mybeloved-bb
I've never written a review have no idea how to except I have to say something here... I've watched so many series over the years.... Spiral... is my favorite ever... it's the whole package done in excellence...Crime... Detectives... the Judicail system ... the character development.... these relationships ... are very real to life in that they are not glamorized... they're raw... the acting of the main cast... I feel like I know them in a way if they don't have season 7 I'll go into such a disappointment I'll never get over it!! Really give Spiral a chance to unfold before you, you'll be hooked soon!!
ElephantInWiseausRoom
There are tons of police shows, and quite a few good ones, but this could be the best one.This show has been called "The French Law and Order," a reference to the iconic American police/legal show of the 90s and 00's. That is a fair comparison, although Engrenages is better.I called this a police drama as that is the more common expression, but that is technically incorrect.There are police shows, such as 19-2, Southland, etc. that focus on law enforcement officers, usually uniformed or patrol officers, or SWAT teams, etc. Although this show has that component, it is not a major part of the show.Then there are detective shows. Law and Order SVU, The Bridge, Luther, Line of Duty, True Detective. It's all about solving a mystery and catching a criminal.Then there are legal dramas. There's Silk, Suits, Boston Legal, The Night Of, etc.Engrenages is between the three. In that sense, it is similar to Law and Order (the original) but few other shows. But unlike Law and Order, the cases last more than one episode. This show is not a procedural, it is a serial, meaning, they don't get new cases and close them in 44 minutes. It takes them a season.This show shows all the layers of the cake. It takes the time to show us the criminals and their crime, the detectives and their investigation, the prosecutor and his case, the judge and his rulings and finally the legal defense team and their strategy. Other shows focus on one - starting with a dead body and ending with an arrest or starting with an arrest and ending with a trial. This one goes all the way, from crime to judgment. It's not just the scope of the show that makes it great, it's the interactions of all these cogs and gears. This show doesn't present these parts in slices, i.e. it's not "part 1, crime, part 2 investigation" - it's all interconnected. There are crimes committed during the investigation, suspects are arrested and released, cops dance on the grey area of the law and so do lawyers, private and public life get mixed, personal and professional gets blurry and there simply are no easy answers.It's funny, sad, thrilling and enraging. A must watch. This show is golden age quality.
paulaker
There is much to commend this french police drama series set in suburban Paris - interesting characters, intense drama, mostly realistic feeling. However, my strikes against the series are: excessive focus on gruesome corpses - just too much; complete absence of any operational co-operation with the uniformed gendarmerie - surely unrealistic; very casual and disrespectful relations between the detectives of different ranks - improbable; security in the police station is so careless that lawyers wander freely unescorted gathering intelligence useful to their clients, and it is a wonder that half the suspects don't simply escape by running out; nearly all politicians are shown as corrupt - typical french intellectual prejudice. I don't believe this is a spoiler, but my final criticism against this series concerns when an undercover agent is planted in a gang at great personal risk but continues to frequent the police station base at high risk of being seen by dubious gang lawyers, gang suspects or other criminals brought in, any one of whom could blow his cover, causing his death. This was so ridiculous I found it hard to continue watching. In reality, once an agent goes undercover, all interactions with the originating force are managed with the greatest possible secrecy and precautions. Nevertheless, if you can stomach the excessive gore & violence, there is plenty of substance to sustain interest.
nickwilliams4
Just finished season 4 of this cracking French Policier series. OK, it's not all totally realistic and you can pick holes in it if you want like everything else on TV (sometimes it's better to suspend disbelief a bit, even Breaking Bad was a bit silly in places and that is wonderful too). I often wonder why people watch shows like this if they expect exact realism and everything to be politically correct (check out a couple of reviews on here from people with strange expectations of a TV drama), this is a cop show and meant to entertain not a documentary to learn from that exactly mirrors the real world. Loved it, love Braquo too (check that out if you get a chance). Magnifique!
