Tom Quinn (Spooks)

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Tom Quinn is a fictional character in the

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espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

'' Spooks'' (called MI-5 in the

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), which follows the exploits of Section D, a

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

division of

MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...

. He is portrayed by British actor Matthew Macfadyen. In the first two series, Tom is the chief of Section D. The character was in the first and second episode of the third series but was decommissioned as a result of sabotaging an operation. Series creator

David Wolstencroft David Wolstencroft (born 16 July 1969), is an American-born British screenwriter and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama '' Spooks'' and its spin-off series, '' Spooks: Code 9''. Early life Wolstencroft wa ...

believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet hardest to work on. During the second series, the producers were unsure whether Macfadyen would return for the third; because of this, Tom was originally killed in the second series finale. However, when Macfadyen decided to appear in the first two episodes of the third series, series writer

Howard Brenton Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter. While little-known in the United States, he is celebrated in his home country and often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Chur ...

had to "unkill him." Reaction towards the character by fans were positive, though critics were mixed about Macfadyen's portrayal. Tom Quinn would later appear again as a cameo on the final episode of ''Spooks''; his brief return was met with generally positive reactions.

Role in ''Spooks''

Character arc

Tom Quinn joined Section D in 1996, where he eventually became Head of Section D following the imprisonment of predecessor

Lucas North Lucas North, formerly known as John Bateman, is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series '' Spooks'' (known in the United States as "MI5"), which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. Nort ...

( Richard Armitage) during an operation in Russia. Throughout the first series, Tom engages in a relationship with Ellie Simm (

Esther Hall Esther Jane Hall (born 28 August 1970) is an English actress who has appeared in a number of television dramas. Early life Born in Manchester in 1970 and brought up in Cheshire, she took A levels in Manchester before training in theatre arts ...

), who knows him as "Matthew Archer", a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

in IT. In the second episode, Tom performed an

undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...

operation with fellow officer

Helen Flynn "Looking After Our Own" is the second episode of the British espionage television series '' Spooks''. It first aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2002. The episode was written by series creator David Wolstencroft, and directed by B ...

(

Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an actress, presenter and celebrity chef. Early life Faulkner was born in Merton, London, to David Faulkner and Julie (née Day). She lived in Esher and was educated at Tiffin Girls' School in ...

) to recruit the wife of right-wing businessman, Robert Osbourne, who was believed to incite race riots throughout the country. However, during the operation, Osbourne discovers they are spies and attempts to get his hands on information regarding MI5 operations. When Tom fails to cooperate Osbourne tortured Flynn with a

deep fryer A deep fryer (also referred to as a deep fat fryer), is a kitchen appliance used for deep frying. Deep frying is a method of cooking by submerging food into oil at high heat, typically between temperatures of . While commonly used in commercia ...

before killing her. Tom is able to escape and works with Harry to have Osbourne assassinated in retribution. When Tom is shot during a Turkish Consulate raid in the third episode, Tom is forced to admit his true identity and profession, which temporarily puts a strain on their relationship. In the series one finale, Tom has his home protected in order to keep Ellie and her daughter Maisie safe. However, in the end of the finale, he inadvertently brings home a

laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

rigged with C4; Ellie and Maisie become trapped in the house with the bomb. The bomb fails to detonate. However, by the end of the second series premiere, Ellie leaves Tom, claiming that he will always choose his job over her. Later in the second series, Tom starts a brief relationship with Vicky Westbrook (

Natasha Little Natasha Emma Little (born 2 October 1969) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Edith Thompson in the film '' Another Life'', Lady Caroline Langbourne in the BBC miniseries ''The Night Manager'', and Christina Moxam in the B ...

), which he ends due to her behaviour after an EERIE (Extreme Emergency Response Initiative Exercise) in the fifth episode. In the following episode, Vicky retaliates by posting his phone number in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

telephone boxes and clubs, garnering him unwanted attention. While Tom has Sam Buxton ( Shauna Macdonald) find and destroy every leaflet,

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

liaison Christine Dale (

Megan Dodds Megan Lynne Dodds is an American actress. She played Kate in the 2006 series ''Not Going Out'', alongside Lee Mack and Tim Vine, and has appeared in the series '' Spooks'', '' House'', ''Detroit 1-8-7'', and '' CSI: NY'', and the films '' Ever A ...

) makes Vicky stop the harassment. At the end of the episode, he starts a relationship with Dale, which superior

Harry Pearce Sir Henry James "Harry" Pearce, KBE (born 1 November 1953) is a fictional character, head of the counter-terrorism department ("Section D") of MI5 as featured in the British television series '' Spooks''. He was played by Peter Firth during t ...

(

Peter Firth Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...

) disapproves of, demanding that he end it. In later episodes, a shift in consciousness starts to interfere with Tom's work, such as when he goes undercover to stop a renegade

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

major. In the series two finale, he learns from Dale that an American

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

, Mickey Karharias, is visiting the UK. It is later revealed Karharias was actually killed, and the entire operation was orchestrated by supposedly dead CIA agent Herman Joyce (

Tomas Arana Tomas Clifford Arana (born April 3, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990), '' The Bodyguard'' (1992), ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997), ''Gladiator'' (2000), ''The Bourne Supremac ...

), who is seeking revenge on Tom for ruining his daughter's life when Tom recruited her. Joyce frames Tom for assassinating the Chief of the Defence Staff. While Tom attempts to prove his innocence, Harry corners him, forcing Tom to wound Harry and escape into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. At the end of the episode, the team assumes he

drowned Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer as ...

. In the third series premiere episode, Tom survives and poses as a

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...

in order to find Joyce in a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

; Tom kills Joyce and leaves his body outside

Thames House Thames House is an office building in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge. Originally used as offices by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it has served as the headquarters of the United Kingdom' ...

in an attempt to prove his innocence. When it does not,

Adam Carter Adam Henry Carter is a fictional Character (arts), character from the BBC espionage television series ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. He is portrayed by British actor ...

(

Rupert Penry-Jones Rupert William Penry-Jones (born 22 September 1970) is a British actor, known for his performances as Adam Carter in '' Spooks'', Clive Reader in ''Silk'', DI Joseph Chandler in ''Whitechapel'', and Mr Quinlan in the American horror series ''The ...

) tracks down Joyce's wife and makes her confess to their plan to frame Tom, clearing him of all charges. Tom is reinstated as Head of Section and Christine Dale is removed from her position, telling him he should also leave though Tom disagrees with her. However, in the next episode, he undergoes a "

conscience Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

explosion" and sabotages an operation to lure a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

cell into buying "

red mercury Red mercury is purportedly a substance of uncertain composition used in the creation of nuclear weapons, as well as other weapons systems. Because of the great secrecy surrounding the development and manufacturing of nuclear weapons, there is no ...

", because he did not like what was being done to the scientist in order for him to attempt to create it (which includes forging

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...

, prompting the man's wife to leave him. He also develops a severe alcohol problem). As a result, Tom is decommissioned and takes early retirement from MI5. In the book ''Spooks: The Personnel Files'', Tom is revealed to have married Christine Dale following his retirement and to have founded a private security company called 'Trans Atlantic Security'. He is also mentioned in Season 7 Episode 1 when Lucas North asks Harry 'How did Tom Quinn work out?'. Tom briefly returns in the final episode, hired by Harry Pearce as an "outside contractor" to eliminate the head of a conspiracy of Russian nationalists who tried to derail the move to a closer Russian/UK relationship. Although brief, this scene makes it clear that Tom is still involved in spying.

Characteristics

Tom Quinn is depicted as "serious, focused and popular" with his team, as well as "deeply intelligent", with "impeccable instincts." Throughout the first series, Tom has a relationship with Ellie Simm. In the first few episodes, Tom deals with keeping his true identity secret, but not being truthful to Ellie is "eating away at him." Ultimately, Tom tells her the truth, and she later leaves him in the beginning of the second series as a consequence. Throughout the second series, Tom's "journey" has evolved slowly, where his attitude to his work has changed, and his conscience has "kicked in", finding himself questioning the world he is in. In Tom's final episode, writer

described Tom as not disillusioned, but "sort of becomes a human being."

Conceptual history

Series creator

believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet the hardest work compared with other characters, because he was ''Spooks'' primary

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

. Wolstencroft chose a job in

Information Technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

(IT) as the cover story Tom used in his relationship with Ellie, because he felt that in real life people are reluctant to ask questions about IT work. To portray the character, actor Matthew Macfadyen followed the scripts, and did not want to deviate from them, as he did not believe doing so would be useful. Macfadyen was also keen to explore parts of Tom from within him for influence. During production of the first series, Macfadyen, along with co stars

Keeley Hawes Claire Julia Hawes (born 10 February 1976), known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including ''Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and '' Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Ha ...

and

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards ...

were wary of playing the lead characters in their mid-twenties, but since felt they earned the right to be in the series. During production of episodes three and five of the first series, Macfadyen burst a blood vessel on one of his eyes. Macfadyen compensated by wearing

sunglasses Sunglasses or sun glasses (informally called shades or sunnies; more names below) are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can s ...

in order to hide it. Halfway through filming series two, Macfadyen got to carry a

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

for the first time in the series; he was disappointed in not carrying one in the first series. Though Macfadyen enjoyed working in the series, he began to feel "very sluggish and fed up" with playing the same character for two years. When the producers knew Macfadyen planned to leave, they did not know whether or not he would appear in the beginning of the third series. Howard Brenton, who wrote the series two finale, originally killed Tom off by drowning him while trying to escape onto the North Sea, while labouring under the impression that he was not to return. The producers would have continued the third series without Tom, however when they heard the actor would be prepared to return for the first two episodes of the third series, they were rewritten to include his character Tom. Brenton had to "unkill him." After a seven-year absence, in October 2011, it was announced that Macfadyen was to make a "fleeting"

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in the final episode of the series. A ''Spooks'' insider stated that his scene "will bring back all the memories of Tom and what the character endured in those first few series."

Reception

The character gained Matthew Macfadyen recognition during his tenure on ''Spooks'', but since his departure, Macfadyen stated that "no one notices me now." Fan reaction of the character proved positive. In the "Best of Drama" viewer polls at

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

, Macfadyen was voted fifth in the "Best Actor" category in 2002, ahead of co-star Peter Firth, who was voted 21st. He would later be voted fourth in 2003, and then fifth again in 2004; co-star Rupert Penry-Jones was voted third in the same category. Furthermore, the scene entitled "Tom's death (or was it?)" in the cliffhanger of series two, was voted second in the "Favourite Moment" category in 2003, beaten only by the return of "Dirty Den" Watts in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. Critical reaction towards the character was generally mixed. In a DVD review of the first series, Michael Mackenzie of ''Home Cinema'' thought Macfadyen was not a very good actor and believed "he seems to be in some sort of contest with

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

to see how long he can maintain the same lifeless facial expression," but thought the character himself, particularly his personal life, mostly worked well for the most part as it continues "as a standard

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

." In review of the second series, Dennis Landmann of ''MovieFreak'' praised the "drama and intensity that builds around his character," noting Tom's somewhat "haunted soul" and the last five minutes of the last episode "were so powerful they affected how I felt for the next couple of days; I kept thinking about the character and the tragic events that happened to him." In the third series, Mackenzie praised the episode where Tom tries to clear his name, but thought his exit was "not particularly satisfying." However, David Blackwell of ''Enterline Media'' thought that his farewell scene was "one of isbest moments of the first two episode (in addition to the way Tom acts in the opening episode)." Critical reaction toward Tom's cameo appearance was met with generally positive reviews. Christopher Hootan of ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

'' opined "the return of Tom Quinn as a hired assassin in the final few seconds was a nice nod to early series of show." Rob McLaughlin of Den of Geek noted that Tom's return among the final few minutes of the show was "a welcome return from an old friend," while Dork Adore reviewer Nick Bryan called it "a nice touch," also reflecting that it "nailed home the central moral: no-one ever escapes from the horror. (Especially since that guy was written out of the show due to an attack of conscience, yet is now doing Harry’s dirty work.)" Vicky Frost of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' meanwhile, felt the cameo "made no sense at all. Obviously it was super cheesy," but she "obviously" "completely loved it – despite knowing it was coming."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Tom Television characters introduced in 2002 Fictional murderers Fictional people from London Fictional soldiers Spooks (TV series) characters