Spiral (Engrenages) 2005-2020

I'll note this and leave it until Master Ambler returns. Decent pair of episodes, Laure/Gilou dynamic, Judge Roban and possible problems there, some poor swine meeting his end at the scumbags expense and then a sucker punch at the end of the double bill.

When you have reached last page of book, close book

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Yes, it seems Josephine has finally been brought to Earth but in tragic circumstances. I kind of forget sometimes that Laure and Pierre were an item once. I don't know, didn't seem to be that shocked by what happened. I guessed Fituossi (sp) wanted out like with Mr Selfridge (must get Fleurot to do some British stuff.) and so why not just have him shot by accident by an idiot cop.

Liking Gilou still and what about Tintin's missus, a redhead to boot.

Herville does my head in but...well, you got to have someone like that I suppose. Imagine we're halfway into Spiral 5. Then, as Wogan would say in the old days, "we're back in the cold".

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The locker was somewhat yielding. The sight of little Laure trying to get in the mix was unintentionally funny, a little. Love it when she gets angry or shouty, sounds like a stereotypical French pisstake. I say this as we have three French kids doing work experience at our place. We only need Antoine de Caunes to sell it really (who coincidentally I saw on YouTube doing a booty shake with Ms Audrey Fleurot).

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Such are the perils of watching on iplayer close to 3am I don't remember lines as such but moments. I do like if anything that Tintin gets a bit more on him even if it's a wife leaving him. Alors, suddenly Laure is motherly and now that Tintin's mentioned it, I do notice the boobs are, er, gigantique.

Alas, no Laure/Josephine action at the end but in seriousness it seems a nice touch having Laure go to comfort Josephine if to comfort herself. Also, we have Roban sort of brought to Earth (losing Marianne, one suspects something will come of that later, Spiral 6 later). His impassioned speech to Josephine was good.

Sort of wished that punk in custody was given a right going over by Gilou (I do recall Gilou throwing someone through a glass window or something in Spiral 3 but then he was coked up if I remember rightly). And shows how much attention I lacked previously, didn't realise the black kid was a girl. Back to school methinks

At the end of it I like the little things which I guess are my hangovers from a childhood of things like Ironside/TJ Hooker/cop films etc -the fact that the boys, particularly Gilou and Tintin, are Laure's. Not Herville's. "Don't tell Herville" and the firm nods by the guys . Like when she's almost killed by Marouene (sp.) it's those two who help her up and to the car. Though that'll be tested by Gilou in the nick.

Anyway. Back to the grind. No wonder my uni column lasted short shrift.

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Erica Ambler wrote:

Laure's secret smile when Tintin mentions her engorged tits is intriguing. In Britain, he'd have lost his job and been sent for political reorientation.

And for sexual harassment in the workplace of course! You just have to look at a woman these days to be sacked for that!

Staugust wrote:

Erica Ambler wrote:

Laure's secret smile when Tintin mentions her engorged tits is intriguing. In Britain, he'd have lost his job and been sent for political reorientation.

And for sexual harassment in the workplace of course! You just have to look at a woman these days to be sacked for that!

Indeed on both counts. I've been a bit Gilou with the girls at work, willing to bet it's riding a thin line, so to speak.

c

No, none of those girls are Penthouse material. Maybe Laure will get some semblance of payback.

I suspect a bit of both, deliberate confusion but bad screenwriting. I've seen some critiquing of the writing in some circles but otherwise it's been better than Spiral 4. And indeed, in true Spiral fashion, it's coming together.

Saw a comment in the Sunday Times, someone saying forget Broadchurch if you want superior police drama go to Spiral.

Vive engrenages.

Good pair of episodes.

First off, Gilou you dog.

Secondly, the look on Gilou's face when Alphonso more or less dropped him in it- like when he next saw him it'd be dangling the bastard out of a window.

Josephine, Laure and Gilou on fine form. Particularly liked Laure getting Josephine's help. She is fearless (Big Red) hence perhaps why she's involved with another bloke like the one from Spiral 2-3. Forget his name, face like a map of the Grand Canyon.

Tintin shafted and Herville finding some balls.

Final episodes next week will be something and then after that, hopefully, Spiral 6

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I'll say. I imagine ol' Pascal will get away with that as it's secondary. Superb episodes in that Zack gets his then Laure finding a way back into the case. Before it all ends like a homage to Moonraker.

I'm intrigued about where the series goes on. There's usually a gap of two years or thereabouts. Maybe I think too much about it but Roban seems to have some health problem lurking so there's that, Josephine's in flux -the mention of her father earlier in the season makes me wonder if that'll come into play soon, Laure naturally has the baby (or not if she keeps up as she is), Tintin's broken domestically, Gilou's doing this and that, Herville could be gone...Room for new characters or not.

I was rummaging and apparently the Radio Times stated a month ago that Series 6 is already in progress (and Spiral is being done in America). An article that Google translated says that Laure will get a "surprising new trick" whatever that is and we'll get a new character, probably a prosecutor. One hopes a vixen redhead. Again I wish I spoke French as obviously anything to do with the series online tends to be French.

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Well, it was a bit of a downer. It did seem a bit lacklustre but Gilou and Herville did the job.

Laure looked fine with the hair down.

That's the best I can do right now. Questions? Spiral spin-off with the Bourbigny cops

Via the FB group I found this article, in French, of Spiral on BBC4. Shows audience figures towards the bottom. My French is next to nothing but looks like this series has done better than the rest by far

http://www.toutelatele.com/engrenages-spiral-comment-la-serie-a-multiplie-ses-audiences-par-10-en-angleterre-68527

Possibly better than Salamander and the Bridge if I'm reading it right.

Salamander wasn't very good. Never quite understood why that was the recent Flemish series that had something of an international run.
"Clan" and "Crimi-Clowns" were two dark comedies that were significantly better.

unfortunately I've seen none of the three you mentioned Oppers. Doesn't sound like I missed much :)

c

The second series is not very good. Seemed like a shameless money grab at the time, following the (unexpected) international success of the first series.

I can see why you like it, Ambler. Kind of place you'd expect Gilou to turn up to duff somebody up in.

thanks to my FB feed I found out that Spiral won an International Emmy for Best Drama yesterday/last night.

http://www.lepoint.fr/series-tv/engrenages-honore-aux-emmy-awards-24-11-2015-1984204_2115.php

I did a translate but I think it'd be easier to learn French properly. No news on Season 6, can't help but think all the trouble in Paris might knock on somehow. Or Gilou let loose against an Islamic cell.



the Beeb are making do with The Bridge at the moment. Then probably something Swedish, something Norwegian and so on.

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