Spoilers for Spooks Series 9 and maybe Spooks 2 and 3.
I’m mostly over my disappointment of Spooks Series 9, but I would not have had such high hopes if it weren’t for Richard Armitage. When I know he’s in a cast, his investment in characters raises the bar for me. This was certainly the case with this show the last few series. But earlier I had let my expectations of Spooks slide after the first couple of episodes of Series 3, aka the final resolution of Tom Quinn. A commenter on my last post describes the effect well:
what…I have seen of the last 9 seasons, shows me they REALLY struggle with character development. The personal story arc leave much to be desired. For those that love Spooks, the weak character story arcs are fine. They do JUST enough to support the action, and that is enough for them. For me… it leaves me unsettled.
It seems unsettled might be the point. That is indeed how I’ve felt through most of Spooks, and being unsettled addicted me to it. I was continually in search of something to satisfy. Yeah, I was totally manipulated by the producers of this show for awhile, but I was growing weary of it until Richard Armitage was announced as a cast member in Series 7.
With the advent of Lucas North, I was relieved and my expectations were raised again and then some, and by the end of Series 7, I had a lot of hope for a great story. Richard joining the cast appeared an opportunity for Spooks to go way beyond what they had done before since they now had someone who could really pull off conflicted characters in a way Matthew Macfadyen has never even come close to doing in any of his pieces. No offense to Matthew. I appreciate his acting, but he’s no Richard Armitage.
And now we all know it wasn’t meant to be. The show is what it is, and the character of Lucas North is a miss for Richard, which is in no way a slap to RA. He did what he could with what he had. I think many of us are agreed on that. I just hope he was taking notes — not just on the artistic aspects of this show but on the business end, and more specifically on the bullshit that goes on behind the scenes. How can I know that? Are people and money involved?
Richard,
I believe you took notes on the bullshit and that you’re still taking notes. It’s figuring out the bullshit that’s a big part of getting something done. But I’m sure I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, or maybe I’ve strayed into what Servetus calls “B” or maybe “A” in Armitage Epistemology. I stray so boldly because my bullshit detector is sensitive enough to realize when someone else has a bullshit detector. And well, actually, I have the track record to prove that, but that’s another story.
For now the beauty of someone like me writing this stuff is that you don’t have to say it. You don’t have to call bullshit yourself. Let your fans say it for you so that you can maintain good ties with some of those same people who were involved in the crap that was Spooks this series. I realize you can’t burn bridges, so let us rail against this for you. Hey, I’m a business person, so I know how important it is not to ever burn a bridge. It may be an escape route someday or a great road to somewhere else. It’s funny how some of the crappiest experiences can put us in touch with people who become great assets. I’m sure you’ve learned that lesson by now. Good!
All of that and the fact you’re not spending much of your money means to me that you will eventually have your own production, and as much as I love your acting, I can’t wait to see what you’ve got. If it’s about Richard III, that’s great. If not, that’s great too. I don’t really care.
In the meantime, I’m glad to see you’re going to be in the movies and now free of serialization. You are better suited to vehicles that have a beginning, a middle and an end. I can hardly wait!
Take care, and speaking for many other fans, please know that we’re all so proud of you,
One of your crazy fans (crazy like a fox)
A picture of Richard listening to obvious bullshit:
I cannot tell you how good it feels to write these fake fan letters. Yes, I’ve said that before, but it bears repeating. I get to relieve my angst and peddle my bullshit, and no one is hurt. At least I don’t think anyone is hurt — except maybe the writers of Spooks in this case.
Note to the writers: sorry guys, but this one really wasn’t a good a series, and I think you know that. But I’ll keep watching ’cause I’m still addicted.
And before I go, another picture of Richard listening to bullshit. I had to post this one because it’s so cute, and I love it when he has an amused look on his face:
If you haven’t seen the interview this is from, you can go here and here thanks to Heather.
Screencaps courtesy of my stash.
edit: I would have a tag called “bullshit,” but then I would be tagging most of this blog.















