Episode 2 Discussion [Rewatch]

[Nitrus]

This is true, but I was working on the basis of it taking a lot longer than a week to pass a bill.

[HellsBells]

I am not sure how far the bill was thorough Parliament, maybe it was only waiting for a final vote in the Lords or something. Not that I know much about these things.

[Tea Lady]

I dont think Harry was going to wait for the bill to pass. He probably couldnt take the risk that Osbourne wouldnt disappear. Surely you couldnt expect to kill a government officer and get away with it for ever? Harry probably called in a deniable asset to do the job and paid them off.

[JHyde]

Quick politics lesson: presuming that it was a Government Bill, passed promptly through committee, and passed without amendments through both Commons and Lords and was then sent to HRH, it was still be at least two weeks. The sort of legislation Mr Civil Servant was proposing was certainly not the type to be so straightforward, would spend a great deal of time in committee, and would likely drift between both Houses for some months arguing over amendments. It would probably eventually pass as a government Bill. They certainly wouldn't introduce it as anything else.

The larger point is, of course, that such legislation would take a long time, by which point the Service might feel differently and be barred from taking action by the HS or the PM (although the latter would be unlikely from a political standpoint). But basically the "little shite" as Harry so eloquently labels him, was saying wait and see while we use him for political capital.

My second point was to get us back on topic. The truth is that someone as far to the right as Osborne's lackey (I can't even remember the MP's name) serves a very useful purpose for anyone to his left, in the way of garnering contributions from people who oppose him.

I love the way they layered Helen throughout this episode - the way when Danny's leg is pulled by Tom, Helen smiles at him, for example. They were obviously trying to make us care for her by the time she was killed - a tall order given it was only episode 2. I think it worked well, particularly as they added the extra dimension of her being into Tom.

[Tea Lady]

Are you sure you are not British JHyde? You know more about the political process in the UK than us.

As for Helen, I forgot she tried it on with Tom but then again why did he agree to sleep in the same bed as her? Come on! Men and Women in the same bed together as friends? Very naive.

[Silktie]

I did find it a bit creepy that Helen knew all about Ellie because she looked at his vetting application, but then still tried it on with him.

[JHyde]

That made me laugh really hard - how she says she didn't look or anything but then she reckons she seems really nice.

[lwhite53]

(12-01-2010 03:12 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  I dont think Harry was going to wait for the bill to pass. He probably couldnt take the risk that Osbourne wouldnt disappear. Surely you couldnt expect to kill a government officer and get away with it for ever? Harry probably called in a deniable asset to do the job and paid them off.

I agree, Tea Lady. The shooter was a deniable asset and MI5 took care of Osbourne without permission from (or interference from) the govt. This was simple and unambiguous revenge (in the biblical sense) for the murder of their officer.

[JHyde]

Oh absolutely. I can't remember if they even shot the mongrel, or if they just made it look like an "accident",

Spoiler: show

quasi contingent events committee style (4.10).

[Tea Lady]

Oh I think they would have made it look like a traffic accident. I dont think they could have got away with it otherwise. Was this episode shot before

Spoiler: show

Princess Diana died? Just wondering?

Not sure why I put that in spoiler tags, like nobody has heard about the death !!

Also why did Helen have the vetting file? She was only Admin staff. Dont they have a HR department to do these things?