[spoilers] Sir Harry Pearce - Return of the Jedi (#3)

[beatrice4ruth]

(02-08-2011 06:04 AM)Silktie Wrote:  

(01-08-2011 05:55 PM)beatrice4ruth Wrote:  In fact, I think that Ruth, as a desk officer, has shown even more consistent character development than Harry.

I should have been more clear. I am not saying Harry is the only one who has shown character development, but he has been most consistent in his development. By that I mean that he has had the least unexplained personality changes to fit the story.

Ruth has also shown much growth, but it has not been as consistent, in my view. There is a marked difference between the Ruth of season 8 and the Ruth of season 9 that is unexplained. Despite all the horrors that have befallen her, the Ruth of season 8 was still the one who reminded the others that they were working with people, not chess pieces, who questioned the morality of what they are doing. She was patient with the weaknesses of others as well. But in season 9, she is suddenly much harder. It is now all about the success of the operation, and sometimes just a numbers game: as long as you save more than you sacrifice it's acceptable. She is also impatient with the weaknesses shown by others. Taking into account that there couldn't have been more than a week or two time-wise between 8.8 and 9.1, how does one account for this very sudden change in her personality?

With Harry, you can more or less draw a line in his development from the stodgy, unemotional man in season 1 that was confident in his decisions, through the gradual opening up of himself and allowing others to get close (Ruth, Adam & Wes, Ros), to the man who is no longer so confident in what he's doing after everything he's been through by season 9. I think he benefits in that sense from being the one comforting constant of the show - the writers couldn't change him too much on top of all the character replacements we've had.

I hope for all of us that you are right about Harry in S10. I think that only at the end of S10 we will find out whether Spooks has respected the constant character development of Harry.

Just one quick remark about Ruth (I do not know how to transfer your reply to the Ruth's thread; is it just copy and paste?). In 9.4 Ruth asked Harry to do something to prevent Kai to be handed to the CIA and in 9.7 she felt guilty about the way she treated poor Keith Deery. Has she changed that much from S8? As NW said and I agree with her, in S8 the writers brushed over Ruth's reactions to the traumatic events of 8.1. In S9 the new writers (?) dealt with them, especially in regard to Ruth's interaction with Harry.

I only hope that in S10 we do not become like Lucas's fans, hopping mad and totally disgusted with the treatment of Harry's character. That really would be a shame.