Series 5 Episode 3 (Spooks)

Infobox Spooks episode
episode_name = Series 5, Episode 3
writer = Ben Richards
director = Julian Simpson
script_supervisor = Anwen Bull
producer =
executive_producer = Simon Crawford Collins
Jane Featherstone
series = Five
episode = Three
length = approximately 56 mins
UK date = 25/9/06
US date =
preceding = Series 5, Episode 2
following = Series 5, Episode 4
imdb_id = 0865255First aired in the UK at 10:30pm, 18 September 2006 on BBC Three;and at 9pm, 25 September 2006 on BBC One.

Plot

Zaf infiltrates an Al-Qaeda cell, almost being blown when his terrorist handler, Hanif, executes an innocent Environmental Health Officer in an attempt to reveal any infiltrators within the cell. The cell is under surveillance by those at the Grid, as the cell is trying to procure a thermobaric bomb in an attempt to bomb central London. MI5 have mounted 'Operation Waterfall' to prevent this.

Adam proposes that MI5 sell the bomb to the cell themselves and 'gazump' Al-Qaeda.

They discover that Mustafa Akram (or Michael Johnson), the cell handler's deputy, had a fiancée, whom he broke up from when he converted to Islam within Feltham. The team decide they may be able to turn Mustafa against his handler if they can get Mustafa and Lee back together.

Harry asks Ruth if she wants to 'have dinner one night?' This is the start of their brief affair. Harry reveals that he has already booked a table, and Ruth eventually agrees to have dinner with Harry.

The team allows Lee to be taken back to the cell's flat by Mustafa. Meanwhile, Adam is posing as an arms dealer, and the bomb has been delivered to the UK port of Tilford. He meets an arms dealer, Kallis, who wants to discuss the business arrangements with Jo later. She agrees to go a West End show with him, but when they get back to his hotel room Jo is assaulted. It is only when Adam and Ros burst in that Jo is saved. Adam is furious when he discovers that the bomb has already been sold to Zaf's cell.

The terrorist cell has been given the order to prepare to attack, but Lee visits Mustafa at the flat. The other cell operative, Samir, stabs Lee when he realises that Michael has met with Lee recently. When, despite Zaf's assistance, Lee dies, Michael (Mustafa) attacks Samir, knocking him out. At this point, Adam and a team from MI5 enter to clean up the flat before Hanif, the terrorist handler, returns with instructions and the keys to the van.

Zaf and Michael drive the van towards the drop-off point, in Central London, but at the Grid, Ruth receives an intercept which reveals that the mission is a suicide attack, and unbeknownst to Zaf and Michael there is a man on the ground ready to detonate the bomb. Adam rushes to stop the van. He jumps in front of the van and tells Michael to go to the Grove Park mosque to speak to the imam there. As the infra-red detonator gets closer to the van, Adam is forced to make a decision on whether to allow the police to open fire. Eventually, Adam tells them to open fire, killing the suspect. As Adam pulls open the dead man's jacket, he is relieved to see that he has the right man; the detonator is primed.

Back at the Grid, Ruth tells Harry that many people know about their new affair, and that some are laughing about it. She finds this unacceptable, and saying she 'can't stand being talked about like that.' She breaks off their brief affair.

Cast

* Harry Pearce - Peter Firth
* Adam Carter - Rupert Penry-Jones
* Ros Myers - Hermione Norris
* Ruth Evershed - Nicola Walker
* Zafar Younis - Raza Jaffrey
* Jo Portman - Miranda Raison
* Malcolm Wynn-Jones - Hugh Simon
* Ibrahim - Aaron Neil
* Michael Johnson - Ofo Uhiara
* Samir - Adhir Kalyan
* Leigh Bennet - Joanna Horton
* Iain Kallis - Larry Lamb

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/spooks/series5_ep3.shtml BBC Site episode guide]