Spiral Series 3 [DVD]

Unlike most series Spiral gets better, Series 2 was better than Series 1 and Series 3 better than both. Having said that all three are well worth watching and are better than any current American or British cop show.

As in the two earlier series it opens with the discovery of a body, this time a mutilated prostitute, when a second body is discovered the search for the 'Butcher of La Villette' is on. Around this main case various other cases revolve including one of corruption in a local Town Hall and by implication in the Ministry of Justice. We even get to see the formally 'by the book' Judge Roban breaking the rules and the law in order to get the bad guys. Plus we still get to see Laure and Gilou getting in and out of trouble and testing the loyalty of fellow team member Tintin with their borderline methods.

Throw in a few pimps, East European prostitutes and corrupt lawyers and you have the best cop show since the Wire and the Shield. Oh and there is a police officer to seems to answer to the name `Teddy Bear'. Only in France !

The DVD: Twelve more episodes in the French series 'Engrenages' (series 3), translated for the British market as 'Spiral'. Mutilated bodies of young girls are being dicovered in north Paris, and Capitaine Laure Berthaud leads the investigation, with her team of Gilles, Tintin and (new) Nadia. It turns out they are dealing with a serial killer, and the pressure is on - especially when the wrong suspect is accused. At the same time, Judge Roban (he of the gaunt face) deals with the death of a child in Villedieu, near Paris, where the mayor tries to sideline the Judge by demonstrating his links with the President of the Republic... and the third of our old friends from earlier series, lawyer Pierre Clement, is involved in this death as well, and is leant on by his superiors to steer it all a certain way. He is not the one to buckle, so he is sidelined... and gets involved with flame-haired Maitre Karlsson, the bent (and pretty delectable) lawyer known to aficionadoes of this series, too.
Developments drive Laure Berthaud to the edge of reason - she is so keen on tracking the killer that she loses her sense of proportion - but will she also lose the case to another police department? And are the powers building against Judge Roban going to destroy him, as his direct family is also adding to his burden? Will maitre Clement be able to turn Josephine Karlsson honest - or will she turn him more realistic - and bent?
Watch the twelve episodes of 52 minutes each, and find out!

My opinion: great series, continuing to grip. New feuds, changes in interpersonal relationships, we get to know our favourites better - and then we get surprised, once more... tension builds, and builds... I think this is a great series, and I even bought the French DVDs because I could not wait for the English version. With French subtitles, I could manage enough to be convinced this series is going from strenght to strenght. I watched them all one after the other, and though at three-quarters there is a bit of a dip, in the main this is stunning stuff, realistic, gritty, and absolutely convincing. Not for the squeamish, but a real treat.

It does not get much better than this approx 800 minutes of cracking drama..

The casting is excellent,everyone believable, not a bad episode ,in fact I had a hard time disciplining myself to 2 episodes a night !

As there was a slight variation in the storytelling between season 1 and 2 ,so there is in season 3.

In 3 there are 3 (!) story arcs which run more or less along side each other, the main one is yet another horrific murder but this time there seems to be serial killer out there,the second starts with a seemingly (unpleasant) case of dog control and leads off into far murkier territory and the third with affairs of our favourite prosecutor and shady lawyer as they try to change their lot.

It is also about obsession,Captain Berthaud with the man who may,or may not be "the Butcher",Judge Roban with the uncovering of a conspiracy that may lead into the high echelons of power and the "legal eagles" with the need to change their lives round and "do the right thing"..all of their lives spiral in and out of control affecting those round them and all have some nasty surprises in store..You learn a bit more about some of the other regulars and there are some new characters as well.Not to mention some very unpleasant bad'uns.

Many people in trying to be helpful compare this to the "Wire",well I am not so sure,Spiral is not the next "wire" it is it's own unique series with,obviously, a strong Gallic flavour ,to some lovers of american crime drama it may not appeal,it is much more graphic..I personaly did not like the "wire" but loved this..the nearest I can get to on the "if you like this you will like that" game is Waking the Dead/Sherlock/Taggart/Whitechapel but,hey I also like the more gentle style of Foyles War/Lewis.

Just read that another 3 seasons have been commissioned with the production of "4" having already started in June ...Yippee !!!!"