Series 10 - Episode 2 Discussion

[Sparky]

I'm in the camp that loved this whole episode. It seemed once again like a real ensemble piece with the focus more on Erin and Harry. The actress who played Martha was fantastic and really portayed her dispair at being 'played' by the State. There probably were a few plot-holes (this is Spooks after all) but on the first watch I didn't see any glaring ones, the pace of the episode was just about right and kept me hooked.

I'm liking the Gavrik's. I think Ilya is the best 'obvious' bad guy that we've had in a while, and I'm convinced now that Elena (and Ilya) are playing Harry and have been all along. Sasha is growing on me enormously, you could feel his anguish as he tried to protect his mother while all the time realising that she stood against all he believed in.

With Harry and Ruth, I'm getting the feeling he's trying to push her away to protect her. I think he knows that there is more to come and his coldness towards her when she tried to talk to him about Elena was a defence mechanism both for himself and to help her! The anguish in both their eyes in the scene in his office was quite telling! I also think he talking (at least in part) about Ruth to Erin at the end of the ep. As much as I love Harry and Ruth and would love a happy ending, I'm very glad their relationship isn't the major focus and very much a C or D focus at the moment. I think that it'll come to the fore in eps 5 and 6 and will be snatches for the next couple of episodes!

Erin and Calum continue to grow on me, they both had scenes in this episode that showed a more warming side to them. Calum's in the scene with Tariq offering to buy him a drink; and Erin in the scenes with Martha and especially the scene with Harry in his office!

And finally, I was sorry to see Tariq die, I always liked him though he was very much a back room Spook, even in series 8 and 9 and was very rarely at the forefront of a scene never mind a full episode!