Spooks 10.06
(Crossposted for various reasons).
I would have written and posted this earlier, because I watched the episode on Monday night, but I've had an extremely busy week from which I'm recovering today.
I feel that I should note that I spent a good few minutes after watching the end of the episode exclaiming variations on 'you mingers!' because I really wasn't expecting THAT ending. Oh no, I'd convinced myself that the perfect ending to Spooks would be Harry dying, possibly to protect Ruth, because after everything, he owed us. Indeed, the only thing I really wanted going into the final episode was Ruth not dead and safe (well would have been a bonus), but no.
Otherwise, I'd also been spoiled that a former Spook would be returning, so that was at the back of my mind for all of the episode. I was shocked/angry more than upset as Ruth died. It was only with Tom's return that it hit me. But that was really weird too, because I didn't want him to be Harry's private assassin, but then I thought, well, it's okay if it's for Ruth's killer, so that was almost satisfying at the time. Now I've had to think about it, I'm not okay with it. The bearded Russian was only indirectly responsible. There was no need to make it personal. It was a bit of a cheat to get an emotional response. So, I am all DID NOT WANT over out-of-the-service assassin!Tom and REALLY DID NOT WANT over dead Ruth.
Meat of the episode? Alice Krige was excellent, with moments that reminded me vividly that she'd played the Borg Queen (who was both a mistake and awesome, and the latter was down to the performance). It made so much more sense that Elena was a player.
I will take 'not good with people' and run with it, because giving Ilya the key was signing Elena's death sentence. I get Ruth and Harry being okay with that if he'd call the HS and save the day, but they should have had someone guarding the door once it was closed, waiting for a signal to stop Ilya. If there had been more of a proper plan, someone would then have stayed with Sasha. Clearly none of the characters watch TV, because I could see all of that being played out. (I may have muttered 'what are you? Greek' in response to the family drama.) I suppose one can put it down to the stress they were all under, but Ilya obviously didn't want the key to have a nice chat with the woman who'd so thoroughly betrayed him. Harry must have known that, even if Ruth didn't.
Oh, Ruth, darling YOU DESERVED AN OFFICE OF YOUR OWN TOO. I cannot even begin to comprehend what was going on in Harry's head when he went to see the house they wouldn't be living in with. So much wrongness.
Grumpily, I wanted more acknowledgement of the whole series from the beginning of the episode. The scene of Harry with the list of names was brilliant (and awful because to some extent, he had all their blood on his hands. When they talked about the bad men trying to kill them on the grid, the truth is, it'll be Harry that'll do it. And it'll be a horrible decision or a horrible mistake, and he will be guilt-wracked in a repressed way, but it'll be for a country and ideals he has a complicated relationship with, only a billion times worse because he watched Ruth die.)
(Or to put it more flippantly, Harry never dies, does he!?)
Apart from the very end then, I felt that it was more of a good ending for the 10th series, rather than the whole show - especially because they knew it was the big finish.
The plan to break Harry out reminded me of the A-Team (for me, that's a good thing). Callum made me chuckle at the end. I hate myself for that.
There should be fic about Erin and Dimitri and driving really fast!
More seriously, OH DIMITRI - shooting Sasha too late, the adrenaline. Oh, D!
Actually, if I rewatched this ep, I would probably be an emotional wreck, because I loved Ruth, especially until before she decided to stay after her hot Cypriot doctor was killed. I loved her in this episode for her analysis, for getting Elena out so adroitly, for still having hope. And now her name is on a list of remembrance, hidden away.
I would have written and posted this earlier, because I watched the episode on Monday night, but I've had an extremely busy week from which I'm recovering today.
I feel that I should note that I spent a good few minutes after watching the end of the episode exclaiming variations on 'you mingers!' because I really wasn't expecting THAT ending. Oh no, I'd convinced myself that the perfect ending to Spooks would be Harry dying, possibly to protect Ruth, because after everything, he owed us. Indeed, the only thing I really wanted going into the final episode was Ruth not dead and safe (well would have been a bonus), but no.
Otherwise, I'd also been spoiled that a former Spook would be returning, so that was at the back of my mind for all of the episode. I was shocked/angry more than upset as Ruth died. It was only with Tom's return that it hit me. But that was really weird too, because I didn't want him to be Harry's private assassin, but then I thought, well, it's okay if it's for Ruth's killer, so that was almost satisfying at the time. Now I've had to think about it, I'm not okay with it. The bearded Russian was only indirectly responsible. There was no need to make it personal. It was a bit of a cheat to get an emotional response. So, I am all DID NOT WANT over out-of-the-service assassin!Tom and REALLY DID NOT WANT over dead Ruth.
Meat of the episode? Alice Krige was excellent, with moments that reminded me vividly that she'd played the Borg Queen (who was both a mistake and awesome, and the latter was down to the performance). It made so much more sense that Elena was a player.
I will take 'not good with people' and run with it, because giving Ilya the key was signing Elena's death sentence. I get Ruth and Harry being okay with that if he'd call the HS and save the day, but they should have had someone guarding the door once it was closed, waiting for a signal to stop Ilya. If there had been more of a proper plan, someone would then have stayed with Sasha. Clearly none of the characters watch TV, because I could see all of that being played out. (I may have muttered 'what are you? Greek' in response to the family drama.) I suppose one can put it down to the stress they were all under, but Ilya obviously didn't want the key to have a nice chat with the woman who'd so thoroughly betrayed him. Harry must have known that, even if Ruth didn't.
Oh, Ruth, darling YOU DESERVED AN OFFICE OF YOUR OWN TOO. I cannot even begin to comprehend what was going on in Harry's head when he went to see the house they wouldn't be living in with. So much wrongness.
Grumpily, I wanted more acknowledgement of the whole series from the beginning of the episode. The scene of Harry with the list of names was brilliant (and awful because to some extent, he had all their blood on his hands. When they talked about the bad men trying to kill them on the grid, the truth is, it'll be Harry that'll do it. And it'll be a horrible decision or a horrible mistake, and he will be guilt-wracked in a repressed way, but it'll be for a country and ideals he has a complicated relationship with, only a billion times worse because he watched Ruth die.)
(Or to put it more flippantly, Harry never dies, does he!?)
Apart from the very end then, I felt that it was more of a good ending for the 10th series, rather than the whole show - especially because they knew it was the big finish.
The plan to break Harry out reminded me of the A-Team (for me, that's a good thing). Callum made me chuckle at the end. I hate myself for that.
There should be fic about Erin and Dimitri and driving really fast!
More seriously, OH DIMITRI - shooting Sasha too late, the adrenaline. Oh, D!
Actually, if I rewatched this ep, I would probably be an emotional wreck, because I loved Ruth, especially until before she decided to stay after her hot Cypriot doctor was killed. I loved her in this episode for her analysis, for getting Elena out so adroitly, for still having hope. And now her name is on a list of remembrance, hidden away.