One of the best series?

[A Cousin]

I just finished this series for the first time and all I can say is - WOW! I am looking forward to watching it again to see what I missed the first time around. This show works best when there is a good balance between plot and character development. I think this season is particularly successful in this. The camera work and editing has calmed down from S6 which was a relief.

I agree that the Connie/Sugarhorse through line works very well, but I also like how it runs underneath with the threat du jour on top. The writing and editing really really propel the plot forward smoothly. I was on the edge for the whole series waiting for what would happen next. There is a good balance in the writing between the ensemble and the individual actor.

Overall, the ensemble is in top form. There are some great performances from Miranda Raison, Hermoine Norris and Richard Armitage. MR specifically for me, but all of them have some wonderful moments that could easily have gone right over the top. But, above and beyond everyone else, is Peter Firth. I think that this series is his best performance yet. There is a great balance between brutal (shooting Kachimov) and sympathetic (the scene with Wes) Harry. Watching him walk right into the lions den (by Qualtrough), and then right back out of it (with the help of his handy-dandy neck-tie) is riveting. The things going across his face just before his arrest I felt on a visceral level. Harry is at once the lynch-pin of the ensemble and the star of the series.

But enough gushing....