MovieChat Forums > Smiley's People (1982) Discussion > Was Mikhel a traitor?

Was Mikhel a traitor?

posted 15 years ago by finnegansword
7 replies | jump to latest

In the scene where Smiley goes to see Mikhel in the emigre’s office opposite the British Museum, he gives Mikhel a warning. “You make the slightest fuss, and we will cut off your allowance. Then you will have to rely on the horses.” In the next chapter Smiley goes to see Toby Esterhase and quizzes him as to why General Vladimir has cut out the Postman (Toby). “Hektor is no good. He is like our city banks; when it rains they take away the umbrella.” Toby Esterhase’s response was, “You have been talking to Mikhel? You’ve got some pretty lousy friends suddenly.”
The General does not completely trust him either - witness the order to take three steps back from the copying machine while the General copies documents for Hamburg. I can’t reconcile these views with his place in the story. Was it just love of money and the shared relationship with Elvira his wife with the General, or was there a betrayal somewhere?

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] alfa-16 15 years ago

There is a subtle difference between the book and the TV series which affects this. To save ages of time explaining, in the TV series the General and Otto try to interest Smiley in burning Kirov and Smiley, unconvinced, asks for 2 proofs. This doesn't happen in the book. 2 proofs are always required under Moscow rules and Vladimir doesn't take it to Smiley until he has them.

The difference affects how serious Mikhel's betrayal is. If he knew that Vladimir was working on something big connected to Karla then it's a big betrayal.

If, as in the book, all he knows is that Vladimir has received something from an address in Paris that looks interesting and has stirred up a small hornet's nest and he then sells that information for £50, that's slightly different.

But I have no doubt that's where Mikhel's £50 came from.

[–] finnegansword 15 years ago

This is becoming rather involved. My question was based upon the television series of SP. Three weeks ago I was in a charity shop and spied a brand-new, unread copy of Smiley's People @ £2. I will have to consult this. I wonder if anyone has seriously considered writing a PhD thesis on le Carre's plots? Well done that boy!

[–] alfa-16 15 years ago

Professor, dr.phil. Lars Ole Sauerberg, born 12. marts 1950.
As author: Secret Agents in Fiction: Ian Fleming, John le Carré and Len Deighton. Published: London: The Macmillan Press Ltd.; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. 260 pp.

There are probably hundreds.

[–] finnegansword 15 years ago

Goodness me! There is a whole ‘oeuvre’ devoted to John le Carre I see, let alone other spy authors. But the question is, should I embark upon reading all this stuff, or will I find it spoils my enjoyment of the series - especially on DVD? Did you know that when TTSS was first broadcast, Terry Wogan ran a sort of quiz on ‘phone-in radio to discover how much of the plot British audiences understood? For sure, the convoluted plots tie people up in knots, and nearly 30 years on, things are really not much better.
Bright boy that alfa-16 - should go far. Perhaps he should be teaching at Thursgood’s Prep School?

[–] alfa-16 15 years ago

Except I would never, EVER read anyone else's PhD thesis.

[–] finnegansword 15 years ago

My original query appears to have been mostly answered last year - see Karla Question. Writing as a new boy here, I have not completely digested all the questions and answers from previous years. However, the general consensus is that Mikhel is suspect, that Toby Esterhase's poor opinion of him is justified, and that he is a rotten apple. But his treachery is never proved. Possibly at Karla's debriefing this might have emerged, but this is not part of the story.