Spiral Season 4

Hi everyone!

I've just finished watching Season 4 of "Spiral" (Engrenages) and am very pleased to say that it is the best season to date. All of the crew are back and spending 12 hours with them is like spending time with close friends.

SPOILER ALERT:
Season 4 picks up more-or-less right where Season 3 left off. Laure is under investigation for allegedly shooting a suspect (held over from Season 3). Judge Roban returns after the scandal involving the suicide of his intern and is determined on re-establishing his reputation despite it seems the entire French justice system being against him. Pierre and Josephine are working to establish their private practice. Gilou still cannot help being drawn to the 'dark side'. Tintin continues to be as honorable as ever while he and his wife expect a new baby.

Season 4's central plot is complicated and multi-faceted. On the surface, it seems to be about the plight of illegal immigrants in France and the harsh conditions they face in detention centers. But, of course, this being "Spiral", there's a lot more to it than that. Throw into the mix anarchists trying to overthrow the government through terrorism, a Kurdish family that is straight out of the Godfather, and a Russian emigre gangster with some serious family issues, police and political in-fighting, and you have a season with more twists and turns than ever.

But what makes this season most satisfying is the human element. Even the seemingly strongest characters show a surprising amount of vulnerability. We learn something of Josephine's background and why she's the ruthless, rather heartless, woman we've come to love to hate. Laure finds herself in the midst of a love triangle with all-too-tragic consequences. Pierre crosses the line into the corruption he has heretofore resolved to vanquish.

The other thing that strikes me -- and is the series' central theme -- is how even the most honorable among us is not always immune to the temptation of corruption and the immediate benefits it seduces us into believing it can give us.

The characters of "Spiral" are extremely flawed. Justice is their ultimate goal but the means by which they achieve this noble aim are often questionable, never more so than in Season 4. No one comes out of this season with their hands clean. (And without giving anything away, the final moments of the final episode are heartbreaking. I was wiping away tears as I watched.)

I recently read that Season 5 is currently in production. For those of us in North America this means we'll sadly have to wait another year to see it. In the meantime, relish Season 4 or binge-watch it if you must, or go back to Season 1 and watch all 40 episodes from the start.

In my opinion, "Spiral" Season 4 is one of the best television series ever made.