Episode 2 Discussion [rewatch]

[lwhite53]

This episode has everything that should make it riveting -- a terrorist organization in London, a staged bomb blast, red mercury, the manipulation of an MI5 sleeper and the destruction of his family life, the intro of Will North, everyone distrusting Tom -- but I just couldn't get into it. I think that's because I so disliked the character of Fred Roberts -- he was a blowhard, a windbag and very impressed with himself. I kept wanting to yell at Tom, "Don't destroy your career for this smug, self-satisfied son of a bitch!"

But, of course, Tom was too far gone already and they all know it. Harry, Ruth, Zoe and Danny all have visible moments wherein they question Tom's demeanor and don't quite trust him. Danny and Zoe even talk about it: "[he] sets my teeth on edge."

And, of course, Roberts gets sucked into the aura of working as a spy: "You know the really horrible thing -- I could almost enjoy this." But it destroys his family life:
Fred R: "I did it for the country."
Helen R: "You did it for yourself, because it was exciting."
Like all the other spy relationships we've seen thus far, his goes down the toilet, too.

There are some very poignant moments in the ep:

-Tom and Fred talking about how spies deal with their job:
Tom: "You have to put your real self in a box."
Fred: "What if the box got lost?"
Tom: "You'd have to reinvent yourself."
Fred: "I think you lot are clinically insane."
Tom is splitting himself into pieces (the box with his real self has suddenly come open in the middle of an op) and Fred has sensed it.

-Tom and Danny talking about using Roberts:
Tom: "The service is exploiting him. We're crucifying a man here."
Danny: "Fred Roberts or you?"
Tom's "exploding conscience" is getting the better of him.

-Harry and Tom at the end, after he's been decommissioned:
Tom turns in all the boxes (the lies) that marked him as a spy -- now all he has is his real self. Harry says, "Good luck in the real world." I love Harry's smile at the very end, when Tom turns and waves. I think H really does envy Tom, to some extent; and, he's grateful Tom left before he had a total breakdown. I also think Harry's actions were those of both a boss and a friend -- he clearly couldn't let Tom continue to work but he also made a decision for Tom (one that it seems Tom was unwilling or unable to make) that it was time to leave before the job destroyed him (as Christine predicted last ep).

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I don't know that Danny and Zoe couldn't say goodbye to Tom but more likely that they found it too difficult to do so. Given the job, I'd think "burn out" is not something you'd want to associate with, like it might rub off on you.