Series 10 - Episode 3 Discussion

[harrbd]

I hope that Harry and Coaver didn't kill Elena's parents, making it look like the KGB, to get her on their side.

[Gazelle]

(03-10-2011 07:13 PM)harrbd Wrote:  I hope that Harry and Coaver didn't kill Elena's parents, making it look like the KGB, to get her on their side.

Hadn't thought of that - I'd assumed Elena's parents were killed sometime in the past (before she was in Berlin). Surely not?!

---

Not sure if it was intentional or not but the way Harry looked when he answered Sasha why he'd come in person reminded me of the scene between Harry and Ruth on the Millenium Bridge early in S8 (was it 8.1?) when he's apologising to Ruth for 'everything really' that happened with George. It seems like nothing really changes for Harry, he's always got some heavy weight or other on his shoulders... guess we should forgive him hiding in his office a bit this week!

[Onion Terror]

I haven't had a chance to rewatch this epsode yet so forgive me if this post sounds a little bit dense, but I'm slightly confused. Tariq watches the CCTV and sees the laptop change hands twice: the muggers give it to Woman A (who's with CIA), and she passes it to Woman B (who could be Elena Gavrik). Clearly Tariq recognises her, but when Calum views the CCTV, he apparently doesn't. Neither does he tell the rest of the team about this-he simply fills them in on the identity of the first woman. Why?!?! Having said all that, not a ba episode for me. Not edge-of-the-seat stuff, but enough to whet the appetite for next week (as if it needed any whetting!)

[Tea Lady]

I'm just wondering if we are supposed to just except the second woman was Elena but the programme editors just didn't make that clear enough. We know Elena thought it was Harry running her, so no real surprises if she was used to pass the suitcase on. The useful information in that scene is who the first woman is. That we now know is a CIA agent or someone making us think she is working for the CIA. The fact the whole exchange was done in front of CCTV is deliberate and miss directing us IMO.

You never know. Perhaps Elena did tell Harry she was involved with the suitcase plot at the theatre. Harry, wanting to protect Elena, bugged Tariq's flat and then had him killed when Tariq discovered it was Elena. Now Harry has brushed Tariq's death under the carpet, he's got away with it and kept his wish not to go to any more funerals. One to ponder...

[richliga]

In my opinion this was the weakest episode in series 10. was looking forward to honey trap plot with Dimitri but got very disappointed, for me there was no suspension and it all was a way too predictable.

Maybe I just missed Russian/CIA/Harry's past secret plot development. I was also wondering how comes Calum did not notice the woman (Elena look a like) who received the laptop from the CIA woman? Tariq did.

My favorite moment was the meeting between Ruth and Elena! This time Alice Krige really nailed it! And Nicola was absolutely brilliant (as in every episode this year), the body language and exchanged looks between these two women were just outstanding! But this red colour that always follows Elena in every episode does signal danger to me!!!!

Ruth and Towers dinner scene was really good too. Ruths speech was just heartbreaking and Towers was funny. Must say I had difficulties to understand what he said but SRB delivers his lines in such a way that I am laughing out load without even understanding a word he says....

Harry Sasha scene. First Sasha says to Ruth to tell Harry to come himself and then when harry comes he is confused why did he come himself! Come on kiddo, make up your mind!

I also found it bit annoying that Harry sort of backed out from explaining to his team, instead just asking Ruth to do it for himself. He is a way too much emotionally involved in all this so maybe thats why he asks Ruth... ?

Also thought they should use more Jonathan Hyde in these series....

[The_Niece]

True, richliga; nevertheless I believe Ilya / Hyde's big moment in the series is yet to come.

[Ceridwyn2]

Watched the ep this evening (downloaded last night). The Dimitri plot was a bit predictable - though sending him in to be the 'honeytrap' was a bit different - haven't seen that done since Adam, I believe (tho I'm kinda blanking on the ep atm).

Calum's investigation of Tariq's death - I like this a lot actually.

Ruth / Elena / Sasha - interesting meeting there. And Elena asking Ruth if Harry loves her (Ruth). Elena's perceptions of Ruth and Harry's 'relationship' and trust issues.

Harry / Sasha - I liked it...and I think as others have speculated...Sasha may not be Harry's son. And Ruth may be the one to suss that info out to save Harry. Elena's not who Harry remembers and it may well be a ploy. Harry's I think at about the same point Ruth is - tired of the whole game of spying. He said as much last series. Tired of the politicking, the scheming and not being who they really are. Ruth is also now at this point. And yes, Harry was taking the coward's way out getting Ruth to give Calum, Erin and Dimitri the history with him and the Gavrick's. Though I dare say Ruth won't mention the bit with Sasha potentially being Harry's son.

I was actually also just pondering...Harry's interactions with Sasha and the guilt he's had over not being there for Graham and Catherine. Now, with Graham and Catherine, he wasn't there for them as a father because of a few reasons (work and probable emotional incapability). And he'd had very limited contact with them through the years. He's had more [off-screen] 'contact' with Catherine in recent years, as evidenced by his call to her last series before he met with Lucas at the end of S9. So, he's rebuilt at least one relationship with his children. With Sasha, he couldn't legitimately acknowledge that he had a son with Elena as it was an affair with the wife of a KGB officer when he was running her at the time as an asset. He still can't acknowledge him as his son, but wants to do right by him. I think in some ways, Harry is both impressed that Sasha is (in some ways) in the same 'business' as his father(s) - Ilya & Harry - spying game - but also saddened because Harry knows the price it has on one's soul - and he's seen it in Sasha when the younger man had to kill his friend to protect his mother and her secret. Harry knows that guilt and wouldn't wish that on his children.

Home Secretary courting Ruth for a position as a National Security Advisor...I do believe this is the position Juliet Shaw once had...and Ruth would do a much better job, I believe. That said, the game of spying and secrets is wearing thin for her as well.

Dimitri and Erin need to lock Harry and Ruth into a room where they really won't have any choice but to talk to each other. They are both stubborn as all get out but it's getting to the point of being rather combustible.

[tammy1]

I was wondering about Callum, too.

Strange episode for Ruth. Being taske to meet Harry's ex-lover, meeting her and his Son, dating the HS, being confronted with truths about her life from such unexpected quarters, and finally being tasked with briefing the team about Coaver and Elena. It was her episode as much as Dimitry's.

[A Cousin]

Another little Easter Egg, this time it's Dylan Thomas quoted by Johnnie Grier:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Don't think this applies only to Johnnies battle with his death.

[Sparky]

Just got round to watching Ep 3 and felt (like others) that it was missing something! Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the episode but the story of the week (which in the past I've enjoyed way more then the series arc) for some reason this year seems to be just getting in the way of the main story. It didn't help that the story had huge gaps in it, and Dimitri must be the most gullible Spook of all time - the fact that he believed Johnny `didn't ring true to me at all! On the plus side for him, I did enjoy his obvious discomfort at having to sleep with someone just to gain information, and I thought this came across well.

What I did really like though were the snippets around the bigger picture. I loved the scene with Harry and Ruth in his office where there seemed to be so much more going unsaid from both of them plus Harry's scene with Sasha on the Embankment. However the 2 standout out scenes for me were Ruth and Elena in the art gallery where again, so much was said without being verbalised, and Ruth's scene with the HS. Harry to me was the main character in both of these scenes, without actually being in either.

I'm hoping from here on in, the story of the week becomes less, and the series arc more as that is truly gripping at the moment!

Oh, and Calum is growing on me more and more. It's a shame he'll only ever get a max 6 episodes as I think he's becoming way more interesting to watch than Erin and Dimitri!