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**JHyde** · (This post was last modified: 15-10-2010 01:21 PM by JHyde.)

I'm coming into this thread cold, having not read anything else on the forum about this episode. Although I have strong feelings about this one, I'm still not sure whether I really liked it altogether. I think I did, but because I've watched it in sharp bursts over the last few days, I'm not sure.

This episode was about 3 women and about Kai. Everything else was background noise.

It's about damn time Spooks got into the Chinese plot lines. There's a whole murky pool of stories there and I know they thought about it back before the 2007 season (when they ran with the Iran stories instead). It seems they've finally arrived at a destination that has been waiting for them.

So in this episode Beth finds her feet as a field agent, Ruth proves that she is as brave and resourceful as she is brilliant and Jiang (a shining example of a modern woman) calls herself a 'commodity'. Ros may be gone, but the women of Section D are a tough breed.

This was a horribly sad episode in many ways. It was about the fundamental dilemma of spies, that of lying, both to oneself and to one's colleagues. Harry, the Home Secretary, Ruth, Beth and most importantly Lucas and Kai all articulate various points of view on this one theme. I am disappointed about Lucas going the way he is - there has to be a big payoff here somewhere surely. And also - he really isn't very good at saying the words 'I am a spy'. Remember that Elizaveta didn't know either and it doesn't look like Maya will. Does anyone else think Maya will be killed off? That seems to be where this is heading.

The lip line from Harry was a little silly, I thought, but I loved the cowbell joke, immediately followed by Harry giving Ruth his undivided attention. Some things never change.

Dimitri kicked arse. Max Brown and especially Shazad Latif make do wonderfully well with what little they have been given thus far. (As a bike afficionado though, that was some SERIOUS stunt driving! Very scary!) Hoping for more from them.

Sophia and Nicola really brought their stuff to the table on this one. They both delivered some very tricky scenes that were played beautifully with pathos.

The Albany explanation needs to come in the next episode lest they fall into the trap of season 8 where Nightingale was parachuted in in the final 3 episodes and felt really rushed. I'm not wavering on that. They run the risk of making the same mistake here.

Finally, a point that may have been made already. I found Ruth's codename very interesting. I may have sung at several too many weddings, but the choice of 'gazelle' to me was deliberate. In Song of Songs, love is described as 'leaping like a gazelle' and I immediately thought the choice was wonderfully poignant in a beautiful, subtle way. That's the kind of HR subtext I like. It is probably just a coincidence, but it's a very neat one.

HellsBells · 15-10-2010, 01:26 PM

(14-10-2010 09:40 PM)khananel Wrote: I think that perhaps most people watching Spooks like computers, are intelligent but know little of the outside world. So maybe I should just leave this Forum to those people. I don't really belong here, so I think I'll take my leave of you.

Good luck to you all

khananel

I hate computers to be honest (with a passion sometimes !), but still love Spooks, it is a drama and therefore must allow the impossible to happened otherwise it would be a documentary. It is a shame you feel you don't belong here, we really are a friendly bunch.

I was impressed be the touch screen computers in the archive, it looked great. Shouldn't Lucas have wiped the keyboard as well ?

**JHyde** · 15-10-2010, 01:40 PM

Wow! Having read back it seems this episode really polarized people!

lwhite53 hit on my favourite line of the episode too. It was one of those double edged lines that is both horribly truthful and almost funny at the same time.

Kai seems to be the one uniting figure on this thread. His story seems to have affected most of us.

Aria · 15-10-2010, 04:54 PM

I was re-watching this episode today and I found Harry's line, "we can drive Passats and they can live" when replying to the Home Secretarys observation that oil rich countries tend to be water poor, funny. Its probably because I drive a passat Big Grin

**age1021** · 15-10-2010, 04:55 PM

Somebody might have mentioned this, but how did Lucas know the account of the guy he set up?

**NightOwl** · 15-10-2010, 05:20 PM

age1021-

He stopped him in the hallway and asked him to look something up. Once Owens typed in his username and password, Lucas told him to nevermind that he (Lucas) would look it up later. The photographic memory comes in handy.

**age1021** · 15-10-2010, 05:24 PM

(15-10-2010 05:20 PM)NightOwl Wrote: age1021-

He stopped him in the hallway and asked him to look something up. Once Owens typed in his username and password, Lucas told him to nevermind that he (Lucas) would look it up later. The photographic memory comes in handy.

Okay, but how did he know his bank account? WAs that on his profile?

**NightOwl** · 15-10-2010, 05:35 PM

(15-10-2010 05:24 PM)age1021 Wrote:
(15-10-2010 05:20 PM)NightOwl Wrote: age1021-

He stopped him in the hallway and asked him to look something up. Once Owens typed in his username and password, Lucas told him to nevermind that he (Lucas) would look it up later. The photographic memory comes in handy.

Okay, but how did he know his bank account? WAs that on his profile?

That I can't answer. I'll have to defer to somebody with better eyesight. Perhaps for direct deposit of paychecks? Or it might just be a plothole.

lwhite53 · (This post was last modified: 15-10-2010 06:21 PM by lwhite53.)

(15-10-2010 05:24 PM)age1021 Wrote:
(15-10-2010 05:20 PM)NightOwl Wrote: age1021-

He stopped him in the hallway and asked him to look something up. Once Owens typed in his username and password, Lucas told him to nevermind that he (Lucas) would look it up later. The photographic memory comes in handy.

Okay, but how did he know his bank account? WAs that on his profile?

Yes. After Lucas downloaded the Albany file, he brought up Owens file on the screen. That file had all of Owens particulars, including his bank acct. codes.

(15-10-2010 01:40 PM)JHyde Wrote: Kai seems to be the one uniting figure on this thread. His story seems to have affected most of us.

Yeah, how sad is it that Kai believed his destiny, the only thing he was meant for, was to be a betrayer. That's a penultimate step to suicide which is what he did by going back to the Chinese, as Beth noted.

I hope this isn't a message of some kind directed at one of our spooks.

Giftcard · 15-10-2010, 08:26 PM

(12-10-2010 08:34 AM)Tea Lady Wrote: From wanting to be a tapas bar owner to actually being a doctor,

Oh! I thought she wanted to be a topless bar owner. Normally I don't have a problem w/ the accents but I've got a head cold so I guess my hearing's not 100%. LOL!

Love, love, love Harry and the HS!!!! Their scenes together might be my favourite part of the show.

I'm a major Lucas fan but even I'm getting sick of his "romances". Although I do enjoy seeing him shirtless.

I was very upset to read the previous comments that we're halfway through the season! Not fair! I wish this show had at least 25 shows per season.