Episode 8 Discussion

[phoenix]

I know I'm rather late to this discussion, but I only got a chance to see 8.8 last week. Some of this is going to be in response to the various posts through out this thread. Hope that won't be problem... :]

I absolutely LOVED the ending. There's really no word for it other than abrupt. I think that it follows with the whole tone of series eight, where the entire intelligence world is in an upheaval and we don't really know what's going on. It's only in this episode that we start to see hints as to the ultimate agenda of Nightingale.

Despite the fact that most people seem to hate the "shakeycam" effect that the last two series have been shot with, I think it's a rather important expression of the story; it's rather foreboding and evokes a sense of fear and chaos in the viewer, I think. When you're watching the episodes and it's a particularly action packed sequence, don't you feel as though you're there? as if you're a journalist and covering the events first hand? Not only that, but it makes you FEEL as though your world's in a tremor, like everything's falling apart and you're not quite sure what's happening. The Nightingale arc is just that-- this major organization that we have very little information on, we don't know who they are, what they're doing, or how they're doing it. So much so, that we have no idea that they've managed to infiltrate almost every level of intelligence. It's rather jolting, I think. Shakeycam is just the physical representation of that fact.

I have to say, my favorite exchange in the episode was the banter between Lucas and Ros at Lindemann's HQ right before the awesome cat fight. [hah! I was so happy when Ros ran to throttle Sarah. Serve's her right...] I am, of course, speaking of the 'small talk'.

Lucas: "Come on, then, Ros, small talk me a little."
Ros: "Okay, em, my perfume is from the anal glands of a cat. I read that in the paper this morning."
Lucas: "It's actually the perennial gland of the civet. And not any more because they synthesize it."

I must have died laughing at this little exchange. I really liked that they were showing this friendly, almost nurturing aspect to Ros. I think the reason why I didn't like her before series 8 was because she was always portrayed as such a heartless bitch. I also loved that Lucas is so knowledgeable about what must be the most random topic to ever be discussed on a spy drama. Perennial gland of a civet, indeed.

Lucas North. Poor thing, I think he's being judged a bit harshly. The guy spent eight YEARS being tortured in a Russian prison, comes home only to realize that his wife has moved on and started this whole new life. He doesn't really have anyone in his life outside of the Grid, definitely suffering with a bit of PTSD. I don't quite understand how people weren't expecting the relationship with Sarah. He's obviously not quite all there yet. I imagine after spending eight years away, being tortured both physically and mentally, the only thing he'd want to do is get back to some semblance of normality: his job, his girlfriend, his home. It's as though if he's got these things that make up an average, everyday man's life, then he can move on.. or ignore the last eight years. The quicker he's got his ducks aligned, he can put everything else in a little box and move on. Even though he found out the truth about her, and even though she disgusts him, he's still going to feel it-- the fact that she's dead. He's going to mourn her, if only because he was using her as some sort of anchor in this world that he has to play catch up with. It's just one more thing that's stripped from him. I also wouldn't say he's pulling a Tom. I think that, while trauma from the job is something that's explored in Spooks from the beginning, the trauma that Lucas is experiencing is wholly different. It's not that the job is causing him to unravel or 'lose his soul' as with Tom and Adam's downward spiral. They became disillusioned and sort of stopped believing in what they were doing. Lucas hasn't. For him, it's rather the fall out of being left behind.

And yes, SO much to say about the Harry/Lucas dynamic but, as requested, I think I'll leave that for the actual character thread. :]

Well, I think I've bored you all enough. Can't believe I'll have to wait SOO long for 9. :| BBC America better start airing the show regularly or else I'll just have to move to Britain in October! :]