Spooks : Complete BBC Series 3 [2002] [DVD]

Well as anyone who has watched the 2nd series will know we saw the "demise" of Tom Quinn, a moment that was brilliantly well handled ensuring that the moment was both emotionally charged and action filled. Well the 3rd series picks right off at this point and answers the questions all watchers have been dying to know. Of course I am not going to tell you what happens at this point, that would be a tad unfair, but what really happens is...

Almost got you.

With Tom Quinn's demise a post is opened, more an opportunity you could say. Oliver Mace, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee sees an opportunity to bring together 5 & 6 and gain even more control whilst Adam Carter eyes a promotion. Oliver Mace is truly brilliantly played by Tim Mcinnerny and adds a real edge of cynicism and political intrigue to the show. You can really imagine him grappling with the world's elite and intelligence community at large. This addition is crucial to the show as it shows that office of 5 doesn't exist in a vacuum.

Adam Carter is an excellent choice as a replacement for Tom. A man who grows as the series progresses and shows he clearly has had some troubled moments in his past. A man who doesn't have any problems charming his colleagues to do things they wouldn't automatically do, but underneath it all beats the heart of a man who doesn't appear to have identified his limits yet. He also brings along with him access to 6 through his wife Fiona - another field agent who also is willing to do almost anything to get a job done. Their relationship is something new to Spooks as it isn't covert in nature; it is out there, they are married. This adds another dimension and in my opinion is another excellent addition to the series.

With the influx of new characters, others have to leave and vice versa. Tom leaves, Adam comes in. Who will leave to make way for Fiona? I won't say but suffice to say the major characters that are left have huge story lines this series, and really make them worth watching.

There are some excellent introductions of new characters, and unfortunate exits for some. This may disappoint some watchers of the series, but this isn't Coronation Street. We aren't looking for the next Vera and Jack Duckworth to last for 40 years, this injection of new blood is necessary and really works. If you want to watch the old characters watch the old series, if you want continued enjoyment then this is for you.

Another reason why many people may have not liked this season that much is because of the fact that the three main characters have left. I personally thought that this was a good way to keep season 3 strong, just like seasons 1 and 2. It goes to show that nothing is ever boring in Spooks because the writers know how to write well in order to keep the interests of the audience.

As for the plots, I thought that all of them were excellent, and even powerful. For example, episode 5 was quite strong because it shows what lengths the secret service would go to protect our country, and how it can actually affect the emotions of the people, having to carry out assassination tasks. All right, so some people may not like this episode, but there are the usual exciting ones-for example, where MI-5 have to find a computer hacker in episode 7. But nevertheless, all of the episodes are actually fantastic.

Overall, season 3 is excellent and is good like the other two previous seasons. So this DVD will definitely be worth buying when it comes out and will hopefully contain quite a lot of features like the DVDs for the previous seasons...