Well the revelation that Gilou is an alien entity from another galaxy certainly demanded that I revise my opinion, with the realisation we have been watching science fiction all these years and not a cop show. How did we not realise before now?
The Afterword “Spiral” discussion (episodes 3 and 4) – spoilers will once again abound, so be up to date before entering
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That opening sentence was for the benefit of those who don’t pay attention to the thread headline and then complain when there isn’t anything to complain about. Childish perhaps, but I’ll hold my hands up to that.
The new squeaky clean Gilou is once again to the fore without a single Euro from the thousands that cascaded from the attic being surreptitiously pocketed. What next? When he goes out in search of female comfort and companionship he’ll head for a convent where we will find him deep in serious discussion with an aunt who took holy orders half a century ago.
I thought overall these two episodes were holding episodes, preparing the ground for what is to come in the rest of the series. Plotwise advances were were minor and unlike the vast majority of Spiral episodes there were notable flaws in the plot.
We had a lot of covert surveillance; first on the estate and then at the wholesalers’ depot.
I thought the process of following the money courier from the estate was overly contrived, being predicated on Laure oversleeping and thus almost colliding with the guy (disguised as a postman) on his scooter just as she enters the estate. The courier clearly didn’t use his rearview mirrors and think “That looks just like the car that nearly hit me, that’s now following me”. Laure did at one stage manage to get a van between herself and the target, which would have helped, but we assume some distance was covered.
Subsequently the identification of a translator seemed rather haphazard. Given that they are ultimately on the tail of the Herville’s murderer(s), you’d think they would look to identify a trusted individual through colleagues who could vouch for an individual’s bona fides. Instead it was pick the first person, through an agency, who can do the job. No vetting, just “You’ll have to swear an oath”. Because no matter what, he’ll be sure to respect that.
Then once they get an informer on the inside, Ali hands over confidential information without any reference to Gilou. He’s dealing with a criminal, but has no suspicion that the guy might be spinning a line and that there might be an ulterior motive behind seeking an address for a woman with whom he claims to have lost contact.
At the depot no questions are asked about the previously unknown Transit type van taking up one of the limited parking spaces.
The guy already selling corn on the cob doesn’t challenge new vendor Ali, telling him to eff off from his pitch? That just doesn’t seem plausible.
The introduction of the Prefect suggests that we’re once again heading for the area of political corruption. Do police officers take instructions from comparatively minor political figures? I can see it makes life easier for the police if politicians are onside, but Beckriche agreeing to consult (or at least inform them) of impending arrests seems a little too cosy.
On the other hand Beckriche was unexpectedly sensitive in the fulsome ad hoc eulogy he gave at Herville’s funeral, when the Prefect failed to show on time.
The revelation that they are chasing the wrong guy for Herville’s murder opens a new can of worms. Was it Rayan and his accomplices (very unlikely)? It seems there has to be a new person/group who were not captured on CCTV who now have to be uncovered and have a case built against them. There is also now a suspicion that perhaps Herville was on the take and helped cover Wang’s tacks.
The thread to chase to those people must be through the previously thought to be squeaky clean Fouad, Rayan’s brother. Could their mother also be involved?
Then we come to the wake. Was that the only sight we are going to see of Tintin in this series? I think not. I’m sure he’ll be back on board. Once he discovers that Gilou and Laure are no longer in a relationship he will want to find a view back in.
Which brings us nicely to Laure. In some respects she seems up to the job, being by far the brightest spark in the squad, coming up with the right procedures and most promising tactics for moving the investigation forward. Which looks like she’s certain to collide with Gilou as we can see that, despite manifest errors she has made over the lifetime of this series, she is the better person to lead the squad. But outside of work her personal life is desperate. She still seems to be in the depths of depression and have no great maternal bond with Romy.
Against that the confrontation with Bremont was massively surprising. The thought that he wants Laure to be Romy’s mother and not have her as the responsibility of his wife came as a huge surprise (well that was my interpretation of the scene). It seems inevitable that the compartmentalisation of work and home life must inevitably disintegrate. Will the child protection official end up pushing her over an edge from which there is no return?
The most satisfactory aspects of these episodes were Josephine’s story.
I was wrong in thinking she and her new cellmate Lola, would be in conflict. There was some butting of heads over how to bring the drugs in, but they seem to be forming an alliance. Josephine refusing a joint because she had just brushed her teeth, but accepting it when Lola suggests she is boring, seemed to be a move to bring Lola onside.
I quite liked the parallel storyline of the junkie mother whom Josephine assists with the legalities of getting her child back. This contrasts with Laure. The junkie mother who, by stereotype, shouldn’t care about her child does while the policewoman is prepared to let her child go without a struggle because she doesn’t believe she can do it.
Now Josephine and Lola are in solitary, but not so isolated that they can’t converse through the window. Will Josephine accept the prison warders’ brutality and unfairness without a whimper or will she be preparing a complaint, that could eventually result in her release. I can’t see Josephine staying behind bars for the whole of this series. There is a world of criminals out there who need her brain working on their behalf.
However once she’s out will she have to fight off Edelman who, unlikely as it seems, may be in love with her?
There are many of my thoughts. Over to you guys.
Brillaiant, Carl. You’re very good at this sort of thing. I have nothing to add!
I think that you are right, Carl, about these being holding episodes.
Having seen the last series, I was keen to see the new one. I watched the first two episodes last week but Mrs Pajp did not. I persuaded Mrs P to watch on Saturday night, telling her how good it was, but her reaction afterwards was that it was all a bit slow. I had to agree.
2 things.
1) Josephine just made a confession of her guilt to her cellmate Lola. Schoolgirl error.
2) Nice to see Tintin back, however briefly.
I don’t think there is too much problem with the confession.
Prison cell confessions are always open to challenge in this country and rarely stand up. I would expect that France wouldn’t be much different and an experienced lawyer like Edelman could knock it down easily.
But who knows…?
From the director’s and scriptwriter’s points of view, is there much mileage (or should that be kilometreage?) in keeping Josephine behind bars? Surely she is at her magnificent best working her devious ways in the courts and confounding the cops.
They also set up a future confrontation over racist stereotypes (Arabs and Chinese). Seems lighthearted for now but can easily become nasty.
How about the case of the anaesthetist? Is part of the ‘establishment’ about to be brought down? I think very probably but not with the reward of romance, sadly.
Yes, I had meant to mention that, especially with respect to that conversation between Gilou and Ali.
Again given Gilou’s history, it appeared out of character.
I think the anaesthetist thread of the story may yet become enmeshed in the main story thread. I can’t see how yet, but that is one of the beauties of Spiral – where it starts in episode 1 is usually a very long way from where it finishes in the final episode.
TINTIN!
I would agree that it’s very interesting on issues of race/ethnicity, belonging and ‘Frenchness’.
A lot of people have complained about the glacial pace but I would agree that these are set-up episodes…Josephine, Josephine/Lola, the drugs/money laundering cycle, racial tensions, institutional corruption, Romy/Laure, Laure-Gilou-Ali (Tintin?), Laure’s mental state….it’s all building nicely. However I can see that if you’re not an addict it can all seem a bit slow. Worth the patience, however.
Re: the haphazard nature of some of the events- they are known as the Blunder Squad, after all!
REPOSTING TO AVOID SPOLIER SHOWING IN ‘UPDATES’
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I would agree that it’s very interesting on issues of race/ethnicity, belonging and ‘Frenchness’.
A lot of people have complained about the glacial pace but I would agree that these are set-up episodes…Josephine, Josephine/Lola, the drugs/money laundering cycle, racial tensions, institutional corruption, Romy/Laure, Laure-Gilou-Ali (Tintin?), Laure’s mental state….it’s all building nicely. However I can see that if you’re not an addict it can all seem a bit slow. Worth the patience, however.
Re: the haphazard nature of some of the events- they are known as the Blunder Squad, after all!
Also …TINTIN!
One of the great things about Spiral, though, is that even the “slower” episodes still move things on – there’s none of the annoying “backstory” stuff so beloved of TV Serials these days that are so often just there to get us to the right number of episodes.
Call me shallow, but I’m wondering if Karlsson and her cellmate are going to, er, get it on…
You may be shallow @mikethep, but then I am too because the same thing crossed my mind. It was the lingering looks as they shared the spliff that did it for me.
Agree that things were a little slow in these episodes, but I think that if you’ve stuck with the show from the beginning you get so wrapped in the characters and little subtleties in the plot that you don’t mind. I reckon this series would hold long term viewers but might struggle to attract new ones.