dear 2016, you are teetering on 'officially fired'

[lyssie]

1. Really. Bowie and Rickman in one week? Was it too much to ask not to spread them out a bit?

2. I am officially caught up on Doctor Who. Points to me for not stopping until I'd made it all the way through. No points to me for taking so bloody long.

3. I have also, disturbingly, caught up entirely on Sherlock. I blame the bushy-haired tall

Comments

[lyssie]

1. First off, I caught your ETA at work the other day, and laughed like a hyena. I'm so glad to know that (and now I really really have to get the movie, since it's never been released over here). So thank you =D

2. So, Leading Men and Their Angst in Spooks. Tom Quinn will always remain my personal Angstiest Spy Ever because I saw him and his angst first, and it made an impression upon me. I think it hit narrative beats that worked very well for me (even while being ridiculous at times), and so I liked his Angst the best. Adam's comes second, as while Tom was my first, Adam was the one who sort of matched everything I liked about spies (and angst. And spies)--it's also that the seasons 4-7 sort of hit multiple narrative kinks I enjoy deeply, and not just on Adam's behalf, so he benefits.

Lucas, otoh, I have... So. I like Lucas. In seasons 7 and 8. His angst wasn't overwhelming over the whole prison thing, and I quite liked his ex-wife. And the whole Sarah Caulfield thing was hilarious (they had the worst chemistry, even if I ship it. The writers should have gone with a Ros-Sarah thing, because they had excellent chemistry. I suppose they were trying a re-tread of Tom and Christine Dale, but unfortunately, Caulfield didn't have Dale's personality and style and Lucas isn't Tom). But then season 9 happened, with it's illogical and frankly stupid as hell backstory, and the season really warped around it, too. Most episodes are about Lucas and his thing. And then his ex (in the form of the lovely Laila Rouass) was introduced literally so they could fridge her and I was DONE with Lucas. Because, no.

Even typing it out still makes me incredibly angry.

And yes, I know that Adam's angst warped multiple seasons around him, and that Fiona was fridged for it, but Fiona got oodles of time to be awesome all on her own and as a character in her own right while Laila was literally a sexy lamp who got murdered to make Lucas turn into evilness. Also, while Adam's angst warped everything, the writers still managed to deliver fairly well with the other characters as well (Jo! Zaf! Connie! Roossss, who got her own manpain angstfest storyline!)

Season nine did not manage to deliver on the others being real people. Even the one episode focusing on Beth wasn't enough.

3. Beth. I do love Beth (even if the actress isn't the best, I still adore her in everything I've seen - I think Foyle's War was the first instance I saw her). But a) her introduction was as a prostitute (and one who was basically mistreated) which--I don't hate prostitutes, and Spooks has covered seduction as a cover multiple times, BUT. I still hate it as the "Hooker with a heart of gold" is so obnoxious and prevalent in everything. And I felt it was short-hand for the writers to not have to give Beth any sort of decent introduction.

b) WE GOT SO LITTLE OF HER. I wanted much more screen-time and action on her behalf--hell, I'm pretty sure Caulfield in season eight got more lines than Beth in season nine, and Caulfield was guest cast while Beth was supposedly main.

Basically, I hate season nine. And season ten didn't really do anything to make me lessen my anger towards the writers who took over. Literally, the only good bits of seasons nine and ten are: the aftermath of Ros, and Harry's revenge, Beth and Ruth and Erin, and the episode with Lydia Leonard--and Dmitri and Tariq, too. (my rage over Tariq is not particularly polite, either)

Er, and now I've started ranting. Apologies.
(continued, as I broke the comment character limit)