Episode 1 Discussion

[picard1109]

I agree - ep 1 is heart wrenching. I've seen it several times and I still want to wail

Series 8.1 Spoiler: show

"nooooo....don't hurt Harry!!!!". How bloody sad is that? I know he doesn't get (physically) hurt but still the sight of him supposedly being shot takes my breath away. (Mind you, Harry in handcuffs is a rather interesting sight...)

That line..."What are you going to do with me?"

makes me want to cry, and I'm really not the crying type at all. It's the way PF says it - such an amazing actor.

I (hopefully) put everything inside the spoiler tag, just in case someone wanders on here by mistake. I'd hate to be shouted at for giving the game away.

[JHyde]

It's OK, we don't shout at you, whatever happens. And no, you're OK as you're in a Season 8 thread and all of season 8 has aired so you can talk about it freely.

This is such a heart wrenching episode. I understand why some addicted fans have a lot of trouble watching this episode, if at all.

[A Cousin]

Let me just say right off the top, I loved this episode. I do not know how all of you made I a full year not knowing what happened to Harry. I certainly didn't. I had the luxury of going right straight through. I couldn't resist. Reading this thread to make sure I don't repeat too much of what has already been said has also been loads of fun. It is the closest I have come to enjoying it with someone in the moment. As it is impossible to say anything different I will just put my opinions out there.

Things I liked:

- Ruth blissfully happy in Cyprus. She had to move on. I would have been disappointed and lost respect for her if she hadn't. It is much more dramatically engaging if she hadn't pined for Harry for 2.5 years. BUT, her having a To Go Bag at the ready says a lot. Imagine how frightening it must have been to know that you and yours are always in danger? And once she's with Harry, she has been just far enough out of the Spook mindset (the means justify the end) that she cannot see the big picture. In sharp contrast to Harry who only sees the big picture.

- Malcolm. I cried. Very hard. I tend to be a bit cynical in watching. I like to watch for structure, plot, film technique, etc. His heroism took me right a long with him. It was a wonderful exit for a wonderful character. I am a good old fashioned earth mother mommy, so a child looking down the barrel of a gun really got to me. I thought the kid was good too. Although why he had an English and not a Greek accent I do not know.

- Ros showing emotion over Harry - I like seeing her crumble just a bit. Her pig-headed belief that the execution wasn't real was great. She wasn't going to give up Harry because he never gave up on her. Her reaction when whats-his-face-from-6's brains gets splattered across her face is priceless: she almost looks exasperated as if to say, Not again!

- Mani: A very good, very frightening performance I think. The success of the interrogation scenes really rested on him. We are already emotionally invested in H/R. If Mani is not believable, the whole thing is blown.

- Baghdad Op: I found it a little conveniently contrived just to further the plot. But if that is what got Ruth back, I'll will happily suspend my disbelief. Luckily all of you have done the thinking for me and have placed it in past seasons for me already.

- Harry: PF was doing what he does best. I have no idea what can be said or added to convey the depth of my respect I have for this mans acting abilities. His ability to allow a myriad of contrasting emotions to play across his face and through his eyes is amazing. This almost breaks him. His, "She is home" is heartbreaking.

That is all for now. Thanks for reading.

[Nia M]

(19-06-2010 01:08 PM)A Cousin Wrote:  - Ros showing emotion over Harry - I like seeing her crumble just a bit. Her pig-headed belief that the execution wasn't real was great. She wasn't going to give up Harry because he never gave up on her. Her reaction when whats-his-face-from-6's brains gets splattered across her face is priceless: she almost looks exasperated as if to say, Not again!

I love this point of yours, not least because it is so true. Ros really does show far more emotion here,

Spoiler: show

and throughout this whole series - after 8.03

, and this is possibly one of the first inkling of said shedding of the icy shield.

That said, 7.02 and 7.05 most certainly are very emotional episodes for Ros too

[Kazters]

I adore ros in this ep and the one before her facial expressions are great. Harry's face when he saw Ruth was lovey and the physical pain he was in when she saw her husband get shot was shocking and heartbreaking.

We have seen ements of the person malcom can be when Adam was there but I hope Ruth finds out what he was prepared
To do to savemher child , I m gutted he left ;(
Imam warming to Lucas but I loved how loyal to Harry ros is and the though of him being dead nearly broke them all

[A Cousin]

They wrote a great character arc for Malcolm, didn't they? From the man who freezes in the field to his heroic exit. Frankly, I am not sure where they could go with the character if he comes back.

[JHyde]

I just finished re-watching this for the first time in months and it really is as good as I remember. I could pick small holes in some stuff, but the two main threads of this episode remain very strong - the obvious HR line and Malcolm's bravery. When he starts to tell Nico 'A Dog So Small', I break up. It works really well.

This is definitely in my top 10 episodes of the show.

I'm inclined to agree with A Cousin on this too - I'm almost disappointed that

Series season9 Spoiler: show

Malcolm is coming back (although we don't know for how long). His exit was just such a good one.

[JHyde]

For anyone interested in weighing in: we're currently having a debate on the Harry and Ruth thread about Baghdad and when this operation might have taken place. Even if you don't usually pop in on that discussion, we'd love to hear different points of view.

Love, Ruth's Diary writers

[BravoNine]

(06-07-2010 07:52 PM)A Cousin Wrote:  They wrote a great character arc for Malcolm, didn't they? From the man who freezes in the field to his heroic exit. Frankly, I am not sure where they could go with the character if he comes back.

Spoiler: show

I think that if this whole Lucas thing will be the main arc of Series 9, then I can see why Malcolm could possibly return and fit into the new plot.

Harry will need all the help he can get to back him up where Lucas is concerned. Ruth would be there for Harry, but she doesn't really know the relationship between him and Lucas as she wasn't there during the old days, and Tariq and the newbies certainly wouldn't know either, which leaves Malcolm as one of the few people still alive that was there during the old days. Maybe we'll get Harry and Lucas's relationship in the fore-front, and I can see why Malcolm can be brought into this, especially since I always thought Malcolm is very fond of Lucas.

But yeah, I can see why you would worry that after such a good exit, bringing him back would make things worse. But I hope that Spooks can do well in this department if he's coming back.

[Kazters]

rewatched this ep today one thing that really annoys me is ruths husband is blatantly from Cyprus yet his son is proper english!?? unless the have always lived in the UK and only recently moved there like ruth why is the kid english..

I love malcom in this ep, its very obvious he is struggling with all the deaths he has seen people leaving the service and with harry being kidnapped as well.

Ros is genualy gutted at the thought the video is real, and her smile when she knows for sure he is alive is utterly heartwarming.

my only other qualm is well ruth didnt know harry that well when he would have told her about this wepon/uranium she wouldnt have been on the grid long and of vourse there was all the trouble with GCHQ getting her to write reports and thing.. makes me wonder when exactly it was.

nxt time trailer really shows the budget was cut look at that explosion in comparison to adams expolsion.