Spooks: Series 10, Episode 2 – Dork Review

The clock is ticking for both the final series of Spooks and the mighty Sir Harry Pearce – only four shows to go after this! But even in their last year, the guys still have time to tackle current affairs with their usual subtlety and lightness of touch. (Well, I imagine it was current when they made the episode.)

So, will the fictional security service response to Wikileaks be any better than the real one?

Spookileaks – Calum Shames Himself

You know how these internet security leaks often stem from a civil servant leaving a file on a train? Well, it would have been funnier if the same thing had happened to Calum here, but that wouldn’t have been melodramatic enough for Spooks. Instead, he gets mugged and things go from there. Good start, kid.

The central leak storyline is intriguing for the most part, and it does leave you wondering how they’ll get out of this using the normal Spooks methodology of melodrama and impossible IT superpowers. Unfortunately, the answer appears to be: um, it just kinda stops.

The whole storyline somewhat fizzles out, everything is resolved, um, somehow. There is, of course, a big twist in the closing minutes, as we see our first Spooks fatality of the year. You do feel bad for the poor guy, but not as much as I would’ve done if it’d still been Malcolm. Tariq was always friendly enough but never as endearing.

Greater Good And Bigger Picture

The nature of his death suggests that Calum’s mugging is tied into a wider storyline. Normal laws of dramatic coincidence point to it being the same one Sir Pearce is currently embroiled in, but you never know with Spooks.

Speaking of Big Harry, his Russian intrigue saga takes surprisingly big leaps forward this week. I suppose with only a handful of episodes left, they can’t really afford to pussyfoot around. This gets my hopes up that things will go utterly nuts by the end of the year.

Erin also has an emotional moment with a terrified asset this week. The woman in question is well acted, actually, and it’s a decent subplot, but wasn’t Erin acting section chief? Shouldn’t she be a bit more hardened, rather than plummeting into indecision so easily? Just seemed odd.

In summation, this was a decent episode, but perhaps more in terms of what it promised for the future than what it actually does in itself. Tariq’s death gives the whole thing a bit more heft, but still. On the other hand, I’m definitely looking forward to next week now. Check it out on iPlayer and let us know how you think the series is developing.

More Spooks on Dork Adore | Spooks: Series 10, Episode 1 – Dork Review

Nick Bryan

Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.

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