Spooks

You thought this might be a jaunty little post about Halloween, didn't you... Thought maybe just once I'd step out of the TV box and post about a widely recognized holiday instead, complete with pictures of ghosts and leaves and pumpkins perhaps?

Hells no.
Different kind of spooks.
Sorry.

Having tapped out my True Blood supply quicker than one would hope (the official story is that I had to hurry with it so that I could lend it out to my friends (the unofficial story is that that True Blood is the television equivalent of crack)), I was again in need of a supplementary series to round out my slate of current programming. After losing Alias several seasons ago and with Burn Notice on hiatus (damn you, USA network and you're sporadic programming schedule!), I figured it was high time for another spy thriller.

Enter Spooks (known more commonly to America as MI-5). It's basically Alias, only British-er.

Why they renamed it MI-5 for the American export, I simply don't understand. Spooks is a much better title, and quite frankly, we call our super-secret governmental agents "spooks" as well, so...yeah... Not sure who decided that was a good idea, especially given the fact that a fair number of Americans probably have no idea what MI-5 is, but what do I know. We Americans need to be spoon-fed, dontcha know. It's like Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently they think we're just too stupid to care about a book like that, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, now were cookin' with oil! I realize that the word "sorcerer" has a flashier sound, but it doesn't even make sense in the context of the book, really. Oy. On a related note, I've been reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, only to find out that the literal translation from Swedish of the real title is "Men Who Hate Women." Um, well, wow, that has a slightly different ring to it, now doesn't it? I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I'm glad I know what the real title is because with an evocative moniker like that, I have to assume it's important. I guess the publishers didn't think Americans would pick up such a book (which, to be honest, it is an off-putting title in English, but I'm sure that's kind of the point), so they completely changed the whole thing. I understand if it didn't translate across quite as one would like so changes had to be made, but to just scrap the whole thing and come up with a new title entirely seems a bit overboard.

But I digress. A lot. What were we talking about?

Oh, yes. Spooks.

The show follows a group of MI-5 operatives (including that guy who played Mr. Darcy in the Kiera Knightly version of Pride & Prejudice--don't worry, it took me the whole pilot to figure that out) as they work to protect Britain from everything from race riots to potential nuclear attacks. As mentioned, it's a lot like Alias, only with a different bent. For one thing, MI-5 is a domestic crew (as opposed to MI-6, which is more international--think James Bond), so they do a lot less travelling than our girl Sydney Bristow, but that actually leads to much more salient, palpable, often home-grown issues as opposed to the damn near fanciful larks on Alias. Being British and being much more grounded in reality means the show is less polished and glitzy than its American counterparts and errs on the side of grittier and more authentic than flashy. Don't get me wrong, it certainly has its James Bondish elements, but it also has seemingly real people, doing a real job, to counter real-world threats. In a way, it makes the show a bit harder to watch. A show like Alias is often so far removed from my own experience that I can watch and enjoy with blissful suspension of disbelief, happy to go along for the ride. Spooks comes across as much more authentic and in that sense, it makes for a more jarring experience. While Alias has plotlines like, "The, uh, Jordanians are planning some sort of attack on a... cargo ship headed for, um, Libya...yeah... Go get 'em, Syd!" with Spooks, it's more like, "Bush is visiting the country next week, sir. Expect riots, possible bombings, and scads of protestors." "Oh, bloody hell..."

It was actually pretty interesting to see another country's take on politics in this kind of format. In all honesty, I was pretty surprised at just how similar things are to what I would expect from an American approach. Although Americans weren't painted in the usual, positive, practically jingoist light that you can expect from a home-grown production (which, showing the Americans as pushy, arrogant politicos as is so often the case was a very nice change of pace), in other respects, the show is just as you'd imagine an American series to be. The approach to a perceived threat was very similar to how Alias would handle things, the chain of command and agency set-up was practically identical, and even the characters and their speech and mannerisms were surprisingly familiar... It may just be that I watch a lot more British programming than most, but I'm continually amazed as just how much we have in common. Seriously, at one point, some tweed-wearing, stodgy Brit told another to take a "chill pill." I'm sorry?! HUH? It didn't really seem out of place, exactly, but since when was that an international catch-phrase? Although, what do I know, maybe we stole it from them ('cause, you know, with solid gold like that, you have to pounce as quick as you can). At any rate, there are just a lot of little things that struck me as so oddly familiar and not how I would have expected a British take on spy work to be.

In spite of the similarities with American productions, watching Spooks feels like a very different viewing experience as a whole. As stated, it was a bit odd, though quite refreshing, to see the CIA and the American government get taken to task once in a while. All the A-plots are rooted in reality and draw from actual conflicts, social issues, and national threats. This approach makes for an almost uncomfortable viewing experience, but in a good way. Where an American show would shy away from hot-button issues a lot of time, Spooks just jumps right in. It doesn't pull any punches and tries not to sanitize situations (as in, second episode, one has to think to one's self, "Holy hell, did they really just burn that person's face off with acid?!"). Situations are what they are and this is how MI-5 might handle things (at least in the minds of the writers). In spite of similar concepts, I enjoy each show for very different reasons, finding that I tap into the escapism of Alias and the realism of Spooks in completely different ways. As such, Spooks can't be tossed aside as a copy or derivative, but takes a British bent that leads to a very different approach.

Actually, come to think of it, one of the biggest, most noticeable, and for me, totally distracting differences? The teeth. I know, I know, it's a total cliché, but wouldn't ya know it? It's a well-founded cliché. Holy mother of dentistry there are some unfortunate chompers out there! It was like flipping through the Big Book of British Smiles for 6 hours! The first episode had the real pinnacle, as far as I'm concerned. There was an actress playing a middle class, well-put-together, otherwise attractive woman whose teeth looked to be rotting out of her head. Seriously, the only roles that actress would be able to get in the states would be as homeless person, crazy cat lady, or meth addict. Fortunately, the major players week-to-week all at least have decent teeth, but every now and then someone comes on screen who really reminds you that you're not in Kansas anymore. I have a thing with teeth, so this was probably a lot more noticeable for me than most, but still...

In spite of the teeth, I've always been a big fan of British productions, but one thing that kind of drives me nuts is the number of episodes per season (or, as they would say, per series). Case in point, Spooks season 1 only has 6 episodes... Don't get me wrong, I've always thought the American tendency toward 22 episodes per season was way too many, but only 6? Or only 10? The season ends just as things are getting good! The same thing happened to me with Being Human. Just as all the characters had been established and fleshed out and the story arcs were all in full swing, the season ends... And there's no way to know if or when it'll ever be back. It's irksome. It's one of the reasons I'm very glad that I'm starting Spooks after the show has already filmed like 8 seasons. After the first season, they all seem to have 10, which is a marked improvement, but even then, I think the teens is where the sweet spot is. American cable networks seem to have the right idea, generally filming somewhere between 12 and 18: not so long that there's a lot of filler, but long enough that the story can really get somewhere meaningful.

Anyway, when the major complaint with a series is that it isn't long enough, you can generally assume it's a pretty good show. At times the solutions to their problems seem a bit too convenient or contrived for a show that has a firmer foot on the ground than the usual fare and I'd like to see more dynamic character-based arcs, but overall, it's a solid, engaging, spy thriller that has me wanting more. The end of the first season ends on a real "holy shit!" cliffhanger, so I'm working to procure season 2 as soon as possible.

I'm excited to see where things go in season 2 and hope they iron out some of the qualms with the show. It isn't perfect, but I'm digging it so far. I'm also excited to see what the slate of guest stars holds for next season. Just in season 1 alone, Hugh Laurie made more than a few appearances (as smarmily as one could ever dream for) and Anthony Stuart Head (Giles from Buffy) left quite an impression. And assuming the cast survives the cliffhanger (seriously, "WTF" doesn't quite do it justice), next season should be even more smashing than the first.