“HARRY, I’m going home. Was there anything…”
“Yes, come in. Close the door.”
Spooks series ten, episode three.
Sir Harry Pearce is drinking whisky in his office (again) as he invites Miss Ruth Evershed in.
Sadly, he doesn’t want her to look at his top secret file on purveyors of Earl Grey in the West Country.
Instead Harry has a less than romantic proposal for Ruth, asking her to meet his old flame Elena.
It being too risky for him to be seen with Mrs Gavrik at this latest liaison.
And so dependable Ruth arrives for the meeting at London’s National Gallery:
Elena: “Harry loves you, doesn’t he?”
Ruth: “I have no idea how to answer that question…or why I ever would.”
Those naughty Spooks writers are certainly playing with us again this week:
‘Shall we get Home Secretary William Towers to ask Ruth out for dinner?’
‘Yes, why not? That’ll keep the viewers guessing.’
“I don’t want to be the homewrecker,” insists Towers, as he tries to lure her away from MI5 to a new job by his side.
Leaving us to ponder whether he also wants to explore a special relationship not involving Britain, America or Russia.
“I’m sick of secrets,” confides a softly-lit Ruth, after she says something else about Harry.
“They stop you ever knowing people. Everyone ends up feeling alone.”
This is not the only “date” in episode three.
After a tentative start, Dimitri embraces the entire concept of going undercover.
The things these young, good-looking spies have to do to save us from disaster.
A shifty-looking bloke has walked off the 0630 Heathrow arrival from Athens.
He turns out to be anarchist John Grier who has brought something with him that strikes terror at the heart of Whitehall.
No, not the Greek National Debt.
A bag full of unstable radioactive material.
Something to reflect on next time you collect your luggage from the arrivals carousel.
Cue aerial shot of his train heading towards Waterloo station – and the threat of an imminent dirty bomb attack in the capital.
Luckily, “Johnny” has an innocent sister called Natalie who works as an admin assistant and at this very moment is looking for Mr Right via an internet dating site.
“She’s been gazing at photos of you for the last 40 minutes,” Calum informs Dimitri, henceforth to be known as estate agent Ryan Cofield.
Equipped with a phone that is also a Geiger counter. Yes, there’s an app for that.
Among other things in episode three, we find out:
– Why Elena betrayed her country.
– That Calum has an Isotope Tracker. (Not a mortgage product)
– Who might have killed Tariq.
Oh yes, Tariq.
A classic Spooks’ death but still sad to see him go.
There’s going to be a family only funeral for Mr Masood, cruelly killed off with just four episodes to go.
As the great Jimmy Webb once wrote: “Didn’t we almost make it this time?”
The investigation into his murder is frozen while the team tackle the immediate threat of radioactive disaster.
But Calum must have a strong feminine side as he can multi-task.
And isn’t about to give up on who killed his colleague.
Malcolm would be proud.
*************************************************************
Spooks fans know to watch the opening titles closely as they can turn out to contain a glimpse of a crucial scene in the final episode.
Have we already seen at least part of how Spooks will bow out?
Though not who will live. And who will die?
*************************************************************
Spooks continues on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday.
Spooks Radio 4 Extra Interview with Peter Firth and Nicola Walker
Life of Wylie 