Speculation Without Spoilers Theories

[PinkRibbons]

Back when the USSR was still a mighty empire, they had a policy of not sending the army anywhere they were familiar with to put down local issues. By which I mean, for example, when Lithuania told the empire "Screw this, we're out of here" and the empire responded by sending in the armed forces, they left any Lithuanian soldiers back at the base.

My mother has a vivid memory of a picture taken during the fall of the Soviet Soviet-- which I have fruitlessly tried to find for decades, and now suspect may have been a television broadcast -- of a young soldier sitting on top of a tank amidst a sea of people. The tank is in the middle of Moscow, and Moscow is rioting, and the soldier sits there with his head in his hands because this time they couldn't leave the Russian soldiers at the base, and the Russian soldiers are being faced with having to fire on their own.

...just something to imagine as we go into the final season.

[SunnyBeBe]

When Oleg was describing having a wife and child......for a minute, I wondered if they would go there.  I mean, if he opened that door wide and there was Martha, along with their child, I could only imagine the howl that would have collectively gone out around the country!  lol  It would have been too much though.  I'm glad they played it the way they did. Still, I think we will see a glimpse of Martha in this finale season.  Just a nod to her character might be fitting, due to the work she did on the show and how well loved she was.  

[BingeyKohan]

I still hold out hope we'll get a Renee/Elizabeth knock-down, drag-out. If Arkady knows as much as he does about Phillip's mindset (and the intention to position him to 'stop' Elizabeth) then someone like Renee (if she were a long-game agent) would too. Maybe she'll be positioned to take Phillip out in order to let Elizabeth proceed, but Elizabeth will take down Renee in order to save Phillip (despite being on the same side, technically, as Renee) If you follow. I guess you'd call this fanfic more than true speculation.

I do think it's interesting that Renee and Stan actually kind of look alike. You could think of her as a female Stan, almost, if you accept the theory she's an agent who has accepted a very long embed, the way he himself used to, before we met him.

I'm kind of surprised the Centre hasn't insisted Elizabeth divorce Phillip (in true American fashion) and enter into another arranged-marriage with someone who actually is a true believer. But I guess that would make Phillip even more problematic, floating out there with what he knows.

[SunnyBeBe]

I think some characters on the show view Philip as an issue for the Soviet Union, but, I just never do.  He's a real patriot to them, imo.  He has sacrificed much for his job and done things that Elizabeth would have shuddered at.  With all he's done, I think that's why the Centre gave him a break. But, I can see him struggling if he has to take down someone like Stan.  I really think he may have difficulty with that.  I don't think he would betray Elizabeth for any reason, except to save the kids, regardless of the job. 

[sistermagpie]

14 minutes ago, BingeyKohan said:

I'm kind of surprised the Centre hasn't insisted Elizabeth divorce Phillip (in true American fashion) and enter into another arranged-marriage with someone who actually is a true believer. But I guess that would make Phillip even more problematic, floating out there with what he knows.

I don't think they have enough agents to cause that kind of havoc in their personal lives just to make sure Elizabeth is married to somebody they consider a true believer. Even if there were more of them left than there are. 

8 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I think some characters on the show view Philip as an issue for the Soviet Union, but, I just never do.  He's a real patriot to them, imo. 

I agree--and I think that's something set up with Philip, Arkady and Oleg. It's like how Gabriel described William. He was always complaining, but he loved his country in the end. That said, I assume they let him stay because even Claudia can report that Elizabeth wants him there and getting rid of him just destabilizes Elizabeth as well.

[SunnyBeBe]

I just wonder if that in the end, we will see Elizabeth freeze, hold back or just not perform as she is instructed, since she is known as the more fanatical of the two. That leaves Philp in a lurch and he has to jump in to save her and the kids.  It would be ironic to see that twist. I mean, where else will the story go, if she keeps doing the same and he keeps doing the same? Seems to me that something different will occur OR, Elizabeth really does devote herself to the cause and goes down in a flames or with a poison pill.  

[SunnyBeBe]

I wasn't quite sure where to put this.  It was raised in the Summit thread, since, it's about the movie the intern brought to the hotel room.  The Big Heat.  I commented there about the poster for that movie, that has a man and woman in a struggle and is captioned, You Forgot to Kill me, Now you gotta die, or something like that.  

I took the time to actually read about that movie and the parallels that it has with The Americans at this point and time. 

It includes:

The investigation of an apparent suicide of a man, whose wife claims he was in poor health and
 

Quote

 

Bannion is contacted by the late cop's mistress, Lucy Chapman (Dorothy Green), who claims Tom Duncan had not been in ill health. Bannion revisits Duncan's widow and asks for particulars about the couple's luxurious home, but she resents the implication. The next day, Bannion is rebuffed by Lieutenant Ted Wilks (Willis Bouchey), who is under pressure from "upstairs" to close the case. Lucy Chapman is found dead after being tortured, strangled, and covered with cigarette burns. Bannion investigates, although the Chapman case is in the sheriff's jurisdiction and not in his department's. After receiving threatening calls at his home, Bannion confronts Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby), the local mob boss who runs the city, and finds that people are too scared to stand up to the crime syndicate. When warnings to Bannion go unheeded, his car is blown up, and his wife, Katie (Jocelyn Brando), who was alone in the car, is killed. After accusing his superiors of corruption, Bannion resigns from the police department.

Stone decides to kidnap Bannion's young daughter, Joyce (Linda Bennett), who is staying with her aunt and uncle.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Heat

I just thought it was interesting.  I wonder if the movie was just put there by chance or if there is any foreshadowing there. 

Someone pointed out on he Rififi thread that the movie poster that E was standing in front of outside the theater in that episode was The Big Clock, which was remade later as the movie No Way Out, about a Russian spy who is in very deep. 

Quote

 Revealing that he genuinely loved Susan, Farrell refuses and tells his handlers that he is finished being a KGB mole. After he leaves the safe house, his handler snaps, "He'll return. Where else does he have to go?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Way_Out_(1987_film)

Edited May 18, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Pink-n-Green]

Would it be at all possible for Alderholt (sp?) to be an illegal?

[crgirl412]

46 minutes ago, Pink-n-Green said:

Would it be at all possible for Alderholt (sp?) to be an illegal?

On one hand I would say no due to the very intense background that is done on the FBI employees but then on the other hand, anything can be done if it needs to be for the Cause (Aunt Helen). 

[Umbelina]

No.

[skippylou]

When Stan sees the surveillance photos of the meeting with Father Andrei it's over for P & E.   Not much of a disguise, just glasses.  I assume that the FBI is at least as fast as the One-Hour-Photo store which were all over in the 80's.  

[skippylou]

Assuming he wasn't caught, exactly how was Oleg going to get the message back to Moscow?  Certainly not through the Embassy.  Not through Claudia. Polly the telephone switchboard operator?  By shortwave radio?

So, how could he tell Stan how to get the message out without fingering an operative.  Must be shortwave radio.  He can give Stan the frequency and times and not expose anyone else.   Stan can then agonize over what to do.

Edited May 24, 2018 by skippylou

[Umbelina]

1 minute ago, skippylou said:

Assuming he wasn't caught, exactly how was Oleg going to get the message back to Moscow?  Certainly not through the Embassy.  Not through Claudia. Polly the telephone switchboard operator?  By shortwave radio?

So, how could he tell Stan how to get the message out without fingering an operative.  Must be shortwave radio.  He can give Stan the frequency and times and not expose anyone else.   Stan can then agonize over what to do.

He uses a code he worked out with his father.  He did it earlier this season.  Regular phone call to him about family, etc.

[kokapetl]

5 hours ago, Pink-n-Green said:

Would it be at all possible for Alderholt (sp?) to be an illegal?

I don’t think there were any African Russians (or African Ukrainians, African Belorussians etc) available. 

[Pink-n-Green]

3 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

I don’t think there were any African Russians (or African Ukrainians, African Belorussians etc) available. 

Good point; I hadn't thought of it from that angle.  It just seemed to me like he was being a little too quick to brush off Stan's suggestion that the Jennings were illegals.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, but, Gaad was not onto Martha for a good while. And, I didn't think Martha was a particularly good liar. 

[kokapetl]

2 hours ago, Pink-n-Green said:

Good point; I hadn't thought of it from that angle.  It just seemed to me like he was being a little too quick to brush off Stan's suggestion that the Jennings were illegals.

Infiltrating the US via black people also had American racial obstacles to surmount. They were surmountable by just using whites.

[sistermagpie]

I don't think Aderholt was completely brushing Stan off. He had very little reason at that point and it was only responsible for Aderholt to point that out. But I think he's open to hearing more.

[misstwpherecool]

12 hours ago, skippylou said:

When Stan sees the surveillance photos of the meeting with Father Andrei it's over for P & E.   Not much of a disguise, just glasses.  I assume that the FBI is at least as fast as the One-Hour-Photo store which were all over in the 80's.  

Stan and the FBI might figure it out but P & E might actually escape. What puzzles me though just to solve some the murders involved in P & E missions I would've released the sketches and/or even offered rewards for information years ago. You get the murders you get the spies. They issued artist sketches in the 1980s.

[SunnyBeBe]

I suppose that they didn't make the sketches too public, because that would have alerted the illegals to leave the country, but, hey, that would have been better than staying and killing even more people.

Edited May 24, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Loandbehold]

The FBI doesn't just want the illegals. They want information on the entire network. If they released the sketches and the illegals (P&E) left, so does their best chance to find out about other illegals.

[RedHawk]

Moved my comment to the "Predictions for the FINAL season" thread.

Edited May 25, 2018 by RedHawk