Every time you close your eyes, lies! lies!
First off: this wonderful fic I must rec: http://hestia8.livejournal.com/553761.html?#cutid1 Go read it NOW. ALL OF YOU.
Now, onto series 9...
This series, I've decided that the best option is to just roll with the ridiculous and not get too worked up with nitpicks. THAT WILL BE HARD.
I'd have made reaction lists, but a) I'm too busy; b) I'm too lazy; and c) I tend of overuse capslock and the lists tend to ramble. So here is a shortened version of what I think so far:
1) Harry and Ruth: ANGST AHOY! But the lovely kind, where NW is awkward and Harry's timing is terrible, and it makes you (me) cry and smile and feel confused all at once. I'd like it to continue, please. (Late night tete-a-tete's about 'work' can happen every week, yeah? YES, THEY CAN.)
2) DIMITRI. Is lovely. Tough in episode 1, without much to do in episode 2, but still lovely, lovely, lovely. If he could get into the field, and be BFF's with Tariq, it would be brilliant. I'd like some backstory. Like how did he get recruited? Did he choose MI5 or did they choose him? How did he get into/out of SBS? He also doesn't really seem to have much baggage (the character hasn't been developed yet, mind), which against all the others is nice.
3) Beth. I didn't much like her in 9.01, but 9.02 had me warm to her. She got backstory, which was interesting; she got shady operations, which was interesting; and she got a job in Section D after a lot of palaver about her being trustworthy or not, which was.... predictable. But still, she's alright. (And the flat-share with Ruth is a win.)
4) Now, Lucas. *sigh* Everything is working backwards with him - it's all past, past, and more past. And that creates bucket loads of angst, shady characters, Russian interrogators (side note: What have they done to his tattoos?!), etc. I don't know if I care anymore. I certainly cared about that brilliant and enigmatic character from S7. And I love the photographic memory, and the ace spying, and the trust issues with Harry; it's all this personal shit that annoys me. I just - don't care about Maya, about who 'John' is, the Suitcase of Angst. Even if I do love Iain Glen, this plot line is not going to hold my interest unless it is really, really, really, amazing. Because to be honest, I am scared they are going to screw it all up, and lose sight of the character they wrote in the first place. RA said somewhere that he had to go back and make sure what he'd created as Lucas worked with what the writers were making Lucas into - and it frightens me that the two won't match up. Because S7 Lucas is the character I liked and was intrigued by; they've strayed from that, in a sense, and I'd like them to come back to it - or at least make sure things now fit with what things were then - the character they created then is far too good to waste.
5) Harry: IS A BASTARD. Moaning about retirement, the people he's lost, not feeling 'clean'. I get tired of him putting out righteous shit, because really, it's hypocritical. Harry is psychotic. "We don't lie to each other." YES YOU FUCKING DO. To me, Harry is like this giant paradox: he does a load of bad shit like going on revenge sprees (Katchimov, Blake), and then he turns all that on its head and tells his team off for the bad shit they do. With Beth in 9.02, it was like he was lecturing a child. I mean, yes, Harry has his moments of being ACE (ie. In the field, usually, ironically, on his revenge sprees) but he is also quite shit at the job. I mean, HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE, MAN, with all the things you've missed, or seen too late, or decided to purposely not see. Without Ruth, and previously Malcolm, I don't know how the hell he's stuck around this long.
6) Ruth: Is heartbreaking, and absolutely brilliant at putting everything in perspective. I ADORE HER, she's beautiful and subtle and makes me stay for when this show gets ridiculous. Someone really needs to get Nicola Walker her own show, because her acting skills are divine.
7) Tariq: Looks seriously bored with having nothing to do. Get him out there, doing things! I mean, MALCOLM went out, FFS. Back in the days when the team was comprised of more than 6 people! I would like some background for him too. He's my shark boy. ("I'm like a shark, Lucas; I never sleep.) <3
On that note, I need to sleep. Aaaaand, not really shortened, that, is it? Oh well.
Now, onto series 9...
This series, I've decided that the best option is to just roll with the ridiculous and not get too worked up with nitpicks. THAT WILL BE HARD.
I'd have made reaction lists, but a) I'm too busy; b) I'm too lazy; and c) I tend of overuse capslock and the lists tend to ramble. So here is a shortened version of what I think so far:
1) Harry and Ruth: ANGST AHOY! But the lovely kind, where NW is awkward and Harry's timing is terrible, and it makes you (me) cry and smile and feel confused all at once. I'd like it to continue, please. (Late night tete-a-tete's about 'work' can happen every week, yeah? YES, THEY CAN.)
2) DIMITRI. Is lovely. Tough in episode 1, without much to do in episode 2, but still lovely, lovely, lovely. If he could get into the field, and be BFF's with Tariq, it would be brilliant. I'd like some backstory. Like how did he get recruited? Did he choose MI5 or did they choose him? How did he get into/out of SBS? He also doesn't really seem to have much baggage (the character hasn't been developed yet, mind), which against all the others is nice.
3) Beth. I didn't much like her in 9.01, but 9.02 had me warm to her. She got backstory, which was interesting; she got shady operations, which was interesting; and she got a job in Section D after a lot of palaver about her being trustworthy or not, which was.... predictable. But still, she's alright. (And the flat-share with Ruth is a win.)
4) Now, Lucas. *sigh* Everything is working backwards with him - it's all past, past, and more past. And that creates bucket loads of angst, shady characters, Russian interrogators (side note: What have they done to his tattoos?!), etc. I don't know if I care anymore. I certainly cared about that brilliant and enigmatic character from S7. And I love the photographic memory, and the ace spying, and the trust issues with Harry; it's all this personal shit that annoys me. I just - don't care about Maya, about who 'John' is, the Suitcase of Angst. Even if I do love Iain Glen, this plot line is not going to hold my interest unless it is really, really, really, amazing. Because to be honest, I am scared they are going to screw it all up, and lose sight of the character they wrote in the first place. RA said somewhere that he had to go back and make sure what he'd created as Lucas worked with what the writers were making Lucas into - and it frightens me that the two won't match up. Because S7 Lucas is the character I liked and was intrigued by; they've strayed from that, in a sense, and I'd like them to come back to it - or at least make sure things now fit with what things were then - the character they created then is far too good to waste.
5) Harry: IS A BASTARD. Moaning about retirement, the people he's lost, not feeling 'clean'. I get tired of him putting out righteous shit, because really, it's hypocritical. Harry is psychotic. "We don't lie to each other." YES YOU FUCKING DO. To me, Harry is like this giant paradox: he does a load of bad shit like going on revenge sprees (Katchimov, Blake), and then he turns all that on its head and tells his team off for the bad shit they do. With Beth in 9.02, it was like he was lecturing a child. I mean, yes, Harry has his moments of being ACE (ie. In the field, usually, ironically, on his revenge sprees) but he is also quite shit at the job. I mean, HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE, MAN, with all the things you've missed, or seen too late, or decided to purposely not see. Without Ruth, and previously Malcolm, I don't know how the hell he's stuck around this long.
6) Ruth: Is heartbreaking, and absolutely brilliant at putting everything in perspective. I ADORE HER, she's beautiful and subtle and makes me stay for when this show gets ridiculous. Someone really needs to get Nicola Walker her own show, because her acting skills are divine.
7) Tariq: Looks seriously bored with having nothing to do. Get him out there, doing things! I mean, MALCOLM went out, FFS. Back in the days when the team was comprised of more than 6 people! I would like some background for him too. He's my shark boy. ("I'm like a shark, Lucas; I never sleep.) <3
On that note, I need to sleep. Aaaaand, not really shortened, that, is it? Oh well.