Episode 2 Discussion

[Adam Carter]

Wow. The final 20 or 25 minutes of this episode left me breathless. When Spooks is at its best, there's nothing else quite like it....

- Tariq's introduction was initially way too simple and brushed under the rug, but I thought he had some nice moments towards the end with Lucas. Hopefully they build upon that chemistry going forward. All in all, though, I think they could have done better job at acknowledging the significance of him replacing Malcolm. But the character is very likable.

- What an amazing episode for Jo. She's always been the most empathetic character, and she really shined here. Her decision to overstep both Harry and Ros made perfect sense, and led to a wonderful Senior/Junior Officer lashing from Ros.

- I agree with everyone who says this Lucas/Sarah thing is definitely a rehash of that Series 2 storyline with Tom and Christine, but there's the potential here for this to be much more explosive. Christine was always genuine, in the sense that her motives were clear and we knew she could be trusted. But something tells me Sarah is not on the "up and up".

- The Harry/Ruth drama was handled exceptionally, and I can't wait to see how their relationship develops once Ruth officially returns.

- Speaking of Ruth's return, I'm excited to see how she fits in with the new dynamic of the team. Ros's Section D is definitely not Adam's Section D, and we all know Ros and Ruth never really got along.

- On the subject of Ros, I became a big fan of hers during Series 7, but something is missing this year. The "cold, ruthless" leader shtick is a little bit tired right now, and she doesn't appear to have an actual storyline. I don't really know what they're trying to do with her, aside from running the team.

- I loved the added touch of irony in the strip club scene where Thumper and the hitman suspected Lucas of being FSB.