{ build yourself a levée, girl, when the waters run high. }

[delga]

Gosh, the sky is purple right now. I could swim in it, it's been so beautiful today.

--

Yesterday I rewatched Spooks, 4x01, and remembered - yo, I loved this episode! I was capping Zaf, but then I ended up capping everyone. So: picspam! \o/

Zaf is rather wonderful in this episode. I feel like I missed a lot of the nuances of season 4 because I didn't see a lot of it until the summer after it aired, and I had a pretty heavy fixation on Fiona Carter. So a lot of the good stuff passed me by (witness: Zafar!)

One thing I didn't miss was how superb Ruth was in this episode. (Field work! In a field! Lols, hestia8, I remember you loved that as much as I did.) I loved her playing that pompous bastard like a fiddle (I also loved the Homeric quote, natch; even I was all, ACHILLES, MOFO). She was beautiful, too, with her hand gestures and then her quiet, desperate grief for Danny.

"Do I look like a torturer to you?"

[...] "I have nothing to live for."
"There's always something to live for."

Oh, Zaf. All those reaction shots are re: the bomb in the train station. Seeing Colin and Malcolm on screen together made me ache.

"Come on, this is round 2. Where's your fighting spirit?" (Oh, Ruth; here face here kills me.

Goddamn, I love Juliet. I love to hate her a lot of the time, but there was something so spry and sharp about her right at the start. It was so wonderful to see. And of course, her mention of Russia suggests that she in all likelihood knew Connie? Which is something I must explore (because Connie = MARVELLOUS). (This is why there are so many Alias crossovers in this fandom, yo.)

Gratuitous Fiona scene! To remind us that Adam Carter will NOT be fucking Martine McCutcheon because he is married, with son, and in love. (Goshdarn, I loved Olga Sosnovska, too. She's lovely in this scene.)

Haha, also: Zaf's car. He's so cheeky and yet so sincere. I loved him, and I wish he'd be all miraculously alive, because if Juliet can get her legs back, why can't we Rambaldi Zaf up?

Lols at Martine McCutcheon who I genuinely loved in this episode (I have a weird bias against her for no discernible reason); woeface for Zaf, as victim to the Ego that is Adam Carter, often was made to look silly so that Carter could play hero. I liked Carter here in S4, but on the rewatch there's that oh-so unsubtle line - "I won't let this happen again" - where he takes it on himself again to do whatever. I know that Danny wasn't perfect by any stretch but Tom never made him look incompetent. I guess that's what I dislike about Adam's entrance: other people seemed to lose credibility. (That's why I enjoy every scene where Ros snaps at him to put his balls back in place, because: hell yes.)

That said, I did like Adam a lot in this episode. I wish I'd capped the early funeral scenes because when everyone comes out they're all looking sharp in black suits and ties. /shallow

--

Dropped The Flatmate off at the station and then immediately felt like crap. Am better now; am still packing, crikey. Mostly because I keep playing with the Spooks caps, lols. Glutton, punishment.

Comments

[twincy.livejournal.com]

If sky turns violet: WORRY.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

But, but... it's so pretty! (Wait: why? Is this a hurricane/tornado thing? I feel like this is something I should already know.)

SELF = MORON.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

*pats head lovingly*

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I would blame malnutrition, but that would be a LIE.

I want to make out with your icon, and it's only a fraction of his face, crikey.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

And lying is BAD.

Hahaha, oi. That's a bit disturbing, really. It's a fantastic icon though, I agree. As is this one. ♥

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Dear Desmond,

Please narrate my life. Shirt is optional,

love, M xx

[twincy.livejournal.com]

... narrate? Because of the accent? Je ne comprend pas.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

lols, YES. The Flatmate and I once had this conversation where we concluded that it would be sort of awesome to have our lives narrated by Some Marvellous Male Actor who we've subsequently forgotten (smashing voice, though). As I know longer know who he is, Desmond would be PERFECT. He can bring his angst, too. I'm not fussy.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

!

I call dibs on Alan Rickman. If he's unavailable: David Tennant with his native accent.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

lols at both of those choices! (I think our choice was Brian Blessed, actually, which... LOLARIOUS, now that I come to think of it. God, it can have been him. But still: terrific voice.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

David Tennant with his native accent = pervworthy; Alan Rickman's voice = simply fab. I have an audio recording of him reading a Shakespeare sonnet. HAPPIES. (Every time I come across Brian Blessed in something I wonder how it's POSSIBLE that he is FO REAL.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, yes, to both of them! re: Blessed, god, I know. There's this hilarious Christmas 'panto' from Virgin radio a couple of years ago with Tennant, Blessed and Thandie, and it's honestly one of the best things EVER.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

I've seen that! You linked it, I think. I don't remember Blessed being in there, but you're probably right. (Lols, speaking of memory: went to ask Solveig if she'd received my postcard, then couldn't remember whether I'd actually sent that, or just dreamt I did. I DO NOT REMEMBER what card I sent. Premature dementia, verily.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(LOLS. I often send stuff, forget that I've sent stuff, get anxious about sending stuff... only to get an email that is all \o/ about stuff sent and then feel all ??? re: what exactly it was that was sent.)

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(Hahahaha. Good to know. Next time you send me something, I'll email you using this template:

Dear M.,

Thank you for your package containing:
1. [contents of package]
2.
3.
4.

With love,
twince.

... because I'm helpful like that. Seriously, though, Solveig is all "Such a pretty card!" and I don't remember. It may have had books on it?)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(Haha, that would actually be Very Very Useful! My brain, so weak. So numbed by plastic ducks and ev0l emoticons. )

Obviously we have email spammed a crazy amount today because instead of adding font size tags to that last portion, I started looking for the font-size drop down menu. *headdesk*

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(And nudists! Nudists influence the brain! Aw, aw. Yeah, I often neglect to send back the books she's lent me and hold them hostage for ages. ...... except I do that with you as well. Really: am getting to that.

Hee! M, a creature of habit. I have to say, today's e-mail spam was one of the better. Great in-joke density, some nice neologisms, typo/emoticon mockery. ... Why am I even reviewing this?

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(DEFEND THY VIRTUES, TWINCE; GIRD THY LOINS. )

I don't know. I mean, I was there, lols. I'd say 4 from 5 stars, overall, with some top notch reportage from all sides. All TWO of them. Smash. Ing.

[twincy.livejournal.com]

(DEFENDING! GIRDING! Lols! Do you mean that, though? I was going to send them sometime this month. Fo reals. I can hold off, though.

Well played, M. You are a worthy opponent. Or, um, accomplice. Take your pick. SMASHING sums it up, indeed.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

(REMAIN VIGILANT ON BEHALF OF YOUR NETHERS!

\o/

[ofadoration.livejournal.com]

I loved these episodes. They were especially wonderful for Ruth.

I thought Martine McCutcheon was really great and had nice chemistry with RPJ. I enjoyed Adam a lot in this episode, too, but I think you're spot-on about his introduction - and, I think, his interaction with quite a few characters during the run of the show (minus Fiona, and Ros, naturally) - he's propped up to make them look less competent. Actually, the production team seeming to constantly paint Adam as the Best Spy Ever throughout much of the series bugs me a lot. But anyway.

And gosh, they ended up just wasting poor Zaf after awhile, didn't they? He started out so promisingly. I wonder if Raza Jeffrey wanted out after awhile.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I think they had big plans for Zaf but then women kept getting pregnant and taking up plot space. (No, seriously, this is actually how I feel about the plot of later Spooks a lot of the time - so much of it is dictated by pregnancy-related departures.) But that actually happens to quite a few characters, Juliet included. I feel like they brought her in strong and then tapered off to maintain Harry & co's status quo. Which sucks, really, because they managed to maintain Tessa's spark through and through. (I STILL don't understand Juliet's miraculous spine, although I kind of radically LOVE daygloparker's suggestion that she faked it because fuck me if I don't put it past Kudos to pull that one.)

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

I apologise for the mental image coming up, but I wish RPJ could have got pregnant and fucked off some time in series 5.

Bitter, me?

Never mind Juliet's miraculous spine, what about Juliet's miraculous complete switch of belief system? I get she was in 608 as the OMG WHAT A SHOCK reveal, but it didn't make much sense to me.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Ha! (Soon, soon...)

Ugh, I have no idea. Maybe they healed her spine and performed a labotomy?? I'm not really one to yell character assassination because I can normally find some quiet way to make the transitions make sense in my head, but... CHARACTER ASSASSINATION.

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

Oh, the nostalgia. I feel the need to go and watch these two episodes. Oh, and 403, where he pisses off Rupert Graves? Love him.

ZAF. ZAF ZAF ZAF. He’s so sweet and supportive and just devoted to Adam. WHY did he never get a romantic subplot? WHY didn’t he get to be the lead when Adam had yet another breakdown? WHY do people still insist on liking Adam when (alright, not during series 6) Zaf is right there?

And Ruth! In the field! That joke never gets old. But earlier on, when she’s at Danny’s funeral, and she doesn’t want to leave, but Harry asks her to, so she does? Breaks my heart. As did the end of 310.

(although thinking about it, this may have been the start of the whole ‘Section whatever = whole of MI5’ because they were at a *funeral*. There seriously wasn’t anyone else?)

There was a bit too much Adam Carter the Hero (all that ‘no one else’ rubbish or whatever he said – pfffft), but he wasn’t quite as unbearable as he gets to be later on. And I keep saying it, but him and Zaf ^_^. I think you’re totally right with what you’re saying above – and by the end of series 6, the *only* way they could make him look good was to make everyone else look stupid and completely disregard their own internal logic.

Until series 7 starts with Zaf definitely being completely dead, I’m clinging on to the idea that he’s alive (just, dental records? What no DNA?). Of course, this being Spooks (and with all the excitement they have planned), he’ll probably never be mentioned again.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

It was great to rewatch! I can't work out why I didn't do it sooner (and now I don't have the DVDs...)

Oh, Zaf. He's so brilliant in this episode, too, when he's talking Justine down and then when he goes to the warehouse. There's that scene where the Bad Guys think he's Adam and he's says "Do I LOOK like my name's Adam Carter??" and it's ACE because (a) lols and (b) you can tell in that scene that Zaf is pretending to be a non-spook.

Ruth, too, is lovely in this episode, with her fierce determination, and her grief. One of the scenes I've capped - where she's all *handmotions* "which I don't believe, of course" - is just beautiful. She gestures so perfectly. And Harry in the church, "I need you there". ! Oh, my.

I can deal with season openers fronting the showrunner, because that's part and parcel, and like I said, Zaf had a surprising amount to do. In fact, I was pretty happy with Carter right up until that stupid, stupid line about not letting another agent die, or whatever that was. And the reason that annoyed me was because it made Danny's sacrifice all about Adam bloody Carter, where in reality, Danny was being an upstanding agent, and didn't need to stand on Carter's shoulders to meet the height requirements, so to speak. Adam Carter = resident douche.

Plot bunny: Zaf approaches Ros whilst she's 'underground'. (Although it's cruel in a lot of ways because Ros' whole Yalta thing stemmed from Zaf's 'death'. Then again, the angsty irony of it all is what attracts me to the idea.)

Soon! Soon I will have a Zaf icon!

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

He's such a light touch, as well - admittedly you don't get to appreciate that until after 407 and the following angst explosion - but it was just so refreshing. I'm not sure there will be much room for lightness in s7 - think we'll be relying on Malcolm and Connie again.

Her hand gestures are great. And Harry knows exactly how to get her to do things, and she's so *devoted*. Which yes, I used that word about Zaf, and I always could see parallels between them.

Hm, my parents are going away for two weeks - a marathon rewatch might be on the cards.

Yes, and Danny's sacrifice was fuck-all to do with Adam anyway, because he wasn't there! But apparently this never occurred to him. And tbh I thought that his sacrifice was a little cheapened by Fiona just going and acting completely stupidly and getting herself killed 7 episodes later. But then most of the leaving episodes have required the characters to do something really stupid and ooc to move the plot along (although in the case of Zoe, I think it was the show rather than the character).

Funny you should say that, I have at least two fics that run with that premise - they're a bugger to get right, though, because so much of the Yalta arc comes out of Zaf 'dying' and of course they are wildly au. I just realised yesterday that one of them has to start three episodes later than I'd been thinking...

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I have the terribly urge to write a series of Malcolm and Connie fics where they single-handedly save the world and maintain an antiques store in the wilds of England, lols.

Yeah, that's the thing that saddened me about Fiona's death - it hurts doubly because it bounces back to Danny's death. Oy, oy, oy.

I think the buzz about that kind of au is that you have to face the Yalta plot in all its horrible audacity and question how far Zaf would be okay with the decisions that Ros made. (I'm thinking he'd be fairly sympathetic, actually, and Ros would be a pain in the ass because of her internalising complexes, lols.) Consider this a pom-pom comment - but then, I'm excited about anything you post *g*

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of Malcolm&Connie potential, it's true. I have one fic like that but there needs to be more. That would be a fab au, though.

They really hated us in s3/4, didn't they?

I realised last night that actually the plot I have fits into canon at 608, which, just, no. That's far too late for it to work, so I'm having to strip it away. And I've lost the other one, although it was much earlier and more light-hearted and basically featured Zaf escaping and infiltrating a terrorist cell just because he could... ah well, I can remember how far I'd got, I'll rewrite.

I think he'd be sympathetic to a point - see above with the canon thing. It's all getting very tangled, anyway.

*G* I shall try not to disappoint. And I'm becoming a broken record, but I will finish stuff! Soon!

[daygloparker.livejournal.com]

Heeeeyyyyyyyyy there, and HOW did I miss this the first time around? EPIC FAIL

OH ZAF. I MISS YOU SO MUCH YOU WERE WONDERFUL.