Can't we just break the fundamental laws of the universe?
It is Saturday, it is starting to snow outside (!), and I would like to talk about some motherfucking spies.
First off, can Tariq read me the phone book? OH JEEZ, EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WAY HE SPEAKS IS PERFECT.
Secondly:
I think the thing we're all reaching for when we love talk about loving Ros is that she's a meta character.
It's not hard to argue that the theme of Spooks is YUP BEING A SPY BASICALLY RUINS YOUR LIFE NOPE SORRY NOTHING TO BE DONE APOLOGIES IT WILL ALL BE AWFUL AT THE END. Tom, Zoe, Danny, Fiona, Adam, Zaf, Jo, Ben, COLIN; the girl in the chip oil in 1x02 (OUCH); Tessa (!) and Juliet (!!!)-- Malcolm is literally the only person in the history of this series to be able to say, "Yeaaaahhhhhhh, I need to step the hell back" at the best possible moment. Connie turned out to be a traitor. Ruth fake died, and came back, and even that wasn't great because her fake husband died and she still waits 6 episodes to finally ask Harry out even when he was the reason she fake died in the first place, JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH (more on that in a bit). Anyway. This whole idea that ~the job will get the best of you~ and ~once a spy, always a spy (whatever that means)~ is not new information. So in many ways, I think this defines Ros as a character, both to us (the audience) and to her other internal characters.
To her other characters, Ros is someone wholly dedicated to her job - she cries in front of Adam once, she accesses her inner crazy once after he dies by trashing a hotel room to kingdom come then immediately moves on to channeling her anger in appropriate, [partially] work-sanctioned means*. She is 100% compartmentalized - unlike Tom, she's never going to crack because she's put so many other selves in boxes that she can't find her own original one. I honestly don't think Ros ever HAD an original self (or she did, and it quickly splintered the moment she joined MI-6 way back when). Considering her backstory, this is not too surprising (just how long do you suppose her father was planning that coup, by the way? I mean really; I'm imagining Project Christmas-level indoctrination here, people, which while unlikely is probably still in the realm of possibility, at least in the abstract). Ros is a character who is 100% spy not out of a defense mechanism, but simply because she is - which is an important distinction! Tom was 100% spy because he couldn't handle fucking up his relationship with Ellie; Adam was 100% spy because he had three seasons of "my wife is dead and it is my fault, cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I am in beautiful manpain" angst. Ros just is. Always has, always will be. In many ways, Ros would have adored what Danny did - you don't die for a cause or a belief, you die for a concrete person-shaped reason. She would have hated Zoe intensely (OH MY GOSH, she would have hated her so MUCH - all this talk about feelings, and wanting a life outside spying while still doing the job). It's ironic that she's so instrumental in the chain of events that leads to Ruth's fake death, an event which dovetails selfish and selfless because it's about HARRY but it's about Harry but it's about THE MEANING OF WHAT HARRY REPRESENTS TO THE SERVICE AND THIS JOB but yeah it's about Harry (a person whom she loves).
* Remember that time Ros still had some compartmentalizing left to do, and yelled at Harry because his own personal life was such an utter fucking disaster (RUTH) (IT SO WAS) and he had no right to interfere with hers? Gosh, basically, remember when Ros had a Mom. Basically.
To us, the audience, Ros is kind of a wink and a nod. You know? It was as much a character (believably) telling us that sometimes you just sort of lose it in this job and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever because our way of looking at the world is loads different from yours as it was a writer saying, "You know what? In this episode, Ros is going to lose it! And, um, I'm too busy to invent a lame reason for it, so it's just going to happen." WHICH IS NOT ACTUALLY BAD OR LAZY WRITING. Sometimes, you just lose it and... and... have to pretend to hang someone for information, OKAY, SO MAYBE MY LIFE IS NOT A SPY'S LIFE. But you know! Shit doesn't always make great sense! Sometimes you grieve and you latch onto a person, and wow maybe it makes sense, but maybe it doesn't, because it's about the latching and not the person! At the same time, this episode says overtly what was implied about Tom's devolution in 3x02 - it's never actually about whatever mission a spy unravels on; it's just the excuse, the means, the facilitation. (That's also what 1x04 is about - Peter Salter breaks, and it doesn't make any sense, except it does, god damn GOD DAMN YOU SHOW. I LOVE YOU.)
It's lazy writing, it's simple writing; it's lazy writing that is also simple and not insulting. IT'S AWESOME.
[redacted retread argument about the meta nature of television]
Oh, Jo. In many ways, your introduction to the series - as a plot point in 4x05 aka MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF ALL TIME EVER - directly informs your entire role in this series! So much better as an object of plot, rather than an actually fully actualized character! No one should ever be in the least bit surprised you were never really developed and then just randomly died (to, sadly, just facilitate the momentary crazy of another character - Ros, whom we love, so it's sort of okay? um)!
SPEAKING OF MY FAVORITE EPISODE-
!!!! !!!! !!!!
HI. GUYS. ENOUGH WITH THE COHERENT SENTENCES AND VAGUELY LOGICAL ANALYSIS - HARRY IS UPSET ABOUT LOSING YET ANOTHER OLD COLLEAGUE TO THIS BASTARDLY AWFUL JOB, AND RUTH IS NO LONGER OLD-RUTH, SHE IS NEW-RUTH, AND NEW-RUTH SAYS, "FUCK IT," AND SHE ACTUALLY ASKS HARRY OUT FOR A DRINK SO HE CAN TALK/AVOID/THEY CAN DISCUSS GETTING MARRIED. Hello everyone! No caging, no well I'm... here if you need me (because of course you need me) (and of course you're never going to ask for my help) (we both know that!). SHE. JUST. ASKS. HIM. OUTRIGHT. I gasped. I did. I am not ashamed of that in the least bit.
In conclusion:
SPIES, I DON'T LIKE THAT WE ONLY HAVE TWO MORE WEEKS TOGETHER.
I really don't.
First off, can Tariq read me the phone book? OH JEEZ, EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WAY HE SPEAKS IS PERFECT.
Secondly:
I think the thing we're all reaching for when we love talk about loving Ros is that she's a meta character.
It's not hard to argue that the theme of Spooks is YUP BEING A SPY BASICALLY RUINS YOUR LIFE NOPE SORRY NOTHING TO BE DONE APOLOGIES IT WILL ALL BE AWFUL AT THE END. Tom, Zoe, Danny, Fiona, Adam, Zaf, Jo, Ben, COLIN; the girl in the chip oil in 1x02 (OUCH); Tessa (!) and Juliet (!!!)-- Malcolm is literally the only person in the history of this series to be able to say, "Yeaaaahhhhhhh, I need to step the hell back" at the best possible moment. Connie turned out to be a traitor. Ruth fake died, and came back, and even that wasn't great because her fake husband died and she still waits 6 episodes to finally ask Harry out even when he was the reason she fake died in the first place, JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH (more on that in a bit). Anyway. This whole idea that ~the job will get the best of you~ and ~once a spy, always a spy (whatever that means)~ is not new information. So in many ways, I think this defines Ros as a character, both to us (the audience) and to her other internal characters.
To her other characters, Ros is someone wholly dedicated to her job - she cries in front of Adam once, she accesses her inner crazy once after he dies by trashing a hotel room to kingdom come then immediately moves on to channeling her anger in appropriate, [partially] work-sanctioned means*. She is 100% compartmentalized - unlike Tom, she's never going to crack because she's put so many other selves in boxes that she can't find her own original one. I honestly don't think Ros ever HAD an original self (or she did, and it quickly splintered the moment she joined MI-6 way back when). Considering her backstory, this is not too surprising (just how long do you suppose her father was planning that coup, by the way? I mean really; I'm imagining Project Christmas-level indoctrination here, people, which while unlikely is probably still in the realm of possibility, at least in the abstract). Ros is a character who is 100% spy not out of a defense mechanism, but simply because she is - which is an important distinction! Tom was 100% spy because he couldn't handle fucking up his relationship with Ellie; Adam was 100% spy because he had three seasons of "my wife is dead and it is my fault, cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I am in beautiful manpain" angst. Ros just is. Always has, always will be. In many ways, Ros would have adored what Danny did - you don't die for a cause or a belief, you die for a concrete person-shaped reason. She would have hated Zoe intensely (OH MY GOSH, she would have hated her so MUCH - all this talk about feelings, and wanting a life outside spying while still doing the job). It's ironic that she's so instrumental in the chain of events that leads to Ruth's fake death, an event which dovetails selfish and selfless because it's about HARRY but it's about Harry but it's about THE MEANING OF WHAT HARRY REPRESENTS TO THE SERVICE AND THIS JOB but yeah it's about Harry (a person whom she loves).
* Remember that time Ros still had some compartmentalizing left to do, and yelled at Harry because his own personal life was such an utter fucking disaster (RUTH) (IT SO WAS) and he had no right to interfere with hers? Gosh, basically, remember when Ros had a Mom. Basically.
To us, the audience, Ros is kind of a wink and a nod. You know? It was as much a character (believably) telling us that sometimes you just sort of lose it in this job and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever because our way of looking at the world is loads different from yours as it was a writer saying, "You know what? In this episode, Ros is going to lose it! And, um, I'm too busy to invent a lame reason for it, so it's just going to happen." WHICH IS NOT ACTUALLY BAD OR LAZY WRITING. Sometimes, you just lose it and... and... have to pretend to hang someone for information, OKAY, SO MAYBE MY LIFE IS NOT A SPY'S LIFE. But you know! Shit doesn't always make great sense! Sometimes you grieve and you latch onto a person, and wow maybe it makes sense, but maybe it doesn't, because it's about the latching and not the person! At the same time, this episode says overtly what was implied about Tom's devolution in 3x02 - it's never actually about whatever mission a spy unravels on; it's just the excuse, the means, the facilitation. (That's also what 1x04 is about - Peter Salter breaks, and it doesn't make any sense, except it does, god damn GOD DAMN YOU SHOW. I LOVE YOU.)
It's lazy writing, it's simple writing; it's lazy writing that is also simple and not insulting. IT'S AWESOME.
[redacted retread argument about the meta nature of television]
Oh, Jo. In many ways, your introduction to the series - as a plot point in 4x05 aka MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF ALL TIME EVER - directly informs your entire role in this series! So much better as an object of plot, rather than an actually fully actualized character! No one should ever be in the least bit surprised you were never really developed and then just randomly died (to, sadly, just facilitate the momentary crazy of another character - Ros, whom we love, so it's sort of okay? um)!
SPEAKING OF MY FAVORITE EPISODE-
!!!! !!!! !!!!
HI. GUYS. ENOUGH WITH THE COHERENT SENTENCES AND VAGUELY LOGICAL ANALYSIS - HARRY IS UPSET ABOUT LOSING YET ANOTHER OLD COLLEAGUE TO THIS BASTARDLY AWFUL JOB, AND RUTH IS NO LONGER OLD-RUTH, SHE IS NEW-RUTH, AND NEW-RUTH SAYS, "FUCK IT," AND SHE ACTUALLY ASKS HARRY OUT FOR A DRINK SO HE CAN TALK/AVOID/THEY CAN DISCUSS GETTING MARRIED. Hello everyone! No caging, no well I'm... here if you need me (because of course you need me) (and of course you're never going to ask for my help) (we both know that!). SHE. JUST. ASKS. HIM. OUTRIGHT. I gasped. I did. I am not ashamed of that in the least bit.
In conclusion:
- How amazing that Sarah Caulfield can be momentarily a vaguely interesting character, and then immediately be TOTALLY BORING AGAIN. And now dead. (That was just - I am not an idiot. I knew from the get-go that that scene would end with her killing herself, but really, I would like to be humored. Sometimes, it is amazing. Hello, 3x01.) Well, um... good? Whatever. If Lucas pulls an Adam and wigs out about this because surprise he actually ~loved~ her, I- I- oh........................ oh, shit.
- You could write an entire post strictly on the subject of the LOL GOSH AMERICA SORT OF BLOWS DOESN'T IT impact of the fact that economic crises have effectively replaced fundamentalist terrorism this year as the ~ultimate bad guy~ on Spooks. Like - I think I know what's going on? Loads of Important International Business and Political People from various countries are funneling money through a CIA (i.e., American funded) account to... foment war between Pakistan and India? Yes? And Sarah was the American contact tasked to London to - monitor whether anyone found out? I think? IT REALLY IS YALTA 2.0: THIS TIME IT'S NOT IRAN SO IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT, ISN'T IT?
- Jesus Christ, give Ruth something more to do. Please? I mean, finally asking Harry out - and you know, MAKING THAT STEP BECAUSE HONESTLY I WAS ABOUT TO SCREAM RE: THAT IS GREAT AND ALL - but hey, remember when she used to save the day by correctly translating mistranslated quotes from the Iliad? I would like more of that Ruth, please. Right now, bless her heart, it almost seems like you were too lazy to invent a new character to plug the admin position, so you just brought back an old one. (THERE! I SAID IT! I feel traitor-esque.)
SPIES, I DON'T LIKE THAT WE ONLY HAVE TWO MORE WEEKS TOGETHER.
I really don't.