Series 10 - Episode 3 Discussion

[A Cousin]

General impression: I was not as enamored with this episode as the other two. It's not the pace. I like the pace of this series in general. The writing felt a bit more more like S9 - the over-arching theme and the threat of the week were mutually exclusive. They didn't mesh seamlessly. Not altogether sold on that. Ironically, I liked them both individually. The ensemble feel is still there, so that makes me happy.

Thanks to whoever it was who identified the painting (Betty?). I love that kind of stuff too. 10.1 had that great little Easter Egg of Lee Harvey Oswald and then 10.2 with the Beethoven and Wordsworth. I don't think they are hints into big plot revelation. I think they are more like hidden tracks on an album. Really loving that this series.

Definitely a different director for this episode. It felt a lot less stylized and lot more contemporary in filming to me. It also felt very "sepia."

I liked the Dimitri plot. I liked seeing his discomfort with the whole honey trap situation. I cringed for him when she started coming on to him and he and he just couldn't bring himself to do it. I think he was like that for her sake and not his. He knew he was going to have to burn her at some point and what that would do to someone so very lonely and a little bit desperate. The idea of the baddie with absolutely nothing left to lose in the truest sense I found intriguing. It did feel a bit reminiscent? I was way ahead of Dimitri but I wonder if that was intentional? I think the writers wanted us to be very aware that Dimitri was walking into the lions den. I also liked it when Dimitri twigged and slammed the car roof, Harry jumped in and gave him direction.

Was Natalie the same actress who played the reporter that Ruth had to convince to sign the Official Secrets Act in 9.5? Georgina Rich? Just looked the BBC1 Spooks site and it is. Quite a different character very well played.

Soooo....Elena agreed to spy for MI-5 as revenge her parents murder by the KGB? OK. I'll buy that. I much prefer that to her doing it all for *lurve*. Even if it is Harry. But was that before or after she married a KGB agent? Shows that she is sympathetic to the West. Intriguing to know she has that kind of dark side to her. Makes her infinitely more interesting, and slightly more dangerous in her scene with Ruth.

I liked Calum from the start. I knew that he would have a chance to redeem himself at some point. You don't set a character up to be such a pr*ck who is in essence one of the "heros" without letting them redeem themselves at some point. Glad it was Sweet Tariq he's fighting for. I don't think he saw the pass off to she-who-might-or-might-not-be-Elena on the CCTV.

Ruth's progression - I am OK with it. Jhyde and Silktie already said what I was thinking. Great scenes with AK and SRB. I was really looking forward to those and they did not disappoint. Loved NW's delivery on the "I have absolutely no idea how to answer that question - or why I even would." There was a really nice symbiosis going on there. Her scene with SRB was about as truthful and honest as you would ever see Ruth.

Yeah, Harry was being a bit of a jerk handing the explanation of Coaver/Elena over to Ruth. At least he knew there was no way he was going to be able to explain it with any modicum of control. It was yet another personal betrayal not handled very well by him.