Episode 7.1 [Re-watch]

[A Cousin]

(17-05-2011 08:53 PM)kmac82 Wrote:  You know, I'd never carried Harry's lack of emotional forthrightness over into his relationship with Lucas, but that's so true. He has no idea how to handle Lucas. He's friendly, but almost coldly distant. Maybe he's burdened with both guilt as well as skepticism?

Of course, if Harry were any more emotionally forthright, he'd be a a pretty poor Section Head as well as spy...

It isn't just Lucas either. It's Jo too. That is the dichotomy of SHP and, IMO, what makes him such a great character. He is not perfect. I would agree that Harry's inability to deal with his emotions, either through choice or necessity, is what the job has done with him. He had to learn to control them in order to do his job. Just like Jo, he consistently side-lines his own emotional well-being for the good of the country. Look at his reaction to Adam's death?

Mussing further, I had forgotten that Adam is the one who goes to bat for Lucas and convinces Harry to let Lucas go back to work. Of course, Adam has had his own experiences with torture but certainly not for the length of time Lucas has been through it. Perhaps that is a bit naive of Adam? Lucas should have been immediately debriefed and sent to Tring for an open-ended stay.

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(18-05-2011 01:29 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  The scene with Harry and Lucas in the washroom was so brilliant. Harry looked at Lucas with....disappointment (?) because Lucas had those tattoos. Did he feel that somehow Lucas should have keep himself above such things? Or was Harry disappointed in himself for not being able to protect/save Lucas?

That is a truly brilliant scene. There is so much going on. I didn't see disappointment from Harry, I saw honest concern. Both desperately need something from the other that the other is not able or prepared to give. I also think Harry is trying to assess whether Lucas is "broken" as Connie asks. Lucas is looking for, I don't know what from Harry? Forgiveness? Acknowledgement? Apology? Sympathy? How super-humanly strong a person is Lucas to endure that for 8 years? Esp. coming off of the confirmed death of Zaf who, as it was stated in 6.10, lasted longer than most but eventually even he couldn't take it any more? Maybe that is what Adam is responding to when he goes to bat for Lucas? Another Lucas mystery for me: what motivated him to survive the last 8 years?