How did you feel about Season 9?

[Byatil]

(17-11-2010 11:12 PM)binkie Wrote:  There is, I think, an important conclusion being drawn here on the part of the production. Lucas is not trying to forget who he was, neither is he having trouble remembering who he was. He is, rather more desperately, horribly aware that the person he was no longer exists, and cannot be called back into existence by the contents of some plastic storage boxes. There is a huge, and vital, difference between this line of interest and the somewhat clumsy logic used in season 9 to explain the absence of personal clutter.

You're not the only person here releasing their inner essay monster

Everything you wrote makes a lot of sense, but that point^ in particular is very telling. It did seem like he was desperately attempting to latch onto other people in order to feel more 'normal', and was engrossing himself in his work because it was the only place he truly felt safe. It makes more sense as to why he would allow Olgen (...was that his name? The Russian prison guard) into his flat - it wasn't necessarily a sign of stockholm syndrome, but perhaps more the fact that Lucas had nothing personal to lose, and that there was nothing else to know about him.

I suppose his tattoos also contribute towards this - he has some meaningful imagery stuck on his body, so I think it's safe to assume he wouldn't feel it a terrible loss to lose the Blake painting he admired so much, for example.

It's definitely very interesting that Lucas' character never really moved forward, in a way. He was unable to let go of his past, and I know I noticed him mentioning his stint in Russia more than was strictly necessary - yet he was desperate to get straight back to work. Almost as if he felt the need to prove to himself that he could cope, and be "one of the best" again. His personal-identity at that point seems to be based purely on how he performs at work, and how he interacts with those around him. It'd be easier to 'fit in' with the grid, seeing as none of them seem to have any real friends outside of work, and rarely have time for family.

Which reminds me, Lucas mentioned his father was a minister at one point - relevant information, or was it just a lie?

Just seems sad/strange in a way that no-one really noticed this behaviour. Once Lucas 'loses it', Harry immediately seems to comment on Lucas' "fragile state of mind", yet I don't remember him mentioning this before...? It's strange that it would take that amount of prompting to realise just how damaged Lucas was, unless the point being made is that they're all far too engrossed in their work to pay attention to individuals. Which explains why Lucas went to Ruth - apparently the only person there who understood how MI5's actions affected ordinary people.

Essays on Spooks are lovably bearable If only my A-level coursework were this interesting!