Series 9 Episode 8 discussion

[Lucasbateman]

i heard that they may have filmed two endings. i'd love to know what the other one was. perhaps lucas running off into the night while harry stood on the roof waiting for a bullet?

[Angie]

(08-11-2010 10:18 PM)Gazelle Wrote:  I feel pretty emotionally drained now and I've only been watching...!

Glad Lucas relented and took his own life not Harry's, would have liked to have a closing scene to reunite Harry with the others, especially Ruth of course. On the plus side, they're both still alive and assuming NW's in the next series then I really hope the storywriters develop the Harry/Ruth relationship in a positive way. There's too much history between them to just let it dissipate away with a whimper, instead S10 needs to do them justice.

Here's also hoping for a bit more light relief in S10 - ok, there's going to be the usual terrorism plots but please can we have some less serious outtakes round the edges like in previous series? It's true Spooks has a great edge but it doesn't have to be all dark.

My ideal scenario for S10 - Harry survives the review, he and Ruth have a new found understanding, the team foils some other terrorist plot, and the 2 of them bow out together at the end of the series...

Absolutely!! What was the point in having Lucas tell Ruth to go for it with Harry if they are just going to shut down their relationship for good? Give them something to smile about - they've paid their dues over the years.
Maybe if he isn't her boss and is under suspension then they dont have to have a boss/junior relationship - shades of that great scene on the bus in Series 4.

[Gazelle]

(08-11-2010 10:33 PM)Forever Secret Wrote:  Happier times in Series 10... *Hopes*
I actually really Love the character of Alec! I would love for him to be in Series 10!

Agreed - he's a bit abrasive but he knows what he's about and has been round the block a few times, would offset the relative inexperience of Dmitri and Beth.

[Aria]

(08-11-2010 10:33 PM)Forever Secret Wrote:  I actually really Love the character of Alec! I would love for him to be in Series 10!

Me too. Loved it when he said to Harry, "if i'd known you were coming, I would have hovered around". Interesting byplay with him and Beth I thought.

[Onion Terror]

(08-11-2010 10:27 PM)nothingisasitseems Wrote:  Alec to be new Section head?

I'm not so sure about this one. There was a brief moment when it occured to me that maybe he was being lined up to replace Harry, but I can't see it. They made a point of establishing the fact that he'd left the service under a cloud, and also that he had a drink problem.

Wouldn't be surprised if he popped up every so often though. The sort of character who might be used to take on "small, deniable operations..."

[Ben 531]

Alec was quite funny at times, but I don't think he should be section Chief. If Harry doesn't come back as Head of MI5, then they need to find 2 awesome charcaters to redeem it. But I hope Harry returns, and they surprise us with a new/old face coming back.

Also the scene where Harry calls his daughter, was extremly interesting, I don't remember them ever mentioning his family atall.

[BravoNine]

(08-11-2010 10:10 PM)deebab Wrote:  I think RA should come with a warning --- Dont let him do 3 series of a character. He destroyed Gisborne in series 3 and turned Lucas inside out in the 3 series so thank the lord the Hobbit will only be in 2 parts.

I think it's rather unfair to blame RA for "destroying" Gisbourne or "turning" Lucas "inside out", these issues come from the writers, if anything, RA's performance is the saving grace to these problematic writings. Robin Hood was going downhill anyways with everyone dying in the finale, that's not RA's fault for how that series went down. And RA had no control on how Spooks writers was gonna write his character to be or how they were gonna change him, he did the best he could with what he had. To be honest, I wouldn't even care that much about the storylines from either shows if RA wasn't so good at portraying the emotions of the characters.

--------------------------------

As for the episode itself, this is my reaction:

The acting:

The writing:

Right now, this is all I can think of, I'm still too angry......at least Lucas came through at the end and didn't let me down.....

[Logsie]

Well, having seen the previews on the BBC Spooks site earlier today, I had guessed that Lucas was going to jump. I'm so glad they didn't show him falling or splattered on the ground like Walker after SC pushed him off the balcony because that would have broken my heart.

Lucas/John really had nothing left to live for after Maya was killed. He'd lost her, lost MI5, lost himself and all he had to look forward to was imprisonment which would have pushed his already fragile sanity off the edge. So he took the only way out possible. I thought it was terribly sad that he went in silence, no scream on the way down. I like to think he closed his eyes. Harry once said to him "if you're lying to me you won't get so much as a funeral". It is all so reminiscent of Ruth's poem at Ros's funeral.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me dye;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lye.

It will be interesting to see how they treat Lucas's memory in season 10 as he was a rogue agent and bearing in mind that Harry won't be calling the shots any more. It could all have gone so differently. As soon as Harry realised Lucas was after Albany, why the hell didn't he tell him it was a failed project? He could have pulled Lucas back from the brink, possibly. It cut me to the bone when Harry asked Lucas what happened in Dakar and he replied that Vaughn gave him a chance to be something, to make a difference; Harry responded by saying "I wish you'd met me first" and Lucas said "So do I"

I thought I'd be a lot more upset than I am. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet.

[Lucasbateman]

(08-11-2010 10:37 PM)Gazelle Wrote:  

(08-11-2010 10:33 PM)Forever Secret Wrote:  Happier times in Series 10... *Hopes*
I actually really Love the character of Alec! I would love for him to be in Series 10!

Agreed - he's a bit abrasive but he knows what he's about and has been round the block a few times, would offset the relative inexperience of Dmitri and Beth.

yes now that we have lost Roz and Lucas, we need a more experienced leader to come in and take charge of the section

[elisabet]

(08-11-2010 10:22 PM)Onion Terror Wrote:  Hmm...so we didn't end up with any explanation for Lucas' change in behaviour and personality, other than that he was just in love, I guess, and was doing what he had to do to get the life he wanted. Have to agree with the idea that perhaps this was filmed before the confirmation of S10; it was the kind of ending that simultaneously allows for another series, and alternatively looks like a sensible finale as well (if that makes any sense!).
Glad that Harry survived; he is probably the one exception to the rule that no character is bigger than the show. Also a relief to see the 'back in 2011' bit at the end. Preferably January 2011 please BBC, just to prevent 11 months of impatient waiting!

I don't think that he was in love, so much as he tried to recapture the past, where he was innocent and had not yet commited those atrocities.
I will miss Lucas in the next series.