I have a shameful confession to make. Those of you who (mistakenly) consider me to be a reasonably intelligent human being, you may wish to look away now if you want to preserve that opinion.
It's a secret that I've tried to keep to myself, but I can no longer manage it. It's a momentous one. Here goes.
Every week I watch - and enjoy - Spooks. This is not (despite what my friend Jennie thinks) because I'm a spy. (She does actually hold this belief. It really cheers me up.) Just to qualify the first statement. I do watch, and do enjoy Spooks... it's beautifully edited, fast-paced, the characters are interesting, the gadgets are hugely fun. Here's the confession: I've never yet understood an entire episode all the way through.
Last week I thought we were in Iran, and it turned out to be some woods in the UK. (I had wondered why there was a UK licence plate, and put it down to poor attention to detail.) This week I had no idea how the Russians got involved in the vaccine thingy that the Americans had sold... nor why that woman had to download info from the computer to her memory stick. Made absolutely no sense to me.
Now you see, a couple of things worry me. Firstly, I do consider myself to be of average intelligence. I read Booker Prize-winning books - and enjoy them. I have a job that requires a certain amount of understanding what the fuck is going on. I have a mortgage and watch documentaries. I go to the theatre. I have frequented art galleries. Usually under duress, but that's beside the point. I'm fairly bright.
So - to address my first point - why the fuck can't I follow Spooks - presumably made for a mass-market audience?
Secondly, given that I've just admitted it to everyone, why the buggery bollocks do I keep watching it? Surely it has to be more than "it looks pretty on the television".
I never understood Inspector Morse either. Each episode would end with me saying to Mr Nunn, "Oh, so there were two men with beards?"
I have one small consolation. I have a friend (who will remain nameless as this is my confession, not hers), who is one of the brightest people I've ever met. She also watches Spooks every week, and like me, ends up totally confused at the end of every episode. We agree it looks good on TV.
Unless it's all an Emperor's New Clothes situation, and no-one understands it, but everyone else is unwilling to admit it. So - I propose a Spooks amnesty... Speak now if you're as confused as I am. (You don't have to admit to the Inspector Morse thing too.)
7 comments:
I've never heard of the show... assuming it's a British thing :)
Sounds like the start of a facebook group though... People confused by Spooks... or something to that effect.
I still think you're intelligent... have thought so since primary school!
Even Peter Firth is confused by the Spooks scripts so how we're supposed to understand them I don't know ;)
Sara - Spooks is apparently given a different title in the US because of potential racial slurs. Over here a "Spook" is slang for an MI5 officer... and I believe it goes out in the US under the title "MI5" (snappy!).
Flip - glad I'm not the only one who doesn't have a bloody clue what's going on!
L x
You don't understand the plot because you are like your grandma genetically.
Otherwise a highly intelligent woman, she has never had the faintest clue about following a plot line, however simple it may be.Even before she was 89 .
It must be the same part of the brain that deals with direction?
There could be a PhD in this
I was reading your blog quickly, to try and catch up in my lunch break and I think it was the 5th paragraph I read as ... you go to art galleries usually under-dressed. Maybe you're not the only unintelligent one! :o)
H x
Hello.
I have four seasons of Spooks on DVD. I'm not sure I like the new format of having the same storyline running through each of the episodes, but it's still the only program I'll arrange my social life around.
Having been to the Iranian train station in question (I didn't actually get on a train, I just went to have a look, how sad), I'm a bit confused as to the reason Zaf and blonde boy (I can't remember his name and still refer to him as the 'New Tom') weren't infected with deadly disease at the same time as double agent Iranian guy.
In my experience, there is no way that New Tom would be able to stand on the platform for 10 minutes, without having someone come up to him, welcome him to the country, and invite him home for a meal.
Hope you're well.
GW
I have four seasons of Spooks on DVD. I'm not sure I like the new format of having the same storyline running through each of the episodes, but it's still the only program I'll arrange my social life around.
Having been to the Iranian train station in question (I didn't actually get on a train, I just went to have a look, how sad), I'm a bit confused as to the reason Zaf and blonde boy (I can't remember his name and still refer to him as the 'New Tom') weren't infected with deadly disease at the same time as double agent Iranian guy, as they were both pretty close when the train blew up.
In my experience, there is no way that New Tom would be able to stand on the platform for 10 minutes, without having someone come up to him, welcome him to the country, and invite him home for a meal.
Hope you're well.
GW
Post a Comment