[spoilers] Ruth

[kmac82]

beatrice4ruth wrote, "Contrary to the other viewers, my favorite Spooks character is not Harry (yes, I know, it's hard to believe), but Ruth. I feel protective towards her, because for many years I worked for the Foreign Office of my country of origin. I understand Ruth’s reticence to get involved with Harry, her boss, especially before 5.5. As she matures through some pretty terrible ordeals, she has become the equal of Harry. I like the evolution of her character, from a shy analyst to a sophisticated advisor to Harry. Like Peter Firth, Nicola Walker is an extraordinary actress. "

One of the things that draws me most to Spooks is the character development and the writers have done a fantastic job with Ruth. Though quirky and a bit high-strung in the earlier seasons, you definitely have to respect her knowledge, tenacity and genuine love for her colleagues. I don't think she was being ridiculous at all in her reluctance to become involved with Harry in S5, as, like you implied, she wasn't yet his "equal" (in the professional sense), but his subordinate. Now, though he technically still is her boss, her wisdom and maturity have brought them onto equal footing.

You also said, "If only Spooks went a step further in the personal growth of Ruth. Let Ruth and Harry face together, as a couple, the challenges of Section D. I wish that Spooks had not conditioned us (I nearly wrote brainwashed us) into believing that only a dramatic ending to the H/R relationship was plausible."

I completely agree! I'd love to see them resolve this grief and angst between H&R early on and let them kick ass the rest of the series 10. How beautiful would that be?! No need to dramatically ride off into the sunset... just sweet resolution.

[JHyde]

There are precious few on the forum (although they do exist!) who would disagree with you there. I am very fond of the Ruth who was dragged back into Five 2 seasons ago - one of the few things I loved about season 9 was Ruth's development. Some people have mixed feelings about how Ruth went from being Harry's arm touching colleague in S8 to his slightly more critical conscience in S9 but mostly the tougher Ruth is appreciated.

They have never been content to let Ruth lie but have given her some really decent storylines since she came back. In some ways she is more believable since her return from Cyprus.

[DogSoSmall]

I so hope that these thoughts are mirrored by the writers. There is a wealth of material there, with Ruth and Harry working as a formidable team, whereas the breakdown/breakup route seems profoundly depressing and dead-end in comparison.

[beatrice4ruth]

(26-06-2011 08:44 AM)DogSoSmall Wrote:  I so hope that these thoughts are mirrored by the writers. There is a wealth of material there, with Ruth and Harry working as a formidable team, whereas the breakdown/breakup route seems profoundly depressing and dead-end in comparison.

I totally agree with you.

I found the recent tweet from Jodie, who allowed me to quote her, very interesting: “For the record I gave up on H&R after 9.3. Slap in the face to PF/NW if nothing in s10 hard work gone!”

She is right. If the producers persist in the breakup of H/R or the death of Ruth (for the time being we know that Harry is still alive, it might change by the fall), they would not only go against the wishes of the fans and the writers. More significantly they would rebuff the dedication of PF/NW to the relationship of Harry and Ruth. And that would be a shame!

[JHyde]

I'm not even talking about Harry and Ruth. She stands perfectly well on her own.

[beatrice4ruth]

I just wanted to add a few remarks to my review in the thread Sir Harry Pearce.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the development of Ruth’s character is consistent in S9. She showed compassion to two strangers (9.4, 9.7). She listened to Harry and supported him so that he could find his way back from self-doubt to confidence. If this is not love, I do not know what it is. She had long forgiven Harry for his role in the death of George. By the end of S9 she seemed to have forgiven herself for George’s killing and the loss of Nico. By the way, I think that she loved Nico more than George and if Nico had been killed, she would never have forgiven Harry.

[Silktie]

(02-08-2011 11:18 AM)beatrice4ruth Wrote:  Just one quick remark about Ruth (I do not know how to transfer your reply to the Ruth's thread; is it just copy and paste?). In 9.4 Ruth asked Harry to do something to prevent Kai to be handed to the CIA and in 9.7 she felt guilty about the way she treated poor Keith Deery. Has she changed that much from S8?

The two incidents you mentioned both happened when there was no longer anything at stake. When I said Ruth was 'harder' in season 9, I was referring to how she reacted during operations, when there was much at stake. In season 8, even during an operation, she felt compassion for the young boy they were using and showed hesitation about doing it. There is none of that in season 9. She doesn't hesitate when telling Tariq to inform Lucas that one guy got away in 9.3, even after the Russians had shot all the others, and she didn't hesitate in telling Harry to lie to Kirby about his daughter. These are things she would have felt uncomfortable about in the past, I think.

And also, she was cruel to Deery (her own words) first, before she felt bad and tried to make amends. Ruth has never been a cruel person before.

Quote: As NW said and I agree with her, in S8 the writers brushed over Ruth's reactions to the traumatic events of 8.1. In S9 the new writers (?) dealt with them, especially in regard to Ruth's interaction with Harry.

But is that not the very essence of inconsistent characterisation? They had her react to a significant event in a certain way all through season 8, but then decided they got it wrong and changed it around in season 9.

It doesn't matter whether we agree that they got it wrong in season 8, the fact is they ret-conned Ruth to suit the new writers' vision for the show.

It's not that I don't like where they took her in season 9, but I do notice these inconsistencies and wish they could have explained it better.

[beatrice4ruth]

We will have to agree to disagree. I am more worried about the TV Easy weekly TV guide re S10:

Series 10 Spoiler: show

I had to laugh at the word "man" in "Will Ruth stand by her man", which might imply that they are now together. However, I did find the following question less funny "Can Harry rely on Ruth as he fights for his survival?" I do not think I could take more Ruth-bashing (not from you, may I quickly add) if she does not support Harry. Whatever the outcome, I can't wait for S10 and the superb acting.

[beatrice4ruth]

Dogsosmall wrote:”I also think she would then have shown a little more understanding to someone who then did the exact same thing (or so she thought) for love of her - if her character development had been consistent (as per Silktie's comments).”

My last remarks about S9, I promise:

It seems to me that the forum has already examined the difference between Ruth’s giving away the secret of the uranium location to Mani and Harry’s giving away Albany to Lucas. As I recall, one theory (which makes sense to me) was that George and Nico were innocent civilians and that Ruth had to protect them against a terrorist. The theory also mentioned that in the Albany case, Ruth was an officer, even if it was only a desk officer. When she protested to Harry that it was “her turn”, she felt that it was her job to sacrifice herself for the country. To me, it showed at least some consistency in Ruth’s character development: her duty as a reinstated officer overshadows everything else. I believe that Harry respected her conviction when he said to her: “It’s my turn”.

From now on, I am going to talk only about S10! What am I saying! In S10 Ruth has to decide whether love will triumph over duty and whether she is going to make the same choice as Harry in S9. The anguish never ends.

[beatrice4ruth]

In S9 Harry was allowed to grieve for the staff losses he suffered over the years, whereas Ruth’s silent grief for the losses of Jo and Ros culminated in her reply “It’s my turn” to Harry. Harry chose love over duty when he exchanged Albany for Ruth. In S10

Series 10 Spoiler: show

as I mentioned above, will Ruth in turn choose love over duty when Harry’s secret is revealed? Is it really the reverse situation? In her career as an analyst at Section D, Ruth did not seem to have done anything wrong professionally. Harry must have made some dodgy and merciless decisions to reach the rank of Head of Section. I am a little apprehensive to find out how the writers will develop the characters of Harry and Ruth in S10.