Series 10 - Episode 6 Discussion

[MissArtio]

What a Brilliant 10 years we have had

[beatrice4ruth]

(25-10-2011 12:26 AM)Morello Wrote:  I really loved that ending – it was gripping and contained some humour as well as being genuinely moving, even for an occasional watcher like me who has only really become thoroughly hooked this series. I didn’t find the ending too soapy, mainly because I’ve always seen Spooks as a soap. This isn’t a criticism – it’s wonderful, well-acted spy soap of the highest order – good quality entertainment.

The ending was very sad, and I thought also very fitting. I like the fact that the possibility of a happy ending had an existence in the idea of Ruth’s seaside cottage – a ‘nice dream’ that both of them knew was never likely to become a reality. The acting was great – I loved Harry with literal and metaphorical blood on his hands unable to touch Ruth properly because of it. The way Peter Firth acted that was beautiful – I couldn’t stop looking at his hand. I found that part even more touching than the too-late kiss. That whole scene was very 'Romeo and Juliet' – Ruth getting between Sasha and Harry, and the sense of everyone somehow being punished for the past. In this show no one is entirely innocent, and I always prefer morally shaded drama.

Personally I really liked all three of the Gavriks as characters. Perhaps it’s because, as a relative new-comer, I don’t have anything like the investment in the Grid characters that more die-hard fans do, but I found all three performances quite engrossing. I read a reviewer on another site who said that, since he wasn’t Harry’s son after all, Sasha’s character was pointless. I can’t agree with that at all. I found him to be the one I was following, because I was as confused as he was. I was pretty sure that Harry had lied to Elena about her parents in order to turn her, but I had no idea that she knew she was lying to Sasha when she gave him her reasons for being Harry’s spy, after Sasha killed his friend to protect her! Maybe I’m just naïve, but, although I didn’t trust her, I hadn’t worked out the plot at all, and it did grip me throughout the season. Sasha was also necessary to link Harry to Elena for the viewers. Would we care much about Harry/Elena and their past without a son in the picture? Poor Sasha! He’s going to need therapy for the rest of his life. (I’m assuming he survived – he was only shot in the leg, and he didn’t look too bad when we last saw him on the ground next to Callum.) Ilya was brilliant – such presence. Yes – the whole Gavrik plot was quite melodramatic, but I found all three of them surprisingly sympathetic characters at different times (and, as I said, I do view the whole thing as good soap over all). I’d like to have seen something of Sasha’s relationship with Ilya too – but I guess there was no time.

For me, Harry’s inability to see through Elena didn’t come across as weakness, but as very human. He had so much invested in her – his sense of guilt – his almost thirty year belief that Sasha was his son – that he just couldn’t make a leap that huge, to see her for what she really was quickly enough. Ruth making the right decision seemed perfect here – reminding the viewer of how they complement each other and how effective they can be as a team. It makes the ending even more tragic.

As a fanfic writer (mainly in other fandoms) I completely understand the Harry/Ruth shippers’ sorrow – this ending is (to my mind effectively) very bleak. But I just can’t see either of these characters happy in that cottage in a realistic future. My one quibble with the whole episode was originally that shot of the location of the cottage, which seemed to be neither in Suffolk (the White Cliffs of Dunwich?) or all that close to the sea. But having seen the episode twice now, I don’t mind that any more. I don’t think it was supposed to be realistic. It’s an English rural idyll – unobtainable. I love the high angle of the shot, and then the sense of almost claustrophobia at the cottage itself – the narrow lane, the fences, the closed door, the kitchen counter like a barrier. It’s too much a retreat – shut off from the real world. It was never going to happen, and I’m glad of that. This is all only my opinion, of course, but I couldn’t see an ending there as being in character for either of them. As many people have already said so eloquently, this series is ultimately about sacrifice and what these characters have had to give up to protect their country. In that context, the White Cliffs of Dover shot makes perfect sense, as does Harry’s return to work, and the strong sense that the department will carry on defeating the bad guys who want to kill us.

Compelling drama – thank you to all concerned.

It is strange how we all see things differently. I did not find the cottage shut off from the real world. In fact I was surprised that it was so close to the other houses. (I live in the States and I am now used to extensive uninhabited areas). I thought that Ruth would have chosen an isolated cottage in the countryside. I was wrong. She and Harry were too urban to live in a rural area and they needed neighbors around them.

Ruth knew Harry very well and had reserved the small room of the cottage as a work room for him. I thought it was so touching and so loving that she was trying to make his retirement more meaningful. He could have work as a consultant, perhaps with Tom. Life goes on even when one quits the intelligence services. In fact former intelligence officers make more money with the private industry, at least where I live! Look at Ilya and at former CIA agents.

I was really shocked by Harry's degrading decision making over the last two series. I should also remember that we are talking about fictional characters and not a real person. Ruth is no longer here to stop him. He is going to be even more reckless than before. Even if the HS gives Harry a second chance, I do not think that the other high-ranking officials will be as tolerant if he messes up again.

Harry himself had realized that when he told Ruth that it was time for him to retire. I am so sad for him. It is truly awful to go on working out of duty and mostly when one has lost one's fighting spirit. Ruth was the one who encouraged him to keep fighting the bad guys in series 9 and in her honor he will continue to protect the realm, even if it is at a heavy cost for him.

It is such a bleak and unfair ending for Harry and Ruth. It would have been better for Harry to die and for Ruth to survive. I just hope that Kudos or the BBC do not intend to plan another Spooks series in the future.

[Jhokur]

I went into the episode, having read the minor spoilers, then the major spoilers (Wylie's blog) and yet the last 15 minutes felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest - which for a drama is what we want *at least I would hope we would*: the suspense, the hurt, the emotional connection to the characters. I can honestly say I called only about 1/2 of what occurred - having Elena calling the shots, her husband killing her, then Sasha being the one to kill Ruth caught me off guard. I think I was just as surprised to see Dimitri shoot Sasha in the leg. Watching Harry go to the house, then to the memorial... my heart hurt to see that, with it being elevated in the middle with Tom taking care of matters. I could only imagine the phone call:

Tom: "Tom Qui.."
Harry: "Tom, it's Harry. Ruth's dead and I need your help."
T: "Harry, I.."
H: "I know its a lot to ask of you, Tom. I ask, however, that you do it for Ruth. As a friend."
T: After a long pause, "Give me the details and consider it done."

The very end gave me chills - I believe he's looking at the dossiers for Ruth's replacements when the phone rings. Definitely a rollercoaster ending to the series and the show.

As far as questions brought up about the inquest and the events of series 10, I imagine a lot of hand waving from HS/PM regarding who was involved in the plots and Ilya vouching for Harry would go a long way.

[MissArtio]

T0 be honest, i have never been ready to let SPOOKS go,
As i hung to the TOM ordeal all through 10 series,it was , OMG seeing him,( i never read any spoilers)

I really cant see anything equaling this show.

i feel Lost ..

[Silktie]

Well, shit, they killed Ruth...

Wow, sixteen pages of comment already?

What a haunting ending.

The episode belonged to Peter Firth. My word, his performance was out of this world. First he scared the bejeesus out of me when Harry was smacking Sasha around and threatening to shoot him, and then he ripped my heart out as Ruth died and right up to the very last negative. Ever. Simply sublime.

There were also fantastice performances from NW and SRB, as well as JH, AK and TWJ. Kudos all round.

I think it a fitting ending for Harry, as once Ruth died, he was always going to return to the Service. It is the only way he knows to honour the fallen. It was ever thus.

Though I enjoyed the double bluff with the plane in this last episode, I remain ambivalent about the Elena/Sasha/Harry plot overall. It was emotionally powerful, yes, but for it to work it required Harry to get not a single thing right, in the present as well as all those years ago. Now, I don't require my heroes to be infallible, and Harry has certainly never been that, but for nine years he has been a brilliant and intuitive Intelligence Officer who did get the occasional thing right. We never got to see those traits in this final season, and that doesn't sit quite right with me.

The whole Gavrik family drama playing out was fascinating, and I agree with whoever said Sasha is going to need some serious therapy. Maybe he and Ilya can work out their differences whilst doing time together for killing Ruth and Elena respectively. I liked the fact that Harry used that lie about Elena's parents to 'turn' her - he has never been afraid to go to the dark places of this job and I was glad that dark side got an outing here.

And as ever, Ruth and Harry's timing sucked. Just when both of them were finally ready to move on together, it was too late. And Sasha gets to make the final interruption of a Significant Moment between the two, unfortunately permanently. I never really expected them to get a happy ending, but a small part of me had hoped that they would surprise us with an ending with the slightest hint of hope for the future. But they definitely got the promised definitive ending - there's no coming back once your name is on that wall, sadly.

The Memorial Wall and Tom's little cameo was a great way to tie everything together that had happened these last ten years.

So, rest in peace, dear Ruth.

And keep on fighting, Sir Harry, you magnificent bastard.

I will miss you dearly.

[harrbd]

I'm a bit confused about Sasha. Didn't Dimitri shoot him? I may be wrong as tears were clouding my vision !

[Kazters]

sasha was standing watching them try to save ruth he looked really gutted about it!

[harry]

Delurking and making a rare post.

My what a gripping last episode, so spooks like. Rivetted to the screen. As I read the 16 pages there are people who loved it, people who thought it was it was so so and people who thought it was devastating. I must admit I am very much in the later. I don't cry easily, but gee the tissues got a working for a number of hours. I wish it had ended differently, not overly sweet, but enough that when watching past episodes the doomed finale does not keep coming to the fore. Certainly happening at the moment, for the first time doing a flick on the telly, came across a season 4 rerun and pasted it up. A first for me. Even thou the espisode was well done, the ending has me wishing I had not watched it.

[JHyde]

OK, so I am finally back to actually talk about the episode. I've also chatted with my sister, who finally caught up with Spooks after abandoning season 9, which we both hated (mostly). She also loved the ending.

I think I need to watch this episode again because there's some stuff I missed and I actually misinterpreted a few things. I do wonder why no one noticed the missing flight attendant, how Harry managed to get away scot free at the end (I'm guessing Ilya and the HS managed to place the blame on Elena's lot) and how Ilya explained the death of his wife.

But these things aside, it was a magnificent finale. All actors did great and Bharat Nalluri continued his very stylish work - he always knows how to make something interesting or moving. In conjunction with the DP, the lighting and production on this episode was just beautiful, especially in the 'glass and rain scene', as my sister and I are calling it.

Someone earlier on the thread said that it was obvious it was written by two men and that this showed in really negative ways, especially with Ruth's death scene. I disagree with this. I have made criticisms about the work of Vincent and Brackley in the past and I stand by those, but this episode was wonderful and I do not think it was 'obviously written by two guys'. There was subtlety and all good things. I am especially fond of Ruth's line about not being part of an audience - flawless. One of my favourite lines in the whole show.

This brings me neatly to Ruth. She has been my favourite character across the whole show and I wept when she died. I cannot believe that anyone would believe Elena's remark about her not being good with people. She was kind and loving to the last and given that I have spent a lot of time pretending to be in Ruth's head (thanks to the Ruth's Diary project) it felt like a very personal loss.

I loved that in this, the last episode, Harry and Ruth were a team. It was Ruth who saw the flaw in the scenario and Harry who proved it for sure. They have been a formidable pairing and I liked that this was evident at the last.

It is true that once Sascha picked up the glass it was obvious what was coming next but I managed to block that and just enjoy the next few minutes while Ruth said her piece. A lot of people are angry because they didn't get their 'moments of happiness'. I think they had that. Ruth said what she needed to say and Harry smiled his assent. Ruth's heartbreaking final few moments essentially summarise why she had to die, as she put it, they were not lives she and Harry were meant to have. This is the flip side to Callum's statement at the end, that 'bad people want to kill us'. Between the two of them they got the show's fundamental message neatly expressed.

I agree that it was right to have Harry alone at the end. It has always been much more poignant to have him being the one who survived while all these young things died heroically. He has been stoic in his service and it is also how he copes. His return to the Grid was the only option for him. I don't think he ever intended to buy the house - he just wanted to see it.

Essentially I was very happy with the ending. I do understand why people are upset, but I believe strongly that a happy ending would have felt false. In fact, I voted against it on the poll I posed on the HR thread months ago. I will miss the show terribly but I am glad that the show has ended so well, for lack of a better phrasing.

[The Grid]

I'm still evershedding loads of tears over Ruth's death....

*ba boom tish*