Nuclear Strike (Spooks)
In the episode, Tiresias, the Russian equivalent of Sugarhorse, awakens a sleeper agent to detonate a nuclear suitcase bomb in central London.
In Faversham, Kent, Walter Crane (Kevin Fuller) receives the message "rain from heaven" in Russian from a numbers station.
Lucas North (Richard Armitage) and Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) discover Tiresias is the Russian equivalent of Sugarhorse, but "bigger and better;" while Sugarhorse placed pro-western Russians to infiltrate its government, Tiresias does the opposite; recruit spies to infiltrate the British Government.
Ros Myers (Hermione Norris) believes Connie James (Gemma Jones), a mole from the FSB, might know what Tiresias is planning.
After listening to the numbers station broadcast, she reveals Tiresias has awakened a sleeper agent to a specific task; detonating a nuclear suitcase bomb in central London by 3 pm.
They and Lucas engage in a shootout, and after evading them, the team decide to split up and regroup in Catherine Wheel Alley, while Harry returns to Thames House.
After returning, Harry warns Home Secretary Nicholas Blake (Robert Glenister) of the threat and tells him that if he receives a call from MI5 at 2:45 pm, he should order the evacuation of Parliament.
Back in Thames House, Harry believes the FSB are not aware of the bomb threat, and decides to meet with Sarkisiian face-to-face.
In order to get there alive, Harry uses the emergency "handshake protocols" and reasons with Sarkisiian that he would turn himself into the FSB if he stops the kill squad.
While seemingly experiencing an episode of mania or insanity, she removes the nuclear material before calmly describing the device as “just a bomb”, as the uranium is no longer present and that she isn't scared of them, but it will still detonate in her face as she is the one disarming it.
[1] The producers also intended to tease the audience that after the brutal killing of Ben Kaplan (Alex Lanipekun) from the previous episode, they would think that things could not get worse for the team, until the nuclear threat in the finale.
The scene where the team breaks Connie out was intended to show the audience that the protagonists are willing to go to extreme measures to stop serious threats.
Cross wanted to make it a very pure Spooks episode by setting up the entire plot in one scene, and then include a chase throughout London between FSB officers and the main characters.
[1] The part where Connie asks for safe passage to New Zealand was a "sly personal reference" to Cross, as the writer himself resides in the country.
The most prominent discussions included Harry strangling one officer with his necktie, and Lucas shooting another in the head in cold blood despite being unarmed and subdued.
The character did not say a word throughout the entirety of the episode, yet had such a strong presence, which the producers felt was unique for a guest star in the series.
[1] Richard Armitage recalled the shootout sequence; "There was a shoot-out in the final episode where I surprised myself about the amount of rounds I could pull off and how quickly.
[3] When Sam Miller called Cross about the development, the writer included it as a last minute addition to the script, and the sequence was shot the next day.
The phrases "rain from heaven" and "it is twice blest" from the numbers station was taken from "The Quality of Mercy" speech from the William Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice.
"Finland Red, Egypt White" and "Rain From Heaven" are titles of songs on this album, and the first track "Jihad" begins with the words "two-five-zero-zero-zero".
When Jo asks Malcolm to evacuate his mother, he explains she is busy watching A Place in the Sun, a television programme about Britons buying property abroad, followed by Countdown, a game show on Channel 4.
"[8] Gerard O'Donovan of The Daily Telegraph placed the episode as a "critic's choice," calling it a "superb season closer," and "all terrifically exciting."
O'Donovan also said of the episode's settings; "the streets and Underground tunnels of London have rarely been used to such climactic effect – with great performances from everyone involved."
"[9] Mof Gimmers of TV Scoop praised the episode, saying "Neil Cross knows a thing or two about ratcheting up the tension, and in the finale of the seventh series of Spooks he used both of them.
