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Spiral BBC4 - do you need to have watched S1 and S2 before S3?

171 replies

TroelsNextCampaignManager · 27/03/2011 14:07

just wondering if i need to get up to speed before watching S3 or whether i can just enjoy the S3 story in its own right?

any of you lovely MNers able to help me out?

OP posts:
teej · 02/04/2011 20:36

oh we staying here then? d'accord!

mum, funtime, tootired, and everyone else involved in Operation Great Dane (aka The Killing threads) 'tis i, troelsnextcampaignmanager. let's nail these french baddies. that sarkozy looks like a wrong 'un, shall we put him at the top of the suspect list before we start?

now with Spiral do we need the incident boards from the start?

breton t-shirt
french belgian beer

think that's me set - allons-y!

TooTiredToArgue · 02/04/2011 20:41

I'm sure you'll be able to follow it, Funtime - if you could follow The Killing (and all our ridiculous interesting theories) you'll be fine.

I am, conveniently, wearing a breton top (very Mumsnet S&B, don't you know!), but optional, I'd say.

P.S. How's the jumper coming along? Grin

TooTiredToArgue · 02/04/2011 20:44

Hi teej

I have a nice bottle glass of french Wine to help get me in the mood.......

nulgirl · 02/04/2011 20:50

I have just bought series 1 and 2 of Spiral on amazon for £15. We are planning to sky+ series 3 whilst we catch up with the first two series. Really looking forward to it as am bereft now that the killing has finished. There was an interesting article about the killing and spiral in the times today. Apparently the BBC only paid £2000 for each episode of the killing- by the end of the series I would personally have paid that just to see what happened :)

teej · 02/04/2011 20:58

with tootired

hi nulgirl - ohhh have The Times downstairs but haven't had a chance to look at it yet - if that's true that is v cheap for the buzz The Killing generated alone, never mind whatever viewing figures they got. loved it. missing lund, bengt, troels, and yes meyer-may-he-rest-in-peace and pernille's Shock faces.

still, time to try and follow the french readthesubtitles on Spiral - catch you all later!

LeninGrad · 02/04/2011 21:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zanz1bar · 02/04/2011 22:40

Dam
There goes another six weeks of my life.
watched my first episode of spiral, saving the next for later in the week.
Hooked.

pawsnclaws · 02/04/2011 22:57

I enjoyed it! Found Laure's accent very hard to understand though.

teej · 02/04/2011 23:48

ohhh very good.

but our first puzzle: how come these continental 'tecs either don't sleep or sleep in a car, give their faces a begrudging splash of water, then tie their messy shoulder-length hair into a ponytail, throw on the same old duds and they still look good? don't know about you but i do that and i'd look even more unkempt than normal.

right
long list of suspects:

  • Judge Roban - hates his mother, maybe originally trained in medicine and then went into law because his interpersonal skills were too bad even for medicine
  • the guy who runs the homeless shelter - wasn't v co-operative and we don't know anything about his background
  • the ex-waiter in the homeless shelter - v (too?) helpful to Gilou; may have misogynistic traits that led to or were the result of his divorce (he blames his wife leaving for everything falling apart); but may be too young if this is a 50-something with medical training.

mmmm

Blackduck · 03/04/2011 08:18

Not Roban - he's a star for all his lack of interpersonal skills....

I see even prosecutors (or what ever they are called) can get sent to traffic if they are naughty :)

Very graphic, very shouty.......and would an Inspector (even a french one) go to work in that t-shirt??!

Highlander · 03/04/2011 08:27

OMG, please let me never be arrested in France Grin

muminlondon · 03/04/2011 08:34

I'd forgotten just how brutal the police are in Spiral land! It's almost funny, in a Gene Hunt sort of way. With Laure so close to nervous exhaustion - and maybe The Killing just has changed our viewing preferences for ever - I'm much more drawn to the calm, controlled characters. Karlsson is usually a cold fish although had a nasty shock but is interesting to watch. So is Roban. And Gilou (despite being a thug) is very sure of himself.

Which one was Nounours? Doesn't that mean Teddy Bear?!

teej · 03/04/2011 12:45

rofl at blackduck re traffic

i know what you mean about that t-shirt. when she was interviewing tyson i was thinking - "distracting the potential perp during interrogation with a flash of cleavage - how french!"

mumin but on the plus side their clear-up rate must be much higher. i mean they managed to nail the photographer and a bunch of illegal immigrants in the two hours to date; it took lund 20 hours to not catch a serial killer and during that time she missed corrupt politicians and blackmail! not that i don't still heart the scandi contemplative model and am looking forward to killing 2 and whatever new wallander we get going forward....

and yy nounours is teddy bear...

Blackduck · 03/04/2011 12:56

Teej - well it did make me smile.....being condemned to traffic is obviously THE punishment for those in law and order!

Re Roben - was the implication that his mother only had photos of his brother in her wallet?

And at least Laure goes into buildings with a torch and a gun (Lund, take note!)

doings · 03/04/2011 15:39

Well, I enjoyed my first taste of Spiral on the double bill last night.

Thought Laure grubbier than Lund - scratty T-shirts and bra straps two days old and no shower - stinky (plays to French stereotype I fear). Also found her less reliable. She loked a bit shaky and shouty already (perhaps due to previous series history which I don't know about) whereas I felt Lund was solid and driven.

Not entirely sure about storyline - the Jack-the-Ripperesque killer is extreme and the surgical knowledge is going to make the killer easy to guess soon which is why I really liked The Killing. It kept you toing and froing for 20 episodes.

Early days for Spiral but not a bad start me thinks.

doings · 03/04/2011 15:43

Ooh, forgot to mention that weird looking legal-judgy-boss - can't quite understand the legal structure yet so not sure what his title is. . . . but those buggy eyes - eek. What a toad. He's got to be one of the creepiest actors I seen in a long time. Nasty

muminlondon · 03/04/2011 16:28

The dog owner with the jug ears not much of a looker either ..

I found an interesting 2002 Independent article on the French examining magistrates system here - explains a lot.

Funtimewincies · 03/04/2011 16:35

Oh the buggy eyes should have had a part all of their own doings, they were oddly hypnotic Grin.

Agree with the 'put your knickers on and make me a cup of tea' approach to suspects. So funny that Meyer was in trouble for shouting at suspects, so very civilised compared with this Shock!

I'm wondering why the killer has taken the body parts. The de-feminsation thing could be anger towards women, but controlled.

TooTiredToArgue · 03/04/2011 17:03
doings · 03/04/2011 17:28

Interesting, thanks muminlondon. So Judge Roban is technically an examining magistrate. Buggy eyes appeared to be the one allocating the cases in a sort of 'clerk of chambers' sort of way and the others - handsome guy doing driving offences and ginger girl are - what - junior advocates/magistrates having to do less weighty cases until they've done their time and get promoted d'you think?

TooTiredToArgue · 03/04/2011 22:05

Right, folks, have caught up, and have to say, I'm really enjoying it so far.

Had forgotten how fast paced it is, and how violent the French police are! Blimey.

I too thought Laure's choice of clothing somewhat questionable (and in need of a wash ). Perhaps she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown because Sammy (boyfriend from last series) has left her, and that's why she's so nervous about Petit Gilou abandoning her division. On the plus side, although she's a bit intense and shouty, she's very loyal to her troops and is always covering for them. For that she goes up in my estimation.

Pierre needs a haircut, but is still broodingly handsome. What's he going to do now if he resigns from the bar (correct terminology? doubt it). What a waste of his robes - could have ebayed them, I'm sure. Smile

Juge Roban is a brilliant character. Slightly creepy, but excellent value for money. I wasn't sure about the photos in the wallet either. I wondered if the man was his father (long lost?), but yes, no pics of him.

Mr Bulgy eyes is truly revolting, toad like and I am also totally mesmerised by him!

Oh, and liked the colour of Karlsson's bra. Tres chic.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 03/04/2011 22:47

I have been meaning to watch this for ages but couldn't find it - Charlie Brooker recommended it on a webchat.

Wolfgirl · 03/04/2011 22:53

YooooHoooo all. Guess what on earth I stumbled across tonight LOL

See ya's l8rs for some chat. Bit gory, eh! Bed time now, but thought I'd pop in and say hi. I knew someone would have a thread going Wink

Wolfgirl · 03/04/2011 22:56

Sad I've not seen previous 2 series either. Is there anyway I could get hold of it? anyone made copies and willing to post for a small fee? Grin

JudithMarie · 03/04/2011 23:10

Would have been at sea without that link, mumin. Think I now understand why Francois, who looks far older than his mummy, is so important.

Why has Bug-Eyes got it in for Francois?

And can someone tell me how the police can squabble over who gets a juicy murder? The organisation of the police seems even more complicated than the judiciary.