Sep 27, 2010

Spooks 9.1


Spoiler Warning:
In this post: mild spoilers in the form of sreencaps.
In comments section: major spoilers, where episode 1
will be open for discussion.


I was able to see the first episode of Spooks Season 9 last week
thanks to this site:  www.casttv.com

I loved it!
What a great way to kick off a new season!
(And there's no she-who-must-not-be-named this time, thank heavens.)

Before I viewed it, I asked those of you who
had seen it to give your spoiler-free thoughts on episode 1.
Blog reader Ann Marie described her reactions this way:
"Awww, sniff,sniff...awww...oogle, thud with a small heart flutter.....yikes!
....hmmm...hah, hah...uh-oh....and finally...WHAT?????!!!! oh, no!"

I know exactly what you mean, Ann Marie. :)

Here are some of my thoughts on episode 1,
which I'll try to leave vague in hopes of not giving away
the plot for those of you who have not yet watched it.

This scene made me sad
and a bit disappointed there wasn't more to it.

You all know Lucas is my favorite character,
but I also love Harry... and he totally stole the show in this episode!

I've never thought of Harry as sexy
(more like a cute older guy who I'd like to hug)
but he actually made me swoon in this scene!  Shocking.
I loved the dialogue between Ruth and Harry throughout.

I also liked this Harry moment when he wrestles with his emotions,
yet is determined to get justice.

My favorite line of the show is when Harry says,
"This is my 'I want some good news' face"
while he's sporting his normal, expressionless Harry Face:

I like the new people, Beth and Dimitri.
They seem like interesting, non-annoying additions to the grid.
That Dimitri fellow is pretty easy on the eyes and Beth
seems like she can hold her own.

I got a kick out of noticing Lucas
with an American flag in the background.

Lucas did a lot of "the blinking thing"
(discussed HERE) in this scene.  It felt like old times.

Lucas was amazing throughout this episode,
but I was especially impressed with him in this scene.

And then there was this scene.
See that surprised look on Lucas's face?
That's how I looked when they added the twist at the end of this episode. 
Not because of the twist, but the Spooks writers's choice of names,
which made me roll my eyes a bit. :)

I'm excited to see what's in store for the rest of Season 9
and glad it's Monday once more!

I'm going to leave the comments open for discussion
of episode 1 only, so feel free to share your thoughts.

*Please no spoilers for any other episode.*
Thanks. :)




6 comments:

diveknit said...

I loved episode 1 too and I had the same reaction to the choice of name for Lucas. Could they have not come up with something more original? :))

Another question, did anyone else notice that they have seemed to move Lucas tattoo (I think it's the one on the right arm - the one with the bands - I hope you know which one I mean)? In one of the scenes on the ship, where he had his sleeves rolled up, I noticed that something seemed missing, his bands, which he covered up when he spoke with Elizabeta in Episode 7 in her kitchen. My first thought was that they wouldn't make such a blatant mistake and they didn't, they are there but it seemed closer to his elbow and not so low as we saw it in Episode 7. Did anyone else notice?

I am looking forward to the other episodes to see how it all develops and I do hope that Lucas gets way more screen time ;) but I do agree the Harry was great.

I hope that they also avoid those impossible time travel scenes like Beth and Lucas did after getting off the boat (much later than the 2 objects) and arriving in London quite some time before them :)

I do like Beth, she is spunky and she might have great dialogs with Lucas.

Ann Marie said...

I love that a reviewer described Beth as "alarmingly bosomy". :)

I made the front page of your blog Nat, it is the highlight of my blog reading career to date! Yay for me...sorry I'm silly ...just waiting for episode 2 to be uploaded...Yay!

Phylly3 said...

Totally loved Harry this episode! That scene with the former Home Secretary was simply chilling.
I LOLed when you talked about Lucas and the blinking thing being like "old times".
I never thought about it before, but you are so right about the time issue. I suppose there could be some explanation but we viewers are left to make our own assumptions.
Very exciting episode all around. But I completely missed that line where the stranger says Lucas's name. I couldn't hear it! (I guess I should download it again -- but it's time for a new episode now!) Yay! :D

MillyMe said...

My theory is that the Spooks writers have chosen the new name deliberately. There have been too many echoes of other roles Richard has played for it not to be deliberate; his surname, the leather biker's outfit and glove. Perhaps it's done as a sly wink to the fanbase. The name is solidly British and many layers of meaning can be read into it.


I really enjoyed all the actors' contribution, Harry and Ruth being superb. The tension between personal sacrifices and the choices you are forced to make in the execution of your duty being particularly acute. Beth is a strong female, but, fortunately, not a clone of Ros, while Dmitri is yet another good-looking and skillful addition to the Grid. The real MI-5 has been innundated with applications in recent years as people imagine it to be as sexy as depicted on Spooks, lol!

Lucas was very much on top of his game in this ep. He's quite the gorgeous action man (with depth!) when away from the Grid. Yes, it must take a lot to shake him so it will be interesting to get to the heart of the mystery of his identity. I am looking forward to unravelling more of Lucas' and the new characters' lives!

Myrtle said...

Lovely review Nat.

I also loved the interaction between Harry and the new HS, the quip about having a receipt for his new chair and lining his office with mink was a nod to recent controversy over here.

Like you Phylly, I felt the scene with the old HS was indeed chilling, totally took me by suprise.

@divenit, yup, the tattoo on Lucas' arm does move about a bit??

@Milly, I agree with you that they have chosen the name 'John' as a link to RA's other roles, a sort of 'inside joke', I love it.

I thought the mini subs shooting down the Thames was scarily exciting, and the scene with Lucas and the teenage girl was so intense, brilliant infact.

A great start to the new series.

Anonymous said...

So I wasn't the only one who shook her head in disbelieve at the screenwriters' choice of name:-) And thinking of it I'm pretty sure that his surname North was pretty deliberate choice as well. Maybe at the end of the show we'll discover he's John Thornton in disguise (using time machine and being retrained from a mill owner to a spy). Now the question is Where is Margaret?:-D