Series 10 - Episode 6 Discussion

[Betty]

I think that the ending was really in keeping with the spirit of Spooks, but I still hate it! That's what happens when characters become as real to you as the world outside...you rage and you grieve. Nitrus says that if you expected a happy ending, you shouldn't call yourself a fan: well, that's like saying that if you expected something better after 55 minutes of foreplay you shouldn't call yourself a lover! (And why DO the British love to make their characters suffer? Spooks is quintessentially British, I think, while The Shawshank Redemption is quintessentially American: I really love both, but for Ruth's sake I would have preferred a Shawshank-style resurrection here.)

[Naivety]

Well its taken this long to feel I can write a coherent post. Like a lot of others I was hurt that we did not get a happy ending, I should have known better to expect it really, at my age!

Having said that, as I have spent the past ten series prepared to accept whatever the writers threw at us, I must do the same now and concentrate on the amazing acting, the wonderful script and the direction and film craft.

Ruth's death scene was supreme TV drama, written for an audience who is braver and more intelligent. As soon as Sasha picked up that piece of glass, you could see what was coming. I'm so glad we got the final Harry and Ruth scene, even though I could see it was going to be short lived. Harry's face when he knew Ruth wasn't going to make it, I shall never forget. The hand covered in blood that he just didn't know what to do with, dear God! Sooo realistic! Harry sobbing in front of Erin and Callum (he turned out to be a sensitive soul didn't he).

The part when Harry went to view the house was heartbreaking, and also Towers speech to him on the way back in the car. The scene at the memorial was also very very moving. I couldn't help thinking at the end, of Ruth's line in 8.1: 'we couldn't be more together than we are right now'. Harry decided that he would rather be where her name was on that memorial, than anywhere else.

I hear your point of view Nitrus, I truly do, and I have loved Spooks from start to finish, just like you, but I also understand A Cousin and Tea Lady and a lot of the others on here. A happier ending would have made the loss of Spooks in itself less of a bereavement, which is what it feels like to me at the moment.

[Carly]

Like everyone else I'm in mourning, I (personally) didnt like the episode in general, it wasnt only the Harry/Ruth storyline (even though I dearly loved them) but the general arc.

I think the writers want us to grieve for Spooks, hence the heart wrenching ending. Why would they spend 10 years writing so brilliantly for all of us to go "Aww, what a lovely ending" and switch off the TV? I know, for myself anyway, that the way it ended will stick with me more than if I got the ending I wanted. Even though I really, really, really wanted that happy ending!

[Gillymac]

(24-10-2011 04:24 PM)daphne Wrote:  I don't see anything wrong with becoming "attached" to Harry Pearce, for ex, as to any well-developed/imagined character in a favorite play or novel..

Neither do I! Not for a minute! But I do find becoming hysterical about it a bit much.

But then, I find tracking the actors house sales (some might say he asked for it, pimping it in the Daily Mail. All it told me was "uh, oh! - theres a man who knows he doesn't have six months work next year"), following their children on facebook, and waiting at the stage door to ask them about their television work a bit much too. Horses for courses I suppose, but not for me (and the main reason that I read, but did not contribute to this forum for so long).

Actors play the scripts they are given and the actors in spooks series 10 played to an incredible standard. Throughout all 10 series, they have drawn us into the world of the grid and shared it with us. I personally, thank them for that - from the bottom of my heart, but it's over now, and I for one choose to celebrate it's life rather than mourn it's death. It's been a hell of a ride.

Perhaps having experienced burying friends blown to bits by the IRA, in addition to close family members, my perspective on grief is somewhat skewed. But I'll tell you this much, life is way too short to give yourself so much pain over something that isn't real. And it is deeply upsetting and not a little disturbing to read. But thats just my opinion. Obviously.

And I know nobody is holding a gun to my head and forcing me folks....

[Betty]

Gillymac,thanks for the reality check! I would love to see medical studies of people's brains "on stories." I think that fantasy has a sickening addictive affect on some people...certainly on me...to the point where I get so worried about harry and ruth, for instance, that I start ignoring my own family. Or I start wanting Nicola Walker and Peter Firth to get together, when N.W. already has a husband and child of her own, and it would be terrible if a silly tv show broke up somebody's family. I think that the capacity to build a world inside of one's own waking mind is an amazing gift, but potentially so harmful if you let it get out of proportion.

[Beatriz]

OMG! I thought I would never get to the end of this thread

A Cousin, I loved your post and you made teary, again.

My feelings haven't calmed down, yet. And I apologise because I'm going to talk about feelings here, not technical and deep plot-wise observations. I have watched this episode and then went to sleep and I my head kept thinking about the ending, this morning I woke up and it was still in my head...
I thought it was BRILLIANT! A wonderful way of ending this amazing series, for me it worked, it fitted perfectly, just the way Spooks is, just the way Spooks has been, a drama in every sense of the word.

I am a HR shipper, and I want to keep my HR membership card (as A Cousin put it) after I say what I am writing, I had liked them to have a happy ending, partly, but deep in my heart I know I wouldn't actually liked that, I would have probably felt cheated in some way, this episode and the show itself wouldn't have made such impact on me, like it did. Maybe a HR happy ending could be possible, killing another character (a death of an MI5 officer had to appear) and let them live happy; but for me it wouldn't have worked.

Ruth has been my favourite character of Spooks, I agree Harry is Spooks and I loved Spooks withouht her, but I felt attached to her for nearly the very beginning, and of course Nicola Walker has a lot to do with it. I cried a lot with her death, I felt totally devastated, I couldn't believe what's happened to her... It was so sad, emphasised by Harry's reaction and his visiting this house with the green door (as her lovely green phone) and then the memorial wall. I couldn't stop crying for the last 15 minutes (muffling my sobs because it was 1am and the walls are like paper in this flat, I didn't want to wake my flatemate)

And what to say about Harry, I feel so very sorry for him, all his life is a sea of sadness... And back to work, what else could he do?? Mourn Ruth in the house she was going to buy for ever and ever?? I'd love to give him a hug

I respect other opinions but I don't feel betrayed one bit by this final episode, I even thought Tom's appearance, though short, was a homage the very beginning of Spooks, as someone mentioned before, like a circle closing it self.

Brilliant and heartbreaking ending! *smiles bitterly*

[Gazelle]

(24-10-2011 05:37 PM)Naivety Wrote:  Well its taken this long to feel I can write a coherent post. Like a lot of others I was hurt that we did not get a happy ending, I should have known better to expect it really, at my age!

Having said that, as I have spent the past ten series prepared to accept whatever the writers threw at us, I must do the same now and concentrate on the amazing acting, the wonderful script and the direction and film craft.

Ruth's death scene was supreme TV drama, written for an audience who is braver and more intelligent. As soon as Sasha picked up that piece of glass, you could see what was coming. I'm so glad we got the final Harry and Ruth scene, even though I could see it was going to be short lived. Harry's face when he knew Ruth wasn't going to make it, I shall never forget. The hand covered in blood that he just didn't know what to do with, dear God! Sooo realistic! Harry sobbing in front of Erin and Callum (he turned out to be a sensitive soul didn't he).

The part when Harry went to view the house was heartbreaking, and also Towers speech to him on the way back in the car. The scene at the memorial was also very very moving. I couldn't help thinking at the end, of Ruth's line in 8.1: 'we couldn't be more together than we are right now'. Harry decided that he would rather be where her name was on that memorial, than anywhere else.

I hear your point of view Nitrus, I truly do, and I have loved Spooks from start to finish, just like you, but I also understand A Cousin and Tea Lady and a lot of the others on here. A happier ending would have made the loss of Spooks in itself less of a bereavement, which is what it feels like to me at the moment.

A nicely written post, I share your sentiments and will try like you to accept what was thrown at us. Those final 10 minutes made such a powerful impact though it's not going to be easy. For once it might have been easier if NW and PF weren't such amazing actors.

I've been thinking too of that line Jim Coaver said to Harry when he'd been kidnapped, that he didn't blame himself for lying to Elena as that's what they do, but the cardinal sin was for Harry to fall in love with her. Similarly I think that's why those of us who are disappointed by the ending feel so hurt - we'd let outselves really feel for Harry and Ruth, heart more than head. Which again comes down to the acting.

[Onion Terror]

OK, I've watched it again and probably enjoyed it even more than the first time round. The way I see it is this...
Spooks has always made a point of writing out major and popular characters in a dramatic and unexpected way. We've known this since the second-ever episode. As viewers we like those charaters and miss them for a bit when they're gone (particularly if they've died) but-personally speaking at least-the loss of those characters doesn't undermine the quality of the show as a whole or of any specific episode. I really like episode 3.10, Dannys death notwithstanding. I liked Danny as a character and remember being shocked by his death but it didn't and doesn't spoil my enjoyment of that episode. Its the same with 10.6. Ruths death was a sad event but for me it didn't spoil the show. Harry and Ruth were 2 of my favourite characters but they were close to becoming the exception to the 'rule' that seems to underpin the writing of Spooks: that no-one is bigger than the show. I was probably more surprised by Ruth being killed than I was at anyone elses exit, and even though I know its only TV I did feel for Harry. But I agree that it was a fitting way to end the show. The work of MI5 stops for no-one (in reality as well as on TV) and without Ruth to share his life with Harry feels that all he can do is carry on with that work.

I also agree with those who appreciated the brief return of Tom, as I've said elsewhere. Would've loved a little dialogue between him and Harry though. Maybe if that phone call at the end had been Tom phoning Harry to confirm 'job done', and the screen had frozen after that, that would've been cool. Also liked the memorial bit. Can't see Tariq on there although I guess the idea was that Harry was looking at Ruths name specifically rather than those of all his former officers. Tariq would obviously have been on there somewhere. On a pedantic note, I thought it was Ben Kaplan, with an A; not Kaplin with an I, as the memorial had it.

[tammy1]

I'm with Naivety and Tea lady. This ending feels wrong to me. Something happier, not compeletly soapy but sober-happy, was the right ending IMO. At the very least, they should have kissed before Sasha came out with the piece of glass in his hand. I agree with those thinking it was too cruel.

I have very little to add to everything that was already said on this thread. I truly believe that this was the best acting I've seen in years on T.V. Peter and Nicola are fabulous, and to me, this episode, in terms of writing, directing and of course acting was probably their best episode ever.

I only want to thank them, and all of the other wonderful actors and actresses, who took part in this amazing series for so long, and made it the best thing on T.V for such a long time.

[ajones13]

I guess that sad as it is, Ruth got the death she wanted. In series 9 when Harry gave up Albany to spare her life at the hands of Lucas she was not amused. She wanted to know why others had to make the sacrifice that she was denied the chance to make. She made the sacrifice in giving the key knowing she was going to be responsible for the death of Elana and accepted the consequences of this. She effectively sacrificed herself to avert the disaster. Remember if she had not given the key then the call would not have been made which prevented the shooting down of the flight and the loss of innocent life. She then sacrificed herself to save Harry knowing that MI-5 would be lost without him. She got to join the wall of those who made the ultimate sacrifice which she was denied in series 9.