7.7 [re-watch]

[Silktie]

Count me in as one who loved this episode. Even on the rewatch I find it suspenseful. Hah, poor Ben, the only time he made any impression on me is when he dies gruesomely. It's interesting that so many people still like Connie, even after her betrayal - and I'm one of them. I can't help but wonder if I'd feel the same if she'd done that to someone I really cared about - like Malcolm. I enjoy Gemma Jones' performance immensely in this episode. The little sequence I like best of all is the one when she starts to sort of lose it, imagining that everyone suspects her and is giving her strange looks, when in reality no-one has any idea that she's the mole yet. It's brilliantly done. I'm on the fence re the hiss - the first time I saw the episode and was truly drawn into the drama I thought it was great - but on rewatch I find it less so.

So, did Ros for a few seconds believe that Harry was the traitor after she'd talked to him? It certainly looked to me like she did.

I do love to hate Dolby in this one - he really is the most frightful little tit, like Qualtrough said. Connie plays him like a banjo, and I like to imagine Harry smacked him one or kicked him in the nuts the moment he was free, even though I know he wouldn't. And Grady was similarly creepy. I can see why he has the job as MI5 interrogator.

What more can one say about PF's performance? Two scenes truly stand out for me: the very first one in the episode, when he sits in that chair waiting for them to come for him, and the scene with the HS. These scenes are among my all time favourites of Harry. And while it's very dramatic when those Special Forces burst in like that and grab Harry, I think it's serious overkill. Harry is not some kick-ass fighting machine in his twenties, who could put up serious resistance. Honestly, a polite knock on the door would have got the job done just as well.

I too liked that Harry apologised to Lucas for sending him back to Russia, and wonder why he didn't send the person he trusts most, i.e. Ros. We know she can operate effectively there, after all. And one thing that bothers me is that surely Lucas would have been recognised the moment he stepped off the plane, yet they only realise he's there when Connie warns them? I don't buy that.

But I forgive all these things because I think it brings the Sugarhorse storyline to a close excellently, and because most of the characters got a moment to shine, even boring old Ben.