Spooks Review 9.1: Ship Ahoy!

Colleagues are OK, but there´s a change of guards at hand

In which the Spooks team mourn about Ros´ death, a retired Home Secretary gets a gloved visit from Harry, new recruit Dimitri works as captain on a cargo ship, Ruth refuses a proposal from Harry, Lucas gets his neck saved by a private spy called Beth, the new Home Secretary receives a letter from Harry, Beth wades through 12,000 mug shots to see Lucas again and Lucas gets a suitcase from Vaughn who calls him John.

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As a writer of this little blog I had the aspiring thought to post my Spooks review within a couple of days after airing. Tuning in for the series, I programmed the recording and installed myself for the night.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Well, I received a call to expect some ´visitors´, so I drank a glass of fine whisky and played the classical music really loud. It was the good old Swat team who, after mentioning the infamous Beemie report, let me watch the episode with the sound mute, but then they stood in front of my tv-set. 

It was not until W-day that I could watch Spooks 9.1. 

Y-day I chewed the words and made notes.

Review

Ros is dead. It´s her funeral. It is final, as in: we don´t see her climb out of her coffin and sneak away with a weekend bag.

Ruth is reading the poem Solitude by Alexander Pope. Ros would have wanted that.

Again, Ros is dead. Ros, the icequeen spy. So where to go from now? The funeral, where only 6 people come to pay respect, raises emotions with oldtimer Harry, Head of Section D, who wants to quit and settle down in the country, if possible with Ruth. Harry even mentions the word marriage. If we recall episode 8.1, Ruth has been married before and has settled before (in Greece), but due to tragic trickery by Harry in a joined hostage situation, she ´lost´ her husband. Harry does have to go away to the country, to a manor house in Scotland, home of retired Home Secretary, Nicolas Blake. Family of the painter William Blake, of who´s artwork Lucas shows his fondness in series 7?

Where would we be without the -there we have it- Nightingale conspiracy? Of all people, Harry had faith in Nicolas Blake. Harry´s visit turned into peeking through gloves at a ghost from the past. The following HS after Blake couldn´t be trusted, because he supposedly had connections with Nightingale. Now that Blake flunked, can we trust the new HS, William Towers? Newly installed, he is nice enough to delay the reading of Harry´s letter, so we see Harry contemplating his job with Ruth.

Lucas recalled Ros by her quote: ´Colleagues are OK´. Soon enough

-no donuts on the go- he is off to a 30,000 tonne cargo ship near the Maroccan coast for an op with the new recruit Dimitri, who is the ship´s captain. By the coloring, the settings and the dialogue we duck straight into what looks like a sequel of Strike Back in Spooks, a fate I strangely don´t detest. On third viewing this is not that noticable anymore. 

Why are there civilians on board when you could miss them like tooth-ache? And a woman, FCOL? Nice hostage and actions scenes of pirates in the midst of which Lucas keeps his eye on his colleague, Dimitri, and where private spy Beth in deep cover as prostitute saves Lucas´s neck. Because of the pirates, Harry aborts Lucas´ mission. When the communications are blocked by the pirates, Lucas and Beth go out of range to contact the Grid and go their own way. Luckily for us viewers, the situation gets worse and worse.

From Series 8 we learn to ask: "Who are your enemies, who are your friends?" Lucas hesitates to collaborate with Beth, but she thinks otherwise! She visits the Grid to give his 50 Dirhams back.

Question of the week:

Would you wade through 12,000 mugshots to see someone again?

OK, and prove that you´re smart and witty, too?

Wading tru 12,000 blogposts myself and still not..

oh, it´s not about me.

Beth has brought nice drawings too, to bring Lucas to let her talk to Harry. A couple of winks and brash talk later, Harry finds her a valuable asset. Me liking this girl!

After the work day is over, Lucas strolls alongside the Thames and receives a briefcase by someone who had a stroke and remembered him from 15 years ago. Really, has it been that long?

This ghost from the past, Vaughn, calls him John. Wonder what I would call him...

Ruth: "Timing is everything."

Lucas North has made it, his ghost has mared it, 

and is sorry to upset you, John!

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Tease: new kid on the block, Dimitri

Action: merciless pirates

Nice: high/low status swifts between Lucas and Beth
Surprise: a girl called Aala is a baddie
Shock: OMG, RA is called John again *John who?-guessing games*
Adorable Baddie: Vaughn
Hope: Beth stays for another episode
Verdict: highly guaffable

Screencaps: RichardArmitageNet, colorature TFB

Listen! Uthred Coming To A Castle Near Me

Weak were I, galloping to the lands that hath my heart in mere mud.

Or in normal English: Me! Giving in to listening to RA! Never! What happened? *I have good reason to have reserves, but won´t reveal it*

Artwork: Teena/TeeTotallyNot from YImum, she will come with brand new artwork if I make it til the latest disk - 12 hrs of listening...and write blogpost about it. She will growl if she sees this artwork used for LOTN.

Spooks 9, Are You Up For It

Are you ready for Spooks 9?

Mind if I have your physological assessment first?
I lost mine...

Click on the names to view their assesments...

Harry Pearce

Connie James

Malcolm Wynn-Jones

Adam Carter

Jo Porter

Ros Meyers

So we are ´only´ missing Lucas North (spoiler warning)

Source: @Lucas_North and RichardArmitageNet

Spooks Review Ep. 7.2

Lucas in a ´chat´ with Alkady questioning Harry´s motives

While watching an episode of Spooks, some questions rise about clues and storylines and not for delectable reasons per sé. It´s enjoyable to question the liability of Lucas, Harry and all others in the Spooks world and to see their constellations, in conjunction with the shape in which the national threat of the week appears, changing like a kaleidoscope. I chose a picture that underlines that.

Review

Ros smashing a hotelroom. Finally a woman who does a thing like this, very rarely seen on tv, these days. In need of an anger management course?

Harry and Richard. Harry hears Richard say: "We´re all upset, so let´s not forget ourselves. After all those years it would be a pity if either one of us say things that we might later regret." Is this address a typical, civil British one? To me, yes. Later on, there is again civilisation: Harry is not allowed to kill a senior Russian officer, even with reasons.

Quote Alkady Kachimov: "It´s unfortunate, everybody sees to accept it as accident."

Lucas´ residential upgrade from safehouse to residence. Moving in. Heard reigncheck, didn´t hear raincheck, because I was unfamiliair with the word. Read some comments about it, nice touch! Neighbour turned out to be landlady.

Friends of Lucas. Harry says in boardmeeting to debrief him later. Lucas calls Kachimov who says (in short): "Nice, but don´t call me directly". Lucas´ associations with Harry are formal, while those with Kachimov are like father (K)/son (L). Lucas worries about AK to watch his back. AK: "He wants to trust you." AK says in a way goodbye to Lucas. Lucas: "You don´t give him the chance to eat him alive." (bad boy Lucas?). With emotional laughs of Lucas I am to believe that he has a difficult moment here. AK: "It´s the nature of your life now. You must live as if your friends are enemies and enemies are your friends." Since then I jump when I hear the word ´friend´ (or ´enemy´ for that matter).

Lucas´ countdown time to be back on the Grid. Here: 10 minutes, reason: to call AK. (in later episodes it is shorter?)

Lucas is on his own and has a sharp conversation with Harry to trust him, to be back on the Grid. Lucas says to AK on Harry: "He´s testing me as an asset. His greatest fulnerability."

Lucas and Elizebeta. Love the domestic scenes. When he graps the kitchen table as to grap his memory of his relationship with E. The kitchen table also functions as a barrier in their relationship. (Oh no, I´m too smart!) Many things were said, but as you (note: Skully) mentioned you would post later more on Lucas´ character, I let it rest for now.

Lucas artwork and book choice. I won´t comment here.

Lucas turns against AK. Lucas is on his own! (bad boy Lucas or survivalling Lucas?)
Harry shooting AK without remorse! First, finding an excuse of course.

After making notes on episode 7.1 and 7.2 and knowing S8,
I long to see some double agent-like wittiness for Lucas in S9.
After all, Ros had her way, Conny, Harry(?), so why not Lucas?

Other reviews on further episodes are not quite ready, so I intend to post them later on.


First published as comment on June 14th, 2010:
http://spooksfanblog.com/2010/06/07/spooks-rewatch-7-2/

Spooks Review Ep. 7.1

British Lucas gets swapped by the Russians

As I have written some reviews as comments on other blogs, and have put many hours into researching and writing, I thought it would be reasonable to put my reviews on my blog.

So here it goes..

Review

Soldier gets beaten up on the street. How did they know it was a soldier? Was it a hangout spot for soldiers or did they attack just at random? Later turns out it was to capture a soldier. Poignant, a tv-interview of the soldier exists, made before the capture. The following things are necessary and nice: refusing to read out the propaganda, thirsty moment, saved by the phone-moment, final: "It took you a bloody time!"

Traumatised Jo, flashbacks of her torture, Jo attacks torturer, Adam doesn´t fight along. Letting her do the job. Is that to make her heroic? Adam calming her with little chats throught the phone or at home is nice to see.

Banter between Adam and Harry about the Russians, their new man in London, Kachimov, the exchange, informing the Queen, Lucas ready or not back for action.

The exchange scene and men´s room scene with Lucas! DistRAction Alert!

Harry and Kachimov banter about the horse-trading: my kingdom (oil back in British hands) for a horse (Lucas, back in British hands?!). Swapmaterial: unknown man, Russian spy perhaps.

Harry and Lucas in car. The remark of Lucas: "They told me to come home if I spied for them" is not really an satisfying answer. Harry´s response surprised me: "What did you say?" is also an open door, IMO not fitting the man, but it´s funny, because of Lucas´ reply "I said yes".

The fish and chips. Food for thought. Lucas wants something typical English to eat. No Chinese take away, Kebab, Shoarma, Pizza, or typical London: Thai, Mexican, Italian, Indian, German, etc. ??

Lucas and Adam entering the Grid at the same time, never seen these futuristic doors afterwards.

Conny and Rangefinder. Lovely cooperation, put the kettle on, message on a bottle, forking, jealous of self defense strategics of Ros, carkeys please, leading the Russians by the nose, don´t look at Adam for too long, teary end is touching. Conny looks deceivingly smooth that episode. Rangefinder gets rewarded with an upcoming attack -well, that why she´s her for- for following her instincts.

Adam and Lucas: Lucas standing up for himself "I can still push a mouse around", "Being in a Russian prison is like spending 8 years in physical trainingscamp or at Eton". About the soldier: ".. And I know how he feels allright?" I heard a cute little Geordie accent in there!! Adam standing up for Lucas to convince Harry. Na-ice.

Lucas and Adam breaking into a house, tossing a phone over two sleeping beauties and NO squeeking drawers and doors.

The Zaf Man following Firefly like a fly on the wall. Cool.

The soldier is found. Adam and Lucas free the soldier with a Russian speaking Lucas on the phone. It´s Pravda! Love the "Is it bad?", "When is it not?" banter.

New names to me: Tom Quinn and Wes.

The end of Adam. It is that I have to watch this for review reasons, but to be honest I was not looking forward to see this end for the third time. Sigh.


First published as comment on June 1, 2010:
http://spooksfanblog.com/2010/06/01/spooks-rewatch-7-1/

Six Pack Spoilers For Spooks 9

To jump on the bandwagon of teasable spoiler articles about Spooks 9,

which I fiercely try to avoid reading,

I hereby throw my own ´article´ in the current.

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All spoiler articles about Lucas North/RA and Spooks 9

come down to one thing:

Will he take his shirt off in Spooks 9?

Ian Wylie, the freelance journalist who pre- en reviewed

Spooks series 8

and has seen episode 9.1 before most of us,

replied on September 9th, to tweeter @rozlaws:

"Don´t think you´ll be disappointed!"

This time he didn´t say his wife watched the episode with him,

as he previously had claimed she really liked episode 8.4

(which remark is now gone) on

Ian Wylie´s blog

or find him

somewhere tweetering

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Disclaimer: I won´t accept pity from you for this gossip/post

Screencap: RichardArmitageNet, Spooks episode 8.4, enlighted by moi

Lucas North, Captured Entering The Net

The Tazbeks received word, actually it was a decription code, that within two weeks, Lucas North would hit the ´Net again.

We know he ploughed the ´Net seeking many volunteers, mostly female, marketed as middle aged and Radio4 listeners, to scatter information about his work and life as New Man.

Obviously he couldn´t do that on the Grid.

We have evidence, well we twisted the wrist of a stubborn journalist/blogger before he bled to death, that LN denied allegations of finding an outlet for all the hassles he encountered.

Or, to put it in his words:

"Bloody Internet!"

Captured proof that he indeed was

entering the Internetcafé 0:45-0:52

Music: Ginger Ninja - Sunshine 

Screencap: RichardArmitageNet, Spooks, ep. 8.2

SCOOP Unseen Promo Pics of Lucas Spooks S7

Luuuvverly picture, gorgeous!

As Spooks S9 is said to be broadcasted on the Beeb

18th September, AND Spooks S7 is on tv here in The Netherlands

also within some weeks, I was browsing and found these -to me-

new promo pictures of Spooks S7!!

Really, am  I sure I haven´t seen them SOMEWHERE???

If you do have seen them, I apologize, it´s my hoax!!

Look out for alley cats!

Source:  Vara, a Dutch broadcasting network