Spooks - Series 4 - Complete (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Superb cast
Disadvantages:	The change of cast could have been problematic

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Spooks is one of those programmes that I just adore. Unfortunately however I can't say that I jumped on the Spooks bandwagon from the very start. To be perfectly honest though the reason for this was the fact that I was only 12 when the first series originally aired and therefore it just wasn't part of my viewing although my dad was watching it. I personally caught on during series 3 and then decided that the best thing for me to do would be to get the previous series' on DVD to ensure that I didn't miss out on anything.

Series 4 first aired on the BBC in September 2005 and like the previous series’ is all about a branch of the British Secret Service called MI5. It centres around not only the professional lives of the agents but also their personal lives too because as you can imagine when you throw yourself into a job as much as they do then it is often quite difficult to separate the two. This gives the audience the ability to grow accustomed to the shows main characters and to peer deeper into the lives that they live.

The Box Set

The fourth series DVD box set contains all ten sixty-minute episodes from the fourth series, with each episode focusing on a different issue or task but with long running storylines and threads running between them. The box set also includes a plethora of special features, which include interviews with cast members, deleted scenes, behind the scenes information and a gallery.

The interviews themselves are well worth a watch, as I think it adds a little to the characters when you know more about the person behind them. The deleted scenes also make for good viewing and are something that I always look for in box sets, as I like to see what the directors decided to cut out. I must admit though that I can understand why some of the deleted scenes were deleted as it were but I also wish that some of them had been included.

The behind the scenes documentary snippet is also something I quite enjoyed watching but then I am a real Spook geek (It’s ok I’ll say) so I would, wouldn’t I. The gallery however seems a little wasted and is simply a collection of pictures that aren’t that spectacular or even that interesting if you want my honest opinion.

The Characters

Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) heads up the counter-terrorism department that the show is based around. He is calm collected and series about his job but at the same time has a fantastic sense of humour. Harry is well respected by all of the team and this series gives Harry’s character more depth than the previous three have.

Adam Carter (Rupert Penry Jones) joined the show at the beginning of the last series when he was brought across from MI6 to handle the Tom situation. Adam was introduced to the audience as a loose cannon whose reputation Harry knew well but it is often Adam’s loose-cannon style behaviour that makes him so good at his job. His field presence is astounding and he seems to be the perfect head case officer in many ways.

Adam’s wife Fiona (Olga Sosnovska) also joined the show during the last series and this series helps us glean a lot more information about the past that she and Adam share. We already know that Fiona isn’t her real name and that before her marriage to Adam she was an undercover agent in Damascus whose identity has now been changed for her own protection but this series digs deeper into the history and makes more gripping viewing.

Jo Portman (Miranda Raison) first meets the team when Adam pays her a visit undercover as a gasman. Jo’s instincts tell her that everything isn’t quite as it seems and heads of on Adam’s heels. Her ability to track Adam and other spy-like qualities she exhibits lead Adam to offer her the vacant space in MI5 and Jo is very quick to prove that his faith in her wasn’t unfounded.

Zafar Younis (Razza Jaffrey) otherwise known as simply Zaf is an incredibly bright young officer whose hate of slackers makes him a hit with Adam who eventually becomes somewhat of a hero to him. Zaf is also a tremendous flirt as well as a bit-off a show-off but ultimately he knows how to get a job down. Zaf’s Muslim background proves useful to the team on more than one occasion yet he is always wary of being patronised or misinterpreted because of it.

Ruth (Nicola Walker) Evershed is the team intelligence expert. She is still technically on loan from GCHQ although the position she has within MI5 may as well be permanent. She is a well-respected and well liked member of the team and although she may seem rather naïve and shy Ruth is superb at her job and can find out everything about topics you should know nothing about.

Malcolm (Hugh Simon) is the head of MI5’s technical team. He and Ruth get on extremely well and their shy natures draw them together. Like Ruth he is ultimately rather quiet although he has a very charismatic nature and is very quick-witted at times.

Colin (Rory MacGregor) is a technical expert that works under Malcolm. Like both Malcolm and Ruth, Colin is rather shy and deeply conscious of his job. He does however like the others gel well with the team as a whole and is ultimately good at his job and a real asset to the others.

The Episodes

Series four of Spooks s probably one of my favourite, if not favourite series’ and is extremely action packed. The series deals with a whole variety of security issues as well as delving deeper into the characters and bringing the audience into the team more than ever before. The variety of tasks given to the team ensure that they are constantly kept on their toes and makes them deal with tremendously difficult situations and make near-impossible decisions. The reality of their work is also at the fore-front of this series as we as the viewer get to see the horror of some of the work they do and the ultimate price that the agents pay.

**Episode 1 – The Special (Part 1)**
As Danny’s colleagues gather for his funeral the service is interrupted when a bomb blasts the centre of London. From this point forward it is a race against time to prevent the occurrence of a second catastrophe. To make matters worse the team are also under scrutiny for a National Security coordinator who has a seeming grudge against Harry.

**Episode 2 – The Special (Part 2)**
In order to uncover the latest bomb Zafar and Adam must fight the clock whilst back at HQ the power struggle between Harry and Juliet is becoming heated and the team must deal with the possibility that there is a mole amongst their masses.

**Episode 3 – Divided They Fall**
When a well-known MP defects Adam and Fiona find themselves going undercover in order to infiltrate his new party – a right-wing extremist group known only as ‘The British Way’.

**Episode 4 – Road Trip**
When MI5 discover that an Islamic terrorist group is planning to attack the UK, Adam and Zafar travel to Turkey with one aim in mind. They must do their best to get the group to accept Zafar as one of their own but as the missions success increases the team back home become dubious about whether Zafar actually means what he says.

**Episode 5 – The Book**
The suicide of a retired MI5 officer and friend horrifies Harry but as more and more things leak to the surface surrounding the death the probability of foul play seems more and more likely.

**Episode 6 – The Innocent**
The team suspect a jailed Algerian terrorist of somehow managing to plan an attack but once they have him released and start following him to see where he will take them they begin to realise that their suspicions about him were incorrect.

**Episode 7 – Syria**
Despite the danger and the strain it is putting on her marriage Fiona goes ahead with handling the security at a conference where they suspect arms dealing is taking place. At he conference she encounters Syrian persons who know of her past. Soon she has learnt that her ex-husband whom both she and Adam believed was dead is very much alive and that her life is very much in danger.

**Episode 8 – The Russian**
Despite struggling to cope with recent events Adam insists on running an operation in which the team finds themselves having to rely on a British Cold War traitor in order to try and deal with a Russian Firm they suspect of stealing secrets from GCHQ. Despite his protestations that he is fine, it is soon all too apparent that Adam has taken on far more than he can handle.

**Episode 9 – The Sting**
When Harry stops the CIA from illegally extraditing a British Muslim he instantly makes an enemy out of them and soon finds himself fired after the pressure is piled on Juliet. It is now up to Harry alone to go underground and do all he can in an attempt to clear both his record and his name.

**Episode 10 - Diana**
When a legendary former spy visits Thames House it seems like a simple social call but armed with a bomb and holding the team at ransom it is clear he has no such ideas in mind. His demands for their release are clear. He wants them to produce the evidence that proves that the security services assassinated Diana, Princess of Wales

The Scripting

All of the episodes within this series are of an exceptionally high quality. The scripting within the series is wonderfully clever and often means that more is conveyed to the audience than what is simply said. Of course a lot of the scripting does revolve around the technicalities of the current job of the team but within this is often included some rather poignant moments and digs and the general formation of the country can frequently be found.

Due to the nature of the topics being discussed though the show could quite easily have become rather overbearing and dry as well as possibly being too horrific. The writers however avoid this by introducing some softer scenes where characters discuss normal things. This is aided by the superb use of humour, which usually in the forms of satire or irony makes the show a real gem to watch. The humour frequently comes from character frustration at something occurring within government or security cells but can also be found in the very human character flaws that have also been written into the show.

These nuggets of humour help to show how even when things are tough the human race will generally still find something trivial to complain about or will simply make a joke out of the bad times in order to try and alleviate a little pressure. The general scripting and shooting of the show however, it must be pointed out, does revolve around quite complex issues and can be a little graphic. For this reason I would definitely say that the programme is not suitable for younger viewers at all and that in my opinion the 15 guideline should be strongly adhered too.

The Acting

The acting within the series is also of a very high quality and really proves that British dramas can have quality performances within them. All of the cast involved make the show what it is as all of them seem to bring something different to the overall feel and tone of the series. The way the cast gels together is also something that has a great impact on the show because cracks within relationships would be easy to spot in such a high tension drama like this.

I personally however have a bit of a thing for Rupert Penry Jones and for me it is he that stands out. Somehow he seems to have a really natural feel about his acting and therefore everything he participates in is given this natural and honest feel. Furthermore Rupert has a certain charm about him that you cannot help noticing and because the scripting his character has been given seems to suit his general personality the outcome is that scenes that involve him seem to radiate more than those without him.

Closing Comment

Spooks is certainly something that I would recommend. It is exceptionally easy to get into and soon you find that you have become swept up in the whole atmosphere of the programme. I guarantee that once you have seen this series you'll want to see the rest.