Tense espionage thriller A Spy Among Friends has finally landed on ITV1, and episode 1 left us buzzing with unanswered questions.
The six-part series, which previously streamed on ITVX, has all the elements of a soap opera – betrayal, deceit, great characters – but is, in fact, based on a gripping true story.
A Spy Among Friends is based on Ben Macintyre’s non-fiction book of the same name. It is a work of imagination in which some names have been changed and some characters and scenes have been created for dramatic purposes.
Here are the 5 burning questions we have after watching episode 1 of A Spy Among Friends on ITV1.
***Warning: spoilers from A Spy Among Friends episode 1 ahead***
A Spy Among Friends episode 1: Why wasn’t Kim Philby in custody?
After Soviet double agent Kim Philby defected to the USSR in 1963, his friend and former MI6 colleague Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis) came under investigation by Lily Thomas from MI5.
Lily (Anna Maxwell Martin) tried to determine whether Nick facilitated Philby’s escape because he’s also a traitor working for the Russians. Or was it just that his judgement was clouded at a critical moment by their 23-year friendship?
Episode 1 of the fact-based thriller showed Nick confronting his good friend about being a double agent for the Soviet Union. But far from being a fiery exchange, the confrontation was as British as it gets. The pair shared a nice cup of tea.
But one of Lily’s first questions was why on earth Kim wasn’t in custody? His duplicitous actions directly led to the deaths of many…
Of course, Line of Duty fans will know that actress Anna Maxwell Martin is no stranger to interrogation scenes thanks to her role as the steely Patricia Carmichael in the BBC One series.
Did Nicholas let Kim go?
Viewers saw old friends Kim and Nick meeting in Beirut. Although Nick was supposed to apprehend Kim, somehow Kim got away. Which all sounds and looks a bit fishy to us – and to everyone else.
When Nick returned to the UK, the finger of suspicion pointed at him. Did Nick let Kim go?
While Nick insisted he was “trying to appeal to Kim’s better nature”, Lily pointed out that “the world’s most dangerous Soviet penetration agent legged it on Nicholas Elliott’s watch”.
Although Nicholas stated “I didn’t let him go; he ram” it doesn’t seem believable that one of British Intelligence’s best operatives could have been hoodwinked.
Although Kim gave Nicholas a signed confession, we know it was “chicken feed” – worthless.
A Spy Among Friends episode 1: Did Nick know about Kim being a double agent?
Towards the end of A Spy Among Friends episode 1, Lily discussed her day at work with her husband. Like most people with an inquisitive mind, he immediately suspected that Nick HAD to have known about Kim’s crimes.
At that moment, Lily realised that Nick might have known about Kim’s betrayal beforehand. If they were such good friends for 23 years, then it’s more than possible that Nick had already suspected his ‘old chum’.
I mean isn’t it a bit embarrassing if you’re a spy – aka a person employed by a government or other organisation to secretly obtain information – and you don’t even know your best friend is a wrong’un?
Did Nick (Damian Lewis) know or suspect about Kim being a double agent? And, if so, why did he keep quiet?
Where they partners in crime?
Of course, the most obvious question mark hovering over Nick’s head is whether he was working with Kim. Were the two spies partners in crime?
That would explain why Nick volunteered to ‘confront’ Kim, and how Kim was able to get away. If only we’d heard all of the untaped conversation that took place on the balcony (see below)…
A Spy Among Friends episode 1: What was said on the balcony?
During Kim and Nick’s tense negotiations, the pair appeared to have a crucial conversation on the balcony. Which, conveniently for both, was out of range of the recording devices.
That’s as suspicious as a cat sitting next to a dead mouse… Why did Nick, who was clearly not stupid, take his good friend Kim out onto the balcony to speak in private?
In a brief flashback to the conversation, viewers saw Kim (Guy Pearce) ask Nick: “Are you trying to get me killed?”
Nick replied: “Now there’s a thought. Give me one good reason why not, Kim? And it had better be a [bleeping] good one.”
Did Kim give Nick a [bleeping] good reason to let him go? Did they somehow make a trade? All will be revealed in future episodes, although there are some answers we’ll never know…
Read more: A Spy Among Friends: Who were ‘Cambridge Five’ members Blunt, Burgess and Maclean?
A Spy Among Friends continues on Sundays at 9pm on ITV1. The entire series is available to watch on ITVX.
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