Series 9 Episode 8 discussion

[Apicius]

Well, just read through all your posts trying to catch up. Only got to watch the episode on Tues and my internet has been down (boo hoo). However that delay has allowed me to process things more and step back a bit from the immediate emotions on 1st watch.

I'v spent sometime doing psychiatry and there were many elements of RA's character that were interesting. After watching episode 8 I don't feel as let down or frustrated as I had anticipated. I thought that it would take a lot to bring everything together and got carried away with everyone else in speculation. However I felt that they kept it remarkably simple.

When Harry is talking with the Home Secretary he talks about how John was a natural, bought himself time filling in the gaps and making the legend water tight. And that is what Lucas was - a legend. He went into character, so immersed in the lies that he convinced himself it was real. It soon became difficult to detach himself from the lies. I think that he probably did see it as a way to escape what he had become during his time in Dakar (the drug dealing, working for Vaughn and murdering many). Sometimes when things go wrong people escape into fantasy as a coping mechanism. The real Lucas North had been talking about spies and had probably shared this with John, further fuelling his imagination.

As for how he got through the 8 years in a Russian prison - not so sure. Again - if he'd been living the life as Lucas the MI5 agent for a while he was probably really convinced of this. People do try and bury things very deeply and believe the lie so much so that it becomes reality and the truth a "lie". When Vaughn appeared it reminded him of the past he had tried so hard to bury and forget. I think that he was genuinely mixed up as he battled through what was real. Him seeking solace in Maya was probably trying to return to a time when things were simpler rather than real love.

In some way I was reminded of the film Catch me if you can. He becomes so entangled in lies and is running away however also seems to have some desire to be caught and helped. What I mean is that instead of fleeing after giving Albany to the Chinese he returns "home" to Harry and the team. I agree, not in a particularly good way - he's seeking revenge, however he returns none the less. He doesn't want to go through with murdering Ruth, Harry or people with the bomb. He just wants some meaning and understanding into everything. He does demonstrate many signs of poor mental health.

People in real life are not evil/good in a black and white way. I felt that RA's character was deep and complex and I was more aggrieved by the lack of exploration of this in the earlier parts of this series and in the 2 preceding series. And it's not just RA's character that isn't explored and fleshed out enough, I feel that we hardly know any of the new recruits (Dimitri, Beth and Tariq) especially when compared to previous teams in earlier series. There has been so much focus on the operations and the Lucas/Vaughn/Albany/Maya story that the rest have been rather in the shadows. I hope that this will be rectified in series 10. I also can imagine having some recaps of previous operations, teams and a look back over time before series 1 as Harry is investigated. I just hope that it doesn't become one long goodbye to Harry and Spooks, with more recaps than new material.

There were things that frustrated me but overall I feel that it was a good episode and, although somewhat predictable, it's simplicity helped it. My reaction has surprised myself! I agree the acting has generally been of a very high standard.

Feel free to shoot me down - as I know many of you will!

---

P.S was very sad not to have Malcolm back!