S05.E09: The Litvinov Ruse

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The CIA and BND make a play.

 

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[Rock knocker]

My girlfriend thinks that Acrobat is gay and the Russians figured that out, and turned him by black mailing him.  He never stole $8million from Iraq, and didn't really need Allison to help him.  By threats to expose him, he was used by the Russians to then turn Allison.

 

Durning and Acrobat hooked up at Banana Joe's bar when Acrobat hightailed it out of the mid east.  Acrobat is in Europe for several reasons, maybe some nefarious, but mostly to get wit Durning between the sheets.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Rock knocker

[fastiller]

The more I watch of this the more I like the idea that Carrie's bi-polar disorder allows for the people around her to question her statements of "She's trying to kill me."

[Primetimer]

The BND teams with Saul and Carrie to flush Allison out; Quinn hopes to avoid painful gas.

Read the story

[WaltersHair]

Mother puss bucket.  Quinn better be acting. I mean an Emmy with gold-toilet-paper-sitting-on-her-wing winning performance or I will be angry. Very angry. I don't even care about the Allison story line.

[beeble]

Poor Quinn. He's sort of become like Krycek on the X-Files, the guy who just gets his ass kicked constantly. He better get a desk job next season. Or at least a raise.

 

Alison might throw her phone out but she will never, ever dump that pricey purse. 

[Muffyn]

Quinnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Show, don't hurt Quinn. He's been through more than enough. Can't you just send him to bed with some cocoa and an extra fluffy teddy bear? He's earned it.

[Artsda]

Quinn! :(

[Ina123]

Yikes! Quinn.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Man, why are they punishing Quinn like this?!  I'm fairly sure he's not going to die, though.  If that had been a death scene, I think that we would have been forced to watch the entire horrible thing.  Nah, if Quinn was going to die, I think that the gunshot earlier this season would have taken him out.  The atropine that the guy injected Quinn with will save him, but I'm wondering if he'll have any lasting effects from the gas?  I'm guessing that he'll be left for dead in that pressure sealed room and then Carrie will find him and get a team to their location.  Today was a terrible day to binge-watch the last few episodes so I could watch tonight's in real time!  Should have waited another week.

[LilaFowler]

I don't really even care about the Allison stuff.  She'll probably get away with it all, anyway.  Even if she doesn't, it's not like it can be made public that she was an agent for the Russians for a decade.  How stupid would the US allow itself to look?  It's bad enough that the Germans know and were also exposed to her treachery. 

 

I'm guessing Quinn makes it because Rupert is listed as being in the last three episodes on imdb.  He'd better live, he's at least 50% of the reason that I still watch.

[mjc570]

wow, if this show has any pretensions to reality, then I should be running the CIA.  I liked the episode a lot, but there were so many things that drove me crazy, such as :  (1) it was COMPLETELY foreseeable that Allison would flip the story - that's a tactic that is so cliche that Saul/Carrie/Dar/the BND should have been prepared: (2) where was Allison's burner phone?  Did she really do all her treasonous activities on her CIA-issued smartphone?  (3)  How could Saul assume that Allison only has 1 handbag?  (4)  Shouldn't Allison, this experienced intelligence officer, have known that OF COURSE her material would be sanitized before being provided to the Moscow folks?  I could go on, but I might as well just give up.  I have to admit, I really like the (kind of rare) parts of the show that have folks (especially Carrier) being competent, which is why I liked Quinn so much.

 

Speaking of Quinn, when he is ever going to get a break?  He is awesome, and doesn't deserve to exist solely as an object of abuse. 

[Lemons]

Poor Quinn. He's sort of become like Krycek on the X-Files, the guy who just gets his ass kicked constantly. He better get a desk job next season. Or at least a raise.

 

Alison might throw her phone out but she will never, ever dump that pricey purse.

Is thatt purse she bought online? Is that why they showed her buying one?

[lucindabelle]

Nah they showed her buying a purse because female.

They are unbelievably dumb. The long con would have been so golden.

[KittyS]

I think showing Allison buying the purse last week was to demonstrate that she wasn't hurting for money, the money we later found out she got from the Russians. I don't think they would show her shopping online without it having a specific meaning.

Quinn, WTF. He just can't get a break - shot, infected, stabbed, kidnapped, gassed. I want his next assignment to be at a kitten farm.

[lucindabelle]

I'm sure that was the intended reason but to me her buying $500 purse didn't go there. It was discounted and all. If she'd bought it new at $1500 then maybe.

[scrb]

Allison was freaking out to Ivan and losing it and then a few seconds before the Germans break down the door, she comes up with this plan and now she's all Yoda cool, staring down the Germans and Dar, calling their bluff?

 

OK, then why was she freaking out in the first place?

 

Gimme a fricking break, choose one or the other writers, you can't have it both ways.

 

 

Looks like they're going to try to cram these two story lines together now.  And this is probably where the Paris attacks probably will hurt the credibility of the show, when the terrorists will be giving this ultimatum and demanding ISIL recognition.  Based on real life events, we know ISIL doesn't wait for ultimatums to be answered, they just go for it and boast on social networks.

[magemaud]

I'm sure Allison has a closet full of expensive purses, but if she's like most women, she doesn't change her wallet and that is what Saul planted the bug in.

[henripootel]

Mother puss bucket.  Quinn better be acting.

He's probably not, but IRL, he would be doomed.  Years ago I worked a job where getting gassed with sarin was a real possibility, real enough that I was required to carry a whole set of auto-injectors at all times.  The guy who explained their use to me told me that first (and only) sign I'd likely get was that the world would suddenly go dark, meaning my pupils had contracted suddenly.  Time to whip out injector 1 and head for the hospital, and that the injectors would merely keep me from drowning in my own fluids, but only for a while.  If the drive was too long I was supposed to go to shots 2 and 3, but if I panicked and took them too fast I'd probably give myself a heart attack.  Atropine in high doses is not your friend.

 

Here's the kicker: this would only work if I'd got just a little whiff of gas.  A whiff and one molecule more and next thing I knew I'd be playing a harp, atropine or not, even if my body took a while to catch on that I was dead.  A survivable dose is pretty small, and very close to a completely unsurvivable one.

 

In real life, Quinn's dead.  But this is hollywood so I'm sure he'll be fine.

 

Question: how is Allison's story supposed to explain her ditching her phone?  I could see throwing off SVR tails maybe but how can she explain why tossing her phone helps her do that?  Surely the russians can't track it or that'd be a major security violation right there, so it can only be to thrown off her 'own' side.  Plus she just tossed the one piece of kit she needs to (ostensibly) organize a rescue for her asset.  Also have to wonder, if she really was rescuing her guy, why didn't she didn't just flash him a warning to run, why would she need to physically go get him?  Sharp guy like Dar shouldn't believe her story for a second.

Edited December 1, 2015 by henripootel

[LoveLeigh]

So: Carrie and Saul believe Allison was working for the Russians for a decade and when Allison is "played" and caught Allison turns it by saying she was not working for the Russians, she used that Russian guy to get intell for the USA. 

 

This is really convoluted but... I think the writers want the audience to think Allison's story could be a possibility. However, Allison's shaking panic attack makes no sense and her behavior makes no sense. 

 

It looks like Dar might believe Allison which would keep Carrie and Saul against Dar and Allison in this layered game of spies. 

 

I don't think there is anyway Quinn can be alive after that. We saw him die in this episode. What a sad way for that guy to go. He really did die for his country. 

Edited November 30, 2015 by DakotaLavender

[dwmarch]

I sometimes describe this show as "24 but realistic" but in this episode they left off the "but realistic" part. Let's examine the 24 checklist. Lying to your lover while trying to expose their treachery? Check. Bad guys getting off on a technicality? Check. Fugitives who were only a few minutes ago running from the CIA/CTU are all of a sudden welcome back at central command because they bring useful intel? Check. Plot armor as a counter-agent to a deadly WMD? Check.

 

I was hoping that Quinn's homeboy was going to puncture that hose the other guy was bitching about earlier. Gas all the terrorists while Quinn laughs. Too bad.

 

However, there was one moment I really loved. Saul is completely discombobulated because he's just found out he's not Allison's one and only. Carrie as usual is focused on the mission and wants to turn up the heat. Saul tells her to up the ante. Rather than asking Saul what he would do, Carrie tells him "alright, we'll come up with a plan and get back to you." She's never usually this insightful when it comes to other people's emotions!

[koalathebear]

He's probably not, and IIR, would be doomed.  Years ago I worked a job where getting gassed with sarin was a real possibility, real enough that I was required to carry a whole set of auto-injectors at all times.  The guy who explained their use to me told me that first (and only) sign I'd likely get was that the world would suddenly go dark, meaning my pupils had contracted suddenly.  Time to whip out injector 1 and head for the hospital, and that the injectors would merely keep me from drowning in my own fluids, but only for a while.  If the drive was too long I was supposed to go to shots 2 and 3, but if I panicked and took them too fast I'd probably give myself a heart attack.  Atropine in high doses is not your friend.

 

Here's the kicker: this would only work if I'd got just a little whiff of gas.  A whiff and one molecule more and I'd never know what hit me, atropine or not, even if my body took a while to catch on that I was dead.

 

In real life, Quinn's dead.  But this is hollywood so I'm sure he'll be fine.

 

 

 

OK I'm not sure how reliable this website is but WSJ's weekly article "An Intelligence Expert Weighs In" said this week: "But the story line of Quinn being injected with atropine and then being thrown into a room filled with sarin and hopefully not dying is realistic. You can use atropine as a prophylactic before you actually get exposed to sarin – it works just as well. It’s not something you have to inject yourself with after the fact. Atropine is actually very effective against sarin gas, because what it does is it counteracts the effects of the gas on your nervous system. Most of the time you end up asphyxiating because your lungs stop working. Atropine blocks that reaction from taking place. So you can’t take atropine days before you get exposed to sarin, but right beforehand is perfectly fine. As long as it’s in the system at the same time as the sarin, then you should be OK."

 

I can buy that maybe the atropine counteracted the sarin but Quinn is still responding pretty violently to the sarin gas.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quinn can't go out like this, man. After being shot, stabbed, beaten, kidnapped, and abused in every way short of being forced to listen to "Party in the USA" on an endless loop, he can't die this way, DAMN IT.

[Joan van Snark]

As mentioned by other posters, not everything about this episode was completely believable, but it was good enough that I could suspend any disbelief I had.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering how the Alison thing would play out.  Contrasted with that other show that comes on at the same time on AMC, there is no comparison.  This show keeps coming up with fresh new twists to keep things interesting, but that one seems to be quickly running out of ideas.  Why am I watching that one live and catching this afterwards on Showtime Anytime?  

 

Anyway, can't say it enough that I LOVE LOVE LOVE when Saul and Carrie are aligned and working together.  If anything I thought the Quinn parts slowed everything down.  

 

Does anyone think it's possible the Dar was turned a long time ago and has been playing everyone the whole time?  And going all the way back to Season 1---didn't Saul refuse to take a polygraph?  Was that ever explained?  That would certainly rock my world if Saul turned out to be a double agent.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Joan van Snark

[teddysmom]

Can't you just send him to bed with some cocoa and an extra fluffy teddy bear? He's earned it.

 

He can stay at my house as long as he wants.  

 

I already put TPTB on notice, kill Quinn and you answer to me.  TBS,  I'm thinking the injection the one guy gave him will work. (fingers crossed). 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved the Saul and Carrie hug. I think they both needed it.

[Ina123]

Maybe Dar "buys into" Allison's story...and that becomes the long con.

[garyvp]

Dar should be called .”DUHHHHHH”.
Will Dar ask Saul what Saul really said to Allison in the 2 minutes in the bathroom at the hotel? That Carrie suspects the Russians? That the German CIA identified the Russian hit man that went for Quinn?
Will Dar compare notes on Carrie and Allison versions of the same conversations?
Does Dar know about the hit-mailbox targeting Carrie? By Quinn? Does he (or anybody) want to take a chance that, with Carrie’s batting average, she’s imagining all this stuff?
What about the gunshots fired at Carrie in Amsterdam? Surely this is known to the police.
What about Carrie’s Acrobat discovery? Doesn’t that still implicate Allison? If she was so concerned last episode, why not now? Can Acrobat be reached or is he already dead?
Are senior agents really able to hide their deep assets from everyone in the agency?
Predictions:
Quinn survives.
The CIA and Russia deal away an embarrassing situation and Allison gets away.
Berlin is not gassed and the terrorists are stopped.
Laura publishes the story.

[magemaud]

I actually teared up when Saul and Carrie hugged. I hate it when they are at odds with one another.

Did anyone else think that Allison's dinner date/booty caller was OTTO DURING? Or were we supposed to?

Edited November 30, 2015 by magemaud

[Lemons]

I'm sure Allison has a closet full of expensive purses, but if she's like most women, she doesn't change her wallet and that is what Saul planted the bug in.

 

Oh, I thought he put it in her purse!  Of course Saul is smarter than that.

[LaughingOne]

OK I'm not sure how reliable this website is but WSJ's weekly article "An Intelligence Expert Weighs In" said this week: "But the story line of Quinn being injected with atropine and then being thrown into a room filled with sarin and hopefully not dying is realistic. You can use atropine as a prophylactic before you actually get exposed to sarin – it works just as well. It’s not something you have to inject yourself with after the fact. Atropine is actually very effective against sarin gas, because what it does is it counteracts the effects of the gas on your nervous system. Most of the time you end up asphyxiating because your lungs stop working. Atropine blocks that reaction from taking place. So you can’t take atropine days before you get exposed to sarin, but right beforehand is perfectly fine. As long as it’s in the system at the same time as the sarin, then you should be OK."

 

I can buy that maybe the atropine counteracted the sarin but Quinn is still responding pretty violently to the sarin gas.

 

Yeah, I feel like the explanation from the show is good enough for him to survive.  Yes, in the real world, it's probably not that simple and likely to succeed, but in the TV world, it's a sufficient reason for him to be okay.

[Noirprncess]

I actually teared up when Saul and Carrie hugged. I hate it when they are at odds with one another.

Did anyone else think that Allison's dinner date/booty caller was OTTO DURING? Or were we supposed to?

Yes!. Of course, I also thought During was the one waiting for Allison at the house. I'm still waiting to see how they shoe horn him back into this story line.

How cliched was it that the audio disappeared seconds before Allison reaches Ivan? . So of course, she takes a chance on flipping the script and claiming him as a source.

I love how tv shows spies ditching expensive phones regularly as if they have an endless supply of replacement iPhones back in the spy shed. Carrie adds verbal commentary on it by saying she would have done the same (ditch the phone). As if that's the only way to be tracked.

Poor Quinn. His list of injuries are about to rival my favorite tv test dummy, Delko, from CSI: MIAMI. Delko had his own private wing at the hospital cuz he seemed to have brain surgery every other season finale.

I'm sure that shot will have Quinn back and ready for another beating next season.

I felt bad for Saul finding out that he was just one purse in Allison's collection of expensive purses. It's sad to see he really thought they were more serous than she did, in front of everyone. That had to hurt.

Dar...I always get the feeling he's weighing out the percentages of probability in his head before committing to a thought.

[Lemons]

 

I don't think there is anyway Quinn can be alive after that. We saw him die in this episode. What a sad way for that guy to go. He really did die for his country. 

 

He does have a chance because one of the terrorists is having second thoughts and seems to be on his side.  You can have horrific side effects from something and survive.

[slowpoked]

On the first watch, all I could about was QUINN!!!!

 

On the second watch I started to notice little details that I appreciated. Sure, there's still a lot of suspension of disbelief to be done, but this season is really turning out to be a good one after the letdowns of S3 and S4 (IMO). 

 

I loved Carrie breaking down upon seeing Saul, just minutes after Etai told her she broke his heart. I like how the writers didn't spell out the apology and both of them just understood and hugged it out. I understand Saul being pissed at Carrie for derailing his directorship bid, but IMO, Carrie felt betrayed at the end of S4, and so she somehow felt it was justified to take revenge on Saul by doing just that. She saw the devastation of the embassy hijacking in Pakistan up close, and saw most of her peers killed by Haqqani. She stuck out her neck to save Saul even though he was already in private industry at that time, and no longer CIA. And when she found out that Dar made a deal with the devil and Saul was fully behind it, well, her heart was broken too.

 

Another thing I love, and found funny, is how Saul and Allison's little affair is an open secret, not just in the CIA, but in the Germany intelligence as well. Maybe in all of the intelligence community! Hee! I've said before that Nina Hoss is the underrated star of this season and that little "oopsy" look she did after revealing to Carrie Saul and Allison's affair was gold.

 

So the affair definitely meant more, or at least something to Saul, than to Allison. I also thought there was not much intimacy between them when the affair was first revealed earlier this season but Saul was clearly hurting during that surveillance. Well, Allison loves her gorgeous men, so.

 

I also like how the little passing details and references in the first episode is now slowly making sense as the season unfolds. Last week, I mentioned the passing reference that Carrie made to Allison about Baghdad during the first episode that was fleshed out last week. On that same dialogue, Carrie also congratulated Allison on getting Berlin because she knew Allison had wanted that specific job for a long time.. Now we know why - because Ivan is SVR Berlin Station Chief and this way Allison can work closely with the Russians without much hard work on the logistics, being in the same city. 

 

 

Did anyone else think that Allison's dinner date/booty caller was OTTO DURING? Or were we supposed to?

I'm sure it wasn't During, or Astrid would have made specific mention of that for Carrie's benefit. 

[magemaud]

 

I'm sure it wasn't During, or Astrid would have made specific mention of that for Carrie's benefit

I didn't mean that it WAS During (and it obviously wasn't or he would have been recognized.) It's just that at first glance when he came in the door and I saw him from a distance, my first thought was "Otto!" 

[Bama]

I don't think there is anyway Quinn can be alive after that. We saw him die in this episode.

We didn't see Quinn die.

We saw him convulse, froth at the nose and mouth, and we saw him collapse.

We did not see him die.

[scrb]

Alison is not just promiscuous in the spy game.

 

It will be satisfying when they take her down.

 

However, not nearly as satisfying as getting Tasneem would be.

[magemaud]

 

Oh, I thought he put it in her purse!  Of course Saul is smarter than that.

Oops, you're absolutely right! I rewatched and he slit open and slipped the bug in the lining of the purse itself. Carrie would have known better, but we can't expect Saul to think like a woman so he's lucky Alison didn't have time to change it. 

[One Imaginary Girl]

I think showing Allison buying the purse last week was to demonstrate that she wasn't hurting for money, the money we later found out she got from the Russians. I don't think they would show her shopping online without it having a specific meaning.

I thought that showing her buying an expensive purse was meant to show how she's materialistic and status oriented and thus vulnerable where money is concerned.

Even if she doesn't, it's not like it can be made public that she was an agent for the Russians for a decade.  How stupid would the US allow itself to look?  

In real life, there have been well-publicized cases of American spies for other countries: for example,  the Walker brothers, Robert Hanssen, Ana Montes, Kendall and Gwen Myers.

[numbnut]

WTF is happening this season?!? All my shows have threatened to kill off my fave characters. First Glenn on TWD, Kevin on The Leftovers, and now Quinn! My heart can't take it!

[fastiller]

Quinnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Show, don't hurt Quinn. He's been through more than enough. Can't you just send him to bed with some cocoa and an extra fluffy teddy bear? He's earned it.

 

 

He can stay at my house as long as he wants.  

 

I already put TPTB on notice, kill Quinn and you answer to me.  TBS,  I'm thinking the injection the one guy gave him will work. (fingers crossed). 

 

teddysmom, if you're not home when he arrives, he's free to wait at my place.

[dwmarch]

Another thing I thought of that they nicked from 24 for this episode: having the Director of the CIA personally supervise an interrogation. The CIA has a counterintelligence division and according to Wiki there's also a National Counterintelligence Center. All of these people have jobs that would involve finding moles like Allison. The CIA's efforts to expose spies would not consist of rushed operations to flush the game. I can give the show a partial pass on that because Saul and Carrie were kind of on the run when they brought this in (although CI should have been waiting there for them!). However, there is no need for Dar Adal to personally interrogate Allison. If she's guilty it won't be found out through the judgment call of the senior mandarin at CIA. It will be through detective work and a trail of shiny, illicit purses that are above Allison's pay grade even if she is careful to shop for sales.

[teddysmom]

This show sure hates the gingers, doesn't it?   

[ahpny]

Though there are significant holes in Allison's story that Dar seems to have already recognized, in a previous episode (I don't recall how far back) Ivan did say he would pass along some legitimate intelligence that she could use so their relationship could have a veneer of not being fully traitorous. Allison can presumably point to that now because it is indeed real and should support her story. Nevertheless, unless its primo stuff (and how could it really be) it wouldn't seem to outweigh the mountain of other problematic stuff.

 

Perhaps the most damning thing she did to undermine her story was run to Ivan rather than communicate with him or have him meet her somewhere else.

[henripootel]

It will be through detective work and a trail of shiny, illicit purses that are above Allison's pay grade even if she is careful to shop for sales.

You'd think, but spending above your pay grade has gone unnoticed in a number of real-world spy cases (Ames comes to mind).  I agree that once Allison was suspected, the professional counter-intelligence guys would step in, and what'd cook her goose was a comparison of lists.  List of people who knew about the Syrian general plan X the list of people who knew about the death postal box and could have put Carrie's name in it = a very short list of names.  Cross that with Allison clearly fleeing (no matter what half-asked explanation she gave) and she's on a plane home strapped to a gurney.  Saul too but that's another matter, but Dar and a lot of others would be answering plenty of questions as well. 

 

Allison getting chickenfeed from her handler would absolutely not save her - anyone who's ever read a le Carré novel knows this trick.  Also, there is zero chance that Allison turned the head of a SVR rezidentura and didn't report it to somebody.  It'd be a huge fucking deal and a few folks would be party to this secret, Saul and Dar among them but neither seemed to know.  Allison's chances of saying 'Oh, did I not mention this previously?' and getting away with it are way beyond zero. 

Edited November 30, 2015 by henripootel

[txwatcher]

If they let Allison off the hook and kill Quinn, I am out. At least til the end then I'll binge watch the final episodes. But I will not set aside day of air time. btw How amny episodes are left?

[beeble]

Is thatt purse she bought online? Is that why they showed her buying one?

 

I don't think so. My thinking - as a woman who likes purses - is that Alison has many more than just one designer purse. A girl needs to coordinate with shoes and hair and outfits, of course. One purse won't get a gal like Alison through the week. But I figure we saw her buying it online because she can't really walk into Hermes or Prada without being noticed so this is perfect. She has an account with her illicitly gotten funds probably directly tied to her Prada account which makes life very convenient. 

 

If I were a corrupt CIA agent, I can't even imagine the crap I'd buy on line while waiting for my contacts to phone me. 

[albaniantv]

Maybe Nina Hoss will take Quinn back to her place for a really long rehab; she is his equal in so many ways. (And if you saw the film, Phoenix, it's hard to believe this wonderful actress is hanging around Homeland just to catch a spy.)

 

It's almost as hard to see Saul emotionally felled by the bloodless Allison as it is to see Quinn writhing in physical pain.

[Boundary]

Maybe Dar "buys into" Allison's story...and that becomes the long con.

 

I hope so because 1) Carrie has played her cards, 2) Allison has turned the tables and 3) Carrie the show's lead has not yet personally taken Allison down. This whole episode was to convince Saul, next step is to actually nail Allison. For Carrie to rush into that interrogation room shouting her allegations will be weak. Allison has played them, now it's time for Carrie to play her back: disappear from that building without being seen, while they let Allison loose, and then Carrie can regroup and do her thing. 

[henripootel]

... while they let Allison loose, and then Carrie can regroup and do her thing.

 

I'll be sorely disappointed if they let Allison out of custody for any reason.  They don't have to be able to prove shit in order to hold her and ship her home, and if she is a mole (which we know but they don't, not for sure), she'll either bolt or the SVR will kill her to keep her from revealing exactly what she told them.  Nay, they'd never let her go and for the best of CIA reasons - nobody would want to risk their own career on her maybe not being dirty.  Everyone from Dar on down would cover their own asses and play it safe, even if she really wasn't guilty and they only suspected that she might be.  The only thing that makes sense is Allison going home immediately under heavy escort.