Oh, go on, let me join! (Spooks)

Member Name: Zozzy

Product:	Spooks
Date:	25/05/03 (709 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fabulous cast., Dramatic, original storylines, fabulous cliffhanger going into the second series, Stylish, well filmed, clever

Disadvantages: Victim of its own success in that a popular TV show is always going to glamourise a way of life the producers are trying to portray realisitically, Keeley Hawes dating her rather attractive co-star Matthew MacFadyen - personal objection there!

I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of this reality TV obsession. If it's not people stuck on an island, locked in a house or trying to keep their hands on a truck on channel five, then its Keith Chegwin with no clothes on - not strictly a reality show but far too real for my tastes!

Therfore I thank the stars when a decent, well-plotted and original idea appears in the TV guides. Spooks was one such, a many-layered dimensional and ethical, mentally stimulating drama on paper. I switched on eagerly when the first episode was aired.

Good on paper, better in practise. I love this programme. And hey, season two is back next month.

The Plot

We're following the (many) lives of a team of young MI5 agents and their superiors who try to keep the operation together. Yes, there's lots of Mulder n Scully coats, cold yet dramatic camera work and technical talk, but it doesn't rule the roost.

The Cast

The previously underrated Matthew MacFadyen took the role of Tom Quinn, the young jewel in the crown of MI5's frontline. Previously having performed small rolls in films with sound capabilities, and been approved of by the critics in other TV productions, I was surprised how little he was known. That changed with Spooks, which has lent him a strong fanbase and a lot of respect as an actor who could go back to films and do better.

Keeley Hawes plays the female agent we focus on the most. She too had a sound background coming into this programme, and again is very sound in her part. She's since done Tipping the Velvet on the BBC I believe, and she seems to be a very capable actress and a good choice for the part.

They are the main two actors. The background cast includes Jenny Aguter in the older agent's camp, and small parts have been played by Lisa Faulkner of Holby City, and Anthony Steward Head of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. David Oyelowo plays the young team memb
er Danny and Peter Firth plays the man in charge, Harry Pearce.

The Characters and Storylines

Tom Quinn, the hero of the show, is the strong yet quiet type, intelligent, honest and out there doing his job for the right moral reasons. What he believes is right is what drives him, and therefore the politics of the job are left with the older agents. Sometimes there is friction there, but so far Tom is the star of the team.

This could well change this series. In Series One, Tom Quinn met a single mother whilst undercover on a job and, oh pesky human emotions, falls in love with her. She falls in love with him. Weepy smiles all round and wedding invitation? Heck no.

Of course, she thought that Tom Quinn was someone else. This was a clever way to show the stresses and commitment of the job, as poor Tom had to constantly change persona and come up with original and believable reasons for not being where he said he would be when he said he would be. Of course, eventually the truth had to come out. His would-be love interest was, understandably, a bit surprised, and reacted as many would in such a situation. She legged it.

She came back of course. Just in time for the cliffhanger of the century, when Tom, warned of a possible threat to his life, had seen the MI5 DIY experts turn his house into what had to be the most secure property in the country. Nobody was getting in there.

Of course, someone did. The first series ended with Tom outside unable to get in, his girlfriend inside with her daughter unable to get out, and a bomb in there with them. We still don't know what happened and won't until the new series begins.

Elsewhere, the temptations of being one of the country's best computer experts takes a bad turn for Danny Hunter, whose love of a lucrative lifestyle lead to some nifty credit card fraud. Being almost as promising an agent as Tom, the suited superiors try to bring him back into the
fold.

Oh, and to force home the point that this show is not a glossy look at the MI5 lifestyle, the BBC killed off Lisa Faulkner in her first episode. With a giant oven, a gangster with a gun, and some boilding oil. It wasn't pretty. It was effective, however. We got the point after that; we're not tiptoeing around here. Of course, Matthew MacFadyen stripping off in a field to prove he wasn't wired was a considerably more pleasing way to portray this!

Series Two will have ten episodes apparently and after the first episode is aired on terrestrial then we who do not have BBC Three will have to suffer because Episode Two is on there straight after. Either get a pal to tape it or avoid any friends who have the channel if you don't because this, given its consistently strong performance and excellent cliffhanger in Series One, is not to be missed. Somehow I doubt that the bomb in the flat will just pop out a flag with "Bang" written on it, at least I certainly hope not.

The Media Reaction

This determination of the BBC to prove that this show was as realistic as they could make it did of course cause a media interest. Previous employees of the organisation came forwards and gave their two pence worth. Some thought it hit the spot, others thought it was miles off. What it did make for, despite the "brilliant yet slightly flawed" lead character and the corrupt superior character are dramatic stereotypes that some fans disliked, was a fresh, well-made new drama that couldn't be flawed on the grounds of its actors and production.

The show did win a British Television Award recently for best Drama. And Series Two, provided it stays close to the fundamental format of realistic situations of spy organisations, has all the pointers of a fantastic prospect.



My personal opinion is that this show is great. It's dramatic, well acted, stylish, original, exciting. The charac
ters are multi-layered and nobody is there who doesn't need to be. What amazed me was sitting in Sociology class the day after the f
irst episode had aired and discussing what we had seen. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had done some internet research on becoming an agent, but don't tell anyone! What television can't show is the day-to-day wear and tear of the job, because I doubt I could do it in reality, but despite producers wanting to keep it "Real", it damn well does look good!


**My capitals keep vanishing, by the way, I'm not just being lazy! I think everyone's having the same problem.

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