[spoilers] Lucas and his tattoos

[Byatil]

In reference to a discussion myself and Binkie (amongst others) are having on this post: http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-1214-page-1.html

In the bathroom scene in 7.1, Lucas is shown topless talking to Harry. I'm beginning to wonder if he wants Harry to realise the significance of his tattoos, and indeed to question them.
Harry does refer to the "Dum Spiro Spero" tattoo, and they discuss it briefly. This seems, however, to be the most 'positive' tattoo Lucas has - so it's interesting that Harry should pick up on it. Perhaps Harry wants to convince himself that Lucas has coped well, as he has been alive and "hoping" all these years. Equally, Lucas could be trying to show Harry that he hopes for answers.

I know his Blake tatoo is supposed to represent a distrust of the system, amongst other things. The fact that Lucas shows it so blatantly to Harry could suggest a hint towards his distrust of his superior, and the fact that he needs redemption.

Another visible tattoo is the "Gnothi Seauton" one, which could be another hint towards gaining Harry's approval and trust. He's asking Harry to think about his actions, and to realise who he actually is as a person. Could also be an underlying message of asking Harry to explain why he made the decisions he did.

The crosses on Lucas' back are the representations of the years spent in prison, as has been said. This is obviously a clear, visual representation of the length of time he spent in Russia for Harry, and I seem to remember Lucas having his back turned to Harry for quite a while in this scene - once again, subliminally making the point that he made a huge sacrifice for Harry, and that he needs answers.

I'm wondering if the quote on Lucas' forearm or the 8-point star could mean anything significant in terms of his relationship with Harry or not, but I can't remember exactly what they signify... I think the star is something to do with freedom? I could be horribly wrong though!

Anyway, nice bit of over-analysis for you there