Spiral / Cogs
You might be interested to know that Lights in the Dusk has a new favourite television series. The second season of the excellent Spiral (Engrenages, 2005-present) is currently winding down on BBC Four, and I have to say, the word compelling doesn't do it justice. As a crime serial, the progression from one episode to the next is astounding, with the writers successfully managing to weave one single strand of plot through several individual instalments, all the while re-establishing additional layers of drama and interaction as the narrative unfolds. In this sense, the English variation on the title is fitting, as the series presents these characters as existing in a vortex; each crossing paths from both sides of the law and back again, in a manner that relates explicitly to the chaos and confusion of these two particular platforms – the world of law and the world of criminality – as they disruptively coalesce. It also relates to the more literal translation of the title, basically "cogs", where each single component, character or sub-plot, can be seen as part of a much greater whole.
What sets this show apart from other Law and Order-type programmes is hard to define, but I think more than anything I enjoy the honesty of it. There are no real gimmicks or attempts to transcend the medium - which is perfectly fine as it is, and certainly doesn't have to toady to what armchair critics might consider more cinematic, and therefore worthy of praise. Spiral is content enough to offer the viewer solid drama and a plot that is worthy of consideration, precisely because it involves characters that are not only interesting, but more importantly, recognisable as human beings. I would also argue that Spiral is in some ways reminiscent of the harder-edged crime serials that we have in the UK – a grand tradition going as far back as Cracker (1993-1996) by Jimmy McGovern, or Prime Suspect (1991-2006) by Lynda La Plante, or more recently even with the excellent Wire in the Blood (2003-2008) (which I had intended to write something about, but never found the time) and Waking the Dead (2000-2009). It is also reminiscent of the short lived docudrama The Cops (1998-2001); another uncompromising police procedural that stressed a more realistic, street-level approach to the blending of drama and documentary technique.
Although the general style of point-and-shoot, handheld grittiness of the Lars von Trier/Paul Greengrass variety has become somewhat overused (to the point of almost cliché), I still feel that this particular series uses it well; especially with the general style of the show complementing that mixture of characters and locations, moving from the more familiar middle-class suburbs of Paris to the tenements and housing projects overrun by gangs and drug dealers (that generally exists in every major city, but is rarely seen in the more conventional exported media). I would love to eventually write a more in-depth examination of this show at a later date – maybe in the New Year when I should have managed to procure a copy of the first season box set, and ideally, would have more time to really give it the attention that it deserves. Nonetheless, I'm excited to see how the current series plays out over the next couple of weeks.
Spiral, series 2 - episode 4, directed by Gilles Bannier, 2008:
