Episode 1 Discussion [Rewatch]

[Tea Lady]

Please discuss if you have done your homework.

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Right I thought this episode started off a bit slow for a series opener and for me it didnt really pick up until the end. It didnt really spark much in me. Things that I loved were:

-Malcolm being the emergency marshall. Who else could do that job?
-Harry's grey waistcoats....sorry I couldnt help it.
-Zoe trying to get rid of her old friend. She'd had a pig of a day and really didnt want to engage in small talk or lies.
-The scene with Colin and Malcolm about the cufflinks. Do they both fancy Zoe?
-Malcolm saying "Bloody Nora."
-Tom finally getting rid of that moaning record of a girlfriend.
-The slow scene with the helicopter taking off.

I didnt like the new doctor Vicky. Where did she come from?

I dont have anything too serious to say about this episode. Obviously the key stroke reading thing has been used again in later series. I wonder if this technology exists? Oh, also Harry got to see McCann get his fair dues which made him smile some what.

[Nia M]

She was from S1, when Danny gets beaten up by some youths while watching Osbourne's (I think) house and has to go to hospital. She asks Tom is he's the boyfriend, and when he says no she says 'There is a god' or something like that.

[lwhite53]

The actual story of this ep (Gradic and Rado) doesn't really start until about 14 minutes in -- all the action prior is about finishing ep 1.6. By the end, a lot has happened:
-End of Tom and Ellie (and the annoying kid)
-Building of relationship between Tom and Harry
-Rough justice meted out to Gradic
-Set up: Zoe and guy in bar
-Set up: Tom and Dr. Vicky
-Intro of Sam
but the bridge between s1 and s2 was not as seamless as I would have hoped.

Thre were some interesting moments. I liked McCann's attempted defection: "The terror game's changed, Davy, I'm telling you. It's scary" -- tells us what we need to know about the times. Also, it's the first time they've used the "mole" scenario with the MOD guy. The cufflink scene was nice -- showing that both Colin and Malcolm were sweet on Zoe.

The change of the COBRA venue was very well shot, though not terribly realistic given the time constraints:
-@ time 47.47: painting behind Harry is guy in red coat and horse.
-@ time 49.19: see bottom of pic frame
-@ time 50.11: painting behine Harry is 3 children.
Total of 2 mins 24 secs to get everyone to a new meeting place doesn't work in real time.

I liked the scenes between Tom and Harry a lot -- growth of mutual respect, H's concern for T and mentoring of him -- very well portrayed by both actors.

Sending Gradic to Egypt as a supposed pedophile -- is that justice? Another instance of the good guys crossing the legal line because they could, yet winning a moral victory.

Best lines of the ep, imo:
MOD clerk: What's going to happen to me.
Tom: Bad things.
MOD clerk: I want a solicitor.
Danny: Shut up.

[YourFutureMuse]

I liked the lighter moments in this ep, like Sam I thought she was good in this ep like when she winked at the camera after getting rid of Zoe's friend and when Zoe hides to get away from her friend. I thought Sam had great potential as a character which wasn't used enough.

I felt sorry for Rado ( if that was his name - the guy at the embassy and video store) at the end when he realised that he had been tricked, calling the number. I don't know why I never usually feel sorry for the bad guys, just something about him

I didn't like the way they set Gradic to Egypt. I felt it wasn't justice, he may get a worse punishment but no acknowledgment of what he had done.

[Beatriz]

I loved the conversation between Harry and Tom; you named it lwhite53 mutual respect.

I partly understand the decision made by Ellie, she has a kid and has to look after her (annoying as she is...), and watching in the news the death of the Secretary of the State for Northern Ireland and his family didn't help. But she can't make Tom choose between his job and her... It's unfair...

I dislike Vicky

You have to love Malcolm, hahaha he's great! "Bloody Nora" made me laugh.

[HellsBells]

I just loved the scene straight after the police have finally opened the door to Tom's house and he sees Ellie and Maisey standing there. You could tell just by the look in Ellie's eyes that the relationship was over. I didn't really like Ellie but that scene was great. The later scene when she asked Tom to choose between her or his job was ridiculous, what did she really expect him to say ? As Beatriz said 'it's unfair'.

[Jhokur]

(31-01-2010 01:39 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  Obviously the key stroke reading thing has been used again in later series. I wonder if this technology exists?

Indeed it does - newer versions don't even need to have physical presence to a keyboard... it's been determined that each piece of hardware has it's own "signature", or timing to the circuitry. One method is actually measuring the change in voltage on mains in minute fluctuations, another is to read the vibrations from a window using a laser. In all these cases afaik, a primer is needed to know what key corresponds to what signal. - http://www.itworld.com/security/64193/re...s-thin-air

[Tea Lady]

(01-02-2010 06:03 PM)Jhokur Wrote:  

(31-01-2010 01:39 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  Obviously the key stroke reading thing has been used again in later series. I wonder if this technology exists?

Indeed it does - newer versions don't even need to have physical presence to a keyboard... it's been determined that each piece of hardware has it's own "signature", or timing to the circuitry. One method is actually measuring the change in voltage on mains in minute fluctuations, another is to read the vibrations from a window using a laser. In all these cases afaik, a primer is needed to know what key corresponds to what signal. - http://www.itworld.com/security/64193/re...s-thin-air

LOL. We have our own "Colin" on the forum. Thanks for that. I am not sure I understood it completely though.

[Jhokur]

LOL I take that as a compliment, as long as Tom's not telling me to hush

Spoiler: show

(Can't find the episode, but Colin was going on about something and Tom says "When a Yes will suffice, use it" or something to that effect.)

[Silktie]

I agree with those who said that the tansition from season 1 to 2 was a little rough. I didn't like the cop-out with the bomb at Tom's house - if that had exploded as well it would have had more emotional impact. Still not sure what McCann's game really was - did he lie about not knowing about the bomb in the laptop he gave Tom? I'm not sure he was sincere about that, and that he only warned Tom, as Harry said, about it because he had hoped that Tom would take it to work and that the bomb scare would disrupt MI5 enough to allow the Irish to kill the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Loved the way Harry told them to keep McCann away from him after they decided to bring him to Thames House, he has not, and will not ever, forgive what McCann did to his friend. I like that fierce loyalty.

Loved Malcolm in this ep, first as safety officer and then with his "Bloody Nora!'. Hilarious. And aww, he clearly has a crush on Zoe, he was very agitated when he found out the guy she was honey trapping was Gradic's nephew. Now I feel a little sorry for Malcolm.

I thought they missed an opportunity by not keeping the Ireland theme for this episode. It could easily have been the Irish planning to take out the Cobra meeting, and that would have had significant emotional impact for both Tom and Harry. As it is, there was little emotional investment in the Serbian storyline for me.

Glad to see the back of Ellie and the annoying kid, that storyline had begun to drag for me in this episode. However, Tom's noticing of the doctor that treated Danny was a little sudden - Ellie is hardly out the door!