S03.E10: Stingers

[sistermagpie]

If Paige did not renounce Jesus - who didn't kill anyone, or sell drugs (Gregory), or steal - I am sure the Center would doubt her commitment to the cause - at least on some level.

 

 

But does that matter? Philip and Elizabeth are Soviet Citizens and as such are vulnerable in different ways. The Centre's going to worry about defection with them. But when it comes to somebody who's an American citizen willing to work for them I don't think they'd have the same kind of issues. Paige is showing a huge commitment to the cause just by working for them at all since she's committing treason, unlike P&E. A US Citizen in a high security job would probably be forgiven tons of sins and could go to church twice every Sunday for all they care as long as the intel's coming in.

 

Elizabeth, otoh, would no doubt like Paige to be completely in line with the cause the way she understands it. Philip would probably want Paige to not give up anything she didn't want to--he wants her to be her own person and if that means being Christian, she stays Christian.

 

I do love, btw, the little subtleties in the way they've written Paige a bit. She's liberal, but there's times where she comes out with some things that I think are very much privileged conservative (not necessary politically conservative) knee jerk judgments and prejudices when she's not consciously on a soapbox. She obviously considered her church and her religion the true God and something like EST not worthy of being confused with one. She was immediately taken aback by being in the bad neighborhood (wonder what she'd think about Philip's milk-stealing gangs!), as if her mother had done something unseemly by driving them there before it was put in the right context.

 

And her struggle to deal with Gregory being a drug dealer just seems so interesting. First there was the troubled pulling away when her squeaky clean civil rights activist friend of her parents is replaced by a mug shot. He's not like Pastor Tim getting arrested for political theater. Then the drug dealing continues to be a sticking point--she even throws it out kind of contemptuously in this ep, referring to her parents' "friend Gregory" because she brought up drug dealing and that's how she defines Gregory in her mind.

 

It just kind of shows that there's *a lot* about Paige that is different from her parents and that shapes her worldview. I've always said that one of the things I feel draws Paige to the church is its conservative behavior--people show up in preppy clothes, sing badly, and have pot lucks. They protest in an orderly fashion, even when getting arrested. They go on mission trips to less fortunate places and try to bring them a little taste of suburban US. They don't seem like they might be having affairs or keeping secrets. They're not friends with drug dealers. I think she's become seriously attached to a moral high ground that's especially easy to stick to when you have a comfortable life. Despite her politics currently being liberal, there's a lot in Paige that would probably react very positively to more conservative politics too.

[RedHawk]

I think she's become seriously attached to a moral high ground that's especially easy to stick to when you have a comfortable life. Despite her politics currently being liberal, there's a lot in Paige that would probably react very positively to more conservative politics too.

 

 

Very interesting. I realized that Paige is in the age group of Alex P. Keaton of Family Ties, a conservative Gen X child of liberal Boomer parents. (Family Ties debuted in 1982.) I remember young people around Paige's age and how so many had to deal with divorce and other family instability -- the hangover that was most of the 1970s -- when they were kids and teenagers, while my group (born 1960-64) wasn't as deeply affected. A large number of Paige's peers will become adults who idolize Ronald Reagan.

Edited April 5, 2015 by RedHawk

[AGuyToo]

Paige is a believer in nonviolence.

 

I think that is the essential issue. More than her Americanness, more even than her Christian identity, that is the issue that will make it impossible for Elizabeth to recruit Paige into the KGB or convince her that the KGB mission is correct.

 

We've learned a fair amount about Paige in these last three seasons. She favors nuclear disarmament; she is horrified by racism and racial hatred; she is saddened by poverty and wants to eradicate it; she is inspired by those willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of peace and justice. And she believes that nonviolent resistance is the path to a better world. (In fact, she is so irritatingly verbose on the subject that Philip is tempted to respond with a punch in the face.)

 

Confronted, as Elizabeth was last week, with Betty's question -- "[Do] you think doing this to me will make the world a better place?" -- Paige would say no. Young as she is, she would say no with conviction and without hesitation. In order to get Paige to join the KGB, Elizabeth has to convince Paige that the correct answer was yes -- that killing Betty was justified, that Betty's life and those who loved her weren't important enough to stand in the way of THE CAUSE. No way Elizabeth can do that, no way Paige lets her get away with that.

 

That's the thing -- Elizabeth's and Philip's work is suffused with violence: they kill combatants, they kill bystanders, blood covers everything they do. If you really believe in nonviolence, whether you're a Christian or a Gandhian or something else, you cannot abide Elizabeth and Philip. Even if they're your parents, you have to say no.

 

From what we've seen of Paige, I think she has the strength to say no.

 

 

[crgirl412]

I finally watched it on Friday night after working night shift Wed. and Thurs. and it takes me a day to get back on track. 

 

Great episode!!  For the first time ever Elizabeth looked really scared, vulnerable and fragile when confronted by Paige.  That's Keri's Emmy scene! 

 

Paige does have an Aunt in Pennsylvania who she never knew existed until the last few years.  Why couldn't the USSR have really used "the Aunt" and even Claudia and Gabrielle as relatives so as not to make the kids suspicious?

 

When Stan was asked if he was compromised and it led to the breakdown of his marriage, I think that he answered honestly.  His marriage was over long before he was compromised by Nina. 

 

Love the "Willow" storyline!!  Oleg was honey trapped by Nina and may now pay a very high price!   

 

Stan has still got it!  He dines with spies once a week but he can spot a fake defector a Milky Way away!   

[Superpole2000]

I am glad the big reveal finally happened. The series needed to progress to avoid growing stale. I am excited for what lies ahead, and of course, I really enjoyed watching this episode.

 

That said, The reveal itself seemed unrealistic. Most people in Paige's position would have been more outwardly emotional. Tears, yelling, and visible trembling would likely be involved. Furthermore, the parents would have ensured that at least one of them stuck around to watch what Paige did all day. I mean, they are spies after all. Why wouldn't one of them have spied on their daughter in that situation?

[John S]

I am glad the big reveal finally happened. The series needed to progress to avoid growing stale. I am excited for what lies ahead, and of course, I really enjoyed watching this episode.

 

That said, The reveal itself seemed unrealistic. Most people in Paige's position would have been more outwardly emotional. Tears, yelling, and visible trembling would likely be involved. Furthermore, the parents would have ensured that at least one of them stuck around to watch what Paige did all day. I mean, they are spies after all. Why wouldn't one of them have spied on their daughter in that situation?

I asked this question earlier.  How do you believe that Paige will react? Will she act out against her parents? Will her Christian beliefs prevent her from acting in that manner? Will her "fear" that her parents could harm her cause her to think twice about reacting negatively?

Stan will be having dinner with them. Will she say anything to him? Do you believe that she would anonymously inform a law enforcement agency?

[BetyBee]

I asked this question earlier.  How do you believe that Paige will react? Will she act out against her parents? Will her Christian beliefs prevent her from acting in that manner? Will her "fear" that her parents could harm her cause her to think twice about reacting negatively?

Stan will be having dinner with them. Will she say anything to him? Do you believe that she would anonymously inform a law enforcement agency?

It's hard to say.  I believe we've been shown that she feels closer to her church than to her parents and that her beliefs go deep.  She also said in the phone call to Pastor Tim that she would see him on Sunday, so she apparently intends to keep attending church.  I think her mind is blown by the information she has received.  More questions must be forming in her brain at an alarming rate.  She has to feel betrayed more deeply than she imagined, by the lie that is her life.  I think the writers will toy with the question of whether she will tell anyone for many episodes to come.  The dawning realization that anyone she tells is in danger, as is she herself, will inform her decision on how to handle this.  I don't see her truly becoming a spy, but she may pretend for a while.  Her family may not be real, but her brother Henry is and she will have a strong desire to protect him. 

[Guest]

John S- How could Paige tell Stan, when there are three seasons left?   And what teen would do that to their parents knowing only what Paige does?  Why would Paige think her parents would harm her?

 

Betybee- What do you mean, 'her family may not be real but Henry is'?  Her parents are not American travel agents, but they're her parents.  

[Boundary]

That said, The reveal itself seemed unrealistic. Most people in Paige's position would have been more outwardly emotional. Tears, yelling, and visible trembling would likely be involved. Furthermore, the parents would have ensured that at least one of them stuck around to watch what Paige did all day. I mean, they are spies after all. Why wouldn't one of them have spied on their daughter in that situation?

 

I liked Paige's reaction. I'm not the yelling type and so I believe her reaction at that moment. Having said that though, I do believe we're going to see a more emotional Paige in the next few episodes. Her emotional, intellectual and religious faith state is in turmoil, expect some expression on that front. Staying around to watch Paige was actually addressed in the episode, Philip (especially) decided it was the right thing to do. Remember Philip got blindsided by Martha recently and he successfully rode that one. 

[John S]

John S- How could Paige tell Stan, when there are three seasons left?   And what teen would do that to their parents knowing only what Paige does?  Why would Paige think her parents would harm her?

 

Betybee- What do you mean, 'her family may not be real but Henry is'?  Her parents are not American travel agents, but they're her parents.  

Stan IS an FBI agent and she IS an American. Maybe she will ask him what happens to the children of parents who have been arrested.

Paige KNOWS that her parents are Soviet spies. What else does she need to know?

Suppose that Paige threatens to tell law enforcement. What would her parents do? Would they threaten her with a gun?

Suppose whenever her parents tell her to obey their rules, she says "Bleep You". Do they slap her? Do they "ground" her?

I realize that it is possible that Paige doesn't act out in any way whatsoever. Maybe she just ignores her parents as much as possible. She doesn't speak to them. She doesn't look at them. Maybe, when forced to respond, she says "Yes Sir", Yes Ma-am".

That is why the next few weeks will be very interesting. At the moment Paige holds ALL of the cards. We will see how she decides to play them.

[sistermagpie]

That's the thing -- Elizabeth's and Philip's work is suffused with violence: they kill combatants, they kill bystanders, blood covers everything they do. If you really believe in nonviolence, whether you're a Christian or a Gandhian or something else, you cannot abide Elizabeth and Philip. Even if they're your parents, you have to say no.

 

 

I think Paige has the strength to say no too and can't imagine her doing otherwise at the moment--but I don't know if she's really experienced enough to be firmly attached to nonviolence yet. Meaning just that she's simply never faced anything that really required violence--nor has she really experienced nonviolent resistance. Paige isn't getting battered in the head and injured at her protests without fighting back, and even Pastor Tim, interestingly, didn't want to completely identify as a pacifist in the dinner conversation. Paige eagerly labeled him such when he was telling his story about protesting the war, but then he asked if he really was. Of course his example was saying that he would die for something like Jesus did, but he was also not ready to just say he was a pacifist.

 

For instance, Apartheid has become an issue this season and while Paige's part is to push for divestment, that's not a nonviolent struggle. In fact, anti-Apartheid activists tried nonviolent resistance and it didn't work. Not everyone was like Ncgobo, but they weren't averse to destroying property etc. And there were many riots.

 

So while I love that Paige is firmly and openly against crime and violence as a means to an end, I also like that her pov just as firmly comes from living in a world far removed from it. For her it's easy to be nonviolent just as it's an easy choice not to be a drug dealer.

 

I remember young people around Paige's age and how so many had to deal with divorce and other family instability -- the hangover that was most of the 1970s -- when they were kids and teenagers, while my group (born 1960-64) wasn't as deeply affected. A large number of Paige's peers will become adults who idolize Ronald Reagan.

 

 

Yup. I'm exactly Paige's age and while I never idolized Ronald Reagan I never was attracted to a church group either! Which brings up an upcoming historical issue, which is Ronald Reagan specifically addressing evangelicals to discourage them from joining the nuclear disarmament movement. I don't see anything in Paige that would make her change her mind because of what Ronald Reagan says but I wonder if the show will deal with a shift there. Because while I believe that Paige sincerely believes in the politics she has now, I'm not sure she would have been entirely closed to a church that had slightly different views if that's the one she'd wandered into.

 

Also her discussions with her parents should be very different now that they can give their own views. Elizabeth will quite possibly turn her off with her own defenses of the cause at times. I imagine Philip will still want to keep quiet to not manipulate her, but that might make him an even more powerful advocate if she presses him. Because Philip does take violence very seriously and doesn't see things in black and white, but still doesn't seem to see nonviolence or church as the answer. He seems to see the world as full of bad people that prey on others.

[gwhh]

Did anyone else notice how fast Phillip sent his son back to afghan-soviet war! If you want to know the afghans did to capture soviet soilders. Read the book charlie wilson war.

[crgirl412]

Did anyone else notice how fast Phillip sent his son back to afghan-soviet war! If you want to know the afghans did to capture soviet soilders. Read the book charlie wilson war.

I took it as him not wanting to take away his son's autonomy, not that he wanted him to be in a war necessarily.  It fits with his parenting style since he's an atheist yet is letting Paige get baptized and be really involved in her church. 

Edited April 5, 2015 by crgirl412

[Dev F]

I took as as him not wanting to take away his son's autonomy not that he wanted him to be in a war necessarily.  It fits with his parenting style since he's an atheist yet is letting Paige get baptized and be really involved in her church. 

 

And with his decisions regarding Paige later in the episode. For all the complaints that it was out of character for the Jenningses to leave Paige alone to work out the "my parents are spies" revelation for herself, it's very much in keeping with Phil's insistence that they respect Junior's choice to stay in Afghanistan rather than force him to return home on the Center's orders.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Dev F

[Umbelina]

Stan IS an FBI agent and she IS an American. Maybe she will ask him what happens to the children of parents who have been arrested.

Paige KNOWS that her parents are Soviet spies. What else does she need to know?

Suppose that Paige threatens to tell law enforcement. What would her parents do? Would they threaten her with a gun?

Suppose whenever her parents tell her to obey their rules, she says "Bleep You". Do they slap her? Do they "ground" her?

I realize that it is possible that Paige doesn't act out in any way whatsoever. Maybe she just ignores her parents as much as possible. She doesn't speak to them. She doesn't look at them. Maybe, when forced to respond, she says "Yes Sir", Yes Ma-am".

That is why the next few weeks will be very interesting. At the moment Paige holds ALL of the cards. We will see how she decides to play them.

 

This is part of the reason telling Paige makes absolutely no logical sense.  At all.

 

Oh well, it was a nice run while it lasted, and I'm sure there will be more great scenes coming up, all resulting from a very flawed premise.  We'll move even further into "Alias" territory, a show I honestly loved, but for some reason I was expecting a bit more "real" from The Americans.  Obviously embedded agents didn't take the risks P & E do, obviously spies like Oleg and Arkady would be the feet--on-the-ground, do the dirty work characters if this was more "real."  **see below**  That part didn't bother me, because, yeah, I could suspend belief because it's a TV show, even though the body count is now approaching the absurd.

 

Everything that happens from this point on though?  Will be based on something so illogical, telling a (barely) 15 year old American kid, and leaving it all in her hands.  Ummm, sure?  Seriously?

 

I'm not bailing, but this show just dropped several levels for me.  Until the last episode it was ranked pretty high in my personal "favorites" list.  Yeah, it didn't have the attention to detail that Mad Men had, but it was another period piece that focused on human actions and emotions, and since Mad Men was ending, a nice potential sub.  It doesn't have the gravitas of Breaking Bad, or Better Call Saul, but still, it was pretty close behind, and nearly as compelling.

 

Now?  Bring on the giant ants attacking Washington DC, or, OK, maybe not that much of a stretch, but no matter how good the story possibilities?  It's all based on something that I honestly do not believe would happen.  P & E just leaving her alone all day, no phone tap, no call to Gabe, no covert surveillance of someone who could blow their lives and the KGB operation sky high with a phone call or a hormonal fit of depression, or a Christian sense of "righteousness?"

 

Sure.  Whatever. 

 

“Soviet intelligence had a long-term view of their case officers, and the idea of putting someone in place and keeping someone there until they are needed,” Woolsey says.

    

    The Soviets posing as Americans sought to develop Indiana accents to pass themselves off as native Midwesterns, and could be very tough to spot, says Bob Baer, a former CIA case officer. The problem with “The Americans” is that “if you took the real life of a Russian illegal spy it would be boring,” says Baer, who used to run undercover illegals whose lives were very different than those depicted on the show.

    “If you go for 100 percent realism, you’re going to put the audience to bed,” Baer says. “I used to run illegals and you would let them float around a community looking for people who could be potential sources – people with marriage problems, with money problems, people who hated their government. Then they would bring in a case officer who was protected with diplomatic immunity to recruit someone – they would never recruit anybody themselves.”

    

    Nonofficial cover spies ran a much higher risk than operatives protected by diplomatic immunity, so they almost never did things that might blow their cover like recruiting, surveillance or kidnapping, Baer says. The Jennings do these things each episode because it makes for good TV, but “it’s very hard” for a spy show to be realistic and dramatic, Woolsey says. Russian spies like those working under assumed identities as diplomats at the Soviet embassy on the show were more likely to do spy work like recruit sources, Woolsey says.

    

http://www.usnews.co...ng-than-reality

 

Edited April 5, 2015 by Umbelina

[Superpole2000]

I asked this question earlier.  How do you believe that Paige will react? Will she act out against her parents? Will her Christian beliefs prevent her from acting in that manner? Will her "fear" that her parents could harm her cause her to think twice about reacting negatively?

Stan will be having dinner with them. Will she say anything to him? Do you believe that she would anonymously inform a law enforcement agency?

I know that typical teenagers can change their beliefs quite quickly, so even if Paige has strong Christian beliefs today, she might not have those same beliefs a week from now. Yes, her religious friend seems to have tremendous influence over her, but now that her parents have torn down the barrier between them, they might trump that influence. I would believe her moving in either direction, though I doubt she'll be confiding in Stan any time soon. That's Henry's buddy, not hers.

 

I liked Paige's reaction. I'm not the yelling type and so I believe her reaction at that moment. Having said that though, I do believe we're going to see a more emotional Paige in the next few episodes. Her emotional, intellectual and religious faith state is in turmoil, expect some expression on that front. Staying around to watch Paige was actually addressed in the episode, Philip (especially) decided it was the right thing to do. Remember Philip got blindsided by Martha recently and he successfully rode that one. 

I just think every kid would have reacted more strongly to: "Hey, we're Russian spies!" than with: "Oh, okay. I'm going to go to my room now." She was far too calm. Even if in shock, there should have been a much stronger reaction, if not immediately then within the next day. She almost seemed sedated in a situation that would shake anyone to their core.

[lucindabelle]

This is part of the reason telling Paige makes absolutely no logical sense.  At all.

 

Oh well, it was a nice run while it lasted, and I'm sure there will be more great scenes coming up, all resulting from a very flawed premise.  We'll move even further into "Alias" territory, a show I honestly loved, but for some reason I was expecting a bit more "real" from The Americans.  Obviously embedded agents didn't take the risks P & E do, obviously spies like Oleg and Arkady would be the feet--on-the-ground, do the dirty work characters if this was more "real."  **see below**  That part didn't bother me, because, yeah, I could suspend belief because it's a TV show, even though the body count is now approaching the absurd.

 

Everything that happens from this point on though?  Will be based on something so illogical, telling a (barely) 15 year old American kid, and leaving it all in her hands.  Ummm, sure?  Seriously?

 

I'm not bailing, but this show just dropped several levels for me.  Until the last episode it was ranked pretty high in my personal "favorites" list.  Yeah, it didn't have the attention to detail that Mad Men had, but it was another period piece that focused on human actions and emotions, and since Mad Men was ending, a nice potential sub.  It doesn't have the gravitas of Breaking Bad, or Better Call Saul, but still, it was pretty close behind, and nearly as compelling.

 

Now?  Bring on the giant ants attacking Washington DC, or, OK, maybe not that much of a stretch, but no matter how good the story possibilities?  It's all based on something that I honestly do not believe would happen.  P & E just leaving her alone all day, no phone tap, no call to Gabe, no covert surveillance of someone who could blow their lives and the KGB operation sky high with a phone call or a hormonal fit of depression, or a Christian sense of "righteousness?"

 

Sure.  Whatever.

That's how I felt when we learned that e kid killed his family.., after we SAW his shock at finding him,

Wss not surprised the actor wasn't told because he didn't play that,

Show went down several levels. I still watch, but I don't really buy it.

[BetyBee]

John S- How could Paige tell Stan, when there are three seasons left?   And what teen would do that to their parents knowing only what Paige does?  Why would Paige think her parents would harm her?

 

Betybee- What do you mean, 'her family may not be real but Henry is'?  Her parents are not American travel agents, but they're her parents.  

They are her parents, but they are liars and her whole life with them has been a lie.  Henry is her brother and their relationship is 100% real at this point.  He is the only person in the world who has been through what she's been through with these parents.  They will still (hopefully) have each other when their parents are gone, just like any siblings.  I know P&E love their children, but the have done them a terrible disservice and things are only getting worse. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I noticed that when Paige used the phone to call Pastor Tim near the end, she made the call like you would from a modern cell phone by holding it in your right hand and dialing the numbers with your thumb of the same hand.  In the 1980's, a person would have held the phone with one hand and dialed the numbers, with the index finger of the other hand.  (At least in my part of the country.)   Did anyone notice that?

[sistermagpie]

I noticed that when Paige used the phone to call Pastor Tim near the end, she made the call like you would from a modern cell phone by holding it in your right hand and dialing the numbers with your thumb of the same hand.  In the 1980's, a person would have held the phone with one hand and dialed the numbers, with the index finger of the other hand.  (At least in my part of the country.)   Did anyone notice that?

 

 

Totally noticed it--and it wasn't the first time. I think she did it when she called for Aunt Helen's number too. I keep hoping somebody will tell her that!

[crgirl412]

 

I noticed that when Paige used the phone to call Pastor Tim near the end, she made the call like you would from a modern cell phone by holding it in your right hand and dialing the numbers with your thumb of the same hand.  In the 1980's, a person would have held the phone with one hand and dialed the numbers, with the index finger of the other hand.  (At least in my part of the country.)   Did anyone notice that?

IDK, I remember dialing the kind of phone Paige had in her room with one hand.  I was born in 1970 so I used one for many years. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I was just going to say I remember push-button phones where the buttons were in the hand piece.  

[sistermagpie]

IDK, I remember dialing the kind of phone Paige had in her room with one hand.  I was born in 1970 so I used one for many years.

 

 

 

I was just going to say I remember push-button phones where the buttons were in the hand piece.

 

 

No, it's not that the phone like that didn't exist. It's that as a girl born in the late 90s Holly Taylor's go-to way of dialing something like that is always with her thumb or both thumbs, as if she's texting. The more common way to dial a phone like that back then would be to hold it in one hand and hit the buttons with the other hand. You might sometimes use your thumb, but the other way was more common. Paige always goes for the thumbs because she's probably used to texting.

[RedHawk]

I was just going to say I remember push-button phones where the buttons were in the hand piece.

 

 

I still have and occasionally use a phone like that, and still dial it with my opposite thumb and feel like I always did. Maybe in the long-ago days, when I first switched from rotary dial I used my index finger. That's probably how everyone did it at first. Anyway, yes, using the thumb of the same hand would be awkward because the hand piece is bigger than a typical cell phone. It's funny no one on the show caught it and taught her to dial like an "old" person!

 

IDK, I remember dialing the kind of phone Paige had in her room with one hand.  I was born in 1970 so I used one for many years.

 

I think I dialed with one hand sometimes as well, depending on what I had in my opposite hand -- a pen, a drink, etc. We're just saying that to appear more historically accurate Paige should have dialed with the opposite hand. I love little things like that.

Edited April 6, 2015 by RedHawk

[John S]

I know that typical teenagers can change their beliefs quite quickly, so even if Paige has strong Christian beliefs today, she might not have those same beliefs a week from now. Yes, her religious friend seems to have tremendous influence over her, but now that her parents have torn down the barrier between them, they might trump that influence. I would believe her moving in either direction, though I doubt she'll be confiding in Stan any time soon. That's Henry's buddy, not hers.

 

I just think every kid would have reacted more strongly to: "Hey, we're Russian spies!" than with: "Oh, okay. I'm going to go to my room now." She was far too calm. Even if in shock, there should have been a much stronger reaction, if not immediately then within the next day. She almost seemed sedated in a situation that would shake anyone to their core.

I believe that Paige was processing that information. That was a lot to take in. I believe that she was trying to figure out what the best course of action would be next. These ARE her parents. Does she want them to go to jail? I guess we will find out in the next few weeks what course of action she has decided to take.

Does she openly act out - smoking, drinking, using foul language like Bleep You - but that would be against her Christian beliefs.

Does she act out in a "Super Formal" way but ignoring them as much as possible - "Yes Sir, No Ma-am, May I have a glass of milk?, If there is nothing else, I will go to my room now", or something like that.

Does she pretend that nothing has happened, that everything is now "normal, back to the way that it has always been?

Maybe there is another option.

[shura]

They are her parents, but they are liars and her whole life with them has been a lie.  Henry is her brother and their relationship is 100% real at this point.  He is the only person in the world who has been through what she's been through with these parents.  They will still (hopefully) have each other when their parents are gone, just like any siblings.  I know P&E love their children, but the have done them a terrible disservice and things are only getting worse.

 

I don't think Paige's whole life with her parents has been a lie. I would say most of what she has experienced with them is, in fact, real. All their family activities (I'm assuming they must have done things together as a family), teaching her to ride a bike, staying home with her when she was sick, going to her recitals and volleyball games (or whatever sport it was that she dropped), etc. She knows (even if she is questioning it now) that they love her, and it is real. It's just that there is this extra part she used to not know about, which actually has not been part of her life, that's a huge lie. If we count what she hasn't experienced as a part of her life, then her relationship with Henry is not technically 100% real either, since Paige doesn't know about his secret hiding places, for example.

 

Did anyone find it strange that, when Elizabeth asked the hotel manager how long he had been doing it, he said "I got my degree at Michigan State and have been here ever since"? So... how long then? What kind of answer is that?

[sistermagpie]

I don't think Paige's whole life with her parents has been a lie. I would say most of what she has experienced with them is, in fact, real. All their family activities (I'm assuming they must have done things together as a family), teaching her to ride a bike, staying home with her when she was sick, going to her recitals and volleyball games (or whatever sport it was that she dropped), etc. She knows (even if she is questioning it now) that they love her, and it is real. It's just that there is this extra part she used to not know about, which actually has not been part of her life, that's a huge lie.

 

 

Yes, it's meant to be in part just an exaggerated version of all parents. Paige is now at the age when she starts to see her parents as actual people with lives outside of being her parents. In her case it turns out they're actually from another country and are spies, but even ordinary parents could have tons of stuff like that. She'd already been wondering about, for instance, affairs, which would even in some ways suggest as much of a "lie" as them being spies because it's more about relationships.

 

That, I think, is where the show's interest lies. Not so much in whether Paige is going to sing to the FEDs or her pastor (although obviously that's a factor!), but in Paige trying to get to know these people on completely different terms, coming to understand them in different ways.  That's really been the thing driving her for two seasons, after all. She didn't lack parents and go looking for some--that was a false solution. She wanted to know these people. 

[lucindabelle]

Hmm didn't notice the phone thing but I'd say that's probably true.

That said I have a push button phone right next to me now and dial with one hand. I've lived way more of my life without a cell phone than with one so I'm not sure about that.

It would have been a nice detail to do it the other way though.

[maczero]

Am I really so unobservant (heh) that just with this episode I realized that the Beeman and Jennings houses are the same floorplan? I guess I picked up on it subconsciously, and of course I noticed they are in a cookie-cutter suburban setting where the houses look alike. This time when Henry went to Stan's house I was very aware of it, noticed the contrast of his chaos with the Jennings' basic order.

 

Finally, why did Stan go over to the Jennings house that first time, when Henry was there alone? Was it just as Elizabeth suggested, to get a meal and some company, or did he have another motive? He seemed to be having a look around while chatting with Henry.

This may have been brought up before, but is the Jennings living across the street from Stan a fluke?  I'm under the impression it is but it just seems too coincidental that Phil would've also been honeytrapping someone (Martha) Stan works with. 

 

They're still a year away, but the movie for Stan to confiscate is Red Dawn. That would be a fun movie night with the Jennings.  Can't you see Henry running around yelling "Wolverines!"?

I'd love to see what Elizabeth thinks of Henry watching the G.I. Joe cartoon.  IIRC, the Joes not only fought Cobra but they also occasionally fought their Russian counterpart, the October Guard.

[sistermagpie]

This may have been brought up before, but is the Jennings living across the street from Stan a fluke?  I'm under the impression it is but it just seems too coincidental that Phil would've also been honeytrapping someone (Martha) Stan works with.

 

 

Yup, it's a coincidence. Stan had just moved to Washington DC and as I think Elizabeth says "FBI agents have to live somewhere."

[Ailianna]

If Paige does try to tell someone, especially someone in law enforcement, why on earth would they believe her? It would be a weird, far-fetched story, and all her parents have to say is they grounded her, or took away a privilege, or wouldn't let her date an inappropriate boy, and boom, she's got a motive to lie. I don't think there is any realistic danger of exposure from Paige, not without some kind of proof in her hands, which she doesn't yet have. I think the relationship effects of her being willing to do so, or the question of if she would be willing to do so, however, is real and is the actual drama of the situation.

[sistermagpie]

If Paige does try to tell someone, especially someone in law enforcement, why on earth would they believe her? It would be a weird, far-fetched story, and all her parents have to say is they grounded her, or took away a privilege, or wouldn't let her date an inappropriate boy, and boom, she's got a motive to lie.

 

 

Stan is the most obvious person she'd tell if she was going to law enforcement and he'd believe her in a second.

[Umbelina]

No one would dismiss what she said without some kind of call to the FBI, even if they didn't believe her.

 

That said, it's extremely doubtful she tells anyone.  If she does, the show either ends, or they go the Philip and Elizabeth double agent route, which I highly doubt, since it's WAY out of character for Elizabeth.  There will be all kinds of tension around it, Paige nearly telling, thinking about telling, maybe telling her brother, but it won't happen.  It's all kind of BS, but in real life, I think the danger would be far greater, which is why I seriously doubt it would happen this way.

[AGuyToo]

You're right that Paige has never been personally been confronted by violence. We can't say how she would react if that did happen.

 

But I don't think that's the question in front of her. Elizabeth wants Paige to join the KGB. Elizabeth wants Paige to join a brutal organization that uses violence to further its ends. In Gandhian terms, Elizabeth wants Paige to join the opppressor -- to become the oppressor.

 

All Paige has to do is say no. All she has to do is say that she will not participate and will not be a party to this violence. Nonviolence, in its most basic form, doesn't require anybody to be a hero. It doesn't require them to be battered about the head. Nonviolence just requires them to refuse to go along with or obey those who do use violence.

 

At Paige's birthday dinner, Pastor Tim doesn't reject pacifism. He remembers that, as a young man, he claimed that he wouldn't "kill or die". But now, he wonders about the die part, but not the kill part. He says that in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter wanted to fight the Romans, but Jesus said no. Jesus was willing to die but not to kill.

 

I think -- and very much hope -- that Paige's beliefs are sincere and well thought out. It would diminish the story if Paige were just a dumb kid who could be swayed to diametrically-opposed worldviews -- Christianity, communism, nonviolence, totalitarianism -- depending upon whom she's listening to (her parents, Tim, or whomever). I think -- and, again, I hope -- that Paige is already her own person, with her own ideals. It would make a great story, in my opinion, for Paige's true ideals to clash with Elizabeth's. (I think Philip is already on Paige's side, even if he can't quite admit it to himself.)

 

********

 

You mention apartheid in South Africa, which is an interesting case study, but I don't think it's determinative. The struggle against apartheid had both nonviolent and violent aspects. It's not a good experiment. Unless we were able to roll the tape back and play it forward again with different mixtures of nonviolence and violence, we can't say what was causal. Moreover, the end of apartheid was coincident with the end of the Cold War: Mandela was released in early 1990, a few months after the Berlin wall was opened, a year and a half before the Soviet Union itself dissolved. By the time Mandela and De Klerk were negotiating the endgame for the apartheid regime, Bush the Elder had replaced Reagan as president. The world had changed and America's attitude towards South Africa had changed a lot. A lot of things were happening, and I don't think it's right to credit the real-life counterparts of Ncgobo with that. Certainly, South Africa's transition to democracy was eased by institutions like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that the fictional Ncgobo would have opposed.

 

But, whatever the case, the argument for nonviolent resistance is not that it's an effective tactic or that it yields good results, at least not in the short run. The argument that it is a philosopy, a view of life, that is morally defensible and that will, in the long run, benefit humanity.

 

 

 

I think Paige has the strength to say no too and can't imagine her doing otherwise at the moment--but I don't know if she's really experienced enough to be firmly attached to nonviolence yet. Meaning just that she's simply never faced anything that really required violence--nor has she really experienced nonviolent resistance. Paige isn't getting battered in the head and injured at her protests without fighting back, and even Pastor Tim, interestingly, didn't want to completely identify as a pacifist in the dinner conversation. Paige eagerly labeled him such when he was telling his story about protesting the war, but then he asked if he really was. Of course his example was saying that he would die for something like Jesus did, but he was also not ready to just say he was a pacifist.

 

For instance, Apartheid has become an issue this season and while Paige's part is to push for divestment, that's not a nonviolent struggle. In fact, anti-Apartheid activists tried nonviolent resistance and it didn't work. Not everyone was like Ncgobo, but they weren't averse to destroying property etc. And there were many riots.

 

So while I love that Paige is firmly and openly against crime and violence as a means to an end, I also like that her pov just as firmly comes from living in a world far removed from it. For her it's easy to be nonviolent just as it's an easy choice not to be a drug dealer.

Edited April 7, 2015 by AGuyToo

[lucindabelle]

Jesus was willing to kill in other places of the Bible. Hope Paige reads it for herself.

[John S]

If Paige does try to tell someone, especially someone in law enforcement, why on earth would they believe her? It would be a weird, far-fetched story, and all her parents have to say is they grounded her, or took away a privilege, or wouldn't let her date an inappropriate boy, and boom, she's got a motive to lie. I don't think there is any realistic danger of exposure from Paige, not without some kind of proof in her hands, which she doesn't yet have. I think the relationship effects of her being willing to do so, or the question of if she would be willing to do so, however, is real and is the actual drama of the situation.

If Paige were to tell law enforcement that her parents were Russian spies, they would, at least, have to look into the allegations. They would run background checks on the parents and do whatever else they would have to do.

She could also tell Pastor Tim and he could then alert the FBI.

[John S]

Jesus was willing to kill in other places of the Bible. Hope Paige reads it for herself.

Maybe you can let us know what killing Jesus advocated.

[sistermagpie]

At Paige's birthday dinner, Pastor Tim doesn't reject pacifism. He remembers that, as a young man, he claimed that he wouldn't "kill or die". But now, he wonders about the die part, but not the kill part. He says that in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter wanted to fight the Romans, but Jesus said no. Jesus was willing to die but not to kill.

 

 

As I remember it he *did* question the pacifism label and refuse to own that title. His example was strictly about Jesus not fighting the Romans and therefore choosing to die for something, but when Paige said "Because you're a pacifist" (for why he was protesting the war) I swear I remember him not owning that name, even if he didn't specifically talk about whether or not he'd kill for something. Didn't he question whether to call himself that? Yet if his only point was that he would be willing to die for something there's no reason to hesitate to take that term--there's nothing in pacifism that says you won't die for something. It seemed very specifically written that Tim didn't want Paige to simply conclude he was a pacifist, I assumed because he did actually like the idea of being a fighter. Seeing those worlds "I will not fight, I will not die," even if he understood what they meant in the context of Vietnam, didn't appeal to him--that feeling was the core of the story for him.

 

I don't think that if Paige is influenced by her parents this means she's just listening to anybody and changing her beliefs accordingly. She is a young person just starting to understand the world and as such it's imo unrealistic to assume that the beliefs she has now that are heavily influenced by Pastor Tim must be her true beliefs forever. Even Elizabeth who works so hard to reject any other influences than her early ones has come to change a little because the world is complicated. Her parents aren't just introducing her to other philosophies, they're opening her up to whole corners of the world that are unfamiliar to Paige, who was uncomfortable just being in a bad neighborhood. There is a war going on in front of Paige's eyes and her parents are part of it.

 

You mention apartheid in South Africa, which is an interesting case study, but I don't think it's determinative. The struggle against apartheid had both nonviolent and violent aspects. It's not a good experiment. Unless we were able to roll the tape back and play it forward again with different mixtures of nonviolence and violence, we can't say what was causal.

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "causal" here or by my saying it's determinate or an experiment. I'm not saying it determines anything. I'm just acknowledging that there was violent resistance along with nonviolent resistance and that some people who advocated the latter at first came to believe the former was also necessary, not saying that the violence was the thing that won the struggle. Right now Paige seems to be of the opinion that nonviolent resistance is almost a magic bullet and sees anything else as just part of the problem, but the reality is more complicated everywhere. Paige's own role in the anti-Apartheid struggle is nonviolent and comes in the form of trying to influence her government to divest--that's an effective thing. But if someone in South Africa feels they need to physically fight the oppressor, does she think they're wrong? She has a very different experience of the world than her parents who grew up in the shadow of WWII in the USSR. 

 

 

But, whatever the case, the argument for nonviolent resistance is not that it's an effective tactic or that it yields good results, at least not in the short run. The argument that it is a philosopy, a view of life, that is morally defensible and that will, in the long run, benefit humanity.

 

 

That's not everyone's argument for it at all. Nonviolent resistance can absolutely be an effective tactic that yields good results in the short and long run. One can also argue that it's more morally defensible than violence and will benefit humanity more, but that's not necessarily why everyone has done it. People also choose it because it's the best strategy and if it's not effective they move on to other things to reach their specific goal. And they consider that morally defensible. I believe that most people who are most associated with nonviolent resistance were keen strategists very much in control with how their actions would effect their goal. 

Edited April 7, 2015 by sistermagpie

[henripootel]

Maybe you can let us know what killing Jesus advocated.

Jesus killed, but Paige is unlikely to read it.  It's in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, where Jesus withered two children who pissed him off.  Keep in mind that Jesus was himself a child in the story, and that the gospel is non-canonical.  It is pretty early though, possibly not much older than the Gospels of Luke or John, but it's weird so it didn't make the cut for the New Testament.

[John S]

Jesus killed, but Paige is unlikely to read it.  It's in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, where Jesus withered two children who pissed him off.  Keep in mind that Jesus was himself a child in the story, and that the gospel is non-canonical.  It is pretty early though, possibly not much older than the Gospels of Luke or John, but it's weird so it didn't make the cut for the New Testament.

In other words, it is nonsense.

[henripootel]

In other words, it is nonsense.

Well, depends on how you look at it.  It's certainly ancient, and while it didn't fit the narrative crafted by the early church (nor Irenaeus' insistence that the gospels number 4 and 4 alone), in most ways its pedigree is as solid as any.  It reads weird to us but we're used to the group they decided on, not the entire range available at the time.  Not looking to pick a fight here, but some of the non-canonical gospels are pretty fascinating.

 

Also not sure this is what the person above was referring to - probably not. 

[gwhh]

How many people work at that travel agency? At least two other as far as I can see?

I forget she did that to the sailor

http://theamericans.wikia.com/wiki/Brad_Mullin

We have seen this before. That's why Annelise was working Yousef, that Philip tried to get Elizabeth out of it (and Elizabeth in turn took an assassination for Philip). When Philip said "This is easier for you" in Martial Eagle he meant killing, and she said "You think what I do is easy?" and it seemed he knew what she really hated doing was honeytrapping, so they tried to take the job the other hated. Elizabeth gave Brad a hand job later that season and looked grim about it. Since then she's avoided it.

Not that Philip enjoys them much either, I don't think. Elizabeth also doesn't much like him doing it. She's already uneasy about Martha and Kimmie.

We have seen this before. That's why Annelise was working Yousef, that Philip tried to get Elizabeth out of it (and Elizabeth in turn took an assassination for Philip). When Philip said "This is easier for you" in Martial Eagle he meant killing, and she said "You think what I do is easy?" and it seemed he knew what she really hated doing was honeytrapping, so they tried to take the job the other hated. Elizabeth gave Brad a hand job later that season and looked grim about it. Since then she's avoided it.

Not that Philip enjoys them much either, I don't think. Elizabeth also doesn't much like him doing it. She's already uneasy about Martha and Kimmie.

Edited April 8, 2015 by gwhh

[SlackerInc]

Umbelina, I found your stuff on real-life spies very interesting, but I didn't "like" your post because I don't agree at all that this episode jumped the shark.

I actually thought the Jared reveal in last season's finale jumped the shark, but I liked the show so well otherwise that I gave it another chance.  And for me, this season has not disappointed.  I would be curious though to know why you were apparently okay with the Jared plotline but not this one.

 

Probably my favourite alias so far (the one from two weeks ago in the truck when she shot that South African woman is probably my second). And her seduction of the hotel manager? A masterclass.

 

I don't remember the earlier outfit, but she was way hawt in the hotel scene.

 

As an American, Paige just found out THE worst news that she could possibly receive. There was NOTHING worse than being a spy for the Soviet Union. If her parents had told her that they were criminals on the run, aliens, in witness protection, or whatever, that would NOT have been as bad as learning that your parents were Russian spies. They were America's arch enemy.

 

A lot of people remember things this way, and I'm sure it was true for them.  It was probably true for a majority, maybe as much as 75%, of the population.  But it was not the case for a solid minority, many millions of Americans.  I studied Russian in high school, right in the middle of the Reagan years, and participated in a Sister City project between my city and a city in the USSR.  My grandfather took me on a trip to the Soviet Union, one of many he took with his kids (my mom and aunt).  My parents' church was heavily involved in the sanctuary movement, which I would expect Pastor Tim to be into as well.

 

Point is, these kinds of posts paint with too broad a brush and fail to see the diversity of opinion that was found in the U.S. even then.

 

I took it as him not wanting to take away his son's autonomy, not that he wanted him to be in a war necessarily.  It fits with his parenting style since he's an atheist yet is letting Paige get baptized and be really involved in her church. 

 

I agree, and I also think he didn't want to send someone else in his son's place.  That he didn't want to be like the Vietnam-era "chickenhawks" in the U.S. (Romney, Bush, Cheney, etc.) in that way.

 

Stan is the most obvious person she'd tell if she was going to law enforcement and he'd believe her in a second.

 

You think?  I don't think she's going to tell, but I was kind of gaming out what would happen if right after the end of last week's final scene, she did blurt it out to him.  I suspect he'd be like "ha ha, very funny".  It's true that in the pilot, he was suspicious of them, but since then he has become good friends with Philip.

 

But let's say she was really insistent--he would definitely have to at least consider the possibility.  Does he carry his gun when off duty?  What would be his chances of making it out of the house alive?  A scene with a struggle followed by Stan's death right in front of the kids would be pretty wild.  I can see Elizabeth turning to her horrified daughter and saying "that's on you".  Who knows what they'd do with Henry!

[Umbelina]

I think I've already said too much about it SlakerInc.  Maybe the Jared story worked for me because he was a bit older, and because he was the KGB's first attempt.  Maybe because we spent so little time with that family?  For me, PROBABLY because his parents objected!  The KGB had to go behind their backs.

 

Having them do it a second time, after that disaster just seems much, much too risky, in a bird in the hand way.  (Phil and Liz being the birds in hand, and Paige the one in the bush.)  Why risk blowing that?  On top of that though was the way this happened.  I COULD have believed it if Phil and Liz did what they do best, SPY on their daughter and ensure nothing happened when the left her alone all day.  None of it rang true for me.  It hasn't all along, and I honestly can't believe they went there.  I'm not going to stop watching, because I'm sure "exciting" things will happen now.  I'll just watch it in a different way, more like an adventure or "action" show, not so much based in reality.

 

On some level both Phil and Liz KNOW what their daughter may be required to do in the future, and what parent would choose that for her?  What are her options?  Let's say she promises to keep quiet, and could actually do that for X number of years.  What happens when they say "we want you to be a spy too."  After all of that risk, does anyone really believe the KGB would say, "OK, fine."  if Paige wants no part of that?  The KGB will say, "We understand." and let that go? 

 

I agree with what others have said, liking Russians was far different from liking the Soviet Union.  I studied Russian all through high school, and in college as well, and eventually became friendly with a 1/2 dozen or so Russians here.  I honestly think that when most people thought of Russians, they DID think about the toilet paper lines, the total control of the government over jobs and housing, the lack of food, and more bombs that could destroy the planet, as if we didn't have enough, and both countries with crazy leaders.  It wasn't a warm fuzzy.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Umbelina

[kikaha]

I've stated my biggest problem with this 'turn Paige' theme.  The KGB waited too long to put it in motion.  They should have started when Paige was little.  Easy to brainwash and train her then.  Now she is a young adult.  Her personality and values and pretty well formed.  And on the face of it, she looks like a poor prospect to betray America and lead the spy life.

 

She won't turn spy because her parents wantl her to.  She will do so only if she completely believes in the cause, the movement.  Why would the Soviets not make sure that was true, from the time she was one year old? 

[sistermagpie]

Point is, these kinds of posts paint with too broad a brush and fail to see the diversity of opinion that was found in the U.S. even then.

 

 

The show's been very careful about what influences Paige is shown to be affected by throughout the show (like sending her to church--but a lefty church) and it's interesting how they've always avoided her having strong feelings about the USSR. She's aware of it, she has a view of it as oppressive, but she's not personally shown to be all that focused on it. Her politics have namechecked Apartheid and nuclear arms--nuclear arms is very much tied to the Cold War, but she's shown approaching it more from the pov of it being madness for anyone to have them rather than being afraid that the USSR is going to bomb the US, which seems pretty common for the time. I liked that shot earlier in the season of the news about Brezhnev coming on TV and Paige switching the channel to the Jeffersons. 

 

You think?  I don't think she's going to tell, but I was kind of gaming out what would happen if right after the end of last week's final scene, she did blurt it out to him.  I suspect he'd be like "ha ha, very funny".  It's true that in the pilot, he was suspicious of them, but since then he has become good friends with Philip.

 

 

 

I think he'd be resistant to the idea because he's friends with them but if Paige seriously told him her parents are secretly Russian agents working against the US he'd totally take her seriously. He knows the Illegals exist and can be anyone. 

 

What happens when they say "we want you to be a spy too."  After all of that risk, does anyone really believe the KGB would say, "OK, fine.  What if Paige wants no part of that?  The KGB will say, "We understand." and let that go?

 

 

It's hard to tell given the rules of the show vs. reality but yeah, I think it would make sense for them to let it go. Paige is an American citizen being asked for spy for the USSR and as such she has to agree to it. They could try to blackmail her into it, of course, by threatening her parents or herself, but that seems far more dangerous than expecting her to look the other way about her parents. In real life don't we know about some cases where the kids just said no, or started out and didn't like it?

 

Of course, it might be more dramatic to have her be pressured--but at this point she's still a kid who would have years before she's ready to apply for that security job. According to Claudia after telling her who they are they're supposed to "get her ready" and that can take a while. Then she's told she's going to be joining the cause. I think the show would be more interested in this continuing to be a parenting issue, with Elizabeth wanting to manipulate/teach her that this is what she should do with her life and Philip thinking that to be true to herself she ought to say no.

 

I get the feeling they'd more go in the direction of always claiming she had a choice--as Gabriel reassures Philip--but that they'd also always be working something to limit those choices to make her more likely to say yes.

[Umbelina]

Nah, sistermagpie, what I meant about the KGB just letting it go and being fine if Paige says "no" is, do you really think they would let her continue to live?  Or at the very least, continue to live in the USA?  If she refuses, she would be an even bigger risk to their operations than she is right now.  This is a very high stakes operation, it took a lot to get Philip and Elizabeth in place, and they have some important things going on.  The life of one 15 year old girl really doesn't stack up against the stealth operation, the FBI infiltration, or any of their other projects.  Like, at ALL.

 

Of course it would have to be a perfect accident, since Philip would suspect them if anything happened to Paige, but that could be arranged.  (Not that it will happen on this show, as they obviously have long term story planned here, but if this were real life.)  Oh, and I don't think the KGB is any more heartless than our CIA by the way, spies are spies.  Philip SEEMED to be aware of this danger a few times, but starry eyed Elizabeth seems to be purposely avoiding reality.

[Blakeston]

Paige does have an Aunt in Pennsylvania who she never knew existed until the last few years.  Why couldn't the USSR have really used "the Aunt" and even Claudia and Gabrielle as relatives so as not to make the kids suspicious

 

Okay, now I'm picturing Frank Langella in drag, being introduced as Grandma Gabrielle, and I'm really wishing the show had gone in that direction. :)

 

I think it would be a bad move for Philip and Elizabeth to introduce their handlers as relatives, though. For one thing, the handlers would have to remember a ton of information about their agents' pasts, and it would be very easy for them to say the wrong thing and create a discrepancy that the kids would notice. They'd also have to explain why they don't have any old family photos.

 

Also, handlers seem to come and go pretty regularly.

 

I think having one woman serve as the senile old "aunt" for a bunch of families was probably the best move.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Blakeston

[sistermagpie]

Nah, sistermagpie, what I meant about the KGB just letting it go and being fine if Paige says "no" is, do you really think they would let her continue to live?

 

 

Yes, it seems like they would do that to me.  Kidnapping her or killing her would I think lose them her parents, and if she's keeping the secret they have no reason to do that. She's got reason to keep the secret so why kill her and lose her parents over it? 

 

It's not that I think the KGB would care so much about a 15 year old--though I think many of the spy characters we've seen would totally think it was right to consider Paige one of their own and listen to their agents on whether she was keeping the secret. They seem to be starting from the premise that the parents make these kids special.

[John S]

The new episode is only hours away. It will be very interesting to see how Paige reacts, after having had some time to think about it.

I realize that previews are often deceptive but they showed a few seconds where she calmly asks Elizabeth if spies lie - and Elizabeth calmly says YES.

I wonder if Paige will just take the news in stride, showing little emotion - but we'll see soon.