If there is one thing that we have learned from Spooks it is this: Once they’ve got you, it’s not a matter of if you break, but when. Spooks has had me since day one, and this past weekend, I broke. I could not wait for season eight to be aired down under any longer (take note ABC!). Since then I’ve been crawling torrents, downloading megafiles, watching episodes 1-6 and gripping my coffee mug with glee the whole time.

I have previously stated that I am a television purist, who prefers to watch TV series as they go to air each week, rather than watch them online or in one sitting – but the waiting was simply too excruciating, I had to go back on my word.

The problem with watching downloads or DVDs in merely a few sittings, rather than spread out across several weeks, is that you don’t get as much of a chance for each episode to sink into your brain in a way that makes each episode clearly distinguishable. When I watch a bunch of episodes back to back, after a while, my memory tends to meld them together. I am simply not disciplined enough to limit myself to watch, say, one episode a day. I’m too much of a fan geek; I need the controlled delivery of television for a better overall first viewing experience.

I think the global internet age we live in raises some questions about timely television distribution. Spooks 8 aired in the UK in the later half of last year, ending sometime in November (or there abouts). April is now fast approaching and by all reports the ABC (the network that usually airs Spooks in Australia) hasn’t come close to announcing when season 8 of Spooks will be aired in Australia yet, if indeed they have even secured the rights to do so. I enjoy watching some television and I want to see the medium as we know it survive, but if fans are kept waiting too long to see their favourite shows, they are inevitably going to turn to the internet and away from TV – something for television broadcasters to ponder.

I will watch season 8 when it is finally aired in Australia later this year, but I will do so with the bone of contention that this viewing experience ought to have been delivered to this fanatic, and others like me, in a more timely fashion – thank you very much! And what are my thoughts on season 8 so far? Brilliant! But I’ll leave elaboration on that for another post.