S02.E09: Russian Roulette

[needschocolate]

Finally watched the episode, finally caught up with the season, just in time for them to take a week off....

 

I was not bothered by Russell's demands to get a copy of the speech.  I just assumed that the President said "Russell, have we gotten a copy of the speech? I want to read it before Bess goes to the UN."  Then, Russell calls the SOS's office and bugs them for the speech.

 

I was annoyed with Prof. Master General Rear Admiral Arm Candy saving the world from World War III - although he didn't actually save the world (yet), he just stopped Elizabeth from accusing Russia publicly with false information.  He especially bugged me when he was complaining about Elizabeth not giving him info, when every week we saw him refuse to divulge info to her. 

 

I have long thought it was ridiculous that he would even be a handler for the CIA. Was he trained at all for that job?  Elizabeth worked for the CIA, Henry is just a professor, ex-marine, paratrooper, pilot, war hero, and a bunch of other things, but never a spy.  Plus, he is married to the SOS, the chance of them sharing info, even accidentally, is pretty good.  There had to be someone else in the US that could have be recruiting spies.  

 

Then again...who else could it be?  The show wanted to have a storyline where we get close to (or start) WWIII and they did just want it to be that the new Russian president is a power hungry wingnut who declares war on the US.  They wanted it to be more complicated, and I appreciate that (it is the stuff that makes this show worth watching , IMO). But how else would Elizabeth get the info (too late) that it wasn't Russia that did the Air Force One hack.  I suppose they could have just had Elizabeth get some sort of memo or email that made her realize that it wasn't Russia, but I expect more from this show than that.  To make the story good, Elizabeth needed to get the info from someone close to her - someone she would talk to all the time.  I guess they could have Henry at home making lasagna while Liz's best friend is a asset handler for the CIA (heck she even has friends that work for the CIA), but "we're besties, but can't discuss work with each other" doesn't have the same weight as "we're happily married, but can't discuss work with each other." Plus, having the best friend sitting in the limo making the revelation Henry made would have been more ridiculous (and they sort of had to have that revelation be made by whoever would have the info about Russia not being the hacker, in order to set the stage that they know stuff that could be important). This all ends up with Henry being the superhero husband.  

 

So, I will accept that Eye Candy is a superhero. But I still wonder - if this show was about a male SOS, would they have the wife be a superhero?  I get the feeling they would have gone with the superhero best friend instead,   

[Netfoot]

It's the STRESS OF THE JOB, man! ;-)

 

The crown lies heavy...

[andromeda331]

if this show was about a male SOS, would they have the wife be a superhero?  I get the feeling they would have gone with the superhero best friend instead,

No. She would be doing the normal things taking care of the kids, social events and etc. that politican's wife does. She

wouldn't be a spy, a handler, she wouldn't have helped save the world, or Cuba-USA thing. Not only is Henry doing

all of this. He figures out the Senator and NSA are working together, he figured it out and not the people who's entire

job is politics. Russell's probably dealt with that kind of thing his whole career, so has the President. Elizabeth should

have also figured that out. We have Henry suddenly being the Handler, would the CIA really chose someone who's

wife is so high profile? And how have we seen that Henry is so good at it? Does he chose to have meetings with

Dimitri after classes? Or ones that resemble a professor-student relationship? No, we see them having very

suspicious meetings like in dark allies.  What about the press? Wouldn't they be following him around? Their

always hoping to find a politician or their spouse cheating, or doing something stupid.

[bros402]

I have long thought it was ridiculous that he would even be a handler for the CIA. Was he trained at all for that job?  Elizabeth worked for the CIA, Henry is just a professor, ex-marine, paratrooper, pilot, war hero, and a bunch of other things, but never a spy.  Plus, he is married to the SOS, the chance of them sharing info, even accidentally, is pretty good.  There had to be someone else in the US that could have be recruiting spies.  

 

He's a handler for the NSA

 

or DIA.

 

I think they keep changing their minds.

 

Military -> DIA might make sense, then it would've been a way for a CIA officer to meet him

[Anela]

I know this.  But my point was, maybe they're giving him a larger part because he's demanding it.

I wondered about this, as well. I remember another TV husband = the actor, complaining about his part, so they came up with more for him to do.