[SPK] Smoke And Mirrors

TV Programme: Spooks
Season: 2
Episode: 10
Date I watched this episode: 24/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 7 days.

Of all the season finales comprising this finale day, this was the one that surpassed my expectations to the greatest extent. In fact, I struggled to watch the next finale "And The Answer Is..." after the dramatic ending to this episode, and after about 2 minutes switched it off and took a break for half an hour to allow the greatness of this episode to sink in.

It's no surprise that I'm going to say this was Tom Quinn's episode through and through. It's been clear to me for some time that this finale would focus heavily on him, as his loss of stability comes to a head. However I hadn't quite reasoned what form this would take, and so was perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by a story which, in typical Spooks fashion, became incredibly complex.

The episode does wake you up pretty much at the start, when Karharias is shot dead completely unexpectedly by the man who was apparently trying to hire him. However with all else that is going on, we are made to forget this initial scene, to the extent that it's almost a shock as much to us as to MI-5 when it is revealed that the man the CIA are tracking is not Michael Karharias.

Tom's demeanor as the episode goes on is what really tells the story of the episode. At the beginning he seems so relaxed but is clearly unstable. As the episode progresses and he is telling a very unconvinced Danny how much they love breaking the rules, and the feeling of anxiety, and how it's why they do the job, then it becomes clear he has become quite unstable and has really gone rogue at this point.

Tom was really put in an impossible position in this episode, and had to take some drastic measures all through the episode. As well as seeing it through his eyes, we also saw it through the eyes of those around him who were reacting to it. Danny and Zoe feel something is wrong right from the very start but are too loyal to Tom to really do anything. When Harry got involved, it was quite scary how quickly he and Danny came to the conclusion that Tom is running the whole operation. I mean actually they hadn't thought it through logically - why would Tom give them so much information if he didn't want them to come after him? Tom's reaction to all this is quite believable - they have put him in league with Ziegler/Joyce and that can't come nicely.

Together with the uncompromising side that Harry shows to Danny and Zoe, he does however have a very caring side. He gets quite emotional with Christine, wanting to believe that she was the one who set all this up. In fact she represents everything Harry thinks is wrong about Tom. Then there is the scene where Harry goes around to visit Tom - if only Tom had answered the door then, things might have turned around differently. Harry has said before on a couple of occasions "we look after our own" and he showed what he really meant by that right here.

All this stunningly dramatic character development was set against the backdrop of a very complex, immersive storyline. The initial telex was very believable - so when it was proven to be a hoax then my head was spinning. The perpetrators had planned this right to the last shred of evidence - and the "legend" supposedly prepared by Tom, which would incriminate both himself and Christine. This was done by real pros. (Incidentally, I should note here that Tomas Arana's acting was superb, playing the shifty and mysterious character of Herb Ziegler/Herman Joyce).

Whether or not it was done by Herman Joyce though is a mystery I still believe to be unsolved. It's unlikely that this man would go to such lengths and quite so calculated just for revenge, especially given the position he himself was in. I don't understand why he would have to go through and kill the Chief Of Defense either. Also, the fact that he supposedly died doesn't seem to add up. I think there is more to be revealed here - it almost felt like they didn't have enough time to tell the whole story. Hopefully I won't inadvertently find out too much before the next season premiere.

It's been a funny old season really. I've watched it pretty quickly considering, but it's had a lot of ups and downs. Probably the best episodes have been in the first half of the season, with some very weak episodes such as "Without Incident" clouding the second half. I'm going to say it's not quite up to the standard of season one. But it doesn't feel like it's gone backwards, there have just been a few painfully average episodes. In terms of story arcs: there are about the same number, but they have felt a little bit disjointed: strangely, they have come together more towards the end of this season, and hopefully that focus will continue into the third.

It wouldn't be quite appropriate to round off this review without some mention of the atmosphere building in this episode. I was consistently blown away by the MUSIC in this episode, which was absolutely outstanding, building both an atmosphere in the field and the mood of the ending sequence. The wide pull-back shots at the end gave an extra sense of Tom's loneliness and showed off the beauty of the setting. So cinematics and audio were really top-notch and definitely the best in any Spooks episode so far.

What was I think the overarching success of this episode was its unpredictability though. Danny and Zoe kept switching between Thames House and Tom's mission, Tom's instability in general kept me on edge, and nothing was quite what it seems (hence the title I suppose). The trident of story, character development and suspense made this into a thrilling episode miles ahead of what I usually expect from this programme.

Obviously the ending was the gem of the episode. The way it was played - seeing Tom reliving the moments as the audience saw it for the first time, as Tom stood on the beach - was unique and dramatic. And it really does leave us clamouring for the next season. We have two major characters (Tom and Harry) fighting for their lives. Tom's life, and especially his "perfect" relationship with Christine, lies in ruins. Overall this was an amazing episode and a prime example of what this show has to offer.