Series 10 - Episode 6 Discussion

[daphne]

.. wow, it looks like I'll have to rewatch the ending: I thought Sasha was killed? but other posts say not--
yikes, if he's alive- poor guy! talk about living out a Greek tragedy- jeez- pummelled to an emotional pulp for (at least) a week?

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another couple of thoughts for the continuing "happy vs sad" ending discussion..

1. despite the attempts to reflect 'real' events, Spooks is, essentially, an adult fairytale in one respect: usually, the 'bad guys trying to kill us' get theirs.

usually, the good guys win. (in The Real World, we can barely define "good guys"! much less count on them 'winning'--)

i.e. the casualties make the show MORE believable.. and are, therefore, necessary: every time a cherished character dies in the line of fire- the sadness of their loss distracts us from seeing the otherwise glaringly inordinate number of times Section D succeeds.. 'gets lucky.'

so Ruth's death, purely dramatically speaking (though it didn't have to be Ruth's..) serves a purpose: helps us believe the just-in-the-nick-of-time saves of the plane and the pact with the Russians..

2. Spooks may not seem or purport to be about 'romantic' or other personal relationships.. but it is precisely these relationships, no matter how subtly limned, that make us care, at all, whether this week's bomb or last week's hijack or the week before's kidnapping- get intercepted.

otherwise, it may as well be a video game.

so yeah, imho, the Harry and Ruth will-they-won't-they dance.. matters, will always matter, tremendously. isn't that one, important yardstick by which we measure Harry's courage? how we gauge how much he risks? determine how incorruptible he is or isn't? how Ruth weighs each decision- what motivates her actions.. etc etc

even the fact that I'm still blabbing on about these fictional tv characters is due to the relationships between them.. those relationships (the actors' portrayals) are what made the characters appear real- made me care. all slick car chases and 'intel' without ties-that-bind? I would not have kept watching.. the show would not have hooked me-