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

[A Cousin]

(28-09-2011 06:55 AM)Naivety Wrote:  

(28-09-2011 12:42 AM)beatrice4ruth Wrote:  If moral sense means the ability to determine the rightness or wrongness of actions, why did Harry have an affair with Elena, the wife of a KGB officer? I understand why he ended the liaison, but not why he started it even if he was in love? If the defence of the nation was so important to Harry even during the Cold War, why did he get entangled in an affair with an enemy agent? To me, it is a puzzle.

Perhaps Harry had an affair with Elena in order to turn her into an agent for Britain? It may seem callous in a human sense, but his duty is to Britain. He showed that in this last episode when he told Erin not to tell Martha she was in danger until the last possible minute. That's why the line 'does that make you uncomfortable?' was included. It portrays Harry's determination to get the most info regardless of the human cost.

Good point Naivety. That is quite possible on a speculative level.

I would also add that people evolve. The Harry of 30 years ago is not the Harry of today. (Is anyone? I know I'm not.... ) It's quite possible that Harry simply f*cked that one up. He is, after all, only human. The program has illustrated on several occasions that his sure moral sense applies to his job but not always his personal life. In fact, every character on Spooks have been lacking in their personal lives in one way or another due to the demands of the job. It is not particularly commendable but it is very human. It is also the bottom line of what the programme is about.

On a more thematic level, that is the essence of a Greek tragedy - a basically decent man makes a bad decision that resurfaces to bite him in the ass despite his best efforts to make it right.