new home.
• Cigarette of Anxiety: Hugo denies himself this in the episode "Haat", despite the great distress he's in, as he feels guilty for leaving Chris alone to buy cigarettes (which ended in her kidnapping). He starts smoking again by the end of the two-parter.
• Citizenship Marriage: The main reason why Rudy and his fiancé from the episode "Pentito" weren't allowed to marry, was because the fiancé didn't have a residence permit. The trope's even discussed within the episode.
• Clear My Name:
  • The series pilot "Geschorst" has Hugo become a suspect in the murder of his informant. Chris ends up having to get him off the hook for the murder.
• Clear Their Name:
  • The episode "Mariska" revolves around Hugo's pursuit to clear the name of Mariska's father, Sven, a wrongfully accused driver who's facing a murder charge for his boss' murder.
  • Stanny is suspected of selling information to a gang in the episode "Vuil" and Chris and Hugo try to help him clear his name.
• Closet Gay: Both Danny Verelst and his lover Bruno Buggenhout from the episode "Maten" were this, with Buggenhout being married with a daughter. They get involved in a weapon trafficking ring ran by their squad leader, Patrick Coels, because he blackmails them with video evidence of their affair, which would mean the end of their military career. This eventually kicks off the plot of the episode.
• The Con: Luc, of all people, gets involved in one in the episode "Stalker", when he acts as the attorney of his "Aunt" Emma. She has a dispute with one of her tenants, about damage caused by faulty plumbing. While Emma initially plays the sweet old lady, Luc eventually finds out (from her) that the faulty plumbing was a hidden defect and that she's trying to pin it on her tenants. He ends up handing over the case to Gabriël, who (quite easily) wins the case for her.
• Cowboy Cop:
  • Hugo was this at the federal judicial police and continues on this path after he becomes Chris' assistant / PI.
  • The victim of the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" was notorious for being this (in addition to a Dirty Cop) as well, which was related to him being (very) deep undercover in the maffia, as well as to his (extreme) persistence in taking down the maffia. First deputy procurator Di Bruno even compares Hugo to him, stating that he reminds him of the victim more and more every time they speak (which, according to him, isn't a good thing).
• Cold-Blooded Torture: This turned out to be the speciality of "The Commander" from the two-parter "Haat / Liefde" during the Second World War. He tries his hand at it again, to force Chris into aiding Rob Scherpenberg with taking a primary school class hostage.
• Collector of the Strange: Diane van Tollembeek from the two-parter "De jacht" collects the stillborn fetuses of deformed babies. The symbolism behind it somewhat gives away that she's the killer.
• Come Alone: As with most kidnapping stories, these were the explicit instructions of the kidnapper throughout the episode "De Rietdekkers". The family goes along with it, against the advice of Gabriël, because they want the victim to return safely (or because they're (directly) involved).
• Confess to a Lesser Crime:
  • The killer of the episode "Geduld" confessed to legal self-defense, in order to escape a murder charge. She succeeds in the end.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart" eventually confesses to having consensual extramarrital sex with an underage girl from his neighbourhood, to get exonerated for her rape (which he, in fact, didn't commit). Not that it mattered too much, as he was Convicted by Public Opinion long before.
• Conjoined Twins: Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" was once part of a conjoined twin, before he and his brother got separated. The scars on his shoulder blades are a (nasty) reminder of the separation.
• Consulting a Convicted Killer: Chris consults a serial killer in the two-parter "De jacht", because he states that he has information about a recent string of copy cat killings.
• Contagious A.I.: Leduc & Partners runs into a bit of trouble with this in the episode "Een goed verhaal", when a computer virus infects their system and continues to spread (through e-mail) from one computer to the next over the course of the episode. The fact that the virus only installs a risqué picture of a voluptuous woman as the computer's background, makes this one of the more hilarious computer viruses in the history of Flemish TV. It eventually turns out that the virus originated from Hugo's computer, which makes it even funnier, as Hugo is the company's IT expert.
• Contract on the Hitman: Happens to Chris' client in the episode "Pentito". While he was a former hitman at that point, the remainder of the trope nevertheless applies.
• Convenient Miscarriage: Chris has one during the episode "Quartier chaud", after falling from the second floor of an apartment building, as her pregnancy would (most likely) put her out of the running for too long.
• Convicted by Public Opinion:
  • This happened almost immediately to Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart", after he got accused of rape, as he was a well-known football player. It didn't take much to turn his neighbour (and long-term fan) against him, who set an angry mob loose on him. Eventually, even his wife and friends abandoned him because they thought he was guilty. He turns out to be innocent in the end, but this doesn't matter, as he has been convicted by the public thrice over, causing him to leave for Switzerland.
  • This also happened to Chris' client from the episode "Maten", who's immediately labeled a homocidal maniac by the press without any evidence (he was a soldier who shot two (alleged) militia members carrying Kalashnikovs). They turn out to be somewhat right: The two victims were, in fact, innocent farmers (shot because they saw too much), but they were shot by the arms dealing squat leader of Chris' client.
• Cop/Criminal Family: Stef Molenaar from the episode "Broers" is an aspiring lawyer hailing from a family of car thieves and burglars. Throughout the episode, he nearly falls into a life of crime himself, as a way to pay the medical bills of his brother.
• Corrupt Bureaucrat: The episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje" features a civil servant who kept quiet about an environmental scandal in exchange for a promotion. As the episode continues, Chris and Hugo find out that the servant's bosses were in on the whole thing and that he was promoted partially to get rid of him.
• Corrupt Church: The catholic school featured in the episode "Biechtgeheim" falls under this, as the reverend (and headmaster) is more occupied with covering up pedophilia than with the well-being of his students.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive:
  • Alex Verpoorte from the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje" definitely falls under this trope, as he dumps toxic waste in the ground and subsequently sells the polluted land as building ground, all to make enormous profits.
  • Giovanni Busso from the episode "Illegaal" was a Faux Affably Evil version of this, as he pretends to be a decent man, but eventually has no problem with bending the rules (or outright breaking them) for his own selfish reasons.
• Crashing Dreams: Somewhere throughout the episode "Haat", Chris and district attorney Leopold start shouting for help when they're trapped in a closet during a kidnapping. Judging from the look of their kidnapper, Rob Scherpenberg, when he opens the closet, he just fell victim to this trope.
  Rob [dazed]: A good morning to you too...
• Crazy Homeless People: The episode "Schedelinhoud" featured a few of these, among them Luc's client Louis. However, while Louis was a bit eccentric at best, his female homeless friend takes the cake.
• Creepy Twins: Daniël and Theo Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" were this, as they both were serial killer with a morbid fascination for mutilation.
• Crime of Self-Defense:
  • This happened to Chris' client in the episode "Dode Rambo". He kills a member of the neighbourhood watch, who was actually trying to break into his home, with a baseball bat and subsequently gets charged with murder, because his wife had a brief affair with the victim. The fact that the man was wielding a knife is ignored, because the knife went missing after the struggle.
  • An interesting case of this is shown in the episode "Geduld", where a murder was concealed as self-defense by the killer and her son. It starts out as an obvious (and airtight) case of self-defense, where a woman killed her husband with a hammer, after he knocked out her son with a vase and started choking her. But as the trial proceeds, more and more discrepancies start to show up: the husband was so drunk, that he was barely capable of standing up straight and the motive for his abuse (a demand for sex) seemed unlikely, as he couldn't get it up due to the booze. When Hugo discovers that the vase broke after the killer bludgeoned her husband to death, Chris demands a straight answer from her client (who confesses to murder) and ends up with a moral dilemma. Either she lies for her client and gets her exonerated for murder or she tells the truth and sends an (overly) abused woman to jail. She ends up going with the former.
  • The episode "Broers" had another case where someone falsely called on self-defense. at the start of the episode, Chris' client gets caught during a burglary and surrenders to the resident, who has a gun. The resident subsequently shoots him in the side of his head (blinding him for life), relying on a self-defense plea (and a wily lawyer) to get exonerated. This eventually fails after he tries to kill the burglars brother in cold blood.
• Crippling the Competition: At the start of the episode "Mariska", Hugo gets injured by a (malicious) tackle during a football match. This sets the plot of the episode in motion, as he meets Chris' next client at physiotherapy.
• Crusading Lawyer: Chris is a clear example of this trope, as she will always to do what's best for her client, even if she pays the price for it herself. She, nevertheless, demands that her client is completely honest with her in return.
• Crying Wolf: A rather grim example happens to Luc's client, Louis, of the episode "Schedelinhoud". Throughout the episode, Louis (a homeless man) is sued for abusing the services of the emergency department of several local hospitals (without paying his bills), by pretending to have a heart attack. Luc eventually gets him off the hook by finding a loophole in the hospital's policy. When he suffers from an actual heart attack the next day, he's refused entrance to the hospital by its financial administrator (who remembered him from court), as he believes that Louis is running his scam again. He eventually dies in Luc's arms, as he's making his way to Leduc & partners.
• Cult: The episode "W.I.L." revolved around the wife of Chris' client joining the eponymous cult W.I.L. (Wegen naar Inzicht en Liefde), which lead to Chris and Hugo exposing the cult leader for what he truly was (a manipulative con man) and eventually to his arrest.
• Cult Defector: In the episode "W.I.L.", Hugo joins the eponymous cult to find evidence that Joseph Marais, the cult's leader, is a fraud and a con man. When he finds the evidence he needs, this is what he says to Chris.
  Hugo [over the phone]: Chris, I've found the cult defector you were looking for.
  Chris [excitedly]: You did! What's his name?
  Hugo: Hugo van Eyck.
• Cut-and-Paste Note: Greet Nachtegaele from the episode "Nachtvlucht" receives two of these with the intention to scare her into quiting her profession (prostitution). A partial address pressed into the letters used in in the notes is eventually used to find the culprit, who turns out to be her son.
• Cycle of Revenge: The episode "Broers" almost literally revolved around "an eye for an eye", as the brother of Chris' client (an aspiring lawyer) wants to take revenge on the resident who (purposely) blinded his brother during a burglary gone wrong. He almost takes his revenge, but gives up on it just in time, only to become the next victim of the vengeful resident.
• Dad the Veteran: The father of Chris' client in the episode "Soft / Hard" was a (retired) army major. Throughout the episode, it's revealed that he rules over his wife with an iron fist (literally) and that he couldn't stand how free-spirited his son had become.
• Deadline News: Chris' clients from the episode "Een goed verhaal", who work for a local TV network, become news themselves when they get on the trail of barrels containing highly toxic waste. While they don't end up dying, they eventually do become part of their own news story, becuase they were the ones who managed to lead the police in the right direction.
• Deep-Fried Whatever: Gabriël's family owns a food stand that sells fries and (deep-fried) pastries.^note This is quite a common combination in Flanders, as deep-fryers are the most important requirement for both This caused a rift between Gabriël, who wanted to be a lawyer, and his father, who wanted him to take over the bussiness.
• Defiant Strip:
  • One of Luc's clients did this in the episode "Bankwezen". In this episode, Luc and his client (an African immigrant) were taking the client's boss to court for exploitation. When the boss subsequently claimed that Luc's client lied about his poor health, the client protested and stated that he had evidence that he was in great health. Upon requesting to see said evidence, the client exposed himself to the (female) judge, who had to suspend court out of bewilderment. Fortunately, she thought the entire situation was hilarious and eventually even ruled in the client's favor.
    Judge [To Luc and Paul-Emile]: Of course I had to suspend court... I was gonna have a laughing fit right then and there otherwise!
  • Done by Frank Plaatsnijder, Chris' client of the episode "Jan zonder kleren", to make a statement against a textile company closing their local branch to open a new factory in Indonesia
    Frank: Ik loop liever in mijn blote flikker rond, dan met een Ticker aan mijn kont!^note Roughly paraphrased: "I'd rather show them my junk, than wear a Ticker on my trunk!"
• Definitely Just a Cold: Henri Muylle, the (unwitting) culprit of the episode "Een goed verhaal", still shows up to work, despite getting (chronically) poisoned by high doses of dioxine. He even carries on as usual after he develops a nasty case of chlorine acne and starts throwing up for no apparent reason.
• Descent into Addiction: Chris' client from the episode "Soft / Hard" goes through one of these while he's in prison. By the end of the episode, he's addicted to heroin.
• Detective Mole: Johnny, Stanny's partner turns out to be this in the episode "Vuil". When his commissioner starts to suspect something, he even tries to deflect suspicion by framing Stanny. He subsequently "helps" Hugo solve the case.
• Determinator: Bob Sterckx from the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" was this, as he continued to play despite the various injuries he sustained over the years.
  Peter Freyns [about Bob's knee injuries]: The only thing keeping his knees together is at this point is the tape we put on them.
• Disappointed in You: One of the reasons the murderer of the episode "Verloren weekend" had so much anger in him, was because his father always reminded him of what a dissapointment he was, while praising his sister.
• Disposable Sex Worker: The episode "Nachtvlucht" featured Els Nachtegaele, a prostitute who was stoned to death at the end of her workday (while working from her sisters house). It eventually turns out that not she, but her sister (who's also a prostitute) was the intended target. Nevertheless, the murderer specifically acted out of spite against prostitutes, as he was the son of one himself.
• Dirty Cop:
  • Stanny's partner, Johnny, turns out to be in cahoots with drug traffickers, in exchange for erasing his gambling debts.
  • The victim of the episode "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" was this as well, as he started working for the maffia after infiltrating them as an undercover cop. This eventually lead to his dead, as he threatened the wrong person, who eventually saw no other way out than to kill him.
• Dirty Coward: George Windey from the episode "Broers" is a textbook example of this trope, as he has a tendency to shoot people in the back, who are no longer a threat to him, simply to take revenge. Furthermore, when he gets threatened with a gun himself, he wets his pants in fear.
• Dirty Old Man:
  • Jacky de Potter from the episode "Soft / Hard" was this in spades, as he was more than willing to have sex with the (young) girlfriend of Chris' client in return for (vital) information. He also liked them young and even had a photographic collection of (naked) teenage girls in his desk.
  • Fonny the poacher from the two-parter "De jacht" was this, as he even started jacking off to the corpses of two young women hanging from a tree.
• Disproportionate Retribution:
  • Both the police and the (suspected) culprits abide by this during the episode "Quartier chaud". Near the start of the episode, Chris' client is given citations for at least half a dozen violations, merely for "burning rubber" in the street. He's quite easily acquited by Chris. Later on, one of the friends of Chris' client takes revenge on the elderly lady who called the cops on them, by robbing her and slicing her face with a pocket knife.
  • Happens in the episode "Broers", where George Windey attempts to murder an unarmed burglar (who was actively surrendering to him) by shooting him through the head. The burglar miraculously survives, but still loses his eyesight. He later on tries to take revenge on the burglar's brother in much the same fashion, after the brother threatened him. This time, he gets caught by Chris as he's about to deal the Coup de Grâce.
• Divided We Fall: One of the reason the Protection Racket in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15" went on for so long, was because every shopkeeper fended for him- or herself, instead of banding together.
  Chris: So much for a collective offensive...
• Divorce Assets Conflict: The episode "De zaak Ryckaert" features one of these, which ends in the kidnapping of the daughter by her father (who turns out to be Chris' client). The rest of the episode is spent tracking the father down, before he commits an act of desperation.
• Domestic Abuse:
  • The father of Chris' client in the episode "Soft / Hard" regularly beats his wife into submission. It becomes one of the main motives for the client to sit out a jail sentence, as it would mean that his father would leave his mother alone.
  • The victim of the episode "Geduld" was a notorious wife beater, who ended up getting murdered by his wife. The remainder of the case revolves around if the victim was murdered or slain in self-defense. It eventually turns out to be the former.
• Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off!: This is refered to in the episode "Dochterlief". When Chris talks to her client about his abusive daughter, he states that he doesn't have the nerve to strike her back, because he was physically abused with a belt by his father. He furthermore swore during the birth of his daughter that he would never lay a finger on her. He also states that his daughter has his father's look in her eyes, whenever she gets abusive.
• Drinking on Duty: Pierre, Chris' client from the episode "Tortelduiven" started showing up to work drunk, after his wife kicked him out of the house to make room for her lover. He eventually gets fired because of it.
• Driven to Suicide:
  • Chris' client from the episode "Schedelinhoud" suffers through this (but doesn't take her own life in the end). She became paralyzed from the waste down after a car crash and subsequently lost her sight during a botched cranial operation. This (and her increasing self-pity) was enough to drive her to suicidal thoughts. She eventually gets over them, when she remembers that she has a daughter to take care off.
  • The killer of the episode "Verloren weekend" felt so guilty about the murder he committed in a fit of rage, that he tried to take his own life by jumping of the battlements of an old castle.
  • The killer of the episode "De chauffeur" took her own life as an ultimate attempt to save her husband's career, which nearly ended up in tatters after she attempts to murders his misstress
  • Bruno Buggenhout from the episode "Maten" hangs himself, when a video tape of him kissing a fellow soldier is about to come out. It doesn't help that he's married with a (young) child.
  • Martin Tijsmans from the episode "Lijk in de kast" allegedly commited suicide by car crash, becuase he felt guilty for duping thousands of clients of his bank (who predominantly aimed their services towards working-class citizens). Ironically, not Martin, but his bussiness associate Penne was guilty of the fraud that caused the bank to go bankrupt, but as Martin conscripted most of the clients, he felt a personal responsibility.
• Drives Like Crazy: Justin Okiko, Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart", was known for his speeding habit, if we have to go by Hugo's remarks about. Chris even defends him, stating that the car Justin drives wasn't made to drive slowly.
  Hugo [about Justin's arrest]: So, was he arrested for breaking the soundbarrier on the highway again?
• Drowning My Sorrows: Justin Okiko from the episode "Rode kaart" does this after his wife leaves him. He ends up drinking an entire bottle of spirits.
• Drunk Driver: During the episode "Schedelinhoud", Chris' client ended up paralyzed due to a car crash. Around halfway the episode, Chris (and the viewer) find out that her husband wasn't merely responsible for the accident, but that he was driving intoxicated as well.
• Duct Tape for Everything: When Henri Muylle from the episode "Een goed verhaal" causes a leak in a barrel of highly toxic chemical waste, he "fixes" the problem by plugging the hole with paper and covering it with tape. This obviously doesn't fix anything, as the toxic material continues to leak out, killing the rats in his warehouse and making him quite ill in the process.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Stanny's new partner, Johnny, is introduced in the episode "Prima Donna", but becomes an important character in the episode "Vuil".
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The first season consisted of only six episodes and made the cases more personal for Chris and Hugo than later seasons would. It furthermore used an alternate version of the shows title theme.
• Easy Sex Change: Theo Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" has undergone one in order to become Diane van Tollembeek. Ironically, he went through the process to be together with his twin brother, Daniël, who ended up killing him, because he didn't recognize him.
• Emasculated Cuckold: Chris' client, Pierre, from the episode "Tortelduiven" falls under this trope, as his wife cheats on him (and even kicks him out of his own house), while he keeps on defending her out of love (up to the point that he denies the plainly obvious affair she's having). He eventually takes revenge on his wife's lover, but only after his wife humiliated him for the umpteenth time.
• Embarrassment Plot: The main plot of the episode "Tortelduiven" can be seen as this. Chris' client of the episode, Pierre, gets cheated on and humiliated by his wife and (reluctantly) asks Chris for help (not to take revenge, mind you, but to reconcile). However, despite the humiliations Pierre undergoes, he can't seem separate from his wife, let alone bear her ill will (much to Chris' incomprehension). It's only after he loses his job and has to cross a (heartbreaking) threshold (kill the parakeet that was like a child to him), that he finally stands up against his wife and her lover (which ends with him maiming or killing the lover).
• Enfant Terrible: Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" fits this trope perfectly. She's a drug-addicted teenager, who (physically and mentally) abuses her parent and then plays the sweet, yet rebelious teenager in court.
• Engineered Public Confession: The GP ends up using this approach to catch the kingpin of the Albanian Protection Racket ring in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15". They place a camera in the store of Chris' friend and ask her to lure him in for the payment (instead of one of his cronies. When the kingpin gets angry at Chris' friend and threatens (and extorts) her out loud, the GP has enough evidence to arrest him. Sadly, he notices the camera and becomes violent before they can arrest him (although no one died, at least)
• Entitled to Have You: Throughout the episode "Stalker", Jan Matthijs, the stalker ex of Chris' client, all but states that he's entitled to the love of his ex, because she married him in church. According to him, the bond between them will remain until the end of their days and no divorce will come between that.
• Ethnic Menial Labor: Used to its full effect in the episode "Illegaal", where all of the illegal African immigrant work in construction (as they have no papers to work anywhere else). Even Giovanni Busso, the CEO of one of those construction firms, states that he used to work in the mines (as an Italian immigrant) back when he started out.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Tommy van Lebbeek, Chris' client from the episode "Quartier chaud", eventually betrays his best friend to the cops, after said friend tried to rob Chris, which ended in the tragic miscarriage of her unborn child.
• Every Man Has His Price:
  • This was J.C. Pickery's tactic in the episode "Familiezaken". He would pay off his victims' silence with large sums of cash (200000 Belgian Francs, which is 5000 €) he kept in his safe.
  • Verpoorte, the Corrupt Corporate Executive from the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje", tries this on Chris, as he believes lawyers are only in it for the money. She (rather politely) declines.
  • This is also Henri Penne's initial strategy in the episode "Lijk in de kast", as he wanted to pay 50000 €, despite proclaiming his innocence. In a shocking twist on the trope, he eventually refuses to pay the bribe, because the person being bribed initially declined to take it.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Played completely straight with Hugo's informant, Nicole Thijs, who wore a blonde wig when she worked as a companion lady / prostitute.
• Evil Poacher: Fonny the poacher from the two-parter "De jacht" was a mentally deranged version of this.
• External Combustion: Used in the episode "Pentito" to kill Chris' client, his fiancé and their newborn child, after the former ratted out his (former) employer to the district attorney.
• Extreme Doormat: Pierre from the episode "Tortelduiven" was this, as he was constantly humiliated by his wife and her lover (who was living with them), while providing for both of them. He even gets kicked out of his own house (which belonged to his mother) and would have simply rolled over, if it weren't for Louise enlisting Chris as his lawyer.
• Eye Scream: Henk Molenaar from the episode "Broers" loses his eyesight after he gets shot in the face. According to the doctor's report, the bullet grazed his skull and took out both of his eyeballs.
• Fake-Out Make-Out: Hugo and Jessie have to perform one of these to avoid getting caught in the episode "Soft / Hard". Not that either of them minds.
• Faking Amnesia: The son of Chris' client of the episode "Geduld" faked amnesia of the facts, after getting knocked out by a vase, to protect the killer (his mother).
• Fall Guy:
  • Sven from the episode "Mariska" was set up to become this and eventually even accepted payment to take the blame.
  • John Verlinden from the episode "Lichter dan lucht" was a classic example of this trope, as he was a drunk who signed papers as a "company CEO" in exchange for money. He even stated that he didn't care what he signed, as long as he got payed.
• False Prophet: Joseph Marais from the episode "W.I.L." was this, as he not only scammed people out of their money, but kept them docile by prescribing them Prozac and Valium.
• False Reassurance: Chris, of all people, sarcastically reassures Paul-Emile (who got Leduc & Partners blackmailed into defending an evil client) that everything will be okay over the phone. The fact that she's convinced that everything she's saying is a lie, which she will have to propagate, is truly brought home by the sheer amount of sarcasm she puts in her voice.
  Chris [Sarcastically to Paul-Emile over the phone]: No, the case is going well... Our client is perfectly happy with the defense we have prepared, e.g. the character murder of a crack whore. He furthermore provided us with a star witness, who will say exactly what we want to hear and if this defense is brought the immaculate Chris Haagdoorn, the judge will eat it up like a five-star dinner. I'm so glad I get to do this for you!
• Faux Affably Evil: "The Commander" from the two-parter "Haat / Liefde" is this. He seems like a friendly old ex-soldier, who was cheated out of his life for alligning with the wrong side during the Second World War. He, however, turns out to be a xenophobic ex-Nazi, who had a hand in torturing and deporting Jews during the war (and liked every second of it).
• Fiery Cover-Up: Done by reverend Godderis in the episode "Biechtgeheim" to destroy incriminating photographic evidence of pedophilia by one of his underlings.
  Godderis: What do you have there, Marietje.
  [Marietje shows him the photographs of naked students she found in the room of her son, teacher Debruyne]
  Godderis: What are you going to do with those?
  Marietje: I don't want them! Get rid of them!
  Godderis: What are you going to do with those?
  Marietje: Throw them in the thrash!
  Godderis: Might be better if we burn them...
  [Marietje agrees silently]
• Fille Fatale: Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" was definitely this, as she tended to seduce men to get money for her addiction (or simply to steal their car for a joyride). She furthermore knew how to use her charms and looks to her advantage to an astonishing degree.
• Fingore: This happened to "De keizer", the (anonymous) kingpin of a Belgian crime syndicate from the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld", at one point in his life, as his most distinguishing feature is that he's lacking phalanges on several of his fingers on his left hand.
• Five-Finger Discount: In the episode "Soft / Hard", Louise's handbag gets stolen and the thieves subsequently use her keys to clear out her living room. Hugo and Jessie manage to catch the thieves before the end of the episode and return everything to Louise.
• Flashback Stares: Danny Verelst, Chris' client from the episode "Maten", had (shards of) flashbacks of his time as a soldier in Kosovo at the start of the episode. Near the end of the episode, the viewer sees the entire flashback of what happened (including the true culprit of the crime that took place) as Danny gives his testimony.
• Flesh Golem: This was essentailly the goal of serial killer Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht". After he rejected his soulmate (who turned out to be his twin brother), he started collecting body parts that reminded him of his twin (but in female form). His plan was to sow the body parts together to form the perfect woman, but he was caught before he could find a proper head. By the end of the two-parter, he eventually does find the head he's looking for, which belonged to his twin brother, who underwent a sex change operation to become a female for him.
• Food Slap: In the episode "Dochterlief", one of the ways Inny Kreus abuses her mother is by hitting her with a baguette and smearing her face with custard (the family owns a bakery).
• Foot-Dragging Divorcee: Chris' client Pierre from the episode "Tortelduiven" becomes one of these, as his marriage is over and his wife is (openly) cheating on him. It takes the murder of his wife's lover to convince him to divorce her.
• Forced from Their Home: Chris client from the episode "Tortelduiven" was kicked out of his house by his wife, in order for her lover to take up residence. He's eventually allowed in again, after both the wife and the lover run out of money.
• Force Feeding: The killer of the two-parter "Onderwereld/Bovenwereld" force fed her victims an entire bottle of whiskey, to make them docile enough to hang them from the doorknob afterwards. This nearly worked on Hugo as well, but Stanny arrived on the scene just in time to cut him loose.
• Foregone Conclusion: As the show is about Chris and Hugo working together (closely), it wasn't really a surprise that Hugo quit his job at the judicial police to join her law firm.
• Forensic Accounting: Hugo keeps himself occupied with some of this throughout the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje". It eventually allows Chris (and the federal police) to track down the list of shell companies used by the opposition, which permits them to sue the Corrupt Corporate Executive for nearly everything he has.
• Forgotten First Meeting: During the episode "Schoolslag", Hugo recognizes one of the teachers at his old school, but doesn't know where he saw him. After some catching up, it turns out that the teacher was an old classmate of Hugo, who only went to class with him for one year (as Hugo didn't pass that year). Judging from Hugo's reaction, he forgot about the guy entirely until that point.
• Former Teen Rebel: Chris was apparently this, if her mother is to be believed.
  Louise: Chris used to be quite a problem teen herself, you know.
  Chris: That not true! I wasn't worse than any other child my age.
  Louise: Yeah right! remember that time you tried to shave off all your hair in protest of the whale hunt.
  Chris: It was the seal hunt and you always come with this example.
  Louise: Then how about the time I had to drag you out of that tattoo parlor. If I hadn't retrieved you then, you would have been covered in ink by now!
  Chris: I was irresponsible back then, cause I was only fourteen!
• For Your Own Good:
  • At the start of season three, Luc wants to become an associate in Leduc & Partners, but Paul-Emile refuses. When Paul-Emile later finds him at "De groene boomgaard", he explains Luc that the firms recent move to another building cost them a lot of money and that he didn't want Luc to share in those costs right of the bat, as that wouldn't be fair to him.
  • This is the reason why Chris' clients want to have their daughter detained at an institution in the episode "Dochterlief". She's addicted to a variety of drugs and abuses her parents to steal money from them. Even though they're heartbroken about it, her parents see a forced stay in an institution as their only solution, something Chris agrees with.
• Frame-Up:
  • Throughout the episode "Mariska", both the true killer and the proscecutor try to frame Chris' client Sven for a murder he didn't commit. The killer eventually even pays Sven to take the heat.
  • Stanny is framed by a mole at the GP throughout the episode "Vuil". The mole would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for Hugo (who researched the case) and two gay lovers (who saved Stanny after the mole tried to murder him).
  • The two murders of the episode "Maten" were initially framed as self-defense, when a corrupt military arms dealer threw two Kalashnikovs at two farmers (who catched them in a reflex), after which he shot them in cold blood (Kalashnikov in hand). The plan eventually ends up failing, after it's held to further scrutiny.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Pro Deo" becomes the victim of this, when his girlfriend's lawyer forces her to change her statement right before the closing statements, in order to frame him for the murder. The girlfriend reluctantly complied, because her lawyer told her that she would be sent to jail otherwise, which she wanted to avoid.
• Friend on the Force: Stanny serves as this to Hugo, after he quits the GP.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: In the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan", someone tries to frame Bob Sterckx (a famous basketball player and Chris' client) for match fixing. By the end of the episode, the culprit turns out to be the Bob's best friend (and protégé). When Bob has to decide to turn his friend in to salvage his (already fading) career, he decides not to do it, as his friend still has his entire (professional) life in front of him.
  Chris: So what are you going to do now?
  Bob [to Chris]: You'd know I'd do anything to keep on playing, to win for my team...
  Bob: But running the career of a team mate into the ground...
  Chris: ...Isn't something Bob does.
  Bob: Exactly!
• From Camouflage to Criminal:
  • While he wasn't in the military, the main bad guy from the episode "Dode Rambo" turned his back on the neighbourhood watch and started burgling the people he was supposed to protect, using his knowledge as a watchman to gain entry to the houses.
  • Patrick Coels and Pascal Dufour from the episode "Maten" were two military arms dealers, who smuggled guns from Kosovo to Belgium while on active duty. Coels even murders two farmers, who (accidentally) spotted them, and implicates his fellow soldiers, in order to keep his secret hidden.
• Fun with Acronyms: The episode "W.I.L." had the eponymous cult W.I.L., which meant "Wegen naar Inzicht en Liefde" (or "Ways to Insight and Love" in English). Chris' client had an entirely different interpretation of the acronym, as he called them "Workings of Intimidation and Lies".
  • Hugo and Stanny also have a funny conversation about the phonetic pronounciation of the acronym.
  Hugo: Will you run a background check on W.I.L.?
  Stanny: And what if I will not...
  Hugo: Then you're of ill will!
• Gas Chamber: The killer of the episode "Nachtvlucht" tried to kill both Chris and his mother by using a garage as an impromptu gas chamber (by turning on the car inside and letting it run). His plan his, fortunately, foiled right on time by Hugo.
• Gaslighting: Steffie and her fellow teachers did this to one of their colleagues, Lydia, in the episode "Schoolslag". They would steal important mail or report cards, unlock doors Lydia locked, steal her dayplanner, plant Alzheimers medication in her drawer and even open several gas bottles (creating a potentially dangerous situation) simply to both mess with her head and to make it look like she was becoming senile (which led to no one believing Lydia, when she tried to set the record straight). It only worked half, as Lydia was adamant that she wasn't going senile (which caused her to see through the gaslighting attempt). Nevertheless, everyone else (including the principal) did think that she was senile, which would have cost her her job, if it weren't for Chris.
• Gasoline Dousing: Near the end of the episode "Jan zonder kleren", this is done by Chris' client, in a desperate bid to vent his frustration at the company he labored at for nearly thirty years by burning it down. It didn't help that he lost his wife (in divorce), was betrayed by his best friend and saw the future of his son go up in smoke. While he eventually doesn't pull through with it, a minor blunder causes a conflagration which ends up burning his son.
• Gilligan Cut: A humorous example was used in the episode "Dode Rambo", when Chris and Hugo try to identify a salesman of faulty alarm systems.
  Chris: So we have a long list of names and a description placing him as a short, pudgy man with a ginger mustache. We can't just call all these people and ask them if they know a man fitting that description.
  [The scene cuts to (nearly) the entire office calling people on the list about a short, pudgy man with a ginger mustache.]
  Jessie: Hello miss, I want to inquire if you're husband is short and a bit overweight, with a ginger mustache.
  Jessie [In response to the answer]: Ah, he's dead... Sorry for your loss, miss.
• Glory Days: The episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" centers around Bob Sterckx, a famous basketball player, who has reached the end of his career (but is severely in denial about it). Throughout most of the episode, he tries to hold on to his image as the team's star player, even though there are other (younger) players, who are waiting for their time in the limelight. After someone (unsuccesfully) tries to frame him for match fixing out of spite over this, he decides to end his career in style and becomes a coach for the youth team.
• Go and Sin No More: Hugo gives a pedophilic priest this choice during the episode "Biechtgeheim". Throughout the episode, Chris (inadvertently) got her client, the priest, exonerated for pedophilia, but received evidence later on to prove his guilt. The problem is that she couldn't hand in the evidence without breaking her professional confidentiality. Hugo, who isn't bound by such oaths, blackmails the priest into going into therapy voluntarily to stop the evidence from reaching the police.
• Going for the Big Scoop: The [Intrepid Reporter intrepid reporters]] from the episode "Een goed verhaal" endangered their own lives (and those of others), when they investigated an environmental scandal involving toxic waste, as the (unwitting) culprit was less than helpful (even violent) and already damaged one of the barrels, causing it to leak. Even when their lives weren't in danger, their freedom was, as the judicial police was also going after the toxic waste and would spare no (legal) method to make the journalists talk.
• Gold Digger:
  • Candy from the episode "Te jong" was this, as she roped a wealthy man twice her age into give her a record deal (he wasn't a producer) and a condo.
  • Els Nachtegaele, the victim of the episode "Nachtvlucht", turned out to be this, as she tricked one of her customers (she was a prostitute) into buying her extras, in exchange for her promise to marry him. The customer eventually becomes the prime suspect, as he was onto Els for a while and wanted one of his gifts (an expensive engagement ring) back from her.
• Goodbye, Cruel World!: Linda Defreyne from the episode "De chauffeur" wrote a Deathbed Confession to the media before committing suicide in her pool. The letter serves as this trope, as well as her legacy, since she (falsely) claims to have had an affair with one of her husband's political rival, all but ensuring her husbands bid for fraction leader.
• Good Lawyers, Good Clients: While not all of Chris' clients are innocent, most of them have valid grounds for their acts and are actually fighting for justice to be done. Hence, most of her clients are exonerated or punished very mildly by the end of the episode.
• Good Luck Charm: Justin Okiko from the episode "Rode kaart" was a superstitious football player, who always wore the same underwear to an important match, as well as his lucky track suit, for good luck.
• Gorn: The episode "De jacht" contained a rather graphic beheading scene, in which a convicted serial killer decapitates another serial killer with a piece of iron wire.
• Got Volunteered: Chris gets volunteered by Hugo to take up Sven as a client in the episode "Mariska". She isn't very pleased about it.
  Chris: I already have plenty of clients and I'm quite capable of picking out my cases on my own, thank you very much!
• Graffiti of the Resistance: One of the rebelious actions performed by Chris' client in the episode "Jan zonder kleren" was the defacing of the factory's front wall and several billboards with graffiti. It eventually turns out that Chris' client has quite a knack for graffiti art.
• Great Escape: The episode "Haat" features the liberation of a dangerous Neo-Nazi from the Palace of Justice in Brussels, where he was questioned by the district attorney.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: Chris gets hit over the head with a glass vase by her client in the episode "De zaak Ryckaert".
• Groupie Brigade: Justin Okiko from the episode "Rode kaart" had this, as he was a succesful striker for the local soccer team (even playing on an international level). After an underage girl accuses him of rape, however, his "fans" quickly turn on him and even form an angry mob.
• Guilty Until Someone Else Is Guilty:
  • Sven from the episode "Mariska" is accused of murder and seen as the prime (and only) suspect by the proscecutor, despite his daughter vouching for him. Hugo, however, is nearly certain Sven is innocent and proves his innocence throughout the episode. Even the FGP, who's handling the case, doesn't believe in Sven's guilt, as shown by Stanny's reaction, but they have to follow the proscecutor's orders nevertheless.
    Stanny: During the reconstruction the proscecutor told Sven how he murder his boss and the guy starts crying like a baby.
    Stanny: So either Sven's a damn good actor or he's plain innocent.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Bankwezen" is eventually treated like this, even though he wasn't involved in the case at all and was merely absent from his work (to get lunch) at the wrong time.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Vuur" is seen as the ideal murder suspect from the start, because he is an arsonist and the victim died in a house fire. While further investigation shows that the fire was indeed arson, Chris eventually proves that the arsonist used a different M.O. than her client would use. The trope is even discussed by Chris and Paul-Emile throughout the case, where Paul-Emile states that the odds are high that Chris' client will be convicted simply because there aren't any other suspects.
  • This happened to Chris' client and his girlfriend in the episode "Pro Deo", as they were accused of murder, simply because they were the only two people the police could place at the scene (through the video of a security camera). The murderer, however, entered and left through the back window. In a rather cruel twist on the trope, finding the guilty party did nothing to exonerate Chris' client, as he wouldn't confess in front of court to what he did (the fact that he had a mental handicap didn't help), while the girlfriend's lawyer (eventually) framed Chris' client (through a false confession) for the murder, in order to let her client go free.
• Harassing Phone Call: Jan Matthijs, from the episode "Stalker", was fond of these, not just to his ex-wife, but also to Chris.
• Harmful Healing: Happens to Chris' client of the episode "Schedelinhoud". She was supposed to undergo a (relatively) harmless cranial procedure, but ended up losing her sight, because the surgeon tried an experimental procedure on her.
• He Knows Too Much:
  • The victim of the pilot episode was murdered, because she was going to testify against her pimp in court. Furthermore, Hugo was subpoenaed by the pimp, as he knew (and could lure out) the informant.
  • A hit was put out on Rudy Nooteboom from the episode "Pentito", because there were runours that he was going to snitch on them, which made him a liability.
  • Both Stanny and Hugo were nearly murdered in the episode "Vuil", because they came to close to the episode's Detective Mole
  • Dennis Moerman from the episode "Voorwaardelijk" was shot by his (former) lover, because he was the only one who could prove that she murdered her husband (instead of him).
  • In the episode "De chauffeur", after hearing that her attempted murder on her husband's misstress failed, we get this exchange between Linda Defreyne and her husband Geert.
    Geert: If she wakes up from her coma, we're done!
    Linda: Then we have to make sure that she doesn't wake up...
  • The two dead farmers from the episode "Maten" were killed because they walked into a gun smuggling operation and could (possibly) identify the criminals involved. Their murders were subsequently covered up as self-defense against armed militia.
  • Chris nearly got murdered in the episode "Nachtvlucht" for exactly this reason. The killer even literally states the trope name.
  Greet [to the killer]: Let me out of here!
  Killer: No!
  Greet: Then at least let Chris go, she's innocent in all of this!
  Killer: She knows too much!
• Henpecked Husband: While he was only her fiancé, Benny Andersen from the episode "Pro Deo" states that he was this to his girlfriend Vera in a conversation with Hugo. He even uses the Flemish version of "being under her thumb" ("Onder de sloef liggen") to describe their relationship.
• Hidden Depths: Frank Plaatsnijder, Chris' client of the episode "Jan zonder kleren", turns out to be incredibly skilled with spray paint, despite the fact that he's a house father and mechanic.
• High-Class Call Girl: Anke Ravens from the episode "Lijk in de kast" was this, as she was working for an agency catering to high-end clientele, who needed a female companion to accompany them to parties and conferences. This becomes a plot point during the episode, as her excellent reputation makes the story of Chris' client unlikely.
• Hollywood Heart Attack: Happens to Paul-Emile in the episode "De Rietdekkers", who keels over in front of the front desk, after a (stress-induced) heart attack.
• Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis: Chris initially thinks that this is the reason why the wife of her client joined the eponymous cult of the episode "W.I.L.", as she had everything a woman could have in life. It eventually turned out that she left her husband, because he was consumed by his work and never made time for her. She eventually leaves the cult, when her husband agrees to a divorce of his own free will (as he came to the same insight as well).
• Honey Trap: Hugo and Gabriël set up the means to film one for a client of theirs. It eventually turns out that their client used them and is now blackmailing the (unsuspecting) victim with the tape they made.
• Honor Among Thieves: This led to the main source of drama in the episode "Quartier chaud". Within the Quartier Chaud (a suburban ghetto), one of the main rules everyone abides by, is that you don't snitch on your own. When Chris' client, Tommy, discovers that his best friend Axel is robbing (and injuring) people on the streets, he keeps it quiet to uphold the code. This eventually leads to Chris getting robbed, after which she's pushed of an apartment building for putting up a fight. The fall leads to the death of her unborn child and when Tommy hears this, he finally decides to turn his friend into the police, regardless of the consequences.
• Hookers and Blow: One of the things that showed how much of a jerk the victim of the episode "Geduld" was, was his habit to visit (and spend all his cash on) strip clubs and prosititutes, even though he had a wife and a teenage son at home. He would furthermore brag about the strippers he visited at home and would berate and insult when he talked about his wife at the strip club, for good measure.
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold:
  • Rudy's fiancé Raïsa from the episode "Pentito" definitely fits this trope, as she's sympathetic and longing for a normal life outside of prositution.
  • Justine, the prostitute Stanny frequents in the episode "Vuil" is an example of this as well, as she genuinly cares about Stanny (even though he's just a client).
  • Greet Nachtegaele from the episode "Nachtvlucht" was this as well, as she prostituted herself to provide for her son (who she gave birth to at fifteen). Even after he turns out to be the murderer, she still forgives him and let's him off the hook for his crimes.
• Hope Spot: After Rudy Nooteboom and his pregnant fiancé survive a drive-by shooting by Rudy's former associates, everything seems on the up-and-up for them. Their baby gets born unscathed, Rudy (gladly) rats out his former associates and they even get married in the end. Then, they (and their newborn child) die in a carbombing by the end of the episode.
• Hostage Situation:
  • A brief one happens at the start of the episode "Bankwezen", which kicks off the plot.
  • During the episode "Liefde", Rob Scherpenberg is ordered by his "Commander" to take an entire primary school class hostage. He ends up letting them go, after he finds out "The Commander" lied to him all along.
• Hot Pursuit: Hugo and Gabriël end up in one with a taxi driver during the episode "De Rietdekkers". They eventually manage to drive him off the road to question him. It turns out he knew nothing about the case.
• Human Trafficking: In the episode "Pentito", the gang Chris' client, Rudy, used to work for is suspected of human trafficking, but never convicted, as no one talks. Throughout the episode, district attorney Leopold tries to lever Rudy into ratting out his former employers to put the gang behind bars, regardless of the consequences for Rudy.
• Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The serial killer of the two-parter "De jacht" does this to her victims in the woods. The name of the episode ("The hunt") refers to this as well.
• I Did What I Had to Do: This was district attorney Leopold's point of view throughout the entirety of the episode "Pentito". She wanted to take down a gang of human trafficker through whichever (legal) way possible, regardless of the (innocent) bystanders that would get hurt. Best illustrated in her final conversation with Chris' of the episode.
  DA Leopold: It seems that in the end we both got what we wanted.
  Chris: What we wanted?! Rudy's pregnant fiancé was wheeled into hospital with a bullet wound! I'd call that a travesty!
  DA Leopold: You're looking at it the wrong way. It's not a travesty... It's the price we had to pay for justice to prevail.
• If I Can't Have You…:
  • The mindset of Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker". He wants to win his ex-wife back at every cost and won't take no for an answer, even going as far as attempted murder.
  • This was the motive of Rob Scherpenberg to commit his terroristic acts during the two-parter "Haat / Liefde". He had developed a crush on a Muslim girl and tried to get revenge on her and her husband after she rejected him and lied to her husband about him allegedly raping her.
• I Have No Son!: In the episode "Vuil", we find out that Gabriël had a row with his father over a decadde ago, which led to this trope. They atch things up by the end of the episode.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker" had several of these moments with his ex-wife, although the most obvious one was when he broke into her bedroom while she was asleep, after which he kissed her and stroked her hair.
• I Know Kung-Faux: When Justin Okiko, Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart", gets into an altercation with his neighbour, his neighbour tells him that he's not scared of Justin, as he used to be part of the special forces. His (alleged) combat experience is immediately shown, when Justin knocks him out with one punch.
• Illegal Gambling Den: The episode "Vuil" features one in the backroom of the "River cafe". It's there where the identity of the Detective Mole is first revealed (to the viewer).
• I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: done by Stany in the episode "Mariska".
  Stanny: You know I can't state anything about the investigation.
  [Stanny looks around to see if the coast is clear]
  Stanny: Follow me...
• Imperiled in Pregnancy:
  • Chris' client from the episode "De chauffeur" was nearly killed by a car, because she was pregnant and didn't want to get an abortion. It eventually turns out that the wife of her lover was behind the wheel.
  • This also happens to Chris in the episode "Quartier chaud", when she gets robbed and eventually even falls of an apartment building while she's pregnant. She ends up losing her child because of the fall.
• Implied Death Threat: The Albanian maffia in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15" sends a bouquet of chrysantos with a funeral card to their victims as a dead threat. The funeral card was from one of the shopkeepers they murdered to keep the rest in line, which further enhances the threat.
• Imposed Handicap Training: Bob Sterckx from the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" does this by taping weights to his legs (in order to improve his jumps). His psychical therapist (and aching knee joints) don't really agree with this method of training.
• Improbably Cool Car: Chris' client from the episode "Quartier chaud" owns a restored 1979 VW Beetle together with his best friend, despite the fact that he lives in a ghetto. The car ends up torched by the end of the episode.
• Inbred and Evil: The culprit of the episode "De Rietdekkers" turns out to be this. The incest that led to this trope furthermore turns out to be the motive behind the (botched) kidnapping.
• Inconveniently Vanishing Exonerating Evidence: Happens to Chris' client from the episode "Dode Rambo". He killed someone in self-defense, but is arrested (and nearly tried) for murder, because the attacker weapon dissappeared out of the blue. It eventually turns out that one of the attacker's allies hid the knife to frame Chris' client (and save his own skin).
• I Never Said It Was Poison: In the episode "De Rietdekkers", this trope eventually tips Gabriël off that his new girlfriend is involved in the kidnapping of her father. Near two-thirds of the episode, she receives a call from her father (courtesy of the kidnappers) as a sign that he's still alive. When his corpse is found later on, the police tells Gabriël that he died long before that. As his girlfriend must have known that the call was fake, Gabriël can only conclude that she's involved (but not the culprit, as he's her alibi).
• Insanity Defense: Chris tries to use this defense in the episode "Vuur" to get her client exonerated for involuntary manslaughter during an arson attempt. She ends up changing her strategy mid-trial, as it doesn't seem to take as well as she hoped.
• Inside Job: The episode "Bankwezen" revolved around one of these. From the start of the episode, it was clear as day that the robbers had insider knowledge, which allowed them to rob the bank efficiently. The remainder of the episode focuses on identifying the inside man.
• Inspector Lestrade: Commissioner Van Cleef from the episode "Pro Deo" was this, as he was utterly convinced that Chris' client and his girlfriend were the culprits from the start of the investigation, with only a scrap of (circumstantial) evidence to go on. He subsequently picked and chose the evidence to prove their guilt (while ignoring any elements that could prove their innocence) and constructed everything they said and did as an admission of guilt on their part. He's wrong, obviously, but eventually does see one of his suspects convicted, due to an obvious case of Miscarriage of Justice.
  Chris' client: In the eyes of commissioner Van Cleef, everything we say or do is an admission of guilt! He has us pegged as the murderers regardless...
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Happens when Luc makes a prediction about Chris' love life in the episode "Verloren weekend".
  Luc: Chris and Hugo? Nah, Chris is married to the job... All she does is work, work, work!
  [The scene cuts to Chris and Hugo making out in her office right at that moment]
• In the Back: This is George Windey's favored method of dealing with intruders in the episode "Broers", as he shot no less than two of them in the back. He nearly gets away with it the first time, but is caught redhanded when he tries it twice.
• Intrepid Reporter: Chris' clients from the episode "Een goed verhaal" were this, as they went after their own news stories (despite being news anchors) and placed more value in bringing the news and protecting their sources than in the national security. The fact that they worked for a small, local news channel helped with this as well, as they didn't have the funds to hire people to get the news for them.
• In Vino Veritas: During the episode "Geduld", Hugo uses the (rather) inebriated state of the proscecutor to pilfer information from him (both about the case and his past relationship with Chris). He doesn't tell the truth entirely, as he severely overstates his role in his one-night stand with Chris
• Ironic Echo: The episode "Dode Rambo" had two separate cases of this
  • When Chris gets a rudimentary description of a man selling sabotaged alarm systems, Hugo sarcastically claims "We got him!". When Hugo, later on, returns with a long list of possible names for the same man, Chris, in turn, responds with "We got him!" in much the same fashion.
  • When Chris' house gets burgled and Chris' mother gets threatened by the episode's bad guy, Chris visits him in a fit of rage. The first thing he says in response to her angry rant is "It looks like you could use a good night's sleep". When he's later caught trying to retrieve a vital piece of evidence from the crime scene in the middle of the night, Chris repeats his words back at him in a malicious fashion. She then adds that she'll make sure that he has plenty of time to sleep in jail.
• It's All About Me: In the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan", this is one of the reasons why Bob Sterckx was framed for match fixing. He always stole the limelight and put his own career (and fame) before the well-being of the team, which led to resentment from his best friend, who was tired of spending any more time in his shadow.
• It's All My Fault: One of the reasons Chris' client from the episode "Verloren weekend" took the heat for a murder he didn't commit, was because he felt that he was to blame for the argument that led to the (accidental) murder.
• It's Personal:
  • The episode "Familiezaken" is this for Hugo, as Leduc & Partners are defending his niece, Karen, who became the victim of rape at the hands of her boss.
  • Chris' case in "Lichter dan lucht" quickly becomes this for her, as the client is a friend of her then-boyfriend, who (almost) instantly became a friend of hers too. She ends up getting far too involved with her client (and the case) to see that he's the bad guy.
  • The episode "De Rietdekkers" is quite personal for Gabriël, who's called in to act as a negotiator in the kidnapping case of fiancé's father. It becomes A Day in the Limelight for Gabriël, as well as the case that breaks his career.
  • The episode "Schoolslag" is, once more, personal for Hugo, as his favorite primary school teacher has become the victim of "mobbing" (bullying in group), which could cost her her job (as no one believes her allegations).
• I Will Find You: The ultimate goal of Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De Jacht" was to find his soulmate (and twin brother) Theo. When he couldn't find him, he went for the next best thing and tried to find a female version of him. When that didn't work, he started killing women and collecting their body parts to create the perfect woman, Frankenstein-style.
• I Will Show You X!: Near the start of the episode "Haat", Hugo plans a surprise dinner for Chris at her mother's tavern. However, Chris gets kidnapped shortly after and both her and Hugo forget all about the dinner date because of it. Hugo furthermore isn't alowed to tell Louise the truth about the kidnapping, as it could endanger Chris' situation. When Louise tries to call Chris later on, we get this exchange between Hugo and Louise.
  Louise: Is that a way to treat a woman? keeping her waiting for dinner?!
  Hugo: Oh Louise! I'm sorry, but we're not going to make it.
  Louise: I thought you wanted to treat Chris to a proper night out...
  Hugo [thinking of an excuse]: No, I said I wanted to give her a good time, which I'm in the middle off.
  Louise: Good time?! I'll show you a "good time"!
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique:
  • Hugo is a big fan of this, as is shown by his treatment of Chris'(unwilling) client during their meetings. Chris, however, wasn't pleased and even nicknamed it "the pitbull method".
  • Stanny turns out to favor this method as well and even tries it on a kid througout the episode "Verloren weekend". This is despite the fact that Stanny is somewhat of a by-the-book cop.
  • Acting commissioner Ilse Hermans from the episode "Quartier chaud" favored the heavy-handed approach with her arrestees, restraining them for so much as backtalking. While she eventually turned out to be (somewhat) right about Chris' client and his friends, Chris is still rather displeased every time she witnesses the acting commissioner's treatment of her suspects.
• Jack the Ripoff: The killer of the two-parter "De jacht" was a copy cat of Daniël Huysmans, A.K.A. "The Angelmaker", as well as his twin brother.
• Just Here for the Free Snacks: During the episode "W.I.L.", when Hugo is asked why he wanted to join the eponymous cult, he jokes that he was (predominantly) there "for the massages and the sauna".
• Kicked Upstairs:
  • In the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje", a critical civil servant at the planning department is promoted to a different position, partially because of this trope and partially as a reciprocal service for keeping quiet about an environmental scandal.
  • This also happens to commissioner Mangelschots, who gets promoted to an unnamed (and apparently unimportant) committee. He's replaced by Stanny, who overjoyed at the fact that Mangelschots is finally gone (together with Chris and Hugo).
• Kick Them While They Are Down: When Chris' client from the episode "Rode kaart" gets accused of rape, he tries to ask the victim why she's accusing him (as he's certain he's innocent). Before she can answer, one of the neighbours knock him to the ground with a branch, while the victim runs off. The neighbour subsequently kicks him in the crown jewels while he's down on the ground, amounting to this trope.
• Kid Detective: Alan from the episode "Schoolslag" aspires to be this, as he's interested in police and detective work. He furthermore has become extremely good at eavesdropping, which eventually helps Chris' case. Moreover, if Hugo's old primary school teacher is to be believed, Hugo was this as well during his childhood, as he aspired to be a detective even back then.
• Kids Are Cruel: In the episode "Schoolslag", the children of miss Lydia's class are very easily turned against her by her bully, miss Steffie, despite the fact that they like her as a teacher. Hugo even tells Lydia that kids will just mimic whatever mean words they're told, no matter how cruel they are. They eventually make things right with her in the end, though.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: Pierre from the episode "Tortelduiven" showed shades of this, as he was a simple, working -class man who was too kindhearted for his own good. He furthermore kept on forgiving his wife's affairs, even though she constantly humiliated him, simply because he was in love with her. He even denied her latest affair, either because he genuinly believed his wife or because he was in denial, and spent more time defending her than trying to get his own life in order.
• Knee-capping: George Windey did this to Stef Molenaar in the episode "Broers" to hobble him, before attempting a coup de grâce. Stef (temporarily) ended up in a wheel chair because of it.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Happens to Gabriël in the episode "Bankwezen". Near the start of the episode, Gabriël gives a tough case to Luc (as a favor, no less), while he takes up an easier case with a hefty reward. Not only does the tougher case lead to big break (and media attention) for Luc, but Gabriël's hefty reward (in the form of stocks) turns out to be useless, as the firm he's representing files for bankruptcy.
• Lawman Gone Bad: Jacky de Potter from the episode "Soft / Hard" is a former cop, who worked for vice until he was caught in bed with a minor. He subsequently became a (shifty) PI, who helped his client frame Chris' client for possesion of heroin.
• Leave No Witnesses: During the escape of Rob Scherpenberg in the episode "Haat", his liberators kill one of the officers guarding him for exactly this reason: he saw their faces, which could give them away.
• Left for Dead: Happens to the victim of the episode "De Rietdekkers", who dies after being stuffed in the booth of his car by the kidnapper.
• Like a Son to Me: In the episode "Adel verplicht", Paul-Emile mentions to Chris that he sees her as a (surrogate) daughter. He furthermore proposes that Chris takes over the firm from him, when he (eventually) retires.
• Likes Older Women:
  • During the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15", Luc admits during a drunken stupor that he's attracted to his latest client, who's 49 (Luc is somewhere in his twenties).
  • During the episode "Lijk in de kast", everyone at Leduc & partners (as well as the viewer) finds out that Luc is dating a woman fifteen years older than him.
• Lingerie Scene: Chris has one in the episode "De zaak Ryckaert", as she's getting dressed for a night out with Hugo.
• Literal Metaphor: Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker" used these liberally throughout the episode, usually as threats. The best examples of these would be "married until death do us part" (as he would murder her otherwise) and making his ex feel what it's like for "your blood to run cold" (he locked her in the freezer of his fish store).
• Locked Room Mystery: The murder of the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" was a minor case of this, as the victim was slumped against the door of his bathroom, preventing anyone from getting in or out. In a twist on this trope, Hugo and Stanny quite quickly prove how easily someone could do this by themselves, if they had enough strength.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • In the episode "Illegaal", Gabriël finds (and abuses) a loophole in the law to exonerate his client, Giovanni Busso, from a (serious) crime he committed. While it was left unclear what the crime was, it involved the poisoning of one of his employees.
  • In the episode "Schedelinhoud", Luc abuses the fact that his client is homeless to get him exonerated for a hospital scam. He claims that, because the hospital didn't follow their own directory of sending his client the hospital bill by mail, his client doesn't owe them anything, which is followed by the judge.
• Lovable Traitor: Jacco Vandewalle from the episode "Prima Donna" turns out to be this. He's a young pimp, who recuits underage girls into prostitution and gets away with it by snitching on his fellow pimps. Despite (or perhaps because) of this, he has made quite a few friends and is well-loved by nearly everyone around him (at least, until they find out he's a snitch).
• Love-Interest Traitor: Chris' client from the episode "Voorwaardelijk" was betrayed by his love interest, after he took the heat for a murder she committed. She even made sure that he received a longer sentence, by upping the court room dramatics (the murder victim was her husband).
• Love Makes You Crazy:
  • At the end of the episode "Voorwaardelijk", Dennis Moerman still loves his (former lover, despite the fact that she framed him for murder and even tried to murder him after he got released from jail.
  • Daniël Huysmans from the episode "De jacht" started murdering people after kissing a boy, who turned out to be his twin brother. He even states that it was this act (and his rejection towards his twin afterwards) which drove him over the edge. His twin brother didn't fair much better and became a serial killer as well, in order to get closer to Daniël.
• Love Redeems: The reason for Rudy Nooteboom from the episode "Pentito" to give up his life as a hit man, was because he fell in love with one of the dancers at the club and got her pregnant. It's discussed by Hugo and Stany halfway through the episode.
  Hugo: So, is Rudy still working for Vandaele?
  Stanny: No, it seems the two had a falling out. He even took one of Vandaele's dancers with him.
  Hugo: So he's starting on his own?
  Stanny: No, the local gossip states that he left with her out of love with a capital L.
  Hugo: I didn't know that still existed...
  Stanny: It definitely does, Hugo, it definitely does...
• Lying to Protect Your Feelings: In the episode "Lijk in de kast", chris complains to Hugo and her mother about the secret Paul-Emile hid from her and the way he lied about it. When Chris states that she never expected him to lie to her, as she would with her mother, Louise admits that she told Chris some white lies as well.
  Hugo: Everyone lies from time to time, especially to protect their friends...
  Chris: Not Paul-Emile... he's the most honest man I know! And he certainly wouldn't lie to me!
  Louise: Why not?
  Chris: That would be as if you lied to me.
  Louise: But I did lie to you from time to time...
  [Chris stares at her mother in disbelief.]
  Louise: Like that time you got your hair dyed as a teenager... and I told you that you could pull off that color with ease...
• Mad Doctor:
  • The surgeon who operated Chris' client in the episode "Schedelinhoud" would fall under this. He used a (high-risk) experimental procedure (which eventually left her blind) on Chris' client, purely for selfish reasons (a major breakthrough in his career, media attention). Eventually, he does feel remorse for his acts and confesses his actions in court.
  • Doctor van Gogh from the episode "Adel verplicht" was this, as he performed medical tests on homeless teens, merely to see if they were a proper fit for organ harvesting. When he found a suitable subject, he subsequently had him kidnapped by a group of thugs and performed a (botched) operation on him himself.
• Matricide: The killer form the episode "Nachtvlucht" attempts to murder his mother, because of her profession (she's a prostitute). However, he targets the wrong person and kills his aunt by mistake. He eventually tries again and nearly kills Chris as well (as she was an inconvenient witness).
• Maintain the Lie: In the episode "Geduld", Chris' client ends up blatantly lying to her and the court, but Chris eventually decides to keep up the lie regardless, as her client had been punished enough in life.
• Make an Example of Them: After Rob Scherpenberg executes district attorney Leopold at the start of the episode "Liefde", he leaves her corpse at a memorial for the victims of his terroristic shooting to warn everyone that he means bussiness.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: This was the prefered murder method of the Albanian maffia in the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15". They eventually manage to give no less than two shopkeepers an "accident" at work.
• Manly Gay: Both Danny Verelst and Bruno Buggenhout were this, as they were both burly soldiers with manly past time interests, such as physical exercise and lifting weights. Danny, in addition, drove a Cool Bike to work.
• Marriage of Convenience: The victim of the episode "Mariska" and his widow had this kind of marriage.
  Widow: For 29 years, my husband and I have lived alongside eachother in harmony...
• Meal Ticket:
  • Ben Lauricks from the episode "Te jong" was this, after he became smitten with a female singer half his age. He quickly came around, after she changed the locks on him.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Tortelduiven" was this to his wife and her lover, who would abuse his kind-heartedness and generosity.
• Meaningful Echo: In the episode "Vuil", Stanny's partner Johnny at one point states how easy it is for a cop to fall victim to addiction, when he's discussing Stanny's (alleged) gambling addiction with Hugo. He later on repeats his words phrase-by-phrase, when he [[Spoiler: confesses to Hugo that he's the Detective Mole]].
  Johnny [about gambling addiction]: You now how easy it is to roll into these things as a cop...
  Johnny: And when you lose big, they'll always offer to clean the slate, in return for a favor...
  Johnny: But if you give in to them even once, they have you by the balls for the rest of you life!
• MegaCorp: The textile company "Ticker" from the episode "Jan zonder kleren" was this, as they're an international company, who cares little about their employees and does everything in their power to make more money'(even exploitation of third-world worker in favor of jobs in first-world countries).
• Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency: Benny Andersen from the episode "Pro Deo" had a mental defiency and murdered the victim in a fit of rage. Nevertheless, he doesn't feel guilty about the murder, even if an innocent person goes to jail for it, simply because he doesn't understand that what he did was wrong (or how dire the consequences are).
• Might Makes Right: J.C. Pickery from the episode "Familiezaken" breathes this trope, as he uses everything within his power (money, connections, physical prowess) to bully his victims into submission.
• Miscarriage of Justice:
  • Steven Daelman, Chris' client from the episode "Een goed verhaal", is detained for complicity to unspecified criminal acts because he wouldn't tell the name of his source, despite the case against him being incredibly meager. The fact that he was sentenced to this simply because he did his job (he was a journalist) is what makes it this trope, as well as the fact that he was (essentially) falsely sentenced on the basis of little to no evidence.
  • Koen Janssen from the episode "Pro Deo" was wrongfully convicted of murdering a man in a gas station bathroom, even after Chris showed that he most likely wasn't the killer (as the killer was right-handed, while Koen was left-handed). He was furthermore convicted solely on circumstantial evidence and motive (as they could prove that he stole the 25000 € in cash the victim had on him). Moreover, Chris and Hugo find the actual culprit (the mentally handicapped fiancé of the victim's daughter), but can't manage to convince anyone that he's the killer (predominantly because of his handicap). Chris spends the next couple of episodes trying to prove his innocence (to no avail, however).
  Koen: Life in prison! How?!
  Koen: I'm entirely innocent! I didn't murder the guy!
• Misery Builds Character: When Justin Okiko from the episode "Rode kaart" gets accused of rape, his best friend, Frank, tells him to not let it get to him too much, as the ordeal is an opportunity to become even stronger. He even tells him that people can make the greatest leaps (of progress) when they're faced with adversity.
• Mistaken for Gay: Happens to Gabriël in the episode "Dode Rambo, when he defends an Armoured Closet Gay artist from slander in the press. The journalists even claim that he must be a Closet Gay as well, as he's so fiery in his pleading. It turns out Gabriël has his client's best interest in mind (for once) and wants to give him the opportunity to come out when he feels like it.
• Mobstacle Course: Paul-Emile, of all people, faces this when he becomes the lawyer of Justin Okiko and even gets threatened and spat on by the mob, merely for defending him. The same thing happens to Hugo and Jutsin, when they return home after the initial hearing, with press and protesters harassing them.
• Mole in Charge: First deputy procurator Carlo Dibruno from the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" was this, as he was leading an investigation on organized crime (more specifically, the maffia) in Brussels, while being in their pocket all along. This is most clearly shown by his reluctant attitude in his investigation of "De keizer", a mysterious and anonymous maffia kingpin (who happens to be his patron).
• Mooning: One of Frank Plaatsnijder's most prominent actions in the episode "Jan zonder kleren" and furthermore the one that gave him his nickname. ^note "Jan zonder kleren", which roughly translates to "Clothless John" This also kicks of the episode's plot, as Frank wrote his company's logo on his butt cheeks, which was cause for them to sue him for defamation.
• Morally Ambiguous Doctorate:
  • Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" calls himself a doctor, even though he dropped out of med school after a year and a half. Furthermore, he's a deranged serial killer, who you wouldn't want to have as your doctor.
• Moral Myopia: Jean-Phillipe de Goebeure from the episode "Adel verplicht" is a fierce adherent of this, as he found it justified to steal a kidney for his granddaughter from a street urchin, simply because spending time on a waiting list would be unfair to her. Chris explains the problem with this best in her closing statement at the trial.
  Chris: Sir de Goebeure is a noble man, as he immediately donated his kidney, when his niece needed it...
  Chris: ... but the operation fails and he searches for a new donor.
  Chris: What's less than noble, is that he didn't want to wait his turn...
  Chris: ... as there are dozens of others in the same, horrible situation as his niece.
  Chris: Why should they have to give up their place in line?
  Chris: And what's even less noble, is that he then took something that didn't belong to him...
  Chris: He used my client's kidney as a spare part for his niece! Who gave him that right?
  Chris: I have to conclude, hence, that someone decided to play God... decided that one child was more worthy than the other!
  Chris: Don't get me wrong, I'm glad his niece got a chance at a better life...
  Chris: but my client never got that chance (as he's dead) and that is what I call unjust, as justice is for everyone!
• Motive = Conclusive Evidence: Several of Chris' clients are faced with this.
  • Sven from the episode "Mariska" was accused of murder without a single piece of incriminating evidence against him, becuase he had the best motive of all the suspects
  • Chris' client, Herman Baetens, from the episode "Bankwezen" was accused of being the inside man for the robbery of the bank he worked at. Not a single piece of (non-circumstantial) evidence was provided by the district attorney. Chris even discussed this while pleading for her client in court.
  Chris [To the district attorney] : Can you show me one piece of physical evidence which links my client to the crime?
  [The remainder of the court room remain silent, including the district attorney]
  Chris: That's because you don't have any! And putting a family man behind bars will not magically grant you one either!
  • Chris' client of the episode "Pro Deo" also became the victim of this, as everyone (even the judge and the jury) were more focusses on the motive Chris' client had for the murder (the theft of the victim's money), than on actual evidence Chris provided. This continued even after Chris provided an alternative suspect (who had, in fact, murdered the victim), simply because they believed that Chris' client had too much of a motive not to be the killer.
• Multiple Identity IDs: Chris' client from the episode "Lichter dan lucht" concocted several fake identities for himself, based on famous writers and poets. While this could have been to stay out of trouble with the law, it was clearly hinted throughout the episode that he, in fact, became those persons as well in real life.
• Murder by Mistake: The killer from the episode "Nachtvlucht" killed his aunt by mistake, while attempting to kill his mother, as it was dark and she was using her umbrella.
• Murder the Hypotenuse:
  • This was the culprit's motive in the episode "De chauffeur" to attempt murder on her husband's pregnant misstress.
  • Chris' client from the episode "Tortelduiven" attempts to do this to his wife's lover. It's unclear if the lover survived the attack, however.
• Must State If You're a Cop:
  • In the episode "Nachtvlucht", one of the victim's neighbours ask Chris and Hugo if they're lawyers or cops. Hugo's answer was probably the only one he ever used during his time at the GP. What makes it funnier is that Hugo wasn't with the police anymore.
    Hugo: Do I look like a cop?
  • This happens to Hugo once more in the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld", when he tries to convince the killer that he's, in fact, an undercover cop.
    Hugo [sloshed]: Not that it matters too much, but I'm a cop...
    Killer: Yeah right, next you're gonna tell me the other guy was one as well!
    Hugo: I was send in to investigate a murder and expose a maffia kingpin.
    Killer: Alright, prove it! All cops must be able to identify themselves...
    Hugo: Not if they're undercover...
• My Beloved Smother: The mother of Chris' client in the episode "Biechtgeheim" was (a mild-mannered version of) this. She doted on her son in every way, despite the fact that he was at least 50 and she was geriatric.
• My Greatest Failure: The episode "Lijk in de kast" revolves around Paul-Emile's greatest failure, which he has kept a secret for nearly two decades. Back when Leduc & Partners was a beginning lawfirm, he handled the legal affairs for a public savings bank, where he (and his associate Tijsmans) unwittingly helped Henri Penne commit an embezzlement fraud. As Paul-Emile was implicated (and wanted to preserve the remaining money the bank still had), he helped Penne get exonerated for the fraud, so he could prevent bankruptcy (returning a fraction of the savings to their owners). However, the guilt that came from purposefully exonerating a fraudster remained for both him and Tijsmans (who took his own life because of it). What also remained was Penne's hold over Paul-Emile (as he could get him arrested for involvement in the fraud, without any risk of proscecution, due to double jeopardy), which led to him blackmailing Leduc & Partners into defending him, after he drugged, raped and maimed an escort.
• My Secret Pregnancy: Chris kept her pregnancy a secret for quite a while, as she wasn't sure if she was going to keep it. Both her mother and Hugo eventually finds out about it (albeit accidentally for Hugo). Sadly, she loses the baby in the next episode.
• Mysterious Note: Chris receives one after her case against a waste disposal company hits a snag in the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje". It (eventually) allows her to build a stronger case against them for her appeal hearing.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Daniël Huysmans, A.K.A. "The Angelmaker", from the two-parter "De jacht".
• Narcissist: Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" could be considered one, as he fell in love with his own twin brother.
• Nasal Trauma: Hugo gets into a fight with a bouncer during the episode "Bankwezen" and ends up witha severe nosebleed.
• Naturalized Name: Désiré Mageza from the episode "Illegaal" changed his name partially because of this trope and partially to leave his past behind him and stay under the radar.
• Nature Lover: "The Commander" from the two-parter "Haat / Liefde" was an evil version of this.
  "Commander": It's only when you live abroad, that you start to miss all of the oaks and birches and willows...
  [He picks up a lump of soil]
  "Commander": ... and soil! I fought for this soil!
• Nepotism: While it wasn't out right said, it was quite clear that Laurence d'Audenbach Wiertz de Noirefontaine from the episode "Adel verplicht" got to her current position as deputy attorney (and her upcoming promotion) thanks to her connections (and her godfather Sir de Goebeure, in particular).
• Never Suicide:
  • The murder of Hugo's informant in the episode "Geschorst" was initially labelled as a suicide by the police. After Chris convinced the victim's mother to demand an autopsy, the coroner came to the conclusion that she was actaully murdered and that the killer staged the scene as a suicide.
  • In the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld", the victim's death was also classified as suicide by the first deputy procurator, even though the victim was far too drunk to have killed himself the way he did. His death eventually turns out to be murder, when the killer tries to use the same method on Hugo.
• Never the Obvious Suspect:
  • A peculiar example occurs in the episode "Bankwezen". The prime suspect of an inside job (who's also Chris' client) doesn't seem like an obvious suspect at first glance (family man with a stable job, who worked at his workplace for 18 years). However, as more and more circumstantial evidence builds up against him, even Chris becomes convinced that he did it. Eventually, it turns out that he didn't do it and was framed by the true culprit.
  • The two-parter "De jacht" had Fonny, an Evil Poacher and Dirty Old Man, who wasn't entirely sane. By the end of the first part, he was the police's prime suspect for a string of murders taking place in the forest he poached. He obviously didn't do it...
• Nightmare Fetishist: The two-parter "De jacht" had quite a few, judging by the crowd that gathered around the strung up bodies of two adolescent girls conjoined at the shoulders with iron wire. More specifically, two guys in their early twenties (Jonathan and the guy playing his horn) were particularly interested in the case, despite the gruesome nature of it. And then there was Fonny, who was jacking off to the half-undressed corpses of the first two (female) victims.
  Hugo [about Fonny]: He sure seems excited...
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan", it seems that a journalist tried to take revenge on Chris' client, because he had done this to him several years prior. As this was before the events of Chris' case, we only have their statements in court as evidence.
  Bob [about Beunings, the journalist who tried to slander him]: You see, Beunings and I had a little disagreement... I wanted to make my fists dance on his face and he didn't!
  Beunings: You knocked me silly during that fight!
  Bob: Not silly enough, it seems!
• No Honor Among Thieves: The main cause of drama in the episode "Pentito". Chris' client Rudy and his ex-associates made an agreement to leave eachother be at the start of the episode, but rumours of a plea deal eventually made the latter reconsider, after which they placed a hit on Rudy.
• No Poker Face: In the episode "Geduld", Chris and Hugo end up coaching the son of her client into lying convincingly in court (it's a long story), as he truly has no poker face. They end up spending all night on getting his story straight and he eventually succeeds in court.
• No Such Agency: While he's not a group, Frans Opdebeeck, the officer of the ministry of internal affairs from the episode "Een goed verhaal", turns out to be a fixer the judicial police hires to get the job done in "unconventional" ways not authorized by law. Hugo and Stanny even discuss his role and outright state that no one would acknowledge his existence as an agent if he ever gets caught, as he officially isn't part of the justice system.
• Not Good with Rejection: Jessie has a minor case of this, after she's dumped by Hugo. She becomes irritable and rash at work and puts in little effort to do her job properly. She also chews out Hugo every opportunity she gets. She eventually does get better.
• "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: Used by the defense attorney of J.C. Pickery in the episode "Familiezaken" to debunk the rape claim Chris made in the name of Sylvie Hendrickx. The attorney claimed that, as Sylvie consented to sex (under duress) with Pickery prior to the rape, that she also consented to rape, despite the physical evidence telling otherwise. Sadly, this retort works and the judge exonerates Pickery.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Both Rob Scherpenberg and "The Commander" turn out to be this. They both try to make it look like they're fighting for a greater cause, but their actual reasons for the terroristic attacks of Wodan are far more self-centered (rejection by a Love Interest for Scherpenberg and sheer joy and hatred for "The Commander").
• Not What I Signed on For: When Chris finds out that her client of the episode "Biechtgeheim" was, in fact, a pedophile, she wishes that she never defended him. Sadly, she already got him exonerated for pedophilia at that point.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat:
  • Chris meets several of these throughout the episode "Pentito".
    • The employees she meets at city hall are as helpful as you'd expect them to be, based on this trope. Their standard answer to any inquiry Chris makes for information about her client is "I don't think I can share that information with you, miss." and not even threathening them with a subpoena would change this. She ends up having to go over their heads, only to find an even more obstructive bureaucrat.
    • District attorney Leopold has her own reasons to be this, throughout the episode. She wants Rudy to give her information on a gang of human traffickers he used to work for, even if she has to use bureaucracy to extort him into ratting them out. She even tries to play both sides and negotiates with the human traffickers as well, in order to play them against eachother, with devastating effects.
  • Johan Delbeke, the clerk from immigration in the episode "Illegaal", also fits this trope quite well, as he tends to do dismiss evidence of Désiré Mageza's existence quite easily, simply becuase it was provided to him by an illegal immigrant. He furthermore doesn't even take the effort to call Chris' when her client gets deported (despite the fact that he knew full well that Chris was working on getting her a visa).
• Oh, Crap!: Verpoorte, the Corrupt Corporate Executive of Taxowaste, has one near the end of the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje". He thought that he could avoid financial ruin by syphoning assets from Taxowaste to his other shell companies, but gets the shock of his life when Chris tells him that the justice department is confiscating the assets of all those companies as well.
  Verpoorte [smugly]: Hah! You're too late, Haagdoorn! Taxowaste is bankrupt!
  Chris: Yes, I guess we'll have to get our compensation from any of your other companies.
  [Verpoorte goes silent as Chris names all his most profitable shell companies and hands him the subpoenas which allows the justice department to confiscate their assets.]
  Chris: It seems like all that fine art of yours will do some good after all!
• Oh, No... Not Again!: Throughout the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15", Chris and an old school friend of hers fight against a Protection Racket ran by the Albanian maffia. When they eventually manage to get the local branch arrested, another man (posing as an insurance agent) shows up soon after, offering private security (both electric surveillanceand physical guards) for the same price as the protection racket.
• Oops! I Forgot I Was Married:
  • In the episode "Illegaal", when Chris eventually find the husband of her client, it turns out he has re-married his new wife (under some duress), thinking that his old wife was murdered during the war. It becomes a bit of a plot point, as his marriage to her client is the only grounds for her and her son to get a visa.
  • Armand from the episode "Nachtvlucht" wanted to marry Els, a prostitute he frequented, and even bought her an engagement ring. What he never mentioned, was that he was married already, with a child and several grandchildren.
• Organ Theft: The episode "Adel verplicht" revolved around a kidney theft, where the victim was kidnapped and drugged before the operation and released with stitches (and without one of his kidneys) afterwards. He doesn't make it in the end.
• Out-Gambitted: Throughout the episode "Vuur", Gabriël and Hugo get roped into aiding a client with a Honey Trap, which is eventually used to blackmail a senator. They come up with a plan together, where they not only stop the blackmail attempt, but also get dirt on the client which they can use in a case against her.
• Outliving One's Offspring: The episode "Verloren weekend" has two instances of this. The first is a child (the daughter of Chris' client) who goes missing and eventually ends up dead nearby, to the utter heartbreak of the parents. The second tops this, when it turns out that the child was murdered by her twin brother, who now faces time in an institution (or even jail) because of it. And not just that, but the guilt of the murder also nearly drives the twin brother to suicide, which would mean the death of both children.
• Out of Job, into the Plot: Happens to Hugo at the end of the pilot episode, where he leaves the judicial police to join Leduc & partners.
• Overt Rendezvous: Hugo's niece, Karen, meets with her online contact, Salomé, on the roof of a parking garage, which, due to the lack of columns, was in full view of everyone.
• Parental Incest: Happened to Gabriël's girlfriend from the episode "De Rietdekkers". She was abused by her father during her childhood, which led to a Teen Pregnancy when she was fourteen. This fact, many years later, leads to the botched kidnapping and murder of her father.
• Parental Neglect: Marianne Müller, the mother of Chris' client from the episode "Prima Donna", was this towards her daughter, as she solely focused on her opera career. The neglect eventually drove Chris' client into the arms of an abusive pimp.
• Parental Substitute: In the episode "Stalker", Luc defends his "Aunt Emma" in a housing dispute. She isn't related to him, but acted as a surrogate mother during his youth (as his parents were away from home often). This quickly goes awry when he figures out that his "Aunt" is a slumlord.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: In the episode "Schedelinhoud", one of the main reasons for Chris' client's husband to take her surgeon to court is to make him bleed for a botched medical procedure. This eventually consumes him so much, that he wants to keep on going, even after the surgeon admitted his mistakes in court and agreed to pay a (hefty) compensation. His wife (Chris' client), in turn, orders him to leave it at this.
• Pedophile Priest: Chris' client from the episode "Biechtgeheim", reverend Debruyne, was this. He had an expansive photo collection of his (naked) students and even sexually abused one of them.
• Peer-Pressured Bully: A whole group of these shows up in the episode "Schoolslag". Throughout the episode, it turns out that Lydia, Hugo's favorite (former) primary school teacher, is being bullied by the rest of the teachers. Eventually, they discover that the entire bullying campaign was organized by one of the teachers, Steffie, and that the others joined in mainly because of this trope. They even state that they would have never done anything like this on their own and that they were used by Steffie to further her goals (driving Lydia out of the school, so she could take her job).
• Perspective Reversal: Happens to Chris and Hugo in the episode "Bankwezen". Near the start of the episode, Chris fully believes that her client is innocent, while Hugo believes that he's the inside man. Somewhere near the halfway point, Chris comes to the realization that her client has too much to hide and starts suspecting him. Hugo, on the other hand, sees several discrepancies which cause him to seriously doubt the guilt of Chris' client. Eventually, it turns out that the client was innocent after all.
• Platonic Kissing: Chris and Hugo kiss in the episode "Dode Rambo", but agree with eachother that the kiss was this trope the morning after. It obviously wasn't.
• Plea Bargain: In the episode "De chauffeur", Geert Defreyne is very eager to arrange one for his driver, after he "accidentally" hits a girl with the company car, even calling it a win-win for everyone. This tips Chris off that something bigger is going on, as Defreyne (who's an attorney as well) wouldn't go for a plea bargain right out of the gate, if it was truly an accident. It eventually turns out that Geert's wife tried to run over the girl on purpose, as she was her husband's pregnant misstress.
  Chris [to Hugo]: Why would a lawyer go for a plea bargain in the first place?
  Hugo: Because he's certain he'll never win, when the case gets to court.
• Plunder: The main reason why Chris' client from the episode "Pro Deo" gets convicted in the end, is because he stole an envelope with 25000 € from the victim's corpse. He even states that anyone in a similar position would do the same, as it was just too tempting to pass down.
• Police Are Useless:
  • When Louise gets mugged in the episode "Soft / Hard", she immediately reports the theft at the police station. Her description of the way the police treated her case shows strong resemblance with this trope.
  • The local police from the episode "Stalker" take this trope to a new level. When Chris calls them on the stalker ex of her client, the police send him off without an official warning and tell him to "Go home and have a beer". When the stalker ex returns the following day and gets wounded during an altercation he provoked, the same officers file a report of assault and battery against Chris' client and even threaten Chris with a libel charge, after she states how poorly they're doing their job.
  • The local police of the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15" was quite apathetic as well, despite the fact that they knew about the protection racket. They only start getting (actively) involved once one of the shopkeepers dies (and this was the second one to die at that).
• Ponzi: The episode "Lichter dan lucht" featured a classic version of this scheme. Hugo even explains the entire idea behind a Ponzi scheme to Chris (and the viewer). Chris, however, already knew how it worked.
• Post-Rape Taunt: J.C. Pickery from the episode "Familiezaken" is fond of these, as he smugly flirts with both his victim and Chris, when they try to make a rape case against him. His final conversation with Chris is probably the best example of this.
  Pickery [to Chris]: So now that this case is done, how about some dinner and some pleasure for the both of us.
  Chris: Not if you were the last man on earth!
  Pickery: Now, now... Don't be a sore loser.
  Chris: You don't get it, do you! You raped a girl and got away with it! I'd never date a bastard like you!
  Pickery [whispering]: Is that what you want to hear, that I raped her. Fine, I raped her.
  Pickery: And the best part about it... Is that you'll never be able to prove that I did it.
• Post-Robbery Trauma: Surprisingly averted in the episode "Bankwezen", where several employees sustained physical trauma due to excessive violence, but none of them were traumatized mentally.
• Prenup Blowup: In the episode "Biechtgeheim", Gabriël handles the prenup of a couple with a very specific wish: they want to formalize their plan to conceive a child together. The trouble starts when both partners need to provide proof of their fertility, which the woman doesn't agree with (and finds offensive). They eventually split up over the matter, when the husband tries to push the issue.
  Iris: You know what you should do, Donald! You should clone yourself, cause then you'll have your Donald Jr. right away, without a wife or contract!
• Pretend Prejudice: During the two-parter "Haat / Liefde", Hugo pretends to be a bigot to lure out the Neo-Nazis who kidnapped Chris. He has a moderate degree of succes at it and even pretends that he was kicked of the force because of it.
• Pretty Freeloaders: Klaus from the episode "Tortelduiven" was this, as he moved in with his lover (who was a freeloader as well) simply to have a house, food and booze without paying for anything (while making love to his lover, at the expense of her husband). A background check of his reveals that he did this more often, simply because he couldn't hold a job (or a house)
• Private Detective:
  • Hugo essentially fills this role for Leduc & partners, despite having a different job description.
  • Chris and Hugo have to deal with a shifty one in the episode "Soft / Hard", who holds the key to the case of their client and wants to share his information for a price.
• Prodigal Family: Gabriël never talks about his family and none of his relatives show up. The reason is revealed in "Vuil", where we find out that a row between Gabriël and his father caused a rift between him and the rest of the family. By the end of the episode, Gabriël's made things right and can be seen working in his family's food stand.
• Promoted to Scapegoat: In the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje", a Corrupt Corporate Executive made his wife high-ranking management staff in several of his shell companies, as to avoid getting connected to them himself. It doesn't work out for him in the end.
• Protection Racket: The episode "Beschermingsfactor 15" revolves around one. Throughout the episode, an old friend of Chris gets threaten by the Albanian maffia to buy into one. Her fight against it is what kicks off the plot.
• Psycho Ex: Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker" fits this trope (almost) perfectly. Not only did he stalk his ex-wife for three years (sending her letters and gifts every day), but he furthermore maimed and attempted to murder her, when she took him to court.
• Punk in the Trunk: Both Chris and district attorney Leopold get stuffed in the trunk of a car as hostages during the episode "Haat". They don't spend a long time in there and quickly upgrade to being locked in a closet.
• Put Me In, Coach!: This was one of the reasons the culprit of the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" framed Chris' client. He was tired of getting benched while Chris' client got to play and framed him to take his spot.
• Pyromaniac: Stefan Leurts, Chris' client from the episode "Vuur", was a typical case of this, as he loved to watch things burn. He even set fire to the mattress in his prison cell, merely for the joy of watching it burn.
• Questionable Consent: Essentially the line of defense J.C Pickery and his lawyer used during the trial. By proving that there was consent (albeit questionable), they reasoned that Pickery didn't commit rape. The judge, moreover, followed their reasoning as well and exonerated Pickery.
• Rank Up: Stanny Michel is promoted to commissioner of the GP near the end of the series, after his boss, Mangelschots, gets Kicked Upstairs.
• Ransom Drop: Two of these were ordered during the episode "De Rietdekkers". The first one involved a drop-off at a small chapel, followed by a taxi driver picking up the bag. The second one involved a (moving) transaction with a biker.
• Rape and Revenge: This was the main driving force behind the plot of the episode "Familiezaken". In this episode, Hugo's niece Karen gets raped by her boss and subsequently fired. Afterwards, she tries to take revenge both online and through a court case. The defense attorney of her boss, however, uses the revenge part as a means of exonerating his client, as he claims that the rape case is merely a way to get back him for firing the victim.
• Razor Floss: Daniël Huysmans from the two-parter "De jacht" used iron wire to kill and dismember all of his victims.
  Daniël [about his M.O.]: I tried several methods of dismemberment... knives, hatchets... they were all sloppy!
  Daniël: Do you know what the best way to dismember a human is?
  Daniël: The same way you slice a boiled egg... with iron wire!
• Recognizable by Sound: The neighbour of the victim in the episode "Mariska" could hear the make and model of a car from the sound of it's engine.
  Neighbour: A woman can fake it (in bed), but the roar of a car's engine will always sound true, no matter what.
• Redemption Equals Death: In the episode "Pentito", Chris' client Rudy eventually rats out his former associates, after they attempt a hit on him. Shortly after, he dies in a car explosion together with his wife and newborn child.
• Rejected Marriage Proposal: In the episode "Pro Deo", Hugo proposes to Chris (as he wants to keep seeing her, after returning to the GP). At first, Chris thinks he's joking and laughs at him. Then, she (somewhat more) politely rejects his proposal, as she doesn't want to be his consolation price (as his career will always go first). She eventually accepts his proposal several episodes laters, during the season finale.
• Removing the Rival:
  • This was the actual motive for the murder of Hugo's informant in the episode "Geschorst". Her killer was one of her colleagues, who was jealous that the victim took her position at the club. She, therefore, ratted her out to her pimp and subsequently murdered her for him.
  • In the episode "De chauffeur", the episode's culprit decides to end her life to protect her husband's career, but delivers one (metaphorical) parting shot to take out his biggest (political) competitor at the same time.
  • This was Steffie's motive to start a bullying campaign against one of her colleagues, Lydia. She needed Lydia to go on early retirement, so she could get her job at the school, and organized a bullying and Gaslighting campaign to have her deemed unfit to work (and drive her crazy in the process). She, furthermore, couldn't wait for Lydia to retire on her own accord, as her job was on the line, due to the declining number of students at the school.
    Lydia [after Steffie turned her class against her in public]: Why are you doing this?
    Lydia: Why are you picking on me?! What have I ever done to you?
    Steffie: Well, it all has to do with student numbers, you see... Nothing personal, though.
• Resigned in Disgrace: Laurence, the deputy attorney from the episode "Adel verplicht", resigns by the end of the episode, after botching a criminal investigation on purpose on behalf of her family friend / second father Sir de Goebeure. The reason for her resignation was to safe face, as she would have been fired (or worse) otherwise. While the episode shows that she was easily corrupted, she does try to redeem herself by seponating an undeserved theft charge against Luc before she quits.
• Retired Outlaw: Rudy Nooteboom from the episode "Pentito" became this after he fell in love with with one of the dancer's at his boss' club.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Most of the victims of the Ponzi scheme in "Lichter dan lucht" were this, as they fell head first for the scheme.
• Romantic False Lead: During season two, Chris starts a relationship with Wout Lefever. Wout is obviously this trope, as Chris is meant to get into a relationship with Hugo.
• Rule of Pool: The pool at the Defreyne's house in the episode "De chauffeur" fully fell under this rule, as several people (including Hugo) ended up in the pool fully clothed. It plays a more grim part later on, when Defreyne's wife ends up dead in the pool after taking her own life.
• Rules Lawyer: Gabriël has shades of this (as shown in the episode "Illegaal"), but only if it helps his case.
• Sadist: Henri Penne fits this trope perfectly, as he's into BDSM (particularly the "S" part), loves to humiliate the women he has "intercourse" with (even branding them like cattle) and loves to force people into situations where he can watch them squirm, simply for the fun of it. The fact that he wants to use Chris as a defense lawyer merely to corrupt her immaculate reputation really drives home how sadistic he can be.
• Sadistic Choice: Rob Scherpenberg from the episode "Haat" gets one from "The Commander": he has two hostages, but they need only one for their plan. Hence, "The Commander" orders Rob to choose one of the two hostages and shoot the other. He even gets a Bottled Heroic Resolve to make the act of killing easier for him.
• Sarcastic Confession: Chris makes one in court in the episode "Geduld", as she can't state the truth outright without implicating her client in murder (she's on trial for legal self-defense, but, in fact, did murder her jerkass husband after decades of abuse).
  Chris [to the proscecutor]: You don't believe in self-defense, which is your good right...
  Chris: You take this humiliated woman (her client) for a murderer, which is a wily strategy...
  Chris: You wish to turn her son, who's on the stand of his free will, into a martyr, which is a trump card I wouldn't use myself...
  Chris: But you have no choice, as you don't have any hard evidence!
  Chris: Or should we leave the evidence behind and start to speculate...
  Chris: Fine, what would you think of this theory: Perhaps my client and her son plotted the murder together...
  Chris: Perhaps they murdered him together! Perhaps her son wasn't unconcious after all and he held him upright, while his mother bashed his head in with a hammer!
  Chris: Is that what you wanted to hear, proscecutor? Or would you have me make up another version of the facts?
• Scam Religion: The eponymous cult from the episode "W.I.L." was this, as they promoted free-spiritedness and inner strength, while scamming all of their members out of their hard-earned cash. Hugo eventually infiltrates them and plays a major role in dismantling the cult (and getting the leader arrested).
• Scatterbrained Senior: Steffie from the episode "Schoolslag" invoked this trope in an attempt to get an older colleague of hers fired. She would gaslight her by stealing her mail and unlocking her classroom door to make her look forgetful and she even placed Alzheimers medication in her desk to imply that she was suffering from the onset of that disease. It would have worked, if Chris and Hugo hadn't intervened.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!:
  • One of the ways Geert Defreyne from the episode "De chauffeur" tries to pressure Chris into a plea bargain, is by contacting his connection at the insurance company, which could lead to either a swift payday or an excruciatingly slow one (depending on Chris taking the deal or not).
  • Jean-Phillipe de Goebeure from the episode "Adel verplicht" used his connections at the proscecutor's office to sabotage the investigation into an Organ Theft he orchestrated. It doesn't work out well for him in the end.
  • Henri Penne from the episode "Lijk in de kast" blackmailed his connections (including Paul-Emile) into keeping him out of jail. This all falls apart when paul-Emile decides to come clean, removing Penne's hold over him.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Chris gets into trouble throughout the episode "Illegaal", because she kept on defending her client even after she was made aware that this would yield a conflict of interest with another client of Leduc & partners (which would be a deontological error). Her response to getting called out about it is this trope, as the other client was a Corrupt Corporate Executive, who was under suspicion of murdering her client's husband.
• Secret Relationship: Luc turns out to be in one with a woman who's fifteen years older than him in the episode "Lijk in de kast". The relationship doesn't stay a secret for long after Hugo finds out about it.
• Secret Stab Wound: This is used as the ultimate evidence of Abusive Offspring in the episode "Dochterlief". Throughout the episode, Chris tries to prove that her clients are abused by their daughter, but doesn't have enough physical evidence support her claim. The daughter, in the meantime, states that her father is the abuser, because he doesn't have any (visible) injuries. Near the end of the episode, the father eventually reveals a large scar of a stab wound he kept hidden from everyone (and even stitched up himself to prevent a trip to the hospital). This is enough to have the daughter placed in a closed institution.
• Selective Obliviousness: Pierre from the episode "Tortelduiven" was (most likely) selectively oblivious to his wife's latest affair, as he didn't believe she was having one, even after she kicked him out in favor of her lover. This is even lampshaded by his friend / foreman, who wonders if he's faking his obliviousness or if he's truly this simple. Even when Chris showed him photographic evidence, he still didn't believe her (or wanted to believe her), because the pictures were blurry (but still recognizable, nevertheless).
• Self-Surgery: Bob Sterckx from the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" medicated himself and got physiotherapy from a friend merely to keep his physical condition at a point where he could still play without serious injury.
• Sell-Out: Union representative Cnops from the episode "Jan zonder kleren" is a classic example of this, as he botched union negotiation throughout the episode, in exchange for a well-paying job in the company's new factory in Indonesia.
• Serial Rapist: J.C. Pickery from the episode "Familiezaken" raped at least two of his female employees and will probably continue to do so after his exoneration.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Chris' case from the episode "Illegaal" turns out to be this. In this episode, Chris' defends an illegal immigrant, who came to Belgium to be re-united with her husband (who allegedly had permanent residence there). Chris tries to find the husband (as he's her client's only hope of permanent residence) over the course of the episode, but it seems like he disappeared of the face of the earth. There are even rumours that he was murdered and buried in the foundations of a skyscraper, but when push comes to shove, the man turns out to be very much alive and living with his new family in Belgium. When Chris eventually manages to convince the husband to vouch for his wife, however, she's told by the immigration's clerk that her client was deported the day before and that she has already returned to her home country. The episode ends with the husband pledging to find her, but it's not going to be easy in a (still) wartorn zone.
• Shameless Self-Promoter: In the episode "Geduld", the owner of the strip club "The Red Butterfly" is called to the stand as a (character) witness. She uses the opportunity to promote her strip club, much to the hilarity of the people in the crowd.
  Chris: With your girls, you mean the dancers of "The Red Butterfly".
  Owner: Yep, on the Leuvensesteenweg, next to the Aldi. You can't miss it!
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Bruno Buggenhout from the episode "Maten" looked like this, as he started drinking in secret after returning from Kosovo. It eventually turns out that it wasn't the war that scarred him, but the terrible secret he took back home after it.
• Sheltered Aristocrat: Jan Pieter de Leeuw, Chris' client from the episode "Lichter dan lucht" pretended to be this as an explanation for why he got conned as well. It eventually turns out that he was the (only) conman.
• Shipper on Deck: While several member of the cast were rooting for Chris and Hugo to get together, the most extreme example came from the episode "De jacht", where they were even shipped by a serial killer.
  Diane van Tollembeek: Those two belong together! Like the boys and the girls I killed! like Daniël and Theo...
• Shoot the Dog: Pierre, Chris' client from the episode "Tortelduiven", was forced to do this with his beloved parakeet, in order to move back in with his wife (who threw him out in favor of her lover). It also serves as a moment of heartbreak, as he saw the parakeet as his own child. It eventually turns out to be somewhat of a Senseless Sacrifice, as his wife was merely taking him back for the money.
• Shotgun Wedding: Giovanni Busso from the episode "Illegaal" forced his grandson-in-law into one of these after he knocked up his granddaughter. He furthermore has him change his name, which makes it more difficult for Chris to track him down several years later.
• Shower of Angst: Ella Liefknecht, the victim of the episode "Rode kaart", does this at the start of the episode, as a result of getting raped. If her father is to be believed, she stayed in the shower for at least an hour, before coming out (and coming clean).
• Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids!: This is the opinion Chris' client of the episode "Voorwaardelijk" has on love. He even calls love a rotten mess and states that his past relations (including one with Jessie) meant nothing to him.
• Single Mom Stripper: Greet Nachtegaele from the episode "Nachtvlucht" was a single mom prostitute, after her parents kicked her out of the house when she was fifteen, for getting knocked up and refusing to get rid of her child. she nearly pays the ultimate price for it, when her son tries to murder her because of her profession.
• Sleeps with Everyone but You: Frieda from the episode "Tortelduiven" did this, as she had copious affairs (usually in plain sight), but utterly neglected to have sex (or even sleep) with her husband, who she shunned. This even gets so bad that she throws her husband out of the house to have some private time with her lover.
• Slipping a Mickey: The Detective Mole of the episode "Vuil" does this to Stanny, before placing him behind the wheel of his car and dumping him into a canal.
• Smoky Gentlemen's Club: The golf club in the episode "Lichter dan lucht" serves this purpose, although it's a lot less smoky than the usual examples.
• Smug Snake: Chris often takes on (male) opponents of this kind, either in or out of court. Some examples include J.C. Pickery from the episode "Familiezaken", Wim Waesbeke from the episode "Dode Rambo", Jurgen Cats from the episode "Mariska" and Alex Verpoorte from the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje".
• Son of a Whore: This was the killer's motive for murder in the episode "Nachtvlucht". He had always been embarrassed by his mother's profession (and even tried to keep it a secret, to no avail). When the revelation that his mother was a prostitute cost him his relation, he decided that she needed to die, but killed his aunt by mistake. Afterwards, he sent her threatening notes, in order to make her retire early. He eventually tried again and nearly ended up killing Chris as well.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: Happens in the final scene of the episode "Prima Donna". During the scene, Billy Müller hears that her boyfriend/pimp was presumed murdered by his fellow pimps, after snitching on them. The image of Billy then zooms out to the tunes of "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley, the funny song the pimp sang to Billy to get her to run away with him at the start of the episode.
• Spiteful Spit: During the episode "Rode kaart", Paul emile is spat on by a protester out of anger, simply because he was the lawyer of Justin Okiko, a well-known football player who got accused of rape. He takes it in stride.
• Split Personality:
  • Chris' client from the episode "Lichter dan lucht" is hinted to suffer from this, although it wasn't confirmed throughout the episode. He was suffering from bipolar disorder and created several fake identities for himself, but played them so convincingly that he could have easily became the mask.
  • Daniël Huysmans from the episode "De jacht" had a "Jeckyl and Hyde"-like condition, where he would switch from kind and charming to murderous psychopath at the drop of a hat.
• Stage Mom: Jos Peeters from the episode "Verloren weekend" was a stage dad, as well as his rival, Ronny van Acker.
• Stalker with a Crush: Chris has a (rather nasty) run in with one in the episode "Stalker". During the episode, Chris' client is stalked and harrassed by her ex-husband, who tries to win back his wife at any cost. When she (eventually) takes him to court, he even goes as far as attempted murder, as he couldn't stand being without her.
• Starving Artist: Chris' client from the episode "Soft / Hard" was one of these and, hence, had little money to pay Chris' fees. Chris, nevertheless, took his case, despite the fact that Leduc & Partners were in a bit of financial trouble.
• Stealing from the Till: Done very blatantly by Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" to pay for her drug addiction. When the till eventually turns out empty, she even trashes the place and begs the customers for money.
• Strapped to a Bomb: Rudy Nooteboom from the episode "Pentito" outfits himself with a bombgirdle to free his wife-to-be from a criminal gang, by threatening to blow up the club they're in.
• Straw Misogynist: Reverend Godderis was this in spades. Not only did he doubt Chris' capabilities as a lawyer, but he saw women in general as lesser being, which should be relegated to the kitchen.
• Strike Episode: The episode "Jan zonder kleren" revolved around a (fictional) strike at textile company Ticker in Vilvoorde, where Chris' client quickly becomes the face (and later on the scapegoat) of the strike.
• Stupid Scientist: Court psychiatrist Govaerts from the episode "Dochterlief" was this, as she believed the actual abuser (instead of her victims), simply because it corresponded with her theory. Even when Chris confronts her with evidence contrary to her theory, she doubles down and sees it as evidence in support of her theory, no matter what Chris says. She's (obviously) proven wrong in the end.
• Suicide for Others' Happiness: One of the reasons why Chris' client from the episode "Schedelinhoud" wanted to commit suicide, was because she saw herself as a burden (due to her paralysis and blindness) and wanted to spare her husband and child from having to take care of her.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Throughout the episode "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld", the CEO of a videogame developer is threatened by the maffia into handing over the code for his latest game, a war game called "The Big Hit". When trying to reconstruct the reason for the maffia's interest in the videogame code, Hugo and Stanny quickly come to the conclusion that the maffia is trying to sell the code to a military organization, as they could use it to improve their weapons systems (even citing an incident where the the military of several Middle Eastern countries bought large shipments of PS2s to replicate and use their technology in their weapons systems).
• Surrender Backfire: Henk Molenaar tries to surrender after getting caught during a burglary, only for the resident to shoot him in the face.
• Swirlie: One of the ways the victim of the episode "Geduld" abused his wife, was by giving her a swirlie in the upstairs toilet at home.
• Swiss Bank Account:
  • The Corrupt Corporate Executive from the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje" has several shell companies which are located on the isle of Jersey.^note A small island near the coast of France, which is autonomic under British protection He uses those companies for tax evasion purposes and to act as a front / scapegoat for when things go awry.
  • The criminal organization from the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" also owned a private bank in the Cayman Islands, which they used to launder money, as well as to extort people who took a loan with them.
• Taking the Heat:
  • Sven from the episode "Mariska" eventually plans to do this in return for a (large) payment, as his family could use the money to give his chronically ill daughter the medical aid she needs.
  • Dennis Moerman from the episode "Voorwaardelijk" took the heat for his lover and eventually spends seven years in prison. After he gets released, he tries to re-unite with her, only to find that she doesn't want him in her life, which kicks off the plot.
  • Jos Peeters, Chris' client from the episode "Verloren weekend", ends up taking the heat for a murder his (young) son committed. The son ends up confessing to the crime eventually.
  • The eponymous driver for the episode "De chauffeur" took the heat for his boss' wife, after she tried to kill someone with the company car. It doesn't stick.
  • Danny Verelst from the episode "Maten" took the blame for two murders, because he was blackmailed by his squad leader with evidence of his homosexuality. He eventually comes clean near the end of the episode, after his gay lover hangs himself out of guilt.
• Taking You with Me: In the episode "De chauffeur, Geert Defreyne threatens Chris that he'll take down Hugo for (accidental) espionage if she doesn't take a Plea Bargain, after Hugo steals a bag of paper shreds from Defreyne. She ends up going through with the case against him, even getting support from Hugo, who would gladly go to jail to catch the guy.
• Team Primadonna: Bob Sterckx from the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" is this for his team. He does get better towards the end of the episode.
• Teen Pregnancy: Gabriëls girlfriend from the episode "De Rietdekkers" had one when she was fourteen. Her daughter was subsequently raised by her mother and treated as a sister.
• Teens Are Monsters: Inny Kreus from the episode "Dochterlief" is portrayed as this, as well as most of her friends. She eventually turns out to be an abusive drug addict.
• Terms of Endangerment: Jan Matthijs from the episode "Stalker" calls his ex-wife "schatje", even after three years of divorce. The ex-wife, who's Chris' client, finds it particularly creepy.
• The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: This was first deputy procurator Carlo Dibruno's stance on the murder of one of his undercover cops in the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld". The victim was clearly murdered, as he was too drunk to pull off suicide. Dibruno, however, kept insisting it was suicide to deter an ongoing investigation into the matter, as he was part of a criminal organization and tried to prevent them from becoming suspects in the murder. This didn't work, however, as Hugo and Dtanny were convinced it was murder and proved it to be as much, by the end of the first part
• Til Murder Do Us Part: A rather peculiar example of this happens in the episode "Stalker". Chris' client of the episode is stalked by her ex-husband, who thinks she belongs to him because he married her. When she tries to take him to court for his behaviour (and succeeds in getting a restraining order), he "upgrades" from stalking to maiming and attempted murder, simply because he can't stand losing her. He even outright states that death would be the only way for them to truly separate.
• Time-Delayed Death: Boris, Chris' client from the episode "Adel verplicht", survived a botched operation in which his kidney was stolen, only to die from septicemia several days later.
• That Man Is Dead: Margot Janssen from the episode "Een goed verhaal" quit her life as a journalist, after she was forced to give up one of her sources. She even states that that moment changed everything and that she "isn't a journalist anymore", because of that one act. She furthermore states that it took her fifteen years to turn her life around and become the editor of a local news network. Moreover, it's implied that the same happened to Steven Daelman, her news anchor and star reporter, after he was forced into the same situation. Steven eventually ended up traveling the African desert.
• The Alcoholic: Both Pierre and his wife Frieda from the episode "Tortelduiven" were this, as shown by the large collection of bottles at the back of their house. They both had different drinking patterns, however, as Pierre was more of a social drinker (at the pub), while Frieda was a day drinker at home. It was even discussed during the the episode's court hearing, where both Chris and Frieda's lawyer were painting eachother's clients as raging alcoholics.
• The Corrupter: Henri Penne from the episode "Lijk in de kast" likes to do this to the people around him, in order to have a hold over them when he later needs them (as he did with Paul-Emile). He even tries to corrupt Chris (who has an immaculate reputation), simply so he could blackmail her later as well (and partially because he's truly evil).
• The Diva: Marianne Müller from the episode "Prima Donna" is a fai example of this trope, as she's demanding, condescending, self-important and career-oriented. This eventually causes a rift between her and her daughter, which drives the plot of the episode.
• The Dog Bites Back: After an entire episode of humiliation at the hands of his wife and her lover, Pierre from the episode "Tortelduiven" takes revenge on his wife's lover by stabbing him several times in the gut with a scraper. He, furthermore, finally decides to divorce his wife, after spending an entire episode defending her to Chris.
• The Fagin: Speedo from the episode "Te jong" is one of these, as he strictly uses minors as drugsmules and drugsrunners, while he himself stays out of reach from the police.
• The Illegal: The entire premise of the episode "Illegaal" revolved around an illegal immigrant, who came to Belgium in search of her husband. She eventually got deported before she could find him.
• The Loins Sleep Tonight: Mentioned twice in the episode "Geduld". The first time was during the trial, when the owner of "The Red Butterfly" (a strip club) stated that the victim was unfit for sex on the night of the murder, as he had consumed too much alcohol. This becomes an important point, as the motive for the fight that led to his death was refusal of sex by his wife. The second time was when Chris tells about her one-night stand with proscecutor de Jaeger, who had a similar problem as the episode's victim.
  Chris [repeating the phrase the owner of "The Red Butterfly spoke]: Als het bier is in den bok, hangt de vlag half stok... ^note After he emptied his cup, he couldn't get it up...
• The Madness Place: Chris' client from the episode "Lichter dan lucht", Jan Pieter de Leeuw, had bipolar disorder and was suffering a manic episode when he decided to start swindling people. This caused his behaviour to become more extravert and erratic as the episode progressed. The peak of his manic episode occured near the end of the episode, when he came with the idea to buy a luxurious restaurant with Chris and her then-boyfriend Wout. He subsequently tried to convince Chris by rambling on about the restaurant, whilst trying to force himself onto her (only to stop out of embarrassment before he went to far). When Chris eventually figured out Jan Pieter was manic and confronted him with it at the golf club, it ended in a (one-sided) shouting match, where he claimed that he would one day buy the golf club and rule there as a king.
• The Man Behind the Man: The episode "Lichter dan lucht" had an interesting subversion of this. Chris' client, who was accused of swindling, stated that he himself (and everyone else) might have been swindled by a guy named Martin Prévert, who he met at a party. Throughout the episode, Chris and Hugo each conduct a search for this linchpin separately, only to find out that Martin Prévert was one of the false identities of Chris' client (and possibly a figment of his split personality).
• The Needs of the Many: The reason why Margot Janssen and Steven Daelman from the episode "Een goed verhaal" gave up their respecxtive sources, was because they got a call from the home secretary asking them to give up their information to become a hero for their country. This made them (and their goals) feel insignificant, causing them to spill the beans at their own expense. The judicial police even gets the idea to do this, after they eavesdrop on Margot telling her story to Chris.
  Margot: They made me feel like I would be important just once in my life, if I told them what they needed to know... So I did.
• The Peeping Tom: Jonathan Vogels from the two-parter "De jacht" was this, as he loved to spy on (and take photographs of) girls in the shower. His actions even drove one of the girls into the hands of a serial killer and landed him as the prime suspect, until he turned up dead.
• The Scapegoat: Sven from the episode "Mariska" is set up as one. He's even payed off eventually to confess to a murder he didn't commit.
• The Squad: The episode "Maten" revolves around a four-man military squad carrying a terrible (criminal) secret, as they're trying to get away with it in court.
• The Villain Knows Where You Live: Used to its full effect in the episode "Dode Rambo", where the episode's villain burgles Chris' home and threatens her mother at her pub to scare Chris off. Fortunately, she has Hugo to protect her.
• Third-Person Person:
  • Giovanni Busso from the episode "Illegaal" often refers to himself in the third person.
    Busso [In response to Gabriël's question]: Busso is not a murderer.
  • Bob Sterckx from the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan" also applies for this trope.
    Chris: I see that Bob is talking in the third person again, so all must be good.
• Third Wheel: In the episode "Beschermingsfactor 15", Chris and Hugo are preparing a (romantic) dinner together, when they hear something downstairs. The noise turns out to be Luc, who was repairing the heater. When they mention the dinner, Luc states that he's starving and ends up having dinner with them.
• This Is Unforgivable!: After Chris' client from the episode "Quartier chaud" finally comes clean and identifies Chris' robber (who was also responsible for Chris' miscarriage), he tries to ask Chris for forgiveness. This exchange follows.
  Tommy: Chris, it just dawned on me that if I had turned in Axel earlier, none of this would have happened...
  Chris: So your guilty conscience finally caught up with you...
  Chris: Well, live with it! I'll never forgive you for this!
• Throwing the Fight: Chris' client is accused of doing this in the episode "Verliezen is doodgaan", after he misses three consecutive free throws, which costs his team the game.
• Throw the Book at Them: Hugo's niece Karen gets fired at her job after she injures her boss by throwing a binder at his head.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Jacky Lambermont is this to Stef Molenaar in the episode "Broers", as he's the one encouraging his attempt at revenge, even though both his brother and Chris want to prevent this at all cost. He even provides Stef with a gun, so he can kill the man who blinded his brother.
• Toxic, Inc.:
  • The waste disposal company Taxowaste from the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje" turns out to be this, as it pollutes the land (and subsequently sells it as building ground) merely to make profit. The corporations bringing their waste to Taxowaste are guilty of this as well, as they know what Taxowaste does (and even try to cover for them), while turning a blind eye to the consequences.
  • While he was a one-man bussiness, Henri Muylle from the episode "Een goed verhaal" served as this, as he was (unwittingly) storing highly toxic waste in unsafe circumstances, which he planned to dump in the environment as soon as the judicial police was on his heels. His only reason to do this, furthermore, was to make a quick buck.
• Transparent Closet: Gabriël's client from the episode "Dode Rambo" apparently had a very transparent one, as everyone in showbizz knew that he was gay. While he wasn't exactly in denial about his sexual preference, the client had to stay in the closet because of his celebrity status.
• Trap Is the Only Option: When Hugo gets an "invitation" in the episode "Liefde", to buy weapons from a bunch of Neo-Nazis who kidnapped Chris, Jessie's first response is to call it a trap. Hugo accepts the invitation regardlessly.
• Trapped by Gambling Debts: This turns out to be the reason why [[Spoiler: Johnny]] became a Detective Mole. He had a gambling problem and sold information to a criminal gang to pay off his gambling debts.
• Trigger-Happy: George Windey from the episode "Broers" owns several guns (including one without a permit) and is not hesistant to use them on intruders, as Chris' client finds out.
• Troubled Teen: Thomas van Oyen from the episode "Biechtgeheim" is this, as he spent more time in detention than in class and even tried to sell "Playboys" to his classmates in catholic school. This behaviour is later on explained by the fact that he was sexually abused by one of the priests at school.
• Turncoat: A positive example of this is seen in the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld", when Pieter Mariman, the barrister who represented the opposing party in the previous episode, "Pro-Deo", becomes the newest employee of Leduc & Partners.
• Twincest: A case of this is shown in the two-parter "De jacht", where two twin brothers, who were separated at birth, met eachother in college and fell in love with one another (albeit with some reluctance). Both twins eventually become serial killers because of their (brief) romance and one of them ends up killing the other.
• Undercover Cop Reveal: This is what kickstarts the episode "Prima Donna". Chris' client, an underage prostitute, is caught by an undercover officer when she tries to offer her services. This causes Chris to get involved, who spends the rest of the episode trying to protect Billy from her pimp boyfriend (and herself).
• Unproblematic Prostitution: The episode "Prima Donna" makes it look easy to order a callgirl/prostitute, even when they're underage. They also make it seem like there's a lot of money to be made (but only for the pimps).
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Chris and Hugo have this in spades, as they're obviously attracted to one another, but try to avoid getting into a relationship at all cost. They eventually end up with eachother in the series finale.
• Unusual Euphemism: During the B-plot of the episode "Huisje, tuintje, kindje", Gabriël defends two clients who are involved in the sale of horse sperm (for professional breeding purposes). When he gets a report on the quality of the "sample" his clients sold, he reads that there were foreign cells within the sample. He asks his clients about it, who state that they had to provide "their own contribution", as they spilled some material and the sample would be too small otherwise. Gabriël couldn't help but laugh after he heard this.
  Gabriël [After he (eventually) stops laughing]: Okay, the best thing I can do for you now is try to get a plea bargain.
• Useless Security Camera: Or in the case of the episode "Dode Rambo", a sensor-based security system which could be turned off by the burglars with a remote control they carried. The identity of the system's salesman eventually leads Chris and Hugo to the gang of burglars ravaging the neighbourhood.
• Vapor Trail: Tommy, Chris' client from the episode "Quartier chaud", uses this to set his VW Beetle on fire at the end of the episode, as the restorations of the car were funded by a string of violent robberies, one of which cost the life of Chris' unborn child.
• Vehicular Kidnapping: Chris' client, Boris, from the episode "Adel verplicht" was kidnapped in this manner at the start of the episode. The subsequent theft of his kidney kicks off the plot of the episode.
• Vicariously Ambitious: Jos Peeters from the episode "Verloren weekend" wanted his children to do better than him in life and, therefore, pushed them to achieve their goals at any cost. This ended with one of his children dead at the hands of the other.
• Villainous Harlequin: The two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld" featured a gangster who dressed up as a clown to abduct the child of Chris' client. In a strange twist on the trope, he played a kind and generous clown, who gave the child gifts in order to get her to come along with him. His motives, however, were entirely evil, as the criminal organization he worked for used the child as a bargaining chip.
• Vigilante Man: George Windey from the episode "Broers" was this, as he took the law in his own hands and tried to kill a burglar, even though he could have called the police and detained the burglar until they arrived (the burglar even surrendered to him).
• Vigilante Militia: The episode "Dode Rambo" revolves around the death of a neighbourhood watch member, who was killed by another member in self defense.
• War Refugees: Chris' client from the episode "Illegaal" was this, as well as her husband. Not that they cared much at immigration, as the war was "officially" over.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Frank Plaatsnijder from the episode "Jan zonder kleren" was this, as he tends to go as far as defamation and vandalism to fight for his cause (preventing the closure of a local branch of his company, which would lead to most of the workers losing their job). The fact that his opponent was a MegaCorp, who wanted to shift jobs to third-world countries to save money, made his actions all the more understandable.
• We Used to Be Friends:
  • In the episode "Biechtgeheim", Paul-Emile asks Chris to defend a priest as a favor for an old friend of his, reverend Godderis. Throughout the episode, it turns out that Chris' client is a pedophile and that Godderis tried to cover this up to save the reputation of his catholic school. When Paul-Emile tries to appeal to the better nature of Chris' client and Godderis (by letting him turn himself in), they both decline. What follows is this exchange:
    Paul-Emile: Then I hereby have to end the cooperation between the client and Leduc & Partners.
    Godderis: I still hope I can count on your professional confidentiality, both as a former client and friend.
    Paul-Emile: Calling you a friend would mean that I would have to see you as an equal. At this point, I see you as nothing more than a common criminal.
  • In the episode "Adel verplicht", the investigation into the criminal case of Chris' client (who became the victim of Organ Theft) was led by Laurence, a deputy attorney who's, furthermore, an old friend of Chris. It eventually turns out that she botched the investigation on purpose, to protect a family friend. It's easy to say that Chris and Laurence weren't the best of friends near the end of the episode, although they weren't outright enemies either.
• White Gangbangers: The episode "Te jong" features a gang consisting predmoinantly of white skinheads, who use "The Lido" as their hangout. Chris' client turns out to be a part of this gang.
• White Sheep: For all his faults, Laurens Rietdekker from the episode "De Rietdekkers" was this. He might have been an irresponsible party animal, but compared to his father (who committed incest on his daughter and daughter/granddaughter), his mother (who kept the whole affair quiet and raised the incestuous child as her own) and his sisters (who kidnapped and (accidentally) murder his father for the money), he's the most well adjusted of the bunch.
  Laurens: I told you this family was a viper's nest...
• Will They or Won't They?: The series had this in spades when it came to Chris and Hugo. It eventually took them until the end of the series to confess their feelings for eachother and get into a relationship.
• Wisdom from the Gutter: Luc's client from the episode "Schedelinhoud" was a wily homeless man with quite a bit of street smarts. Throughout the episode, he even relates some of it to Luc.
• With Friends Like These...: After Justin Okiko from the episode "Rode kaart" gets accused of rape, he's gradually abandoned by more and more of his friends and family, including his wife and his best friend. His best friend, however, takes the cake, as he even manages to steal Justin's wife by the end of the episode.
• Woman Scorned: In the episode "Mariska", the main reason for the widow of the victim to betray her son-in-law to the cops was because he cheated on her daughter, which caused her to become bipolar (or so the son-in-law states)
• Working the Same Case:
  • Chris and Gabriël turn out to work on opposite sides of the same case in the episode "Illegaal". This leads to an internal struggle between them, as there's a conflict of interest between their clients.
  • Chris and Luc end up working on the same case in the two-parter "De jacht". They even discuss it in the first part, with Luc complaining that Chris is keeping information from him.
  • Chris and Hugo work two sides of the same case in the two-parter "Onderwereld / Bovenwereld. Hugo tries to solve the murder of an undercover agent, wich leads him to a mysterious crime syndicate. Meanwhile, Chris is trying to protect her client from the same crime syndicate (not aware that Hugo has gone undercover to lure them out). It takes about two-third of the two-parter for them to find out that they were working against the same opponent, after which they team up and take on the crime syndicate together.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: In the episode "Liefde", Rob Scherpenberg is ordered by his "Commander" to blow up a class of primary school children, after taking them hostage. In the end, however, he can't go through with it.
• Wretched Hive: The eponymous Quartier Chaud from the episode "Quartier chaud" was this, as it was (nearly) ruled by thugs, who played by their own rules.
• You Make Me Sick: This was the reaction of both Chris and her fellow attorney Mariman to the underhanded action of a (befriended) attorney in the episode "Pro Deo", where the latter used a false confession to frame Chris's client and get her's go free as a result.
  Katrijn [to Mariman]: I would like to congratulate you with your closing statements, confrère.
  Mariman: You don't have any confrères here, anymore.
• You Owe Me: An evil version of this is invoked by Henri Penne on Paul-Emile in the episode "Lijk in de kast", as he has evidence that can bring down the reputation of Leduc & Partners (which he helped build by staying silent). Paul-Emile, in turn, has to ask Chris to defend Penne (as Penne wants to use her) and uses this trope on her as well (as she owes him for being her mentor all these years). She reluctantly agrees and by the time she finds out about the blackmail, it's too late for her to refuse. Paul-Emile eventually ends up sacrificing himself, in order to free Chris from Penne.