7.3 [re-watch]

[Silktie]

Harry Pearce: If there's one thing I'm thankful for in this life, it's my sunny disposition.

Hahaha! There are loads of great quotes in this episode, but this one in particular always cracks me up.

I really enjoy the threat of the week in this one. The tension is built up beautifully throughout, culminating in that explosion that almost takes out Jo. She's been put through the wringer quite a bit over the last few episodes; no wonder she's beginning to crack. I am also quite moved by the bravery of the two CO19 officers that sacrifice themselves to take the terrorist down and to limit the damage done by the bomb.

Even though Ben gets a significant storyline here, I still don't find myself investing in the character. In fact, the young suicide bomber he was with, Jawal, elicited more emotional response from me. The Ben character just doesn't work for me.

The Sugarhorse storyline is intriguing. Right from the off I am interested in it, even though at this stage we don't yet know what Sugarhorse is. But Harry's reaction to Lucas mentioning it is enough to sell the point that it is huge - what would make Harry walk out in the middle of an operation like that? It's an interesting choice to let us know from the off that the Qualtrough character is a villain. Most times such revelations are kept until later in the storyline. But it does make you fear for Harry, as you know he is putting his trust in the wrong person.

Harry/Lucas: Was Harry right to lie to Lucas about Sugarhorse? I think so. As we find out later in the episode it is the 'biggest secret the service ever had'. Harry cannot reveal such a secret just to provide Lucas with some peace of mind. Unfortunately the interests of the country takes precedence over one individual's needs. I also don't see it as a matter of Harry not trusting Lucas. We know that Harry trusts Ros, but he didn't tell her either. It is purely a matter of the need to know principle coming into play.

I think Harry trusts Lucas by this time. Would he really have allowed him back on the team if he didn't? Also, Lucas is given a very high level source to run in Marlin. If there were still trust issues, that would not have happened. Interestingly then that this episode shows that Lucas still doesn't trust Harry. I don't blame him after everything he's been through, but I have to wonder why he wanted to return to Harry's section if he doesn't trust him? I know he had nowhere else to go than MI5, but there are many other Sections in the Service he could have gone to, yet he insists on staying in the Section run by the man he doesn't trust. Strange.

And since there has been heated debate on the Forum about this, a final comment on Ros telling Lucas that Harry had sweated blood to get him back. I watched this scene very carefully, and I don't see any indication that Ros is lying just to make Lucas feel better. The show is usually good at providing us with reaction shots after someone has lied, to let us know that they have done so. Reference Harry's reaction after telling Lucas he'd never heard of Sugarhorse. But there is no such reaction from Ros, therefore I stand by my conviction that she is telling him the truth.