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Spiral. ("Le Wire")

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    Spiral. ("Le Wire")

    Surely Im not the only person on the planet watching this?

    #2
    Spiral. ("Le Wire&#34

    It got about 200,000 viewers on it's first showing on BBC4 (one of whom was me), so no, you aren't the only one, but it's a select group. And I'm not watching the repeats at the moment, though I believe it's going straight into series 2, which I will watch.

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      #3
      Spiral. ("Le Wire&#34

      I'm eagerly waiting for series two as well.

      I take it you are still somewhere in the middle of the 1st series?

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        #4
        Spiral. ("Le Wire&#34

        I would have given it a go but the beeb dont really do a very good job of advertising these things

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          #5
          Spiral. ("Le Wire&#34

          I think they do that on purpose. It makes you feel all the more superior if you've watched it, want to talk about it but find out that none of you friends have seen it because they aren't as aware of international tv as you.

          They did the same thing with The Kingdom, though that was a least on BBC2

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            #6
            Well I sound like a test in that last post.

            I have a feeling there is another thread somewhere. But this is the one search turned up.

            Series 8 and all the previous ones are on iPlayer now. I only got a couple of episodes into series 7 when it was last on. I wasn't on the mood for bad things happening to people and people making stupid decisions.

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              #7
              Watched the first two episodes of series 8 on broadcast at the weekend. So far, so good, without wanting to give anything away.

              A friend is re-watching the whole thing from the start to lead into it, which is an appealing prospect.

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                #8
                We watched 1-7 last year in a run and it was well worth it. Our top pick of all telly and gutted this is the final one.

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                  #9
                  Oh yes, the first one we watched was 6 when it was broadcast so our viewing order has been 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

                  ​​​​​Watching 6 and 7 in the context of knowing about the existence of Pierre made for a very different experience from the first time.

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                    #10
                    I've been bingeing on Series 6 & 7 since Christmas, both of which I had recorded and never got around to watching previously. I only discovered that series 8 was coming when I loaded the first of 6 up on the 27th Dec, which meant I basically had the week to watch both saved shows or another 12 hours again would be added on top.

                    Either my French has got a bit better, or the translations in these two series are a bit more... liberal than previously. For example, in the episode I watched today Roban said "j'?coute" to encourage a witness to speak. Which was subtitled as "Go ahead" - I guess it captures the idiom better, but when the literal translation is that easy...
                    The other quibble on the same lines was (series 6) lots of reference to the IPCC and CID. Now, I didn't catch what the French version of Quis custodiet ipsos custodes is called, but I'm damn sure it wouldn't be the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Worse was using CID for Berthaud's mob ('mob' is possibly close to the bone for where Series 7 is at for me right now...), when you can hear them being called DPJ by the characters. And using very British cop idioms for the English subtitles presumably means they would need another set again for American/Australian/etc audiences.

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                      #11
                      The changing the names of departments and job titles has bugged me a lot in the past. And sent me down rabbit holes working out exactly what people's titles were and how it fits into the French criminal justice system. Which is still don't understand at all.

                      I'm also reminded of getting a friend to watch the first series and how she found the lack of a French word for fisting, hilarious. Le fisting?

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                        #12
                        Yes, translating ranks to an approximate British equivalent is another minor niggle on that front, given how different the structures are.

                        Edit: cross post with Levin.

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                          #13
                          Why do I get the feeling this is building towards a ridiculous climax a la the last ever Homicide, Life on the Street?

                          Though they have done that before in the series which ended with the police headquarters being bombed. And the death of the flic of Arabic descent, whose name I can't remember now (for shame).

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Janik View Post
                            Why do I get the feeling this is building towards a ridiculous climax a la the last ever Homicide, Life on the Street?

                            Though they have done that before in the series which ended with the police headquarters being bombed. And the death of the flic of Arabic descent, whose name I can't remember now (for shame).
                            I've completed so my lips are sealed - however as mentioned elsewhere I've noticed the whole eight season run is currently available on iplayer if anyone wants to do the whole lot from the start.

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                              #15
                              II's ace, I've watched the last 4 series.

                              I got the boxset for Christmas. In the week after Christmas found out they were going put all 8 series on the I-Player.

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                                #16
                                Originally posted by Kowalski View Post
                                II's ace, I've watched the last 4 series.

                                I got the boxset for Christmas. In the week after Christmas found out they were going put all 8 series on the I-Player.
                                I've got 1-3 taking up space on the shelf, and had the others on watch on Amazon thinking I'll get them sometime and do the full run again, so for once my procrastination has paid off.

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                                  #17
                                  I've watched all 8 series and started again from the beginning, so now on Series 2. Everyone looks so baby-faced, especially Josephine, compared to the end.

                                  As I commented on Facebook and only one person laughed:

                                  I think Spiral could be improved by taking a leaf out of Death in Paradise’s book, and cutting from the discovery of a mutilated corpse to some jolly accordion music and a picture of each cast member in turn. grinning, pouting or giving a Gallic shrug. Who wouldn’t love that?

                                  The last two series were a bit of a relief for me as they moved away from dwelling on gruesome murders and autopsies towards other sorts of crime.

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                                    #18
                                    There's some right strange bits of subplot in the whole series that don't go anywhere. The bit in the park where Judge Roban tells Pierre he's sort of special to him is weird, I almost expect him to ask whether he prefers les escargots ou les huitres.

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                                      #19
                                      We thought we would try this - especially as Mrs Bored really gets into series like this (The Serpent being the latest). However, we couldn't get into it. I found it somewhat clunky. I do wonder whether it was because we had just finished the actual Wire and I don't think anyone has suggested it is as good as that. However, a lot of people including the comments on here recommend it so maybe I should give it a go later on.

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                                        #20
                                        Which series did you start with? I've just started rewatching it from the start and I had forgotten how ropey the first series is. I would suggest giving it a miss and ploughing straight into series 2, you wouldn't miss anything except the basic explanation of who does what in the French justice system (which you can also get from 2 minutes on Wikipedia)

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                                          #21
                                          Ah, that's interesting, yes, we went from the start.

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                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Fussbudget View Post
                                            Which series did you start with? I've just started rewatching it from the start and I had forgotten how ropey the first series is. I would suggest giving it a miss and ploughing straight into series 2, you wouldn't miss anything except the basic explanation of who does what in the French justice system (which you can also get from 2 minutes on Wikipedia)
                                            God yeah, season one was iffy as owt. All fisting and bum sex and fairly obvious misogyny. It's calmed down a lot, but I still raise my eyebrow every couple of episodes.

                                            I started watching from the beginning the other week, and while I'm enjoying it greatly, and calling absolutely everyone I talk to "Monsieur le Judge", I think The Wire comparisons are lazy. It's nowhere near as tight as The Wire. There are too many coincidences and cliffhangers used to drive the story. People leaving at the wrong time, arriving at the wrong time, a police fumble or bumble. Which makes for good telly, but The Wire never really felt like that.

                                            I kind of feel with Spiral like I do with Scandi Noir dramas, that I could be watching any old shit, Le Bill, or Das Sweeney, but because they've got sexy accents and a smart coat, I feel like I'm watching high art. An inbuilt cultural cringe, where anything more continental than a triangle of laughing cow cheese gets treated with total and breathless reverence. Especially if they wear glasses. Unless it's Arsene Wenger.

                                            I'm nearly done season 4. I'm ploughing through at quite a rate, and so much French is coming back to me. I'd be watching even more but I can't eat and read subtitles at the same time, and I eat *a lot*, so I have to watch the odd Schitt's Creek.

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                                              #23
                                              Just the last pair of episodes (thinking in BBC4 terms) to go for me.

                                              One of the strengths of the series for me has been that as the ensemble has incrementally changed the newer characters have generally been developed well and held their own. Could/should the producers carry on with a Theseus/Trigger like approach to cast rotation or is it better to call time with a core of the original group involved to the end?

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                                                #24
                                                I was invested with the core characters, preferred them towards the end. Gilou's "mum" hairdo in Series 7 is something to behold, along with Josephine's shortlived "Catherine Tate on crack" look.

                                                I disagree with EIM about the comparison with the Scandi dramas, the ones I've watched have been much slower, with the Parisians running all over the place shouting "Fuck! Shit!".

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                                                  #25
                                                  I think there is a real plus to Spiral showing everyday incompetence. They are mostly trying their best and things just don't work out or they make the wrong choice. From what scandi stuff I've seen, they have personal issues but are professional or at least focussed, while on the job.

                                                  I mean, I get massively frustrated when characters make obviously bad decisions but I don't think that you could argue that there isn't an in character reason.

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