Blog Introspection Challenge
8.) Which post was the most difficult to write?
Some posts are more difficult to put together than others depending on the gifs/pics that I use. for this question though I wanted to focus on a post that was difficult to write for emotional reasons. after sifting back through blog titles to remind myself of the different things I’ve written about, “Welcome Home” jumped out at me as being particularly difficult to write.
In this post I was focusing on Spooks characters Lucas North and Adam Carter in episode 1 of season 7. I tried to elaborate upon the theme that Adam understood what Lucas was going through, from personal experience. he knew what it was like to be held prisoner (though the time span differed greatly) and he could appreciate the struggles that Lucas was experiencing as he tried to reinsert himself into not only the seemingly simple role as citizen but also his previous life in MI-5.
I get emotional about Lucas during the best of times
but this aspect of his story garners the most empathy from me. I mentioned the “Welcome Home” greeting that military veterans sometimes use with one another upon meeting. I’ve seen my father give this greeting and it chokes me up because I think about how difficult it must have been for the Vietnam Vets to serve their country (sometimes against their will) and then be greeted with hostility and contempt upon arriving home. and so I always relate that to Lucas: how very much he sacrificed for his country, with no recognition, how he was handled with kid gloves and essentially assigned a babysitter.
Adam’s initial handshake upon meeting Lucas for the first time, runs deeper for me than just a simple welcome. so it was hard to find the right balance to convey the depth of what I wanted to say without getting too weighed down in politics or emotions.
Nowhere in Particular RA 
thank you for drawing my attention to that scene. I only ever really took it at face value, but there is all that that you mention. Interesting point about the parallel you draw with the return of the Vietnam Vets, equally “deserted” by the country they went into war for as Lucas was for his service.
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Yes, what an apt parallel. I loved S7E1 so much, despite how much I hated to lose Adam, and I think you’ve just pinpointed why it’s probably my favorite episode in all of Spooks. Thank you!
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A lot to think about and a very good point about the start of the series for RA
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Thanks. This is a very interest insight into that post.
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That was meant to say ‘interesting’. I need rest (and a new brain).
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I love your take on that scene. i never knew “welcome home” was something vets said, but your interpretation actually makes total sense in light of how the other members of Section D greeted Lucas.
Malcolm offered him a bowl of soup, as if he was a homeless vagrant who turned up on the doorstep. Malcolm pitied him more than anything else. Harry – well he was just Harry about it. Most of the cast were just really awkward with Lucas, or treated him with pity or sympathy.
Adam walked up to Lucas and shook his hand. He actually took the trouble to properly introduce himself, not worrying about Lucas dishevelled and half-starved appearance.
Adam was the only person I think in that whole episode who actually treated Lucas as an equal. He even talked Harry into letting him go on that operation to free the soldier, which was a way of showing he trusted Lucas, I think.
I wonder if there’s any signifigance to how Lucas shared his food with Adam (when he offered him a chip). Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I guess in Russian prison food was a big deal and you didn’t go sharing it with just everyone. Richard Armitage lost a stone in weight for that role, by the way.
Adam is great though. This Episode alone makes me decide Adam is my second favourite character after Lucas, and its such a shame they didn’t know each other very long.
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Adam didn’t know Lucas before, so he didn’t have the prior relationship that the others did. to see how disheveled Lucas looked and how much weight he lost, thinking of all he might have endured in the time he was away, and how different his demeanor was from the man they knew. I think Adam was able to bypass the awkwardness that the rest of the team was struggling with in that regard, but also Adam’s own past and the struggles he dealt with probably made him more empathetic to what Lucas might be going through. I first started watching MI-5 from the beginning but then I jumped forward to season 7, so I wasn’t familiar with Adam then. I liked the character in this episode a lot but then when I went back and caught up on his story from the previous seasons, I liked him even more. they would have made a really great team, I think 😎
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