You are great Silktie. I looked it up. Yes it refers to Gemma Jones who played the Duchess of Duke Street in some BBC series in the 70's. The thought of Harry and Connie though together has made me think twice about lunch !

One of the most interesting things I find about Harry (already it feels like I’m talking about an old friend) are the vague hints, the indistinct references to, and the only ever hinted at history he has in the intelligence service. These hints have cropped up throughout all of the series, his early days fighting in the cold war and as JHyde made reference to, his days in Northern Ireland and how they influenced him. Even down to the episode where the old revolutionary was released from prison and then recruited (sorry but I can’t recall the series and episode number…..anyone know it?) to help the team to go after the nouveau riche Russian who wanted to buy the NHS (hadn’t that guy heard of E-bay?), it was Harry who de-briefed our old school revolutionary when he was first arrested. It’s this intrigue about Harry’s past that I find so compelling about his character, if there is anything in the printed literature about this please share…….but then again do I really want to know? Or would it just be better to keep this mysterious air about the great man, does the not knowing make our Harry a more interesting man when all we can do is speculate about, rather than reiterate his past. For example S8E1, Harry’s stashed a shed load of uranium somewhere and not told anybody where it is…….how cool is that?

There's a book called: Spooks, Harry's Diary. Very good read. See more comments in Spooks Books thread, in General Discussion.

Hey guys,

Just to make life easier in this thread, spoilers are now OK and do not need to be tagged. The one exception is confirmed spoilers for episodes that HAVE NOT AIRED YET. In other words, if you know someone's getting bumped off, or of a plot development outlined elsewhere, spoiler tag it please.

Thanks.

I was thinking about Harry talking about his limitations to Ruth, both in season 8 and earlier in season 4. Do you all think that he has serious limitations when it comes to the emotional side of things, as he himself seems to think?

Well, I'd say he was rusty at romance, but no worse a person anyone else. I think that the adorable thing about Harry is that he does admit he isn't perfect, that he does make mistakes.

(20-11-2009 04:43 PM)Silktie Wrote:  I was thinking about Harry talking about his limitations to Ruth, both in season 8 and earlier in season 4. Do you all think that he has serious limitations when it comes to the emotional side of things, as he himself seems to think?

Don't we all?

(20-11-2009 04:45 PM)almh Wrote:  Well, I'd say he was rusty at romance, but no worse a person anyone else. I think that the adorable thing about Harry is that he does admit he isn't perfect, that he does make mistakes.

Agreed. That's what makes him a believable character -- he does get things wrong, he can react emotionally even when unaware he's doing it (S7 ep with Irish terrorist), he can be menacing and intimidating. At the same time, he's a genuinely good man who does his best every time out.

(20-11-2009 04:56 PM)bertowud Wrote:  

(20-11-2009 04:43 PM)Silktie Wrote:  I was thinking about Harry talking about his limitations to Ruth, both in season 8 and earlier in season 4. Do you all think that he has serious limitations when it comes to the emotional side of things, as he himself seems to think?

Don't we all?

I would say yes!! The problem is if you hide behind that statement, I mean you have to try to be better at emotions. And Harry in 5.05 was trying to do give a leap forward but Ruth didn't let him

I'm sure I've mentioned this elsewhere, and probably even on this thread, but I love that Ben Richards twice describes Harry as "limited" from his own mouth. It says so much about Harry sees himself. It also taps into something Neil Cross (one of the writers seasons 5-7) talked about in the commentary for 5.9, about Harry being a wonderful boss but not a great husband and father. In many ways, I suspect Harry is a different man since the breakdown of his marriage and his appointment as head of section D. It must really weigh on him that he daily sends people into such danger, yet for the most part does not go out in the field himself anymore.

The irony is that Harry is very compassionate, although a little intolerant at times. (He can be a little impatient with petty dramas on the Grid, for example, not that I blame him.) It's why I sob every time in 8.1 when he hisses "You know nothing about compassion" at Mani. It's also why in some ways, I think not killing Harry would be more poignant, as there is something to be said for him growing older every time he loses these people he cares for much more than he probably should. And it's not getting any easier. (Of course, if you want to talk about who should or should not die, come join the merry convo over in the season 8 thread!)

It's so nice not to use spoiler tags here anymore. Patting myself on the back for that one.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts about how Harry might have developed since he was a young officer. I often think that Harry is a man changed in many ways (no wonder the women love him!) - and that he may well be glad to not know the man he was in the early 80s starting out.