Worricker Trilogy (2011 and 2014)

[Bill Anderson]

It's been a while, but I remember enjoying PAGE EIGHT when it appeared
on PBS back in 2011, and (after a three-year production delay) I'm glad
I finally got to see the other two excellent miniseries entries (TURKS &
CAICOS and SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD) on DVR over the past couple of nights.

Johnny Worricker (Bill Nye) plays a debonair British spy, but if that
description makes you think of James Bond, then think again. There's
little to no action in these stories -- certainly no gunfire or car
chases. These are thrillers of the mind, with much of the story played
out as adversaries go after each other in board rooms, drawing rooms,
bedrooms and bars. Sound boring? Not even slightly. The outstanding
script by writer/director David Hare and the brilliant cast (Nye,
Christopher Walken, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Winona Ryder,
Judy Davis, and other excellent actors) kept my attention riveted.
Great fun; highly recommended. But watch them in order if you can --
PAGE EIGHT first.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

[Obveeus]

PAGE EIGHT was very good. SALTING THE BATTLE FIELD was a horrible
'ending' that rendered the entire trilogy pointless.

[Bill Anderson]

Addict of alliteration that I am, I'll say the ending was certainly
cynical but hardly horrible.

[JRStern]

I caught some of one of these the other day, it looked good but I fell
asleep, at best it was a tad slow.

J.

[Bill Idgerant]

First, it's Bill Nighy, not Nye. And the central plot device, wherein
he and his colleagues attempt to stop the Brits and the US from
establishing black sites where they torture terrorist suspects is just a
little too precious.

Page Eight is pretty good despite this, as Johnny figures out what's
going on, but Turks & Caicos is a bit of a mess and the third part of
the trilogy wraps things up in an entirely unsatisfying way, as
mentioned by another poster.

I was distracted throughout by Nighy's Dupuytren's contracture.

[Bill Anderson]

First, you're right about the spelling. I have fired my proofreader.

Second, I hope being distracted by the physical challenges of others
doesn't too much affect your enjoyment of life.

Third, everything is a bit of a mess, nothing is perfect, and TURKS &
CAICOS was fun.

Fourth, as you're the second person to express dissatisfaction with the
ending, I'm wondering what you'd have done to wrap up the story. More
triumph for Worricker? More disgrace for the PM? Less cynicism all
around? What changes to the end would have made you happier?

[Obveeus]

If his name was Bill Nye, I hope you used a kiln.

> Second, I hope being distracted by the physical challenges of others
> doesn't too much affect your enjoyment of life.

The only time I noticed it was when his character was shaking
hands...because the lack of other characters taking notice seemed odd.
Also, there was one point in the show where Helena Bonham Carter was
mimmicking him as she placed her hands on either side of her face...what
was that all about?

> Third, everything is a bit of a mess, nothing is perfect, and TURKS &
> CAICOS was fun.
>
> Fourth, as you're the second person to express dissatisfaction with the
> ending, I'm wondering what you'd have done to wrap up the story.

I would not have wrapped it up by having Nighy's character turn out to
be a dupe.

I would not have wrapped it up by having Nighy's character turn out to
be dishonest about his claimed intentions.

I would not have wrapped it up by revealing that Nighy's character
doesn't care at all about right and wrong or about 'the love of his
life' and instead just cares about being able to keep playing the 'spy
game'.

[Bill Anderson]

On 11/20/2014 11:26 AM, Obveeus wrote:
>
>
> On 11/20/2014 11:46 AM, Bill Anderson wrote:

>
>> Second, I hope being distracted by the physical challenges of others
>> doesn't too much affect your enjoyment of life.
>
> The only time I noticed it was when his character was shaking
> hands...because the lack of other characters taking notice seemed odd.
> Also, there was one point in the show where Helena Bonham Carter was
> mimmicking him as she placed her hands on either side of her face...what
> was that all about?

Ah, of course. His two-fingered handshake. I did notice that and
wondered what was up at the time, but gave it no more thought. Don't
remember HBC mocking him, though. That must've sailed right past me.

>>
>> Fourth, as you're the second person to express dissatisfaction with the
>> ending, I'm wondering what you'd have done to wrap up the story.
>
> I would not have wrapped it up by having Nighy's character turn out to
> be a dupe.

Well, that wasn't something I was expecting either, but in this cynical
story the development rang true to me. I liked that in this world nobody
(except maybe the New Jersey "investors") was completely pure or
completely corrupt. The PM was lying to the public while feathering his
nest, but he was genuinely concerned about the security of the country.

>
> I would not have wrapped it up by having Nighy's character turn out to
> be dishonest about his claimed intentions.

I hate that I have to ask, but I will: Please refresh my memory on this.
What did he dishonestly claim were his intentions?

>
> I would not have wrapped it up by revealing that Nighy's character
> doesn't care at all about right and wrong or about 'the love of his
> life' and instead just cares about being able to keep playing the 'spy
> game'.
>

Yes, Worricker was a complicated character (good at falling in love but
not in staying there) and I liked that. So what if the protagonist isn't
completely admirable? I liked that at the end I better understood the
man, if "understood" is the right word for a character so impenetrable
not just to me but to his wives, lovers, co-workers and daughter.

I have to agree that the ending didn't leave me thinking, "Now that's
just perfect." It did, however, leave me thinking that all things
considered, it was a plausible way to wrap things up.

[Obveeus]

He made a deal (that resolved episode 2) to drop his exposure campaign
in exchange for them returning half the money and leaving him
alone...then in part 3 we see him continuing to do exactly what he
promised he would stop doing.

>> I would not have wrapped it up by revealing that Nighy's character
>> doesn't care at all about right and wrong or about 'the love of his
>> life' and instead just cares about being able to keep playing the 'spy
>> game'.
>>
>
> Yes, Worricker was a complicated character (good at falling in love but
> not in staying there) and I liked that. So what if the protagonist isn't
> completely admirable? I liked that at the end I better understood the
> man, if "understood" is the right word for a character so impenetrable
> not just to me but to his wives, lovers, co-workers and daughter.

In the end, he didn't actually care about right and wrong or serving
one's country or anything else. He was just in it for the game because
he likes to play espionage. That might be realistic, but it certainly
isn't admirable.

> I have to agree that the ending didn't leave me thinking, "Now that's
> just perfect." It did, however, leave me thinking that all things
> considered, it was a plausible way to wrap things up.

It didn't work for me. If he really didn't care about 'doing the right
thing', there was no reason for him to ditch the job and go on the run
to expose wrongdoing in the first place.

[Bill Anderson]

Ah...there's where maybe I've misunderstood the whole thing. I never
thought he'd gone on the run to expose wrongdoing. If that was what he
was up to, why would he toss the incriminating report, page eight
included, into the trash as he was flying out of the country? I took
that as a signal that he was giving up on the whole thing, that he just
wanted to get away and be left alone.

And he would have been left alone if Christopher Walken hadn't
recognized him. Worricker might as well have said, "Just when I thought
I was out, they pull me back in." He wasn't waging a campaign to expose
wrongdoing from Turks and Caicos; he was babysitting and reading ... was
it Hemingway? (And wasn't Helena Bonham Carter also reading Hemingway
when she was on the train? Wonder if there's some meaning? Worricker as
the cool, graceful under pressure, classic Hemingway hero?)

At any rate, I thought it was total coincidence both that he was
recognized on the island, and that the Gladstone bunch showed up there
to meet with Rupert Graves. But was it more than coincidence? Did you
see evidence that Worricker had gone there for the purpose of sabotaging
their plans? I did not. I understood it was Winona Ryder who was
plotting to bring down the whole enterprise, not Worricker, and that he
got involved not just because Walken forced him into it, but also to
help an abused woman.

And with all the portentous talk of trust among several characters, I
was not a bit surprised when Worricker realized Walken was
double-crossing him, that he wasn't a rogue CIA agent but was actually
planning to betray Worricker because someday he'd need a favor from MI5.
And I certainly wasn't surprised to see Worricker eventually use what
he'd learned to strike back against the PM. He'd realized he was never
going to be able to spend the rest of his days hiding in paradise, so he
went on the attack.

All in all I thought the series had a cynically happy, satisfactory
ending. Worricker needed to be dragged back from Turks and Caicos where
he was never really going to be content, his love for HBC was always
doomed simply because of his innate inability to love anybody long-term,
his newly powerful boss (if reluctantly) appreciated and supported him,
and he was back doing what he really wanted to do and what he was best
at doing. Nobody's pure, everybody has some dirt on everybody else, and
they all go along trying to keep the country safe from the bad guys.
How's that a horrible ending?

Now...what's the key element of the plot that I missed, the one that
turns all this upside down?

[Obveeus]

I'll agree that that is the way PAGE 8 ended (he was fed up with
dishonest government and walking away)...and I thought it was a very
good story. In the second part, though, he was back at work trying to
expose everyone's wrongdoing, somewhat by accidentally stumbling upon
the people involved on a beach.

> And he would have been left alone if Christopher Walken hadn't
> recognized him. Worricker might as well have said, "Just when I thought
> I was out, they pull me back in." He wasn't waging a campaign to expose
> wrongdoing from Turks and Caicos; he was babysitting and reading ... was
> it Hemingway? (And wasn't Helena Bonham Carter also reading Hemingway
> when she was on the train? Wonder if there's some meaning? Worricker as
> the cool, graceful under pressure, classic Hemingway hero?)

I don' tknow about the Hemmingway reference/connection. It might mean
something or it might just be this writer/director's nod to something
they like.

> At any rate, I thought it was total coincidence both that he was
> recognized on the island, and that the Gladstone bunch showed up there
> to meet with Rupert Graves. But was it more than coincidence? Did you
> see evidence that Worricker had gone there for the purpose of sabotaging
> their plans? I did not.

No, I think it was coincidence when he bumped into them, but from that
moment on he was very much trying to expose the corruption rather than
just walking away.

> I understood it was Winona Ryder who was
> plotting to bring down the whole enterprise, not Worricker, and that he
> got involved not just because Walken forced him into it, but also to
> help an abused woman.

Abused long ago...now just seeking revenge and mentally unstable...and
I'm not sure she was trying to bring anyone down (from a business
perspective) until Worricker started putting the thought into her head
with his questions/direction.

> And with all the portentous talk of trust among several characters, I
> was not a bit surprised when Worricker realized Walken was
> double-crossing him, that he wasn't a rogue CIA agent but was actually
> planning to betray Worricker because someday he'd need a favor from MI5.
> And I certainly wasn't surprised to see Worricker eventually use what
> he'd learned to strike back against the PM. He'd realized he was never
> going to be able to spend the rest of his days hiding in paradise, so he
> went on the attack.

I don't think he need to be 'on the attack' at all, especially if the
resolution was going to have him not caring about right and wrong anyway.

> All in all I thought the series had a cynically happy, satisfactory
> ending. Worricker needed to be dragged back from Turks and Caicos where
> he was never really going to be content, his love for HBC was always
> doomed simply because of his innate inability to love anybody long-term,
> his newly powerful boss (if reluctantly) appreciated and supported him,
> and he was back doing what he really wanted to do and what he was best
> at doing. Nobody's pure, everybody has some dirt on everybody else, and
> they all go along trying to keep the country safe from the bad guys.
> How's that a horrible ending?

He doesn't care about bad guys, he just wants to play the game.

> Now...what's the key element of the plot that I missed, the one that
> turns all this upside down?

Clearly, you think he is doing some meaningful job rather than just
playing a game.

[Bill Anderson]

On 11/20/2014 4:40 PM, Obveeus wrote:
>
>
> On 11/20/2014 5:25 PM, Bill Anderson wrote:

>
> He doesn't care about bad guys, he just wants to play the game.

But he does care. That was established in the first episode when he
went to a good bit of trouble to ensure the injustice to the Palestinian
woman's brother was exposed. It's a trilogy: it's all of one piece and
I think that episode should inform everything else we learn about his
character.

>
>> Now...what's the key element of the plot that I missed, the one that
>> turns all this upside down?
>
> Clearly, you think he is doing some meaningful job rather than just
> playing a game.
>

If you love your job, it can be as enjoyable as playing a game. I'm
pretty sure.

[Obveeus]

On 11/20/2014 6:06 PM, Bill Anderson wrote:
> On 11/20/2014 4:40 PM, Obveeus wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 11/20/2014 5:25 PM, Bill Anderson wrote:
>
>>
>> He doesn't care about bad guys, he just wants to play the game.
>
> But he does care. That was established in the first episode when he
> went to a good bit of trouble to ensure the injustice to the Palestinian
> woman's brother was exposed. It's a trilogy: it's all of one piece and
> I think that episode should inform everything else we learn about his
> character.

That was my point. Everything established in PAGE 8 was abandoned with
SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD. PAGE 8 was a great start to the trilogy.
SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD was a lousy finish.

>>> Now...what's the key element of the plot that I missed, the one that
>>> turns all this upside down?
>>
>> Clearly, you think he is doing some meaningful job rather than just
>> playing a game.
>>
>
> If you love your job, it can be as enjoyable as playing a game. I'm
> pretty sure.

I liked it better when Worricker was a man about righting wrongs rather
than a man just playing games.

[Bill Idgerant]

OK, now that you guys have hashed it out extensively, here's what I
thought about the ending. After finding out about the PM knowing
torture was going on in Page Eight, and MI5 going after Worriker as a
result, he ditched the report and took off, landing in T & C. The story
was pretty engrossing, if a little subtle, to that point, but then it
took another torture-related twist with the guys from The Good Wife and
their "hotel" deal. I found all of that incomprehensibly complicated and
unlikely. And once again,after doing his spy thing, Johnny takes off, on
the run. He bounces around Europe for several months and then we find
him in Salt the Battlefield. And things begin to unravel. After being
chased and facing prison, execution or worse, he is able to walk into
#10 and have a nice chat with the PM who simply caves in. Johnny agrees
to shut up and take his old job back as long as no one spies on his
daughter anymore. The only reason they were spying on his daughter was
to find out where Johnny was. He's RIGHT THERE IN THE PM'S OFFICE!

Plus, Johnny was so righteously indignant about torture and all that,
that he went on the lam for the period between Page Eight and T & C,
only to toss it all in the face of a bug planted in his estranged
daughter's apartment. Don't get it.

[Obveeus]

Yep. He was about right and wrong and decided that he couldn't continue
working for MI5 / UK if they were part of the wrong.

> landing in T & C. The story
> was pretty engrossing, if a little subtle, to that point, but then it
> took another torture-related twist with the guys from The Good Wife and
> their "hotel" deal. I found all of that incomprehensibly complicated and
> unlikely.

Just the fact that he ran into a group of people that were building the
very torture/interrogation/detention centers was extremely far fetched,
certainly.

> And once again,after doing his spy thing, Johnny takes off, on
> the run. He bounces around Europe for several months and then we find
> him in Salt the Battlefield. And things begin to unravel. After being
> chased and facing prison, execution or worse, he is able to walk into
> #10 and have a nice chat with the PM who simply caves in. Johnny agrees
> to shut up and take his old job back as long as no one spies on his
> daughter anymore. The only reason they were spying on his daughter was
> to find out where Johnny was. He's RIGHT THERE IN THE PM'S OFFICE!

Sort of, though I think you have to add in that his ability to escape
and elude the PM for months is because the PM wasn't the one bugging his
daughter. Instead, it seemed to be MI5 types bugging his daughter AND
leading him down the path of being able to encourage the PM out of
office so that they could place their hand picked successor to take his
place. The only redeeming part of the plotline is that the hand picked
replacement wasn't in on this process from the start, so maybe she isn't
just another evil-doing, game playing, espionage type.

> Plus, Johnny was so righteously indignant about torture and all that,
> that he went on the lam for the period between Page Eight and T & C,
> only to toss it all in the face of a bug planted in his estranged
> daughter's apartment. Don't get it.

Yep. He went right back to working for the very people he had been
claiming were 'the bad guys' for the entire 3 part series; tossing all
his morals to the sidelines in favor of a chance to get back in the game.

[Micky DuPree]

Bill Anderson <billand...@yahoo.com> writes:

> It's been a while, but I remember enjoying PAGE EIGHT when it appeared
> on PBS back in 2011, and (after a three-year production delay) I'm
> glad I finally got to see the other two excellent miniseries entries
> (TURKS & CAICOS and SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD) on DVR over the past
> couple of nights.

Not as good as le Carre' but still quite solid.

_Page Eight_ can be viewed here until 11/30/14:

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/full-episodes/worricker-s1-page-eight/>

_Turks & Caicos_ is still available here:

<http://video.pbs.org/video/2365363142/>

_Salting the Battlefield_ is still available here:

<http://video.pbs.org/video/2365368858/>

-Micky