In defence them both Burnside and Belinda do represent a fairly common upper middle class (or upper class in Belinda’s case) 70’s 80’s British style marriage. I think it was a surprising choice to keep her off camera, more surprising that she raises interesting questions as you say, even given her non appearance.
The Dickens thing is odd but can be read as two very sexually awkward English people both with hang ups trying to fall for each other. Not unheard of. Whether that makes for interesting TV is another matter. If I was to be generous I would say it shows Burnside is as uncomfortably awkward in his hatred for the dictatorship of the USSR as he is in his desire for Dickens or love in general. While he may succeed he does it in a way which leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable.
By the way Tom the episode called “My Name Is Anna Wiseman” (no spoilers here) illustrates a lot about Burnside’s character.
The marriage makes perfect sense. It’s the “wanting him back” part that’s so confusing. I halfway think Sir Geoffrey is making it all up to manipulate Burnside. We never see her because she’s moved to Peru with her new lover.
“My Name is Anna Wiseman” is indeed a high point. Don’t want to say too much yet, but… Laura’s comment about “special sections existing to create work for one another?” Yeah, she’s right about that.
I have a nostalgia thing for Sandbaggers as I watched it before VHS was invented and I waited in anticipation for the next episode every week. I think the writing in Spooks is a lot better and more edgy.
Such a strange show. It’s a mirror image of Yes Minister with intelligence officers whispering in the writer’s ear instead of politicians. Like anything about spies coming out of Britain in that era, it’s hard for me to keep track of what the audience knew about espionage in real life. Which secrets had come out yet, which were still hidden, and which were gossiped about but not really out in the open yet? I’m pretty sure the writer was hinting at things that didn’t begin to be revealed until a few years later.
His bizarre midseason disappearance would be a fascinating story if it had an ending. He wrote about someone pretending to defect to the Soviet Union in the hope of dying there and the KGB being blamed for it. Then he left behind some cryptic clues, got on in a light plane, and disappeared over the Bering Strait, never to be seen again.
I have to admit that I never did get used to the CIA agent’s name. Every time there’s a grave international crisis, what’s the solution? “Get me Jeff Ross!” What’s he going to do? Roast the KGB? “Your operational security is looser than…”
