London Spy starts on BBC Two - Monday 9 November - 9pm

[sadwidow28]

A new 5-part thriller is starting on BBC 2, 9th November at 9pm

A romance between an MI6 code genius and an ordinary man promises happiness. But tragedy strikes when the spy dies in suspicious circumstances, forcing his lover to pursue the truth behind his death.

Have a look at the trailers and write-ups and see if you fancy watching it and joining in this MN thread.

''You might be the most innocent person I know'' - This is a clip from episode 1: On a walk by the sea, Danny flirtatiously questions whether Alex did background checks on him before going on their date.

Do you think the nurse was in on it, she never did the testing in front of him?

Well, they suspect that Danny has found the 'algorithm' (or whatever is in that lock that was in the laptop battery compartment) and THEY - the 7 intelligence agencies - have to discredit Danny AND Alex.

It would appear that discrediting Alex in death is essential so the whole attic was staged based on Danny's sordid past. The toys, the sex play, the use of the trunk. But they want to break Danny so that he will lead them to the algorithm. By infecting him they are showing just how much his life is in their hands. (They can kill him at any time.)

Everyone is turning against Scottie because by getting involved with Danny, he too will become persona non grata and a target - which is very dangerous when the 7 intelligence agencies are all working together.

May I join? (Am usually found in the homeland thread)

sadwidow I actually found that in this week's episode a bit more happened than the previous week.

Now to work out wht every major agency agreed that what Alex found was so bad that they had to absolutely and thoroughly discredit him to the nth degree.

My parents are also in their 70s and, whose they are tolerant, they wouldn't want to see the gay sex scenes. Although, to be fair, I don't think they want graphic sex scenes at all.

I don't think Danny is HIV+ as rhere didn't seem to be a point at which he could have been infected. He even said that the police we're too recent.

I imagine that Scotty was evicted from his club because he asked awkward questions of his friend.

I still have no idea what is going on!

Was the swimming just to pass the time and fill up the hour's transmission, or have I missed something really significant?

I haven't read any spoilers but my hunch is that Alex had found an unbreakable code that would somehow mean communications could be encrypted and the intelligence agencies wouldn't be able to break in to monitor them. No idea if this is in any way credible!

Bizarre to see the rendezvous in a library at Senate House. Many a time and oft as a student I tucked myself away in there as a change from my own college library. Never once did I see spies in a huddle.

eddie that was the part that made me feel that it was a 'slow' episode. I know that it was a device for Scottie and Danny to go into the sauna for a quiet chat away from prying eyes/ears, but it seemed an awful long time.

The recaps/reviews for episode 3 are coming on-line:

The Guardian, 23rd November 2015

It seemed like the pool was a cleansing/recharging of batteries metaphor, he is ready for the next fight and possibly reborn and dressed up to fit into Scottie's world? He goes from being a complete mess to playing about in water like a seal.

All I got from the swim/steam room segment was that the walls seemed to be really grubby.

What was the red light thing in Sherlock's brother's bathroom cabinet? Just worried in case I am missing sex toys.

The Guardian are saying that the blue tablet that I thought was cyanide was an antiretroviral, so the guy from The Wire knew he had recently been infected. Did I completely miss that bit?

Ooh. This dropped off my TIO.
I too have been to Senate House. It IS creepy there, and very oppressive.

The HIV thing -has he really? What was the drug that the flatmate (?) found, some kind of anti retro viral? Was that what was in the sweet given by Bad NotLawyer?

Mark Gatiss was amazing, so sinister. But did he really just provide a phone, or was it that the phone connected to someone in particular?

Oh, cross post re ARV. I had to go and check a mewling child mid post.

Didn't the 'lawyer' chap say something like you might need this, re the sweetie/pill? So he was telling him that they'd had him infected?

Yes he did Zebra. So he's maybe a good guy.

Oh Danny Boy in your sharp suit and skinny tie...

I've decided.

Alex set Danny up.

All the stuff about the room being constructed with reference to all the stupid things he'd done in the past. Only someone who you've loved could hurt you so forensically. And Alex taped the "advert" conversation.

It may be that he'd picked Danny out before they met, or it could be that as soon as he saw him he recognised the perfect fool.

Alex needed to disappear. In such a way that no one would ever look for him. (But he was so pretty that I want to believe he's preparing to rescue Danny once the story has run its course.)

I was starting to wonder if there's an 'unreliable narrator ' element going on last night. Ben W and Jim Broadbent both turned in amazing performances I thought.

I thought the sex scenes were very good at suggesting rather than showing what was happening but I can imagine some people might be uncomfortable watching.

I thought it was getting quite claustrophobic like everything was piling in, looking forward to next week.

Yes! I was on the cusp of feeling a little shaken just for a moment, wondering if Danny had "mis-remembered" events.

But his poor face; so many emotions, so much dawning realisation, such terror and sadness. (Couldn't we have Danny on TV all day, every day, just thinking?)

Full credit to Mark Gatiss, who I can usually barely tear my eyes away from, for making that character so utterly skeevy and predatory and horrible that I struggled to watch his scenes.

The clinic scene was horrible to watch - my nails were digging into my palms as the doctor was talking about the first test results, it was just chilling. Still can't quite fathom why Lester from The Wire would give him an anti-HIV pill inside a sweet and talk about "at least you have your health" in a meaningful way, prompting him to take the test in the first place. If it's all faked then there must be easier ways to threaten him, if it's not faked then why not just tell him outright?

If Scottie turns out to be in on all this and is manipulating Danny to get this encrypted little tube thing that's so threatening to the security services then it's going to be painful when it unravels in episode five...

Incidentally, if you like spoilery hints, the summary and cast list for episode 4 is up on iPlayer. There's one rather interestingly named cast member, an Italian actor, that plays more into the whole evidence being faked against Danny thing.

I'm really enjoying this series so far. But it is a little confusing, and definitely doesn't help that I do tend to nod off at that time of night. But sometimes it seems as if I've nodded off as the plot twists make me feel I've missed something!
I do feel that Alex is alive. I waiver between thinking Scottie is a goodie or a baddie!

I've no idea what's going on, but I'm loving the slow pace. Last night's was the best, as it ramped up the chilling creepiness of it all. So many characters to dislike!

Could that be the code to break the internet?

I am loving this series

Is confusing but I like that it is not easy TV its quote challenging to remember all that is going on

I'm really enjoying it too. I watch it on Tuesday morning when the kids are at school - I'm assuming the phone is the connection to the details on the business card. My parents are watching it too, my Dad thought the first one was a bit "racy" but is enjoying the story so much he soon got over it.

Full credit to Mark Gatiss, who I can usually barely tear my eyes away from, for making that character so utterly skeevy and predatory and horrible that I struggled to watch his scenes.

Oh yes! I agree completely. He made my skin crawl.