I’d actually already watched episode 4, but never posted about it/kind of forgot, so I rewatched. Very quick thoughts to follow, mostly it basically goes back to what episode 3 had already touched on:
1. Humans beings are consumed by their desires… or are they? Ankh tells Eiji that this is the reason that it’s not worth it to save them. Eiji believes that humans can overcome those desires, but even if they can’t, it’s not his place to judge:
Eiji: I don’t get to decide someone else’s worth. Ankh: Well, I do.
2. Better the devil you know. Ankh would rather by annoyed than humans (Eiji) than betrayed by Greed (Kazari)… even though Eiji tells him, again, that the first chance he gets he’ll defeat him and save Hina’s brother. I suppose the difference is that Eiji is being upfront about it. Just like he’s told Eiji upfront that the minute he thinks Eiji has become useless, he’ll “get rid” of him.
3. And again, why Eiji does what he does…
I’m not a nice guy at all. (…) I reach out to help because I don’t want to feel (regret). That’s all.
Quick thoughts about episode 10 of season 2 of Criminal Minds, because it was just so good:
1. Chess! Of course, chess is a thing on Criminal Minds, but I like how it was brought back here and how it permeated the whole episode. Obviously, how the interviews/interrogations were, in the end, basically a chess game between Gideon and Jind Allah, how the winner was to be the one that would be able to see further ahead in the opponent’s strategy and anticipate his moves, and how in hindsight, this was all established when Reid complained about the plane’s lurching ending the game because he was winning only to have Prentiss say that Gideon would have won in three moves.
2. Speaking of Emily Prentiss. She starts the episode with no certainty that she’ll really have a place on the unit, and it’s obvious from Gideon’s demeanor that she’ll have to learn that place, along with his respect. Asking her if she plays, at the end, shows that she’s earned both. And she knows it.
3. “You won’t get rid of me that easy”. What I really love about this show is how rich the characters are, how much is revealed in subtle little details… which is appropriate considering the show’s whole premise. JJ and Garcia are both worried after seeing the explosion on tv, but Garcia’s clearly more affected, it cuts deeper, she’s the one that just has to call immediately, and JJ’s demeanor seems to acknowledge it.
Not only is Garcia the one to make the call, of course it’s Morgan she calls. There’s something so natural about the fact, it doesn’t have to explained, really. And it’s not that she’s not worried about Hodge or the rest the rest of the agents with them, it’s that there’s something more between the two of them, something Morgan acknowledges in the way he reassures her: she won’t get rid of him. It’s such a great, intimate little moment.
4. Duty versus heart. Speaking of character moments, I love how when the straight-laced Hotch is agonizing over calling his wife because it would be a breach of security, Morgan just says “You’ll lose Hailey and Jack, screw this job” and that does. Just says so much about who both of these guys are.
“Look up the words sexy and brilliant in that computer of yours and tell me what you come up with”. “Look at that… it’s me”. “You are a goddess, woman”.
Apparently after years of following mostly heavily serialized dramas and tokusatsu, I’m now all about crime procedural dramas… and House sort of counts, since House is Sherlock Holmes and all that. Anyway. I had not really watched Criminal Minds, started to, in part because a friend loves it, in part because it’s after Survivor, now that Survivor is back on Wednesdays. And as I tend to do when I like a show that’s already been running several seasons, I’ve gone back to watch older episodes, and I just finished season 1.
I’m a fan of the spy genre in general. Alias is one of my favorite tv shows, and in general find the shennanigans of espionage in pop culture to be a lot of fun. But I hadn’t watched Spooks till now.
The thing that I’ve found really intriguing about Spooks, as compared to spy shows produced in the US, is basically the lack of wigs, high heels and lingerie. Obviously, you’ve got that element from decades back, with Bond girls and Mrs. Peel’s catsuit. And I think Alias itself did a lot to sort of establish the trappings of what makes a “spy show” in the US. The interesting thing is that Alias was never just about Sydney Bristow in wigs and sexy outfits… oh, obviously, it was partly about that, and obviously that was part of the draw, but Alias was just as much about overarching mysteries and about the character dynamics. Which is why I loved it and why I was never very interested in Undercovers, which seemed to be just about sexy people on spy missions.
Either way, Spooks is a refreshing break from those trappings. Oh, obviously there are pretty people (Matthew Macfadyen, hello!) and there is sex, but the actual espionage is not really about that. The actual espionage focuses more on… well, what one expects actual intelligence agents do. :D
Another thing I love very much about Spooks is how it deals with the dubious morality of it all. A series like Alias has wonderful morally gray characters, but for the most part, in it and other shows like Chuck, the CIA is clearly “the good guys”, and while specific CIA agents may do questionable things, overall, there are things “the good guys” aren’t supposed to do… and this goes for Chuck as well, and what I’ve seen of Covert Affairs (although I admit I didn’t watch the whole first season)… I would say the concept of Burn Notice comes closest to truly embracing the “grayness” of it. But Spooks deals with it on an entirely different level. Harsh choices, letting people die as collateral damage in an op, MI5 (the agency that is ostensibly “the good guys” in Spooks) being used to further political agendas in the name of political stability with some officers being complicit in that, all of this is treated in Spooks not as dark conspiracies to be found out, but as the everyday business of espionage.
Anyway, I am now two episodes into series 3, which means I’ve seen Tom Quinn’s story play out. I didn’t always like Tom, but I always found him interesting… he could be quite the bastard though. I thought the story with his first girlfriend Ellie was often painful to watch, in large part because I just didn’t like Ellie. On the other hand, I wish his relationship with Christine Dale had had more time to be explored. Christine was badass and interesting.
I love Danny, he’s often quite shameless, and his friendship/relationship with Zoe is very well done and interesting. I like how (so far) there is the sense that they could be together, but somehow circumstances are never right, but that at the end they rely on each other as friends and have each others’ backs… but they don’t give each other free passes for bullshit either. The scene this screencap is from has been one of my favorite character moments too.
Harry Pearce is a magnificent, machiavellian bastard. I love how he doesn’t even pretend to have moral considerations as basis for his decisions. He fully believes that the end justifies the means, and he fully believe that he is doing… well, not the right thing, but that in the end, he is working toward the right end.
And finally, series 1 also had two wonderful guest stars: Hugh Laurie and Anthony Stewart Head.
Anthony’s episode as the “legendary” agent Peter Salter was one of my favorites, and his character was fascinating, to the point where I really wish there could have been more about him.
And that was also the first episode featuring Hugh Laurie as MI6’s Jools Siviter, who was a bigger bastard than Harry, and so much fun. I tend to like characters that are smug, arrogant assholes, and he was definitely that. And his snide comments were so very amusing. So yes, I also wish there were more episodes with him, but I suppose what with Hugh Laurie being busy in the US with House that was impossible.
At any rate, love Spooks, it’s intelligent and interesting, and am working on catching up.
ID was a James Steel episode through and through… and since he happens to be my favorite character in Law & Order: UK, I just loved it.
It really showcased what I find fascinating about his personality, that he has this very strong idealistic streak that made him give up defense and that makes him so willing to take risks with his own career, but at the same time that idealism is laced with a certain arrogance.
