19-2

This series is up there with THE WIRE and ENGRENAGES (the Spiral), yet it is nothing like them, it is unique.

It feels very fly on the wall, and it shows the good, bad and ugly.

I really like cop shows that really character study the people, including childhood, homelife and shows motivations.

This show is very much about cops and the job itself, loyalty, and trying to be competent under pressure. It is not much about criminals and does not glorify crime, corruption or excessive force in any way.

One of my favorite aspects of this show is that all of the cops are very believable and unique characters with their own way.

There is nothing like this show--it is excellent, warts and all.

All the performances here are topnotch but the real stars are director Daniel Grou's facile direction and cinematographer Claudine Sauvé's imaginative camera work. So many shows on Netflix have terrible cinematography, where camera operators lack the talent to keep subjects in the frame. Not so with Grou and Sauvé, who give this series a sense of you-are-there excitement. It's a thrilling ride, helped by solid storylines and sharp, incisive scripts. There's an underlying intelligence that permeates every scene. Some of the tracking shots are breathtaking.

It's not all perfect. The green-hued palette is overdone and gives everything a uniform sickly appearance. Also, one could argue the soap opera elements at times overwhelm the impetus of the plot but that would be griping because, unlike so many Hollywood shows, the romantic moments are usually intertwined with the plot.

This is an extraordinary series,to say the least...it never stalls,stumbles,or runs dry....far from running out of material,it is as if the writers had to deal with having TOO MUCH material to fit in each episode....no sooner was one story told than it led to the next story with barely enough time for so much as a beat....all of the characters are complete,multi-dimensional human beings-capable of misunderstanding-and being misunderstood-and vice-versa......I could go on and on about :The Entire Cast,The Writing; The Imagery; The Direction,The Editing,The Cinematography,The Wardrobe-Makeup-Special Effects,The Music,etc.,etc.,etc.... I will just say that,in my opinion,this work is the sum of one million little things done with perfection-a masterpiece.....I cannot speak French,and I say to others who do not speak French: these actors are fluent in Body Language,and they convey the meaning of the scenes by speaking this Universal Language. Their words ( in my case,the English Subtitles) are merely icing on the cake; and simply add meaning to a meaning already conveyed.....I have tried to express my feelings about this series,but I implore anyone who reads this to view this series; and let this Work of Art speak for itself.

The only reason this series is not far better known is that it is a Canadian production and the setting is Canadian - Montreal from 2011 to 2015- instead of American. But if you want three dimensional characters instead of cardboard heroes and villains, realism about the tragic and sad lives of those who encounter the police, story lines that make every episode memorable, and first rate acting all around, then this is the police drama you want to watch. No one is written off in this drama- even those officers who commit despicable acts- their actions are not sugar coated but you feel you have a deeper understanding of why they did what they did. The interplay between the two central characters is never dull- never cliched. I have watched both the French and the English versions of this show- While I was enthralled by both , I found the French version grittier, deeper, and ultimately more satisfying. And I say this as an anglophone.

This series is absolutely outstanding. I just watched the finale and it was excellent, so well done, I had goosebumps after it was over. The writing is amazing and the acting is superb. I plan to watch the English series next, but I don't expect that it can top the French series. Everything about this show was so incredibly well done. The writers were not afraid to deal with very difficult subjects. As another reviewer said, the characters are flawed, but very likeable regardless. As a former Montrealer, I started watching the series for nostalgia purposes, mostly. But I ended up binge watching this well written and highly entertaining show.