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07 Jun 2006
We've been really enjoying a French cop show/thriller currently being shown on BBC Four. Spiral (Engrenages) is a dark political thriller, with none of the flashiness and special effects of CSI:[Insert name of US city here]. It does, however, have a particularly French flavour, which in the context of a cop show feels quite different for some reason. At one point, the prosecutor greets his (male) friend by kissing him on both cheeks. This, of course is a perfectly normal French custom, but in the overly familiar context of cop shows which are usually made in the US, it really stands out.
The plot has a lot of good twists and turns and is quite gritty. That caused an unusual problem a couple of times: when you look away from the screen because you don't want to see a close-up of a faceless corpse while you're having your dinner (thank you very much), you have to strain your O-level French skills to the max in order to not miss some crucial plot point while you're not reading the subtitles. I need some kind of remotely operated screen to lower over the top half of the TV so that I can still read the subtitles while protecting myself from yucky gore.
We're a couple of episodes in to the series now, but it's worth catching if you have access to BBC Four.
2
I've been enjoying this too. Partly I must admit because it's great to have French stuff on the tellybox but mostly because it's a damn good series.
Oh and according to someone on the IMDB forum, a second series is currently being written.
3
They showed the first three episodes back-to-back over the weekend, which was useful, so I've managed to catch up on this one pretty well now.
Thanks for the recommendation!
4
Can't wait to see last episode tonight. Really hope they do a second series too. Love all the sub-plots going on.
by zena @ 16/07/2006 2:08 pm • Permalink •
5
I watched all the episodes and recorded the last one. Unfortunately the recorder failed on the last half hour. I am mortified. Can someone tell me about the ending PLEASE. Did the minister get arrested and what about the sleazy solicitor who was barred because of rape.
by Alan @ 18/07/2006 6:07 am • Permalink •
6
Alan: There's actually a repeat on tonight at 22:00 on BBC Four, so you've got another chance. If you don't manage to record this, let me know and I'll fill you in on the plot. 
7
Sorry, read your email too late to see the episode, Would be very grateful how the plot finished. So annoying to miss the last 30 mins after 8 episodes
by Alan @ 21/07/2006 6:07 am • Permalink •
8
Alan: OK, I'll do my best to unpick what happened. However, there were quite a few unfinished threads at the end, and some things that were quite hard to understand.
I can't remember what happened at what point in the episode, so I'll try to cover most of it. After being stabbed (or 'shanked') in prison, Faye was in a coma. Clément revealed by his hospital bed that Faye had spilt the beans on the revolting politician Laborde, and said that Laborde had tied up and humiliated the younger Andrescu sister, who then slashed her own wrists in the bath in despair at what had happened to her (at least, this is what it looked like). Laborde was horrified, but because he's such a sleaze bag, only because it would look bad. He ordered Michel the Romanian to dump her body, which he did by leaving her in the meat locker. It transpired that Michel then picked up the older Andrescu girl (Elina? I forget her name), who was frantically looking for her sister, and took her to the meat locker before smashing her head in with a brick. He is clearly both psychotic and sadistic.
Anyway, all this information is basically useless while Faye is in a coma because he told Clément when they were alone, so it's not usable as evidence.
Meanwhile, Judge Roban shows the Andrescu parents a photo of Michel the Romanian, and they recognise him from their village. Their expressions suggest that they thought he was a psycho then too. They are pretty much broken people with both their daughters murdered, and no chance of prosecuting anyone for it. So they head to the airport to fly home. Michel has tried to change his appearance and has got a fake passport from Laborde, and by an incredible coincidence, is at the check-in desk next to the Andrescus. Mrs. Andrescu looks at him and gradually recognises him. He runs for it, hotly pursued by Mrs. Andrescu. She catches him at the bus stand and they both...
...promptly get hit by a bus and killed. Aargh! Haven't the writers heaped enough suffering on Mr. Andrescu? So now one of the other key perpetrators is out of the picture. BUT, we see that Laborde is flicking through his hideous collection of digital photos of the Andrescu girl, and he finds (to his evident surprise and horror) that there's an image of her dead in the bath, taken by Michel. So perhaps the repellent Michel has sent a copy of the photo somewhere as 'insurance' against Laborde betraying him to save his own skin, and there might perhaps be some evidence to convict Laborde after all. Hooray!
Meanwhile, Karlsson (the red-headed lawyer) has video testimony from the woman who accused her boss of rape that she lied. She tells her boss that she has a son (and introduces them), but for some bizarre reason of her own, she doesn't tell him that the woman lied, and she destroys the video evidence. It's not clear why. Worse still, she goes to Laborde for a job. Is she really that power mad that she'd get a job with him, knowing he's a sleaze ball, or is she trying to infiltrate herself into his confidence to get evidence? I really hope it's the latter.
Right at the end of the episode, the police are called to a woodland location, where they find a body (or perhaps just a head, I was trying not to look!) in a plastic bag. Who is it?
9
Thanks for that - much appreciated. One of the best programs I have seen for years on TV. I look forward to the sequel ??
by Alan @ 23/07/2006 2:08 pm • Permalink •
10
Ah! I'm glad it wasn't just me who couldn't work out who the body in the bag was.
Was that just a teaser for a potential series 2 then?
by Paul @ 01/08/2006 4:09 pm • Permalink •
11
you have just made my day - have just found your reply to alan who missed the last half hour !!!!!!! of spiral - AS DID I - i could NOT believe it - my sky box had deleted it !!!! so thank you thank you thank you - albeit totally inconclusive - but perhaps this is because series 2 is underway and they will explain all then. again thank you
by carolyn bryant @ 27/08/2006 4:08 pm • Permalink •
12
Ditto that. bsag you are a star! I videoed the first three episodes, watched them, and then discovered that the final ones had been wiped out by a power cut! What a great series. A sort of mini 24hrs with a French twist. Roll on the sequel.
by bill rogers @ 19/10/2006 7:10 am • Permalink •
1
I went to see "36" the gritty French cop movie last night and a BBC Four show was mentioned - this must be it!
I enjoyed the movie, partly because it was refreshingly non-american - makes me sad I can't get BBC Four :(
I wish they'd get www.bbc.co.uk/multicast working.
by chris @ 07/06/2006 5:06 pm • Permalink •