It is clear from the What Else Have I Been Missing thread there are a few Spiral fans around, so I thought we could wean ourselves off our Saturday night addiction through some talking therapy.
Lots to discuss now series 6 has ended (Series 7 has already gone into production, so we can breathe easy after that ending).
Here are some topics to explore, but feel free to go off in your own preferred direction.
I thought the end with respect to Laure made perfect sense. She has never fully faced up to the reality of being a mother; she’s made some maternal gestures, but seems more concerned with convincing others she is capable (especially the father, whose name escapes me) and now she has to face up to a reality she has made no preparation for, she has to run.
Josephine’s future: I guess this will be one of the axes of Series 7. I think there is going to more investigation into Vern. Will the hitherto creepy Edelman become, through necessity, an ally of Laure and Gilou in trying to bring Vern down? Even if they succeed will Josephine get off, or is she looking at serious time in chokey for attempted murder?
Can Tintin be brought back into the fold or all those bridges burned? I can’t see a way how as all trust between him and the other two has melted away, but I’m open to exploring ideas.
How did Herville become one of the good guys? After years of being a bureaucratic shithead, now he’s got a posting out in the field he seems to have turned into a decent senior officer.
Will Roban be reinstated? If not, can he operate as some sort of unofficial advisor? I think not, but I don’t want to think that he is just going to be disposed of.
Will the scandal from the frog-faced judge’s behaviour (can’t recall this name either, but you know who I mean) come out or will it be storyline that dies with the end of this series? I think it will not be mentioned.
There’s a lot more, but it’s getting late.
Spiral – Series 6 discussion (warning – will contain spoilers)
by 18 Comments
Haven’t seen the last episode yet but I’ll be back when I have. I have loved this series though- superb acting all round, especially from Roban and Tintin.
Oh and also if anyone hasn’t seen it yet, I’d really recommend the Guardian Spiral blog; unlike most ‘below the line’ comment sections it’s full of informed, funny and entertaining contributors. (Also recommended for those starting on S1- read along as you watch.)
They are filthy aren’t they. The cops sleep in their clothes, get up in the morning, slip on a jacket & off to work without even a whiff of soap. None of them bother shaving.
The swearing is toned down for the subtitles. Josephine lying in her bath. The door knocks. The subtitle says, ‘Leave me alone.’ She actually says, ‘Give me some fucking peace.’
You ever lived in Paris? I have. They don’t go a bundle on personal hygiene.
Other borderline racism is available.
One word: bidet. I shall say no more.
Great series, though I was slightly let down by the sheer amount of loose ends left dangling (basically all of them), though the main case was tied up nicely enough…
I thought Laure literally running off into the wilderness was a bit over-the-top, but no surprise to see her not able/willing to settle down into being a single mum…
I can imagine Roban’s eventual death being the emotional core of the next series, but I have to admit I couldn’t care less about Josephine… I didn’t watch series 2 & 3 for years because I hate the character so much, and any supposed tension about her going to jail (highly unlikely as it’s a narrative dead end) is lost on me, especially bearing in mind she actually did the deed she’s accused of…
And yes, weird to see Herville become a respected “patron” to the team… were they laying the groundwork for him to get together with the Mayor in the next series?
Does anyone know if the earlier seasons are available anywhere to stream?
1-5 are on Amazon Prime but pricey if you get all 5; cheaper to get the DVDs. Not seen them to stream anywhere else – I have a memory that they were on Netflix at one stage (?)
ETA: also on TalkTalk TV to download but also spendy.
I just bought series 1 – 4 as a box set and series 5 on its own. Total about £33
Was that DVDs or streaming? Got season 1 on Google Play for £9.95 which isn’t too bad
That was DVD from Amazon
Can’t imagine that Gilou’s transgressions have been permanently buried. Would expect that one element of the next series will be him getting into the shit again.
The one weak point in the conclusion of this series is that I can’t believe, as was inferred, that Judge Roban would be able to get back into the game. He’s got a serious illness that’s affecting his mental capacities: who wants someone like that as a judge?
Roban’s illness can be dealt with and he will be able o function, is the message I took from the discussion he had with the doctor. However there are too many forces ranged against him in the judiciary who will try to block him – hence my suggestion he might act as an unofficial advisor.
Gilou has that panda to deal with now!!
How long before the panda is as grubby as Gilou?
Ah but nobody knows about his brain tumour. It’ll be removed, he’ll get his reprieve, ace the workplace assessment and be (temporarily) back on stream.
Really compelling viewing – I thought this might just be the most enjoyable series yet. A bit soapy maybe – the Laure/Gilou relationship didn’t feel quite right to me, and Josephine’s story was pure melodrama. But the characters are so great, the acting superb, and the whole look and pace of the thing a masterclass in tv drama.
I hope we don’t lose Roban and TinTin – they are the moral centre of the team, the good guys in a world of compromise, although Roban’s lying in court was a falling off. The fact that all the characters are so flawed is one of the great things about it. And incompetent – they must be the most useless TV cops ever…
Someone wrote on the Guardian blog- or maybe here- that ‘there are no happy endings in Spiral’. Although when thinking about the possible dark narrative arcs each character might take, it could be a very bleak final series.
As long-time viewers know, they do not shirk from killing people off (see series [REDACTED]).
The series bolsters my belief that most things that go wrong in life are the result of cock-ups rather than conspiracies- the lack of an arrest warrant in the final episode, for example.
I think in the next series they will have Tintin working in another police department and that, inevitably, will lead to conflicts and test the strength of past loyalties.