GUEST POST - DAMARIS OSBORNE ON WRITING PARODIES AND LOVING RICHARD ARMITAGE

Richard Armitage as John Thornton in North and South

Richard Armitage fans who are familiar with C19 will not need any introduction for today's guest at FLY HIGH! Damaris Osborne is well known to them. For all the others dropping by and reading, I'll   invite them to read her guest post and welcome her to our little corner of the blogosphere. She loves writing parodies and spoofs inspired byi the works of our favourite British actor and would like to share her passions with us.

I began writing parody when at university, but I have to say it has rather a bad press as a genre, being treated like puns as rather ‘cringe worthy’.  I think that one needs to like the work being parodied, otherwise it becomes unsympathetic and snide.. It can also be seen as ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ of other people’s success.  However, I believe it can be more ‘original’ and draw in a multitude of threads to make it stand alone fiction, although the sort one dips in and out of for five minutes at a coffee break rather than become absorbed in for three hours solid. Like rich chocolates, parody is best sampled, and savoured, not scoffed.I am a member of the C19 forum, which sprang from the  2004 television adaptation of North  & South, and where discussion of nineteenth century literature rubs shoulders with admiration for the work of Mr Richard Armitage. He is an actor of wonderful nuance, and has the ability, first said about Greta Garbo, to drag you into the soul of the character through the eyes.

BAFTA TV AWARDS TONIGHT - WILL MY FAVOURITES WIN THIS TIME?

Richard Armitage & Miranda Raison (Baftas 2009)

The Bafta  TV Awards Ceremony is tonight at the Southbank Centre in London. It will be broadcast on BBC1 from 8.00 p.m. Here are all  the nominees in the different categories.

I've always followed this event with curiosity and great expectations in the last few years hoping my favourite series and actors won. Though has never actually happened. it was worth it all the same since,  at least,  I got new pictures, videos and some times interviews of Richard Armitage taking part in the ceremony, though only to give the prize to someone else (on the left)

I'll have a look at the show on BBC1 tonight to support Dame Maggie Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch, hoping they get the recognition they deserve.

They've been nominated as Best Leading Actress and Best Leading Actor respectively for their roles as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey (ITV 1) and Sherlock Holmes in BBC1 Sherlock. 

Sherlock series 2 has been already honoured with three BAFTA TV Craft Awards: Sherlock won awards for best sound: fiction, best editing  fiction and best writer (Steven Moffat  for the wonderful A Scandal in Belgravia). 

SPOOKS NOSTALGIA & STRONG WOMEN

by guestblogger Anne Illsley

Hermione Norris and Richard Armitage

We've often discussed Spooks here on Fly High focusing on  Lucas North (for very well-known reasons). I'm also sure you -  like me -   have missed not only handsome Lucas but also all the other cool "spooks" since our favourite series ended in October 2011. Do you remember Maria Grazia 's farewell to Spooks? Well, her farewell to Lucas was certainly a tiny bit more heartfelt .
Richard Armitage is, without doubt, a superb actor. Spooks is an outstanding BBC Drama that has delivered some world class performances, and showcased some of the greatest actors in the UK. Richard Armitage (Lucas),  Peter Firth (Harry Pearce), Rupert Penry-Jones (Adam) and Matthew MacFadyen (Tom)  are mesmerising male leads. But for me,  it is the women who really lift Spooks into another league as drama. And the best of the best is Ros Myers, played by actress Hermione Norris. It's refreshing to be able to relax on your leather sofa and take in superb performances from an actress who is also a strong female role model. 

SPOOKS vs DOWNTON ABBEY - WHO WON THE MATCH IN THE END?

Everybody knows the answer now: Just look at the figures... Anyway, I promised in one of my previous posts (HERE) that after watching both series, I'd tell you which MY winner between Spooks 10 and Downton Abbey 2 was . Before they started broadcasting the new series, if asked to choose between them,  I would answer ... like someone else (HERE): that it was a real dilemma to me. Now Spooks has finished and we won't be asked to choose any longer. Only, am I really eager to see the  next season of Downton Abbey? *****Full of doubts. *****

Spooks has been one of my best favourite TV shows for so long and it remained such till its very end,  a couple of weeks ago.
Downton Abbey attracted my attention last year in November while I was in London because the Christmas DVD box or its publicity was almost everywhere. My fondness for period drama didn't let me resist. I had to see it! And it was a very pleasant discovery: amusing, light, well-acted, beautiful faces, beautiful costumes and locations.

Now, first of all I think it was tremendously unfair and unjust to broadcast the two series on the same day and at the same time,  so this resulting rivalry is the absurd consequence of that big mistake.
Secondly, I know that  it  may sound  incorrect  to compare such different produtcts since they actually were/are basically different in so many aspects. But BBC and ITV wanted,  if not a duel, a match. So, let's give them one.

SPOOKS: WHEN HEROES TREAD THE PATHS OF MORTALS - FAREWELL TO MY FAVOURITE SERIES

I'm sure having a look all over this blog you'll think I'm one of the latest acolytes who joined Spooks fans just because Richard Armitage had been recruited by MI5 Section D. But, no, I'm not. And  unfortunately so, because that would have made it easier for me to face the very end of the show. I would have suffered at RA's leaving the show (which I did, not because he left but because of what they made of his character  before his departure), not so much now. I could have even avoided watching this last ever series. 

I saw it instead, I couldn't have missed it,  and liked it as much as any other series of Spooks. This last series was not the best, maybe, but it was special because it was a bitter/sweet experience: I went on enjoying each minute of  it,  knowing that it would be one of the last.
It ended staying true to Spooks style, to its being an intelligent, low-cost, more introspective  than action-based  series.They closed with 6 great episodes.

I've started this post soon after watching the amazing but devastating final episode last week . I didn't want to write something too sad, mournful, plaintive. That's why I stopped and only last night, on the first Sunday night without new episodes of Spooks to watch,  I remembered I hadn't posted my weekly journal. 

Anyway, I won't do it, neither now. I'm not writing specifically about the last episode (Someone died... so sad, but brilliantly acted) and its final moments (welcome back, Tom Quinn! Are they bringing back old glories to prepare the path to a movie? That would be great!)

I'd like to say goodbye to my favourite series talking about my favourite moments, characters, episodes. Get ready to a good deal of Lucas North, of course. You know, Richard Armitage may not be the reason why I started watching it , but his presence increased my already existing enthusiasm for the series pretty much. 

MY SPOOKS 10 JOURNAL - DAY FIVE: ONE STEP FROM THE EDGE OF DOOM

No spoilers, believe me. Just ...

What I liked:

1. Peter Firth playing Harry's final hours. He's incredibly brilliant. What must have been like to shoot these scenes, these final episodes before the end, knowing it would be for good?  Blissed moments for an unforgettable character. Great melancholy for the man working on the set.

MY SPOOKS 10 JOURNAL - DAY FOUR: FROM THE ROOF TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE AND BACK TO THE ROOF AGAIN...

All for one and one for all

"Please, don't kill them all"  is my first thought, watching this great still above.

However,  my first words must be, "I apologize". Why? Because tomorrow  is Day Five for Spooks 10 and I'm still here commenting episode 4. A bit late. So late that it's better to consider it  an occasion to revise before going on more than a review of a watching. 

OK. Take it as it is. I watched it, after the majority of you had already done it, and I wanted to share my impressions all the same. If you mind spoilers, though mild, please don't ...

MY SPOOKS 10 JOURNAL - DAY THREE: TENDER IS ... DIMITRI.

Max Brown as Dimitri

My task is not an easy one indeed! Saying and not saying to avoid spoiling the pleasure of discovering the details by yourself. Hence, again, go on reading only if you have already seen this episode of Spooks or if you don't mind spoilers.

MY SPOOKS 10 JOURNAL - DAY TWO

Another tough episode. Inexorable rhythm from beginning to end in episode 2 of series 10. The last season... The more I watch it, the more I feel sad that it is going to end ... for good.

I really don't want to give away much to avoid spoiling the pleasure of personally watching, discovering and enjoying  the epilogue of this brilliant spy drama for you. But it is quite an impossible task. Hence, if you don't want to discover anything beforehand, neither the very little I'm going to tell you, just stop  reading here. If you don't mind, instead, or are watching the series ...

MY SPOOKS 10 JOURNAL - DAY ONE

Monday Sept. 19  4.55 p.m. 

(Spoilers? Mmmm...maybe)
Just finished watching ep. 1 . How was it? But very good, of course. It’s Spooks!

I forced myself to avoid thinking it was the end of it. The last series ever. I forced myself not to be expecting a certain TDH presence to materialize  before my hopeful eyes sooner or later. No athletic , blue-eyed  spy  in tight jeans and dark shirts to admire this time.  

Now, new series, episode 1. Let’s start from … THE END!  Gosh , they’ll never finish with their shocks  and surprises! 

 Apart from the game  "Old enemies , new friends. Old friends,  new enemies",  Harry’s past . I suspected it, honestly. Before the final revelation. Harry and that young man in the same room, the young man  aiming a gun at him. More than suspected it, I got it immediately. Good! These ghosts haunting Harry from his past sound quite intriguing.

SPOOKS vs DOWNTON ABBEY - WHO WILL WIN THE MATCH?

What will you be watching on Sunday night, 9 p.m., in the UK? British audience is asked to choose between  the last series ever of BBC spy drama Spooks and the new episodes of hugely successful ITV period drama, Downton Abbey. A real duel between two popular shows, one at its epilogue, the other at its second season . I would be facing a serious dilemma if I had to choose. So, for once, I'm happy not to live in the UK and to be releaved from the burden. What will you do, instead? BBC1 or ITV1? 

I'm very sad for the end of Spooks. I've seen every single episode in all the series, some of them on Italian satellite pay-tv and the rest on DVD.

Due to my fondness for Brit actor Richard Armitage, you can imagine how incredibly happy I was when, in 2007,  he joined the cast as Lucas North. The last three series (7/8/9)  have been my favourite so far, with the unforgettable first one starring Matthew MacFadyen as Tom Quinn.

Now after a decade of killing off its cast members one by one,  Spooks is being killed off itself.

RA-NDOM THOUGHTS - OUR HERO, MANY HEROES

News, news, news! It's so exciting to have a hero to cherish and admire, especially when he is out on big risky quests or adventures and makes our lives less grey with his bravery, strength and initiative. For good and for bad.

Our hero is ...

WATCHING SPOOKS 9 DVD - THE DOWNFALL OF LUCAS NORTH (WITH A LINK TO THE VIDEO)

Warning: Major spoilers, if you haven't seen series 9 yet

(you'll find a link to the video at the end of the post)

I'm so happy. My Spooks 9 Boxset has just arrived. It's a gorgeous box with 3 DVDs. On the back of the box it says:

BAFTA award-winning British television spy drama Spooks is back for another knuckle-clenching series which leaves Section D questioning how much a person must sacrifice to be a spy. The ninth series of the critically acclaimed Spooks is filled with dramatic revelations and a host of new characters: Sophia Myles (Underworld, Doctor Who), Max Brown (Mistresses, The Tudors), Ian Glen (The blue Room, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) , Simon Russel Beale (Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya) and Laila Rouass (Primeval, Footballers' Wives). 

Friendships will be tested and depth of deceit will lead to an unprecedented game of cat and mouseasthe characters they play and the impact they have on the team dynamic will have viewers enthralled.

I've already seen all the episodes and some of them more than once. So, where did I start watching my new DVDs from? Disc 3 and its bonus interviews, of course! They are so interesting! I've always liked the behind the scenes stuff,  but you know the reason why I am so interested in these extras. I can't deny it: Richard Armitage.

RA-NDOM THOUGHTS - UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Happy Saturday, everybody! I know, I haven't been writing much about him lately , but I can assure you I'm always here,  trying to find something old or new which could work against the inevitable withdrawal syndrome. These days I've been  re-reading some old interviews like this one and thinking how much  I love discovering what lies behind his extremely good-looking appearance.

Also  wondering: "how much is the experience in the American star system going to change lovely Richard Armitage? Will he pass through the great expectations for The Hobbit and the blinding spotlight unchanged"?

I bet he will keep on with  his integrity and his humbleness.

RA FRIDAY - GOOD-BYE, MR NORTH. ADDIO, LUCAS.

Gone ... for good. Well, there are those of us who still live in hope. No body ,  hence , who knows? But I feel he's gone  for good. So good-bye, Lucas.
After watching the thrilling finale of this year's Spooks season I felt upset, moved but grateful, orphaned but gratified. I've had plenty of emotions thanks to Lucas North. I'm sad now and feel in loss but I AM grateful for what I had. 

Series 7,  October 2008. When Lucas first appeared from that black hood back from the hell of a Russian prison , bedraggled and malnourished, staggering toward Harry Pearce I thought: "Here we go, the great adventure has started"!



It was bliss: my favourite actor in my favourite series! I couldn't believe I was being that lucky. And it was great, amazing, so intriguing. Lucas 's journey in Spooks was very interesting, full of twists and turns. Complicated and,  at times,  rather incredible but not  when you have Richard Armitage playing that role. He succeeded in making every unbelievable, unpredictable, implausible twist simply possible with his heartfelt , convincing performances.

I loved Lucas's inscrutability and  vulnerability, his coldness and his fragility.  That only perceptible, yet  indecipherable,  mysteriousness was his charm. And then he was cool, smart, brave, generous, loyal, reliable, enterprising, tender, extraordinary, skillful  ...

Lucas's journey was the opposite of Guy of Gisborne's : we met the latter as the villain in  BBC latest version of Robin Hood's legend but,  peeling layer after layer,  we discovered his hidden goodness and frailty. Mr North's story was different and reverse. When I guessed what was going to happen to Lucas, long before the new series started,  I  was so angry ! Almost furious.  But then , watching the series, episode after espisode,  I just let it be... the emotions and the storyline took  hold of me ... stunning series! Gripping. Not perfect, but extremely good . Emotionally involving. After series 7, this latest one is among my best favourites. Spooks 8 , instead, had left me quite disappointed for several reasons.First of all the lack of chemistry between Lucas and that Sarah what-she-was-called. Never seen one of the episodes a second time. Some  music fanvids, yes, but never an episode again.

Lucas North in series 8 

What was I saying? Yes, Lucas's journey the reverse of Guy's in RH. Peeling layer after layer in this series we are led to discover his hidden dark side. A true Mr Hyde,  John Bateman. I still have Richard's "WHAT?"  in my ears (Watch this interview, 4:33,  if you don't remember it) . I made it mine when I first heard Vaughn Edwards calling Lucas, "John"! But then, I just let it be. And it was great. They deconstructed the character I loved, I let it be and ... enjoyed the show.

My favourite Lucas moments...

1. Yes! Lucas &  Elizabeta. Tender, protective, reassuring. He lets her go in the end (series 7, ep. 5) , apparently in order to protect her new quiet life.

2. Episode 6 series 7. Helping the teen and his mother. Wasn't he awesome in that episode? BTW, was he really the son of a minister? Who knows!

3. "Close your eyes. You'll remember". This is another unforgettable scene. Shivering moments.

4. They were tough together. Unbeatable, it seemed. I loved to watch them together. Ros & Lucas. I'll miss them both.

5.  "My name isn't ... Lucas North.  My name is John ... Bateman".  The naked truth. What suffering on both faces . This long confrontation scene between Lucas and Harry is another awesome bit. Richard and Peter Firth were touching in their performances, so convincing!

Lucas: a mystery to us all. I wonder, just like Elizabeta in series 7 episode 2:

"Were you always this cold ... under the skin?

Was the man I knew just a lie?"

I  loved Lucas North. Till the very end ,  against all odds, at any cost. What about you?

(As usual, many thanks to www.richardarmitagenet.com for all these beauriful screencaps)

SPOOKS 9 - GETTING READY FOR ... ANYTHING!

Breaking rules is extremely exciting for a  dutiful "black self" like me! However, as things are these days, breaking rules is a necessity. What's up? Nothing so terrible. What about a bit of RA & Spooks tonight instead of Friday night?

Don't worry. You'll have your RA Friday as usual, but ... with a surprise. For now, here's my mad ramblings over watching Spooks 0907. And they are mad! With some SPOILERS.

This is what I wrote on facebook soon after watching the latest episode of Spooks.  

“Just finished watching episode 7... we are close to the end of this incredible season. Ready for ... what is ahead for us and ... John Bateman? I really can't see any hope. Can you? My friends told me I was too pessimistic when I started fearing the worst before series 9 started but this is exactly what I expected. What about being realistic now? Last but not least ... Richard was immensely convincing tonight. Awesome, brilliant, moving. WE WANT A BAFTA FOR HIM THIS TIME!”

It was  2.09 a.m. on Tuesday. And , after all that,  I could not easily fall asleep. Too excited. I went on thinking.

I felt I had been too hard at criticizing the script writers. I had to be honest: they were doing a great job this time.  Apart from the Lucas/John journey in Spooks 9,  so intense and intriguing,  so many other things in this series were better than what we saw in the previous one. There are flaws here and there this time too, but the good things overshadow the tiny holes. Poor script writers! We are often too demanding and harsh to them. We should be grateful,  instead! They’ve provided RA with extraordinary occasions to prove his talent. And he did it. He took the chance and performed an awesome troubled spook. I can’t say I’m happy for what has happened so far, nor for what I fear I’ll have to see next time, but I’m totally hooked by this series.  I’ve already pre-booked the DVD at Amazon UK. I want to have it, whatever happens to Lucas at the end. These moments will be unforgettable. Nicola Walker and Peter Firth are giving brilliant performances too. The new ones, Beth and Dimitri,  are fairly good,  though I can’t get into them. I’m completely absorbed by what is happening to Lucas.

My favourite scenes this time were the very beginning and Harry’s interrogation of his man under suspicion. Richard was incredibly good - and Peter Firth as well -  in both scenes. In the first one,  John’s astonishment and anxiety ,  being trapped between Harry and Vaughn,  was actually depicted on RA’s pale face. He was on the brink of a cliff and going to fall down but he couldn’t even scream. 

Then Lucas/John goes totally nuts in a park among cheerful children playing all around. I had one hand on my mouth all the time and startled when he aimed his gun at Beth as if it was at me. I had to cover my eyes at his cruelty to cruel Vaughn.  Silly me! When watching action movies,  I’m dangerously carried away … dangerously. BTW, was Lucas/John so angry because of those pictures Vaughn had shown him? At last we had glimpses of what it could have been but wasn’t.  It can still be, you know? …  I’ve booked my copy of Spooks 9 DVD+ extras , I told you , so … still in hope!

Things rolled down one after the other till the heart of the episode: Harry and Lucas 's confrontation. Stuff of legend! An attempt to my nails, actually, to the bits of them left from previous episodes! What can I say on that interrogation scene? I’ve already seen it a few times. Those layers peeled one after the other down to the dark  soul of our man. But we are shown an even darker shade later on in the episode.  I studied RA’s voice and facial expressions accurately but, don’t worry, it was for my personal pleasure  only, I’m not going to bother you with a detailed analysis nor to spoil your own pleasure of watching it. Because,  there can be pleasure even in this suffering. And, mind you, I am not a masochist,  I was so angry till two episodes ago! I didn’t want to face all this.  Then I started rationalizing the situation and trying to simply enjoy the dreadful but  thrilling emotions I was experiencing. This excitement reminds  me of similar sensations : it was  during series 1, waiting to know what would be of Tom Quinn’s partner and her little daughter trapped inside that house going to burst. 

 Maya. I had liked her more in the first episodes. Dramatic scenes are not Layla's best achievements, it seems.  Let’s see how Maya sides with John now, if she can support him in these terrible, tragic moments. Doubtful smirk.

Have you read  Ian Wylie's blog about the final episodes? “Be Ready for Anything”  I know, I know… spoilers! You want to avoid spoilers. In fact, there are some , but nothing unexpected and , as I said so many times now, I don’t mind them.  I was only literally panicking at Wylie's closing sentence:

“Spooks being Spooks, there is a postscript.

Giving us something to think about on the long wait until series 10 next year”.

Does this mean we will only actually know the truth in a year? I bet they’ve planned something like that. I.just.can’t bear it! This is sadism! Have you  seen the promo clip for final episode? Are you ready for … Anything?

Meanwhile, see you on Friday.* Hugs * MG

(Finished writing on Wednesday night, November 3rd)

Thanks to Alicat at www.richardarmitagenet.com for the beautiful screencaps !

RA FRIDAY - TOO GOOD, PARANOID OR ... JUST DESPERATE?

I'd give him a Bafta! What about you?

I saw this week’s episode at my friend’s house on Tuesday evening. It was a special occasion but I was so anxious that I missed a lot  of what was said. I  had to re-watch it for a second time at home, on  my computer and with headphones on not to miss one word and I realized I really had missed much! Richard Armitage was impeccable in each frame.  Well done,  Richard! I bit all my nails but it was worth it. This is not what I wanted for Lucas but … such a gripping episode! After seeing it for the second time I wrote down some of my thoughts. I’m not back  home yet and didn’t have the possibility  to read other comments  or reviews so, maybe, you’ve already read similar things somewhere else. Anyway, I warn you. These are just my impressions in no special order , not on every detail in the episode and, mind you, there are several spoilers!!! So if you want to avoid them, just avoid reading.

That is a spiteful look! He's ready to kill him ...

“Either he is too good or he is paranoid”, American Mr Beecher says of Lucas .  "Maybe both" , Harry . None of them, actually. He is just and simply desperate. “He is in trouble”, Ruth says. And Ruth,  as usual, is right. Lucas /John is definitely  in trouble.

In the first scene his look is a mixture of desperation and sorrow (see the first picture above) His voice, whispered and broken, is perfect to convey helplessness. This is how Richard opens this episode . An unforgettable,  touching opening scene. As we are carried away into the whirlpool of emotions,  Lucas becomes more and more crossed: Vaughn has been using his love for Maya to hit him, to blackmail him.

“This was between you and me. Why are you doing this to me?”

“You can’t blackmail someone whose life has no value”, he answers.

This is something terrible to say, but it must be terribly true: Lucas/John would have risked his own life to oppose Vaughn . It would have been useless to blackmail him. But now it’s different, he is totally in Vaughn’s  power because of Maya. He wants nothing to happen to Maya. He will do anything, ANYTHING, to protect her.

Surprise, surprise! Look who's back!

 Richard’s expressions , his use of every single facial feature and of his incredible voice, are awesome, excellent, brilliant. 

Music? Sometimes you just stop hearing it ...

As you can see, I’m first of all trying to convince myself that what is going to happen to “our” Lucas doesn’t matter. My attempt is to rationalize my anxiety  and disappointment. I’m honest I won’t be calm and relaxed while watching the next two episodes for what I’ve seen and heard  I’m sure I’ll be sitting on the edge of the chair and nail biting all the time. Just as it happened while watching this episode However,  I decided that from now on I’ll let the story, the plot, to carry me completely away. I want to fully enjoy the emotions the whole cast,, but especially Richard, are going to give us .They are all at their best and this season has been  terrific so far!

With a blond girl, in a wood but ... nothing romantic

Back to this week's adventures. Danielle Ortiz. I pitied her, poor girl. Her chit chat was amusing, she is smart and sensitive and immediately feels something is wrong with the James Bond who should protect her. She doesn’t trust him at all. And she’s right.  But the sequence of scenes with Lucas and Danielle together are important to have a glimpse at John fragile humanity. He is not a cold killer, this is what we can perceive. Once he is given the order to kill an unarmed civilian he does whatever is in his power to disobey the order.

But when he understands that girl alive and what she has discovered about him will be too dangerous to him , he calls for an ambulance  after turning off the mobile and wait for her to die, whispering sweet consoling words in her ear and taking her in his arms. OMG, what a thrilling scene!

Thrilling and touching

 In the sequence Lucas/Danielle, there’s also a quotation of the Hobbit. Danielle says to Lucas: “So what’s your big secret, James (she goes on calling him James – Bond - till things turn very badly for her, then she calls him Lucas) . Or shall I just tell your bosses about our pit-stop here at Hobbit country?”

Better to start thinking about future gratifications: The Hobbit will be a great occasion to enjoy of Richard's huge talent. Meanwhile, the next two episodes of Spooks will be both suffering and excitement for all of us. Little space for hope but we can bet on a cliffhanger.

Have you seen the trailer of 0907? I can’t stop thinking about Harry’s words  and Lucas/John's desperation in those few minutes: “Betrayal is a cancer. Let it eat your soul, not mine”. Are you sure Harry?

Have a great weekend, friends! Monday is not far... ready for whatever  is expecting us and,  especially, Lucas / John? Cheers! MG

Stills from www.richardarmitagenet.com

RA FRIDAY - LUCAS, MASTER OF ... ?

 BEWARE! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Episode 4 has arisen great perplexity in my poor mind, that of a regular watcher and old Spooks fan: I'm totally confused, a bit disorientated and utterly disappointed.  Maybe it is because my favourite character is Lucas North.

1. Master of ... naivety?

Can anybody enter a secret agent's house? I don't think so. Only if this agent is  Lucas North in series 9, victim of un...scrupolous writers. You can enter his house, leave a photo to blackmail him and go away meeting no one and no trouble. He was too busy to lock windows and doors.

 2. Master of ... alphas?

Giving directions and orders to his  alpha 1 and 2 ( teacher's pets Dimitri and Beth)  from Thames House, he sounds really cool, a tough section chief. Then he decides to enter the  Chinese Embassy at night, risking his own and Dimitri's lives to generically search the archive. What for? What are they exactly looking for? Finally, to cover their asset, Lucas decides to  pretend to be a burglar ??? But, maybe, my foreign ear didn't get all the necessary details. 

3. Master of ... psychology?

He suggests to Beth to trust her instinct with Kai, the Chinese asset she's trying to turn. What about he himself with Vaughn? Where has his instinct gone in this case? It doesn't work at all! He says he won't help him, never, for no reason , then? I loved his humanity, his frailty alone in that park (Hyde Park) , his nervous body expressing his helpless rage. Afterwards, instead, I hated his coldness in front of that big computer, his calm in surrendering to compromise and betrayal.

4. Master of ... visual memory?

Just a look at his colleague typing his user ID and password on a keyboard and he's ready to use them. Doesn't he know his mates are very smart and will uncover his treason? Does he really think he's been smarter? Ruth is out there when he comes out of  that room ... she has a suspicious look. Already got it? This Lucas /John must be desperate, very naive or big - headed to act like that! What is sure is that this character was unrecognizable in episode 4.

5. Master of  ... the made-fool-by-old-friends?

Vaughn  must know John very well  , hence he easily manages to manipulate him. He knows he has used a fall guy to cover his tracks for taking the Albany file. Vaughn tells him he could have taken a risk and talked his way out of it 'cause Harry Pearce would have believed him. Better to be safe than sorry, best to ruin someone else's life.

Lucas/John is in Vaughn's power, even more now he's passed him the file.

 6. Master of ... foolish lines ?

Is the man running toward Doctor Lahan through the hospital corridors shouting "Maya!" , the same cool agent we've been watching in the last series of Spooks? Unbelievable! Forgive me Lucas (Richard) but  this John is just the shadow of you. Have you heard his silly lines? Does he really believe he has fixed things? He has just ruined everything! And has he actually done what he did to do ... anything (his words) with Maya? "I don't want to waste another moment"  ?!? Is this Spooks or a soap? 

7. Master of  ... deception?

Well , Lucas was cool in the last scene holding and  aiming his gun, giving orders. But soon after, when the result of his deception comes out and Ruth announces Stephen Owen, 22-year-old  section G, has been arrested and will serve for long ... I was chilled by his "A traitor is a traitor". Yes, Lucas/John, you are just right: a traitor IS a traitor. 

As I wrote since the first hints at Lucas's "ultimate betrayal"  (HERE),  I'm quite angry with Spooks writers! They are destroying a character before making him leave from the series! Something similar happened with Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood 3. The nature of the character was rather distorted before he was finally killed. I hate incongruity and incoherence.

 However, I hope it is not that foreseeable. I want to be surprised. I want to be contradicted by positive twists in the next episodes. 

I know I've been quite negative this time after being so enthusiastic after the first episodes but I couldn't help it. I just can't bear what they are doing to my favourite character in my favourite series! It doesn't make sense!

Anyway, I want to leave you with a smile. Do you remember I'm away from home being my house invaded by painters and builders? (they are not so many!) Dear friends, this is the latest arrival, my favourite painter man, a new helper who was sent to me by a darling blogger mate. She made my day when I was down and rather depressed. Can you imagine having a gorgeous painter like this working in your house? You'd rather wish work never ends!!! 

LOL! This is too funny!

Thank you, darling friend.

As usual thanks to www.richardarmitagenet.com for all their precious caps

Have a great weekend you all !!! MG