[spoilers] How Did You Rate Season 8?

[JHyde]

UPFRONT SPOILER WARNING - This thread is fair game for all episodes screened in the UK.


It seems like such a short time ago that we were all planning how we'd watch the season premiere and clapping our hands with glee as the new credits rolled for the first time.

And now we're thrilled about tonight's finale, but also agonized at the prospect of almost a year without Spooks...and that's if it's coming back. Which hasn't actually been confirmed or denied as yet.

So now that we almost have a full complement of episodes to discuss, how'd you rate it? What defined the season for you? Did you have a favourite episode? What was your favourite stunt?

What marred the season? What didn't work?

How did you feel about Sarah? And how was it having Ruth back on the Grid?

If I'm truthful, it honestly wouldn't have mattered what the season was like in some respects - it was totally worth anything and everything I disliked about the season to have Ruth back, and the way they continued the unfulfilled tension between Harry and his beloved without introducing a third person into the equation was commendable. Especially given how good the first episode was, I was bought from that point onwards.

I do wish there had been a little less exposition in some episodes and a few more moments with the characters themselves. Not just Harry and Ruth, but also Lucas and Ros. Not to mention Tariq, who still remains a mystery.

I do think this was a season of transition. There have and probably will be changes in the cast if we get a final season, especially if there is another death in the finale. But this was definitely the most sombre of seasons the show has seen, even though the death toll overall was quite low. There weren't major explosions or attacks (well, I haven't seen the finale yet, so at least there weren't in the first seven episodes), but in terms of the people we loved it was a bad time all round. And I miss the humour and the team work, which only started to reappear later in the season.

One thing I loved - the major guest stars in each episode. Particular props to Ashley Kumar in episode 7 and Stephen Boxer in episode 5.

Tell it like it is.