[spoilers] How Did You Rate Season 8?

[JHyde]

UPFRONT SPOILER WARNING - This thread is fair game for all episodes screened in the UK.


It seems like such a short time ago that we were all planning how we'd watch the season premiere and clapping our hands with glee as the new credits rolled for the first time.

And now we're thrilled about tonight's finale, but also agonized at the prospect of almost a year without Spooks...and that's if it's coming back. Which hasn't actually been confirmed or denied as yet.

So now that we almost have a full complement of episodes to discuss, how'd you rate it? What defined the season for you? Did you have a favourite episode? What was your favourite stunt?

What marred the season? What didn't work?

How did you feel about Sarah? And how was it having Ruth back on the Grid?

If I'm truthful, it honestly wouldn't have mattered what the season was like in some respects - it was totally worth anything and everything I disliked about the season to have Ruth back, and the way they continued the unfulfilled tension between Harry and his beloved without introducing a third person into the equation was commendable. Especially given how good the first episode was, I was bought from that point onwards.

I do wish there had been a little less exposition in some episodes and a few more moments with the characters themselves. Not just Harry and Ruth, but also Lucas and Ros. Not to mention Tariq, who still remains a mystery.

I do think this was a season of transition. There have and probably will be changes in the cast if we get a final season, especially if there is another death in the finale. But this was definitely the most sombre of seasons the show has seen, even though the death toll overall was quite low. There weren't major explosions or attacks (well, I haven't seen the finale yet, so at least there weren't in the first seven episodes), but in terms of the people we loved it was a bad time all round. And I miss the humour and the team work, which only started to reappear later in the season.

One thing I loved - the major guest stars in each episode. Particular props to Ashley Kumar in episode 7 and Stephen Boxer in episode 5.

Tell it like it is.

[almh]

Ruth came back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Guess who the RH shipper here is ) That was the main highlight of the series, I have to admit. That and Harry.

Best moments IMHO (off hand) are Jo's death (), George's death (but for a totally different reason ), HR scenes...

Worst moments were Ruth getting sort of married ish to George (WTF???) and the stupid producer in episode 3 who didn't show clear enough locations so that we could work out where they were.

Sorry, this isn't my most sensible post ever I realise but it's Spooks finale soon!!! That's also why I can't remember anything, I'm just getting slightly too excited...

[YourFutureMuse]

Best parts of series for me were Jo's death and Lucas-Sarah relationship (haha I will stop going on about it soon but soon as though I am clearly the only Sarah fan I feel I have to come across twice as strong ) and of course Ruth's return

Worst parts I think were the continuity issues cos little things like that really bother me and the loss of so many characters with no replacement. I also think Tariq's introduction could have been better, less rushed and more developed.

I daresay I will rewrite this completely after tonight - episode 8 looks AMAZING

[almh]

Camera work as well actually, that drove me up the wall. HOLD IT STILL PLEASE!

[sam b]

Looking back at this serious I really enjoyed Ros in epi 5,and 6 she,s brill!!!!! I also enjoyed Ros,s demise in Epi 8 a strange way, I had plenty of time to come to turns with her death and i,m now ok.
but somehow serious 8 seemed a little messy and not the usual slickness that spooks usual produced

[bertowud]

(23-12-2009 06:24 PM)almh Wrote:  Camera work as well actually, that drove me up the wall. HOLD IT STILL PLEASE!

I hate the shakycam effect. It's one of the things I dislike about The Shield, even though it's one of my all time favorite shows.

Another thing was one of the captions on one of the locations on episode 5 (now I'm starting to sound like a Trekkie) had a typeo. As Nitrus knows, typeo's drive me crazy.

[JHyde]

HAH!!! That pissed me off too, although I lay the blame for that at the feet of the EPs. That's their responsibility on a show like Spooks. I bitched about that on the episode thread.

I must admit the camera work didn't bother me until the final episode and then it drove me crazy. Wherefore art thou, Riley? He's gone AWOL.

Fave stunt? Has to be Ros running away from Coleville's booby trap in episode 5. Even if the continuity sucked, it was a stellar stunt.

[bertowud]

(24-12-2009 02:49 AM)JHyde Wrote:  Fave stunt? Has to be Ros running away from Coleville's booby trap in episode 5. Even if the continuity sucked, it was a stellar stunt.

Absolutely! Hands down.

[JHyde]

Here I was lamenting one on one combat sequences and we got two in the final episode.

[bertowud]

Two additional notes on Series 8. This is the first series where I actually liked Ros. I think she may have been my favorite character this series.

Secondly, to one of RoninExec's points in the past, this series has felt the most like American television. Very Hollywood.