Series 9 Episode 8 discussion

[Silktie]

I'm not sure what to think about this, really. I will say, that for the hour it was on, it had me gripped and chewing my nails. But after all was said and done it left me slightly dissatisfied. I'll leave my overall views on the season and the Lucas storyline for the other thread, and just concentrate on what happened in this episode for now.

So, to me, no real redemption for Lucas in the end. The fact that he still gave Albany to the Chinese after knowing what it was, and after Maya died and his supposed great reason for turning against his own was thus removed, is a huge mark against his name. So he didn't kill Harry in the end, so what, that doesn't make up for the rest of the stuff he did in this episode. Lucas is definitely dead, though, no question about that. Harry's reaction after looking over the edge says it all.

(08-11-2010 11:14 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  

(08-11-2010 10:40 PM)Logsie Wrote:  It could all have gone so differently. As soon as Harry realised Lucas was after Albany, why the hell didn't he tell him it was a failed project? He could have pulled Lucas back from the brink, possibly. It cut me to the bone when Harry asked Lucas what happened in Dakar and he replied that Vaughn gave him a chance to be something, to make a difference; Harry responded by saying "I wish you'd met me first" and Lucas said "So do I"

I think a part of me will never forgive Harry for letting this continue when he had a chance to change things. He could have told Lucas to truth about Albany, things could have changed, Lucas could have lived. I don't think I will ever forgive him for that.

Do you honestly think that would have changed anything? I don't see any way in which Lucas would have believed Harry was telling him the truth. Lucas suspected Harry of playing him the whole time, it would have been the same had Harry told him that Albany doesn't work, and the outcome would have been the same. Besides, Albany was the only card Harry had to play to lure the very unstable Lucas into a trap.

I bloody loved Ruth in this, and the performance from NW was absolutely outstanding. Her attempts to reason with Lucas were great, and how she kept using the name Lucas as often as possible. I'm still not sure where her head's at with regard to Harry, though. I think her tears at the end were a combination of grief for Lucas, delayed shock at her own ordeal and perhaps relief that Harry was alive after all.

Harry broke my heart in this episode. Loved how he knew the moment Beth said that it wasn't Lucas they had shot, that Lucas would go after Ruth. Once again his basic humanity came through as well, as Alec nailed it when he accused Harry of knowing that Lucas had lied to him about what happened in Dakar, but that he'd still let him go because on some level he was still hoping to save Lucas. But again, that humanity came back to bite him, as it nearly cost Ruth's life, and later almost cost his own. The call to his daughter brought a tear to my eye, I'll admit.

So did the postscript - very symbolic with Harry all alone in the dark, being told that the risk he took to save Ruth will probably cost him his life's work and his reputation, and that he doesn't even have Ruth at his side to show for it. It looked like Harry wiped away a tear after that phone call with the HS ended, which made me sniffle too. At least he has the HS in his corner on this one, for what it's worth.

I like Alec well enough, but don't think we've seen enough of him to judge whether he will be a suitable replacement as Section Chief. Dimitri is coming into his own nicely, but Beth is a little one-note for my liking. That has more to do with the performance than the character, though. Hopefully she'll get more to do in season 10 and the performance will improve as a result.

But yay for season 10 definitely being commissioned!