[spoilers] Harry and Lucas

[BravoNine]

(06-12-2010 06:42 PM)Silktie Wrote:  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?

I don't necessarily blame Harry for letting Lucas go in 9.7, although I wish he had just locked Lucas up, it would have turned out better for everyone. But as you said, Harry is not a mind-reader, he wanted to trust Lucas and give him a chance, but I guess in that trust, he gave Lucas the rope to hang himself in 9.8 with all the cat-mouse mess. It's a rather double-edged sword at this point.

I think I blame more to the writers for not writing it well enough, I mean, why did Lucas look shocked at Vaughn's words about the truth of what happened at Dakar? Why did Vaughn say the killer is awake? It just all seemed muddled and I wished there was a more clear explanation.

(06-12-2010 06:42 PM)Silktie Wrote:  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 don't blame him for that either, in fact, I was glad that for once Harry seems to put trust on Lucas (although this time it's not deserved).

(06-12-2010 06:42 PM)Silktie Wrote:  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.

You are right, Harry is not his buddy or father or psychologist, but any good boss in that line of business should know when his own team is in trouble, after all as team leader, isn't his job to make sure his team is ready? If Lucas hadn't pointed it out about Jo, Harry would not have noticed that she's still shaken up by her own traumatic experiences. I understand that Harry isn't the whole touchy-feely kind of person, and I respect that, for that matter, neither is Lucas, so I'm not expecting them to cry on each other's shoulders, but Harry should be observant enough to know when his own team is going out of whack. Maybe he is too trusting, maybe he just expects too much from the team, maybe that's what one has to do in this line of business, but after the numerous breakdowns this team has suffered, one would think Harry would keep a closer eye on his agents.

Harry himself said that he is responsible for Lucas's physical and mental well-being, so while he is simply the boss, he himself admits that he is in some way shape or form, in charge of looking out for Lucas.

Does this whole blame fall on Harry? Of course not, both Lucas and Harry equally shares the responsibility for this train-wreck.

I think my anger more comes from 9.8 and this whole cat-mouse game. I understand Harry is a man about his job, and I respect him for that, I wouldn't expect it any other way. He has to make hard decisions and risk lives as collateral damage. So in the end, it was Lucas, Maya, and Albany for Ruth's life. Yes Lucas wouldn't be one to listen to reason at that point and Harry's job is to his country, but for a man who claims to be responsible for Lucas and seemingly wants to get him out of trouble, his tone was insincere and his actions speaks volumes that clearly Lucas is not his top priority. And really, was Harry's words on that roof top really the best way to go? Push a man who's already teetering over the edge into breaking apart?

It's really more of the roof top that pissed me off more than anything else. Just Harry's whole righteous tone and "regnum defende, whatever the cost", it's no wonder Lucas smacked him. Harry had stood there and said words that he knew would push Lucas's already fragile psyche spinning into the abyss and he did nothing to stop it. Sure he said he wants to help, but it was too little too late.

To be honest, I think I'm just bitter, Lucas came through for Harry in Moscow with the whole Sugar-Horse thing when Harry needed him the most. He risked his life, his sanity, and his career simply because Harry asked him. And now when Lucas needed someone to pull him back from the edge, Harry simply gave a few tugs and let go. He chose the job over the person he supposedly felt "responsible" for. I guess I'm just not happy with that.

But really, as much as my heart simply blames Harry for not trying hard enough, the real culprit is really the writers. They took was could have been a complicated and intriguing relationship between a mentor and his prodigy and twisted it and muddled it to the point where it just doesn't even make sense anymore. The bond between those two was never explained and so many great opportunities are now lost forever.

So to be really fair, this really isn't Harry or Lucas's fault as much as it falls squarely on the shoulders of the writers.