‘It’s like a hex’: Moral injury as expressed through Gothic tropes in BBC’s Spooks

Though arguably an ensemble series, BBC spy drama Spooks (2002–11) often focused upon a single character as its ostensible lead. As such, this article focuses upon one of those leads, Tom Quinn, who was the leader of Section A from Season 1, Episode 1, to Season 3, Episode 2 (with a brief appearance in the series finale; Season 10, Episode 6). I will argue that the series uses Gothic tropes throughout these episodes to illustrate and make intelligible to the audience Tom’s increasing moral injury which takes him from the series’ initial moral compass to his final diegetic appearance as an ‘outside agency’ about to commit an assassination at MI5’s unofficial order.