MovieChat Forums > Edge of Darkness (1986) Discussion > Clearing Up Questions

Clearing Up Questions

posted 17 years ago by Gm7lax
4 replies | jump to latest

I have a question about this incredible miniseries, and though I really loved it, I'm still confused about 1 thing:

I believe Grogan ordered Jedburg into Northmoor to get the plutonium when Jedburg believed he was doing it on behalf of the CIA to prevent Grogan from getting the plutonium, so at what point did Grogan and the CIA become friends and both want the same thing? This is not very well explained in the story and it must be true because if Grogan and the CIA wanted different things then how could Grogan have manipulated the CIA into giving Jedburg the orders to go down into Northmoor?

[–] different-drummer 16 years ago

That wasn't my impression.

Grogan ended up owning Northmoor so he could have made his own arrangements to get the plutonium out. No need to engineer a clandestine operation.

Jedburgh was ordered in by the CIA, because they didn't want either Grogan or the Brits to have the plutionium, but one of Grogan's Washington contacts blew the operation.

Do you suspect ... "foul play"?

[–] I_John_Barrymore_I 15 years ago

Craven tells Jedburgh in their final scene that Grogan got his CIA buddies to steal the plutonium because Grogan believed the inquiry would mean he'd never get his hands on IIF - and Northmoor - by legitimate means.

"If I have any genius it is a genius for living" - Errol Flynn

[–] padzok 14 years ago

One possibility is that it's the US govt (or the CIA) that wants the plutonium all along. They try to get it by using Grogan as a front. Grogan tries to accomplish his mission by legal means, but thinks those will fail (or wants insurance) so arranges for the CIA to order Jedburgh to steal it.

The other possibility is that Grogan is an independent industrialist who just wants the plutonium for himself. Again, he tries to accomplish his method by legal means, but thinks those will fail (or wants insurance) so arranges for the CIA to order Jedburgh to steal it. In this case, though, he aint using official channels to get the CIA to give the order. He is using bribes, or other political capital, to get the assistance he wants. Besides, even if the CIA do not want the
plutonium for themselves, they'd rather a US company possessed it than a UK one.

[–] Flanged 14 years ago

It seemed likely to me that Grogan's outfit was just one of a number of intelligence agency front companies (like EDF Energy and Enron in modern times) who were moving in to take over foreign nuclear power industries for the benefit of their own governments and nations (and themselves).

This policy probably existed unbeknownst to Jedburgh, who foolishly trusted his own government to an extent.

It's kind of left open to interpretation whether Grogan was CIA himself or simply well connected with people in Washington and the intelligence sphere.
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