Spooks - Series 10 [DVD]

I had wondered somewhat uneasily whether the writers, cast and crew of 'Spooks' would be able to create a conclusion that would match the still (after ten years!) high standards of this show, but my apprehension turned out to be unfounded. Yes, the quality within this series is uneven. I thoroughly enjoyed episodes 1 and 2, 5 and 6. The third and fourth episodes , while certainly not bad, and with a lot of redeeming features, suffered a little from focusing on the new section chief, Erin Watts (Lara Pulver) and the other field officer, Dmitri Levendis (Max Brown). The fact that they did is, in my opinion, entirely due to the two actors concerned, who were woefully miscast. I should say in fairness that Geoffrey Streatfield, who plays Callum, the other newcomer, is a different kettle of fish. He quickly grew on me - the character has a similar dry wit to Ros Myers, and I think I would have enjoyed him had the series continued. But Max Brown is desperately wooden, and seems to have a gift for becoming almost invisible on screen, even when he has it to himself. Lara Pulver's performance throughout is so poor as to be embarrassing; she reads her lines as if she was still at rehearsal, and alongside actors of the calibre of Nicola Walker and Peter Firth she looks like a first-year drama student, and a poor one at that. The gulf between her and the previous female Section Chief, Ros Myers, as played by Hermione Norris, is vast, and just rubs salt into the wound. Both she and Mr Brown are proof that casting someone for their looks rather than their acting ability is a sad mistake, and because of it, episodes 3 and 4 are the weakest in the run.

Fortunately, those actors' limitations didn't ruin the series because it concentrated mainly on the past and present of Harry Pearce. Peter Firth rises magnificently to the challenge; his acting, always reliably good, becomes breathtakingly so. He, Nicola Walker and the exquisite Simon Russell Beale as Home Secretary, give the series the sparkle that Mr Brown and Ms Pulver could otherwise have entirely drained from it. I was afraid the Harry and Ruth relationship would be allowed to turn the series into soap opera, but although it takes a prominent role, the writers were skilled enough to avoid that trap. Alice Krige, Jonathan Hyde and Tom Weston-Jones are all excellent as Elena, Ilya and Sasha Gavrik respectively.

The ending to the series has not been popular with everyone; I am one of those who feels it was the right ending and appropriate to the overall tone of the show. Whatever the faults and flaws (and yes, there are plot holes, but when have there not been in 'Spooks' if you want to look for them?) of the other episodes, the acting in the finale, and especially in the last ten to fifteen minutes, is outstanding. Very difficult to watch the last few scenes without a little lump in the throat.

I have given the series five stars because it kept me riveted to the screen, made me laugh, made me cry, and gave me the privilege of watching some of our finest actors at the top of their game. A fitting farewell to a TV series that I'm sure I won't be the only one to miss enormously. Thank goodness for box sets!

Having discovered Spooks accidentally and quickly realizing how good it really was, every year became a waiting game for when I could order the current series. Some waits were much longer than others, but after 10 series of the utmost quality we'll never see it's like again. This show opened my eyes to what television could be given creators who are willing to push boundaries and risk killing off beloved cast members, all while telling highly intelligent dramatic stories. It would be easy to dismiss the revolving leads as a novelty but any one who's watched the show understands how quickly you become attached to the characters and some goodbyes became more powerful than others. All of them mattered in their own way and this is due to the entire creative staff, from the show creators to the writers to the actors and to the directors (and many more). In the end they took away something and gave us something else. (If you've seen the last episode you understand this.) Thank you for it all.

Spooks is a bit of an institution; superb propaganda for Blighty's secret service whilst also totally preposterous, tense, dramatic and highly entertaining all at once. This final series (a paltry six episodes, sadly) was the Harry and Ruth show as revelations of HP's murky past in Berlin come to the fore and Ruth questions her trust in the man who can barely trust himself.

Fittingly, for the series swansong, it's back to Cold War type as the Russians come to town looking to seal a bi-partisan information sharing deal, one that the CIA soon get wind of and find as appetising as a glass of warm Bud. The waters are further muddied by the Russian minister's wife, the fragrant Elena Gavrick with whom Harry shared his own "special relationship" all those years ago. He is totally compromised and begins to doubt the Americans with devastating consequences for everyone concerned.

The running storyline is top notch in this however the casting of the other agents is weak - no Roz Myers or Lucas North when you need one. This lot look like estate agents with toy guns, definitely out of their depth unfortunately with the producers relying on unlikely James Bond-like tech wizardry to do much of the instant "spooking" for them. No signal problems for these guys, even in the bowels of the American embassy and their "apps" run perfectly at all times. Some of the set pieces are a bit daft too but rubbish supporting roles aside, Ruth and Hazza still rule the roost and our old friend from the sea coming back to "mop up" in Moscow was a master stroke at the typically unhappy end.