MI-5 (TV Series) Persephone (2004) User Reviews

Still a good series, but no longer great.

[edwards-family1 · 7/10 · 5 August 2006]

I loved the first two seasons of Spooks, but with the gradual demise of pretty well most of the key characters there just seems to be a lessening of the impact of the series midway through series 3.

In this episode Zoe exits the series, brought to justice after an operation that pits the secret service against the law of the land. Danny is naturally distraught - lets hope he doesn't up and leave as a result!

This episode is all about Zoe, her career, her relationships and her farewell from the series which is certainly not predictable. She'll be missed as a member of the cast.

Still highly watchable, perhaps the introduction of new characters will start to mesh after a few more episodes.

Episode 3.6

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 10 September 2019]

Spooks has to make another seismic shift. With Keeley Hawes heading for new pastures, Zoe has to be written out of the show. However I could not help feeling this was clumsily done.

Zoe is on trial for involuntary manslaughter of an undercover police officer who had infiltrated a Turkish mafia group in Britain. The officer's widow has made a lot of noise regarding justice for her late husband through the media.

Zoe is also tasked to get inside as this particular Turkish mafia group. It is gaining power and bringing in something more than just drugs. Zoe becomes the girlfriend of Sevilin Ozal, a vile drug addicted gangster but she needs to get close to his boss Emre Celenk. When she does, Zoe finds out that Celenk is an abhorrent man with Al Qaeda connections.

Although Zoe was just there to gather information, it looks like she goaded Ozal to kill Celenk and the other deaths were collateral damage as Ozal had lost it.

Harry realises that the this is a showpiece trial but he has received assurances from the Attorney General that Zoe will get a slapped wrist. This turns out to be far from it.

Well you really have to suspend disbelief that a MI5 officer will stand trial for operational activities. Especially relating to the killing of a possible Al Qaeda fundraiser. At least Zoe and Danny have some emotional moments in the end.

No wonder after the departure of Tom and Zoe, Spooks thought it would be better to kill off the regulars once they decided to leave the series.