henripootel

This is what I was trying to imply - that I held out hope that Silver tried to find Thomas but we had no reason to suspect that he was successful. I mean what're the odds that Thomas was even sent there? It sounded way too much like the story my in-laws told my now-wife when her childhood dog 'relocated' to a farm. She didn't figure it out until college. More argument that Flynn is dead - why didn't he tell Silver where the money was? I'm sure Silver still wanted it, or at least would like to know where it was for future reference. I'da thought Silver would make a deal with Flynn, that if Thomas was there like Silver said, Flynn would tell him how to find the treasure. The war was definitely off, so that was done. Can't imagine Silver reuniting Flynn with the love of his life without a trade in mind. Also can't imagine that Flynn would have any trouble escaping prison plantation, whenever he wanted and with Thomas in tow. Nor letting his beloved remain in a life of hard labor. I'm finding it hard to believe that Flynn isn't dead.

My only reason for thinking it actually happened was the opening scene where Silver's emissary is asking after someone specific, whom we later know is Thomas. Nothing dreamy about that that I recall, and were it not for this, I'd have waited patiently for the reveal that Silver put a bullet in Flint and left him near that rock. The whole notion of the plantation where society sends their refuse sounds plausible, but it it's own way, unlikely. Case in point - wet nurses. Back in the day, society bastard babies were often sent to professional 'wet nurses', lactating women who took in wayward kids for money. Sounds rosy but in reality the death rate among these kids was astronomical. The reality was that people sent their 'little problems' off to die, but out of sight. My guess is that the prison planation, were it to actually exist, would be much the same. The disease load among agricultural workers in that region at that time was withering, so I kinda doubt Thomas would have lasted long enough for Flint to take up and then give up piracy. Along those lines ... not convinced that Flint could give up piracy. I kinda thought that was Flint's journey, that anything that was James really and truly was gone, and only Flint remained. I'm sure he could have recovered something of himself with Thomas' love and time but the notion that he'd just go 'poof - Flint's gone like he never happened' sounds unlikely. I know Flint was tired and worn but he'd been gearing up for war, and suddenly he's cool about instant retirement as, basically, a slave? Even a domestically happy slave - no. The only way it makes sense to me that Flint (with Thomas) never escaped and returned to Nassau was because he never made it to retirement plantation, and Thomas was never there, even if retirement planation actually existed.

I'm still surprised at how bland it all was. Bad sign: I never really got my mind past the idea that I was watching costumed actors, good actors to be sure and solid production values, but it never really pulled me in. Contrast this with The Knick or Deadwood where some part of me feels like I've actually glimpsed a bit of what being there-n-then felt like. Never really got the feeling that, not far off camera, a war was being waged that tore apart a country and exposed all to unimaginable horror. Hells bells, I got more 'Civil War reality' from Gone with the Wind. That's not good.

Sorry Iggy, there won't be a season 3. Piece of mercy, that, if you ask me. I stayed till the end but in general, I think this show vastly over-estimated how fascinating the Greens are, or whether they ever signed a loyalty pledge. I have no idea how James Green ever made any money nor how Alice hasn't been caught yet, at least I won't have to watch Dr. Mosby learn obvious lessons anymore. Will someone please give Mary Elizabeth Winstead better material to work with?

Yeah, that was ... unlikely. Given how it played out, it makes me doubly suspicious. That said, the TC was pretty interesting. Well played, producers.

Oh, I know that perfectly well. It was Dar's tone which suggested that since he never 'forced himself' on anyone, everything was just hunky-dory. We don't know Dar's exact legal relationship with Quinn at that point nor Quinn's exact age, but it doesn't matter - Dar's a piece of shit. His of-late protestations of love make me want to see him die more, not less.

I actually thought that this was uncharacteristically petulant of Saul. Sure, Carrie's done some dumb things but the one who landed them in the shit in Berlin was Saul. I know Saul's feeling a bit frazzled (seeing as his career is over) and embarrassed, but it was still seemed a bit childish. Saul screwed a mole and covered it up (or at least left stuff out of his report), this one's all on him. Carrie helped straighten this shit out, nearly died, and kept his actions secret (until recently). Might want to ease up there, Saul. Dar's immediate answer that it was consensual puts it paid for me. "I never forced myself on anybody"? What's that even mean to a kid? Dar's a pedo, and deluded if he thinks Peter is gonna respond well to 'but I love you'.

Well, I guarantee the US government did research such things, always under the aegis of 'only doing this to be ready when the other side does this'. And as for leaving things unprotected, there are such cases in the real world and this fictional one. For example, I can't imagine the CBRN guys in a million years burying William's lassa-soaked corpse in a field somewhere. If they wanted to keep it around for some reason, it'd be in a hugely-guarded and locked vault but vastly more likely, they'd incinerate it. It'll be a shame if E&P decide that they've uncovered a secret plot to poison Russia-bound grain. Over-reacting is not like them, and even if the Center (and Gabriel) find this plausible, I'd hope cooler heads would prevail.

The refrain of the pedo abuser - you can't understand the relationship we have, but it's loving and not abuse. He also just got clonked on the head so I'm willing to let it slide but it's still tradecraft 101, can't believe a pro like Dar would forget this, ever.

Yep. Somebody's gonna get shot. 'Bout damn time.

I'm 100% Quinn had sex with Dar, and that Dar somehow feels like he loves Quinn. Which tells us something about what Dar thinks 'love' is, but still doesn't excuse Dar from suddenly having extremely poor tradecraft. Was funny that even his contact pointed this out, that he was calling on an insecure phone, saying incriminating things. It was a bit jarring, that Dar is both ultra-long-game cunning and still makes mistakes out of feelings, and occasionally forgets to check his enemy (who is possessed of info which could get Dar shot after decades of being careful) for a cellphone. I was also totally expecting Carrie to realize in the middle of her conversation with Saul and POTUS-elect 'Sonofabitch - I'll bet Dar called somebody at Child Protective Services'. She mentioned Dar strongly warned her off right in front of her daughter's school but didn't immediately make the connection, a very un-Carrie like thing to miss. Add to that she seemed to realize last week that it was odd that CPS got involved in her case, like they don't have better things to do with actual abusive situations. Just seemed odd, and a furious Carrie is an interesting Carrie.

Much the same impression. I was sure Javadi was being stupid trusting Dar, way too stupid seeing as he's a pro who knows all about Dar. It was only a matter of time before Javadi had to be disposed of but I figured it'd take longer than this, where Javadi's disappearance might add weight to the notion that his word couldn't be trusted. Pretty poor op-sec by Dar all around, turning over Javadi to Mossad right away, missing Javadi's phone, calling on an open line after Quinn oddly showed up to whack him and changed his mind ... How'd Saul and Carrie get back in to see the pres-elect? I thought after last week their names were mud and she'd never see them again. I'm surprised the guys at the gun store fell for Peter's diversion - I assume they saw No Country for Old Men too.

One wonders how bad it would be for Stan were it revealed that he'd given them anything at all that he didn't report. Did Stan ever report that he was banging Nina? That too is a potentially serious breech of protocol right there especially if Stan never mentioned it. I think the Russians have enough to end Stan's career at the least, but I guess we'll see.

Stan might not have much of a choice. He gave the rezidentura some classified info when he was trying to broker a deal to free Nina, if I recall correctly. Stan plays ball or Stan loses his job and goes directly to jail. I think they'll use Andrea (if she is indeed a spy) to feel out his sympathies and try to turn Stan gently and gradually, but they will tell him at some point that they have the goods on him. They get Stan to get out a few small documents, maybe something maybe to help Oleg, and now they're really got Stan. My guess is that we will, in turn, watch Phillip squirm watching them try to recruit Stan, knowing full well that it'll never work.

On a guess, I think she was acquainting Paige with actually hitting someone. You'd be surprised how few people have done that in real life, and are reluctant to do so even when you're learning a martial art. This is the first lesson: you are gonna make contact so get used to it. I expect they'll quickly advance to actual bruises and a split lip or two - you can't be afraid of taking a hit or two in a real fight. I seem to recall that Elizabeth is a graduate of the school of 'getting the shit beat out of you', so I'm guessing she knows this.

GRU was military intelligence, and while their duties overlapped with the KGB, they were totally separate. I mentioned previous once reading a memoir by a KGB officer who brushed up against someone he thought was GRU so he bumped it up to the Centre. They confirmed it and told him in no uncertain terms to stay out of the way. This (and something else I half remember) left me with the impression that if the GRU asked for KGB files, they were sent immediately, whereas the KGB needed a good reason for even talking to the GRU. I may be wrong here.

It just seems so ripe for a 'parallel story' thing - Stan has to watch (from afar) Oleg being disastrously recruited and now Phillip has to watch Stan being disastrously recruited. Tough, harsh world, spying. I've banged on about this in previous posts but this thread is super-popular so - the Soviets had competing intelligence agencies who did not like to share. I would imagine that we'll eventually see Gabriel give Phillip a heads up that Stan's new girlfriend is GRU and that Phillip is not to interfere, no matter how strongly he feels about it or how sure he is that Stan would never go for it.

Agree on both counts. I like a nice ass as much as the next guy, but I really do see these scenes as integral to the storyline. This show is just a master study of art and artifice not just in the spy world (where the stakes are higher) but also in a domestic realm. They throw this part of the Jennings life into wonderful sharp relief, given that they spend their entire lives cloaking themselves in one way or another, even from each other while longing not to. Elizabeth being nude is at the bottom of all that, who she really is, wigs and agendas aside for just a few moments. Also, nice ass, but I really do see these scenes as less erotic than poignant. Which is some measure of the writer's and directors skills, to show me that scene and make me think anything other than 'Wowsers'.

He got paroled last year, but only after 30 years. Many murderers get out sooner than that. Pollard was an agent for an ally but he was born here. Nobody likes turncoats, and Russia still uses the old methods for dealing with them (small caliber to the back of the head) and we don't say a word, even when they were spying for us. Pollard would have been better off if he had been an actual Israeli, we probably would have gone for the spy trade deal Israel tried to broker, or just sent him home. But nobody likes turncoats. Tuan can still identify them, potentially, disguise or not. And if he decided to turn them in, he could arrange for P&E to walk straight into a trap. I'm not saying Tuan will do this, but if he gets caught and decides to deal, the Centre gave him two spectacularly valuable cards to play. Seems pretty risky for a fairly low-level asset who needs basic training, and it exposes the Jennings something awful.

Was it a Bennigans? I coulda sworn is was a The Old Spaghetti Factory, even the overall decor was reminiscent. And I remember thinking the same thing these guys did the first time I ate there; jesus that's a lot of food. I think their locations were all out west so it couldn't be them. Am I the only one who's surprised Tuan has access to high value assets like the Jennings? I guess somebody has to train him but the Centre is putting a lot of trust in a pretty young guy, and Phillip and Elizabeth regularly get super-high value missions. Just seems odd.

Doubtful. While we certainly spied on our allies and they on us, I'm pretty sure we limited ourselves to intercepts and a bit of false flagging. Recruiting agents, real penetration, moles - this was and is considered unbecoming for allies, which is why everybody hated the French and distrusted them. I think Stan's gym friend is gonna be GRU, which means that they're a rival organization for the KGB. If they have access to the KGB's records and Phillip's and the rezidentura reports (including Nina's), they'll probably have enough to compromise Stan, certain enough to stick an agent on him. Even if Phillip wants them to back off, there's pretty much no way for Gabriel to get them to do so, so Phillip's just gonna have to watch Stan come apart. That will be interesting, if heart-rending. And the reason I think Andrea isn't from some other country - they just wouldn't have access to the records that'd show how vulnerable Stan is. Only the Soviets know that and no way they're telling anybody else, not with Stan so close to the Jennings.

I'm guessing she's GRU, Soviet military intelligence. They operated independently of the KGB and had somewhat overlapping areas of interest. I remember reading some former KGB officer's account of brushing up against someone fishy in the course of his duties and kicking it up to the Centre. Word came back that this person was indeed part of an operation being conducted by the 'neighbors' and to back off. It would fit that the GRU would go after Stan, if they could get access to Phillip's reports about him. They might find him ripe for recruitment, putting Phillip in exactly the same situation as Stan (with Oleg). Jeepers creepers, this show has mastered dramatic tension. Nothing else I know even comes close.

Upon reflection, so can I. It can't be any more creepy than the victorian fad of photographing dead children. Back in the days when childhood mortality was high and photography new, people took family photos with newly departed children, propped up as if they were still alive. Strange, but you can sorta see how people really don't want to let go. That's one human experience I'll gladly do without.

Ugh, I actually came here hoping to find out I'd sleepily misunderstood, that Quinn had not in fact been a rent boy. Jeez Louise, now I'm more convinced than ever that Dar has been the hidden big bad since season 1. Just the way Dar casually confirmed his previous 'relationship' with Quinn - kudos to you, F. Murray Abraham, I'm really looking forward to seeing Saul put you in a small room with a guy holding pliers.

I think it might have gone better to bring this on slowly. The show functions best as, as Ketose says above, history porn. They should have started with this, using the time ship for research purposes, then become slowly aware that after a trip or two, the Time Team's recollection of history is not the one everyone else back at base remembers. Once they rule out that his is the result of the Team's own actions, they are forced to conclude that somebody else out there has their own time machine, and is re-shaping history for a specific purpose. It soon dawns on them that the (apparently benign) conglomerate called 'Rittenhouse' must be behind it, because neither Lucy, Wyatt, or Rufus have ever heard of them, even though 'now' they're a huge mega-industry with ties into everything. Then they meet Flynn, who says he stole Rittenhouse's time machine and is just trying to put back what Rittenhouse has already changed. Is Rittenhouse really evil? Is Flynn trying to just put things back or re-shape history for his own ends? Who's side should they be on? I think this would have spun out in much more interesting ways than the muddled mess they have now. It would have a clearer endpoint (put things back the way they 'should be') and a more interesting question (Who's to say how things 'should be'?). Just my $.02.