[spoilers] Harry and Lucas

[Silktie]

I think placing the blame on Harry for what happened to Lucas is a very one-sided argument. How was Harry supposed to protect Lucas when he didn't know what was going on? And the reason he didn't know was because Lucas lied to him. When he confronts Lucas in 9.7, Harry only knows that there is another Lucas North, and both were in Dakar. At no point did Lucas tell him about Maya, and that Vaughn was using her to manipulate him to get the Albany file. At no point did Lucas tell Harry about Albany. Maybe, if Lucas had told the truth about the extent of his complicity in the bombing, and that it was actually he, and not Vaughn, that killed the real Lucas North, Harry would not have let him go and would have locked him up. But Lucas lied to Harry, so Harry had no idea how deep in the doo-doo Lucas was at that point. Are we now blaming Harry for not being able to read Lucas' mind?

And as for blaming him for not acting immediately on Ruth's suspicions - before this season people were always complaining that Harry didn't give Lucas the trust he deserved. So when he gives Lucas the benefit of the doubt and tries to establish the true facts before acting, people now blame him for that. Well, you can't have it both ways.

I'm not saying Harry never made mistakes with Lucas, he is only human after all. But he's Lucas' boss, not his psychologist, or his buddy, or his father. That relationship comes with its own boundaries, and it's not fair to expect Harry to move those boundaries when he's not even aware of what's going on. Probably the biggest mistake Harry made with Lucas, was to allow him back on the team after his return from Russia. He should have known that Lucas was probably too damaged by that experience, but he gave in to Lucas' own pleas to be let back on the team. So if anything, he's been too soft with Lucas.