Episode #9.7 (1 Nov. 2010)
"Spooks" Episode #9.7 (original title)

Lucas North's secret past is revealed as Vaughan raises the stakes in his efforts to get the "Albany" file. Ruth's life is in danger when she follows up a council worker's report of a "dead drop" in a park.

Director:

Edward Hall

Writer:

Anthony Neilson

Stars:

Richard Armitage, Max Brown, Hi Ching

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Richard Armitage	...	Lucas North
Max Brown	...	Dimitri Levendis
Hi Ching	...	Yimou
Trevor Cooper	...	Keith Deery
Rosalie Craig	...	Red Headed Woman
James Daffern	...	Lucas North in Flashback
Peter Firth	...	Harry Pearce
Iain Glen	...	Vaughan Edwards
Robert Hitchmough	...	Customs Officer
Shazad Latif	...	Tariq Masood
Dave Legeno	...	Gilles Rigaut
Sophia Myles	...	Beth Bailey
Laila Rouass	...	Maya Lahan
Simon Russell Beale	...	Home Secretary
Hugh Simon	...	Malcolm Wynn-Jones

Storyline

Harry takes Lucas along to meet a onetime informer who says he has information on the bombing of a British Embassy some 15 years ago. That case is one Harry would very like to solve. The informant turns out to be none other that Vaughn Edwards who is offering Harry the same information he's been using to blackmail Lucas. The information Lucas delivered to him previously was useless and Edwards now has only a few hours to finalize the deal. By now, Harry and Ruth realize that Lucas is in big trouble and take him into custody. There he reveals his true identity. Ruth meanwhile stumbles onto an assassination plot when a local council worker brings her information. She looks into it only to be taken prisoner by the assassin.

---

Plot Keywords:

mi5

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

---

Details

Release Date:

1 November 2010 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Debenham House, Addison Road, Holland Park, London, England, UK

Company Credits

User Reviews

The truth about Lucas

As the previous episode concluded it looked as if Lucas was about to get exposed but as this episode begins he is accompanying Harry to meet a contact who has information about the bombing of the British embassy in Dakar many years before. As the drive to the meeting Lucas tells Harry that he was actually in Dakar at the time during his student gap year. It turns out that the contact is Vaughn, the man who had been trying to get the Albany file off Lucas so it is a safe bet that his offer of information is just another way to put pressure on Lucas. While this is going on a council worker comes into MI5 claiming to have witnessed a woman making a dead drop in a park, he gives his evidence to Ruth but she doesn't believe him. As the episode progresses we learn a lot more about Lucas's past; for a start he isn't Lucas North, that was just a man he met in Dakar, and he was involved in the bombing! When Ruth checks further into the council workers story she finds herself in grave danger as it turns out he was telling the truth.

While not quite as good as the previous episode this was still gripping and it was great to learn more about Lucas as last, although even now what we are first told turns out to be just his version of the truth. Richard Armitage does a good job as Lucas although I can't see him lasting beyond the end of this series knowing just what his character has done. I also enjoyed Nicola Walker's portrayal of Ruth, a couple of times I thought she was done for but thankfully Ruth lived to spy another day. There were some good action scenes and Lucas's method of interrogating Vaughn in the park made be wince.