Episode 1 Discussion

[JHyde]

I definitely agree with your summary of why some people might be peeved about Harry and Ruth. Not to mention she has an absolute right to be upset and angry - this is very sad, guys!

But I disagree about Malcolm not caring about the others. He genuinely cared about Lucas, we know that. And Jo - that's been obvious, just think about 6.10 or even 7.7 when he goes to keep her away from Connie as she says "there's always a choice!". As for Ros, he was angry with her that morning because Ros can be cold and come across as unfeeling even though she likes Harry. And Ros and Malcolm ended up building a rapport over time, think 5.6/5.7 or 7.4. Ros just says hurtful things sometimes as her way of dealing, and she was genuine in her apology. Malcolm doesn't get pissy often, he's too classy for that.

[Tea Lady]

Yes that's a good point JHyde, that is Ros's way of dealing.

Following on from Nitrus I would like to list my good and bad points from episode 1:

Good: Harry kicking over laptop. Harry when he saw Ruth for first time. Harry when he asked to leave a message for his family but then didnt (perhaps he thought they wouldnt care anyway.) Ruth when she realised she was in danger and raced through the house collecting passports and made up bag. Ruth calling Harry a "heartless bastard." Malcolm throughout. Jo is alive.

Bad: The Grid seems to have the appearance of a dungeon. CIA bimbo is not very engaging. Didnt like Ros's new leather jacket.

[JHyde]

And that sad look Harry and Ruth share.....my heart breaks every time I watch, I've just watched it for the third time. (Hey, it's my day off.)

But I do agree: I don't like Ros' new jacket. And I love that Jo's hair is a good inch and a half longer within just a few hours!

[Tea Lady]

Ha Ha, and what about

Spoiler: show

Lucas's bullet hole? I am no doctor but I am sure if I was hit by a sniper

I would require a little trip to A&E. I think all these things and Ruth

Spoiler: show

supposidly being dead and wanted for being Fox

have been forgotton. I dont really care though as it moves the story on.

[Silktie]

Well, that was tense...

Poor Harry. The man can just not catch a break, can he? I was not enamoured with the idea of Ruth having a family, I admit. I do realise that she felt she had to move on as she would probably never see Harry again, but I also thought it was telling that she couldn't tell Harry that she loved her husband. So clearly she was with him not out of love, but more because she did not want to be alone forever. Much as I hated the husband, he did not deserve that. Still, I was relieved to see the end of him. Now, hopefully, the adorable moppet has a mother he can go back to, as I really don't want to see a kid in Spooks on a regular basis.

To be clear, I don't judge Ruth for her reaction towards Harry and calling him a heartless bastard, it was a terrible thing to live through. But I also want to spare a thought for poor Harry - to see the woman he's pined for for so long under these circumstances for the first time. I thought it was telling that the first thing he asked was whether she loved her husband, so he's definitely not given up hope to get her back. This is another reason I hope the kid goes back to his mother, he would just be a regular reminder to Ruth what Harry did.

So now Ruth hates him, and to top it all Malcolm has left. I loved the scene at the end between Malcolm and Harry. Harry looked so forlorn at the end, he's going to need some serious therapy to recover from this.

Okay, so a quick list of what I loved and hated about the episode. I loved:
- The way Harry and Ruth didn't take their eyes off each other during the first scene they were together.
- Harry trying to attack the Indian and telling him not to hurt Ruth: "Don't you dare hurt her!!!" Awww, Harry.
- Ruth apologising to Harry before giving the information.
- Malcolm yelling at Ros, and her apology.
- Malcolm's reunion with Ruth, and the fact that Ruth asked after Harry.
- Malcolm's understated departure.

I hated:
- the new CIA woman. I really hope she's a traitor, that's the only way the storyline would be worth it.
- that there wasn't actually some physical torture involved for Harry.
- the fact that Malcolm's gone. I adored him, and he will be sorely missed.

[Tea Lady]

I like your comments Silktie and agree. Do you think they didnt physically torture Harry then? Perhaps we didnt see it. He still had blood on his arm which was unexplained and flinched every time someone moved towards him. Yes you would have thought you would torture Harry first and then if that didnt work, you bring Ruth in.

[JHyde]

I will go with everything you just said except that I really, really want to like Sarah Caulfield because I really, really like Genevieve O'Reilly and I don't want her to be punished for following on from the very crappy Christine Dale character who I unashamedly despised.

I have already named this liason elsewhere on the forum as The New Adventures of Old Christine (Spooks stylin').

[Silktie]

I saw that, hee! It's brilliant! It does look though as if we might see some bitch-slapping between her and Ros, and that would at least be entertaining.

Also wanted to comment on the changes to Ruth - I don't think we can judge on this episode whether she has really changed. These were extraordinary circumstances, and I think we have to wait until she's back on the Grid to see whether she really has changed much.

[icuboy]

Poor Malcolm. You think he is always going to be there. But fantastic acting by Hugh Simon.

[Tea Lady]

(05-11-2009 10:41 AM)Silktie Wrote:  I saw that, hee! It's brilliant! It does look though as if we might see some bitch-slapping between her and Ros, and that would at least be entertaining.

Also wanted to comment on the changes to Ruth - I don't think we can judge on this episode whether she has really changed. These were extraordinary circumstances, and I think we have to wait until she's back on the Grid to see whether she really has changed much.

Silktie, did you think NW did a good job on her return?