{ he told me to trust no-one; why would he say that? }

[delga]

Things that struck me the second time around:

+ An episode that is not-so-secretly about Russians and STILL no spoken Russian? Bad Spooks! Also, it bears repeating: Boris? Ugh, why.

+ I love Ros in this episode. I love her anyway, but the evolution of her character is so amazing to me sometimes - that she can be who she is here, and still recognisably be Ros is wonderful. I believe in her as a team leader, now, which - when you consider her traitorous past - is doubly ironic.

+ Ros and the bomb! Not as great as putting it in the microwave (best! detonation! ever!) but I still love watching her face-off with tech she doesn't really understand. Woman needs an equal, which is why I'd rather the showdown happen between her and Sarah/Christine 2.0 rather than with Lucas because I think the anger there is interesting. Put Ros against every traitor there is and see if there isn't some sympathy: that's what would make it tick. Plus, Ros already hates her.

+ I am disappointed that new girl is Young White Female but I want to know more about her. On the shallow end, girl is really pretty. She looks nothing like Jo, though, for serious. I guess Ros meant that her youth reminded her of Jo, but still.

+ "There's a dealer in the room next door. His name is Tom." YES, MY MIND WENT THERE TOO.

+ I still feel ecstatic about the end of the episode. Except it's less joy than real, cruel glee. It's the exact hysteria that I felt when Connie killed Ben. Like-- I think it's ridiculous and also genius! And I saw it a second before it happened (the US credit card was a big red flag) but it was still unbelievably excellent. So silent and cold. Maybe it's perverse that I care more about her now that I know she's a murderous mole but I'd take that over straight-forward love interest any day. Now she's 3D. I just wanted to see how you were. At the top of the episode that would have made me cringe; at the end it made me giddy. Oh, I can't wait for the endgame, my goodness.

+ "No idea, but I think it'll be in Latin." REAL LOL. Richard Armitage was awful in that scene (hammed-up dialogue), but his subtlety in the rest of the episode more than made up for it. When he confesses that everything is out of his hands - verbal theatrics on a level we haven't seen on the show in years. "I owe you nothing!" Fuck yes.

+ I still miss SpyGran. I miss the sense of gravitas she brought with her, even at her most dangerous/crazy. And I miss Jo. I wanted someone to survive. I wish she'd been promoted or seconded to MI6. I think she would have been fierce. Or fiercer, I guess. So that hurts.

+ Ruth. RUTH. What are you doing here? You're wasted in this no man's land. I adored that moment where she felt challenged and fulfilled by the job - just one moment, when Harry challenges her to prove her theory, but it was lovely. Oh, lady. What, oh what, oh what.

+ To conclude: THAT WAS A FUCKING CELLO DURING THE HAND-OFF. Beautiful.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Is the 'new girl' actually a new girl? I thought Ros said she was an asset. I assumed she was just a drug addict who'd been providing information to MI-5 on the side, as it were.

I would imagine Ros thought of Jo when she saw her because at the moment she's probably seeing Jo in every vulnerable-looking young woman she comes across.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I'm making an assumption that's she's here to stay. I might be wrong, but it was a weird use of a guest star otherwise.

[odainath.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the no-speaking Russian thing! It is completely pissing me off. We have Lucas who was in a RUSSIAN prison for eight years who doesn't speak a word (minus the bits last season) and then Ros whose sole Russian word contribtion was 'hello'. One stickin' word for the whole series and a bit. Urgh, 'tis frustrating.

*takes a breath*

Ros (as always) as brilliant and I am really hoping for more Ros/Sarah interaction. Their meeting in the first episode was brilliant. Ros was so deliciously snide. lol.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

lol. Breathe deeeeeep.

I find their characters curiously alike in levels of competence! I think it could be handled REALLY well. Or REALLY BADLY, which I'd rather it wasn't, obvs.

[odainath.livejournal.com]

It took me a second to realise you were talking about Sarah and Ros then. Urgh, I need more sleep.

Well considering I am exceptionally biased as I would forgive Ros anything I am trying not to consider the possibility that the writers may try and make me think that Sarah and Ros are similar, you know, that Sarah is an American Ros. Because it will not work!!! *shakes angry fist* I'm sorry, the fork and the patented Ros torture method surpass the push over the rail by an infinite amount. That and Ros is more sarcastic, more cynical and just plain cooler.

And I have no idea where I am going with this...

I do agree with you that the 'junkie' (was she really a junkie? - she didn't look that out of it to me) might become a regular cast member. It would be an interesting twist provided it's written well. *prays that it will be*

[belantana.livejournal.com]

I am disappointed that new girl is Young White Female but I want to know more about her. - New girl, REALLY, is she?! I was of the impression that Jo was a direct exchange for Ruth. I will only be interested in New Girl if she remains an asset, because there's something which hasn't been done before, but a junkie-suddenly-spy, no thanks.

Verbal theatrics YES.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

We're still one cast member short, though, yes? Two, maybe? After Ben and Connie? Plus, I recognise the actress, and it was a weird place to put emphasis on a guest star if she wasn't going to be used more. I might be wrong, but I think it's probably her.

I don't think she is a junkie. She's tres lucid when talking to Ros, and she passes the smoke as a way to get Ros to blend in. So. I don't know. I am apparently the only person who thinks this?

[belantana.livejournal.com]

Interesting points! It never occurred to me that she might be faking the drug thing, in which case, I am much more interested in her hanging around.

As for replacements, I got the feeling they'd deliberately shrunk the cast a bit - replacing both Ben and Malcolm with Tariq. I suppose it leads to less "give (Ben/Jo/Zaf/Colin/Fiona/Danny) something to do!" and more time to focus on characters as well as twisty plots, but I love the ensemble cast so I'm torn between that and wanting new people. Hmm.

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

It's the exact hysteria that I felt when Connie killed Ben. Like-- I think it's ridiculous and also genius!

Yes!! Both killings were just so chillingly brutal. Cruel glee sums up my reaction just perfectly.

I would *love* to see a Ros/Sarah showdown. It'll probably be with Lucas, because he's the one Sarah is "betraying" and that's how these plotlines always go, but a fight-to-the-death with Ros would be the most fabulous thing ever.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I just think it would be more interesting to have it be Ros. Idk. I'm bad at explaining my fascination with it. Because it's not so much, ooh, bitch fight as: I genuinely think, on a psychological level, it's like pitting Ros against a warped mirror. Like putting her next to Connie and watching the sympathy erupt. It's fascinating to me.

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

New Girl is Laura Pyper from Hex. Is she confirmed for Spooks? I liked her. I miss SpyGran so badly. And Malcolm.

And if Harry doesn't turn out to have something worth hiding this time around, I shall be fed up. They even gave him the double-faced reflection when he said, 'I have no idea.' They have played that card before, as we know, but it occurs to me that maybe they knew what our collective reaction to Christine Dale II would be - and they played us. I like the idea that they have that much slyness.

[karen747.livejournal.com]

Re: Harry - Me: "Oh, come on, Harry. Your tell is showing."

Re: Christine - YAY - But the actress seriously annoyed me this ep., in wildly vacillating between a Boston and a New york accent, even WITHIN ONE SCENE. Pick one, for God's sake! It's incredibly distracting. Though must admit to sitting & catching myself saying, "Oh. my. FREAKIN' GOD!" Just wow. I, like you, really hope that they are that sly. Thanks, show!

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

Is she really new girl? Because they only have 4 episodes left to clean her up and get her on the grid (then again, if they kept the heroin addiction, that could be really interesting).

I need to rewatch.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a lot of people seem sceptical. I think it's actually pretty likely going to be her because it seems a weird place to prominently place a guest star if you're not going to come back to her. And it seemed to me that, whilst she was on the stuff, she wasn't as out of it as people think - she was very lucid when she told Ros about not!Tom, for example. So. Plus, we're one cast member down, y/n?