S05.E05: Lotus 1-2-3

[Sarah 103]

5 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

it was him flashing back to a past he's never wanted to talk about and isn't trying to remember during sex of all times.  I was shocked by that. And I think I was supposed to be. Philip was too. That's probably why he actually told Elizabeth something, even if he couldn't articulate what his memories mean. PTSD might be a good word for what is happening to him.

I thought of PTSD because the flashbacks seemed intrusive and uncontrolled/uncontrolable. PTSD is usually the result of something traumatic, often resulting from a life or death situation. My working theory right now is that each of these little flashbacks is a piece to a larger puzzle. This is building to something big, I just have no idea what that is.  

[Bannon]

The midge debacle really could have written better, and the mistake was an all too common one; advancing the plot by making your main characters conveniently stupid. It really should have been obvious to P & E that there was no agriweapons program, and it would have made more sense for them to have a conflict with the Centre when the Centre disregarded their input, and forced them to run the op anyways. They maybe could have had the same disillusionment without P & E killing yet one more person with bad timing.

To me, this show has always been primarily about the huge psychic toll inflicted by living in an entirely fraudulent manner, so to the degree the character of Paige can illustrate that, I've not minded her story arc the way some others have. The scene with her father was very good, I thought, with the despair on P's face, as he realizes what a life-destroying burden he's inflicting on his daughter.

I think there are repressed memories of  nearly unimaginable horror that P is dealing with; perhaps cannibalism. His psychological implosion may be what drives this show from here on out. I hope the writers have the skill to execute it well.

[mrsbagnet]

1 hour ago, Erin9 said:

I totally got why Oleg was unhappy with his dad. But- I felt sorry for his dad. He was genuinely trying to help him- badly- but he was trying. That was funny though- all those women over for dinner. 

The best part was his mother saying happily that the women had made dinner, as if that was a selling point. How awkward for them all. It was a blatant competition. Also, it was strange for that woman to offer Oleg a drink, as if he were a guest in his own. I do hope he was gracious enough actually stay for dinner because it would have been so much worse if he'd walked out.

[jjj]

It was interesting to hear Gabriel say that they have been aware of Mischa being missing from the start, and that they started to track signals to Phillip that might be from Mischa.  It had been clear last season that they kept tabs on Mischa.  I wondered where he was staying in the U.S. -- on the street?  Did he have much money left after being smuggled around Europe?  And it was odd that he was not willing to go with Gabriel, after trusting men he had just met and being thrown into cars under blankets.  Gabriel was much kinder than anyone we have seen Mischa interact with -- and really, what options does Mischa have if Gabriel is not his lifeline? 

I know the seating arrangement at Oleg's was done for the camera, but was he really supposed to sit by himself on one side of the long table, and survey the young women the entire evening?  And did he have a pre-arranged meeting in the middle of the night at the end of the episode, without the other party showing up? 

These episodes feel very slow compared to earlier seasons. 

[scartact]

Echoing in agreement the focus on sons this season, which is a good opportunity for the show to delve deeper into Philip's repressed past. I'm really looking forward and hoping Philip's flashbacks will accumulate into something.

Mischa and Gabriel's scene was so heartbreaking to me. Mischa's happy face being crushed by the realization that his father will not be coming to see him and the way Gabriel is just so tender and kind toward him. It felt almost unexpected to see Gabriel's kindness. I guess on some level, and this has always been the case, it's easy to question the veracity of Gabriel's relationship to Phil & Liz, but I think this episode really cemented to me how much care he really shows toward his charges.

Margo Martindale has a brief interview with Vulture and she has kinda cool speculation about why Gabriel left prior to season one, leading to Claudia to take over, and she suggests there being a crack in Gabriel. Both she and the interviewer obviously picked up the subtext of equating Gabriel and Claudia on some level to Philip and Elizabeth. So I guess within this framework, this makes me draw even more parallels to the paternalism within this episode amongst Philip and all his sons to varying degrees, Gabriel toward his charges, and then Gabriel and Mischa.

Henry gets a plotline! And it's in and out within the first like fifteen minutes! I wonder too if this will also create a cumulative effect that leads to something greater.

Philip and Elizabeth's respective dispassionate sex scenes toward an ultimately fruitless mission! Hence the reason they were over this shit in the first place. But I really adored Elizabeth's call to Philip and because we conveniently had a previously with Irina, that made me think back to when Elizabeth called Philip while he was in NY to tell him she missed him. It's a great development from season one to now and it's a nice step to actually hear Elizabeth miss Philip. I didn't get to see the full scene of Phil & Liz's conversation when she returns and tells him about the midges thing because my internet crapped out on me briefly (I stream eps now on one of the cable apps), which is a bummer since I know it would have better contextualized that final scene.

I'll try to watch it tomorrow, but a reviewer mentioned that pronoun shifts and also how "we" in the prior scene operates on the macro-level to be about their country, but also works micro-level to really be just about them. It occurs to me how Phil and Liz are looking at the micro and the macro respectively, which can often cause tension. Elizabeth tries to separate them and shoulder more work, but then Philip interjects to identify them together. The way it was shot was kind of interesting. They're both just looking so openly at one another, and then that final shot of both of them connected and yet still physically separated. They're evenly connected, but still slightly divided by that tension between macro and micro. So Philip saying, "It's us" to Elizabeth is really him trying to communicate that micro and intimate level of their partnership, disrupting the way Elizabeth is willing to shoulder it from that macro and, well, professional level of their partnership.

I do agree that this season kind of splitting itself into so many little plots. It sure does feel like a lot of setting up, and I do wish it would pull into a focus of like two or three specific storylines in an episode, but I get that they're also doing a lot of work to prepare for that final season. I have a huge amount of trust in the J's that I am okay with being patient.

[albaniantv]

  4 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

It's The Dating Game! (Moscow Edition) with your host Ivan Burov!

That's exactly what I said. I also thought it was interesting that Oleg clearly wants an intellectual equal based on the fact that he called them silly. 

  3 hours ago, zibnchy said:

This is apropos of nothing but the actor hired to portray Oleg's father does not resemble him in the least bit. Hmmm, maybe he's not Oleg's papa. Not that that would be a storyline. Anyway, I love Oleg and I want him to survive and be happy.

Genetics are strange. My mother refers to it as genetic roulette. Parents don't always look like thier kids. I love Oleg too and not only do I want him to survive and be happy, I want him to team up with Stan again. They worked well together.

Claudia is an older version of Elizabeth (ideologically driven), and Gabriel is an older version of Philip (concerned about people).   

Philip's memories have to been leading to something. There has to be some sort of payoff to these odd fragments that keep popping up at odd moments. 

Question: I don't understand the threat Olg's supervisor made to the store manager. Was the idea that if the man co-operated, his son would return from Afghanistan/be reassigned to another post or was it that he had a realitivy easy position in Afghanistan (Saigon soldier working in an office in Vietnam) and they would have him transferred to the front/a more difficult position.

Sarah 103--love what you said here about Claudia/Elizabeth and Gabriel/Philip parallels. I should have seen that but didn't.
It also gives me hope that Gabriel will find a way to evade Claudia's collaboration with Center to get Mischa out of their hair (kill him? remove him to Moscow?) and instead create an opportunity for Philip to meet this son.
I believe this is a distinct possibility because why would they bring these 2 lions back together just to obstruct Mischa--seems like overkill. But, they would bring them back together for a showdown.

[Flamingo]

An American popping in to say I hate s'mores. My mom used to make something she called Mary Janes with saltine crackers, peanut butter, and marshmallows toasted in the oven. They are delicious.

Nice to see Henry actually have a story.

[SlackerInc]

"Oleg goes to the appointed meeting place, but either leaves before the agent shows up, or got the date wrong?"

Oh dear.  Gentle recapper, I enjoy your writeups, but, um...you really didn't consider that it might just be the sign that Stan's extortion was successful?

Oleg, seriously: you didn't at least want to give the one on the right a chance?  She was gorgeous.

Anyone else think maybe Gabriel was going to kill Mischa?

Okay, it looks like maybe everyone was right after all about Stan's new squeeze.  Although if they were willing to make the wheat bugs thing a dead end, maybe the same will happen here.

Speaking of the wheat bugs: I still don't understand why the feds went through all the cloak-and-dagger to go out to that greenhouse.

5 hours ago, crashdown said:

I hear that sentiment expressed often, and I just never get.  I'm hopelessly in love with all of these poor, tragic fools.  I can't see any way out of its ending miserably for all of them, but I'd love for them to be happy.

Yeah, same here.  And I get the sense it's the same for the showrunners as well.  I don't think they are out to "punish" Phil and Elizabeth.

[txhorns79]

Quote

And it was odd that he was not willing to go with Gabriel, after trusting men he had just met and being thrown into cars under blankets.  Gabriel was much kinder than anyone we have seen Mischa interact with -- and really, what options does Mischa have if Gabriel is not his lifeline? 

I think with the people getting him out of Eastern Europe, they were at least nominally connected to his mother's plan (even the people who were not necessarily part of her plan), so he kind of just did what he had to do as he couldn't just turn around and go back.  Once he was in the US, after having gone through all that, I'd imagine he was much more reticent to suddenly go off with a stranger. 

Quote

I don't think they are out to "punish" Phil and Elizabeth.

I agree.  I think for anyone in Elizabeth and Phillip's position, it's unlikely to be a happy ending. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by txhorns79

[Ellaria]

6 hours ago, vb68 said:

I'm not feeling all that sympathetic for Philip, he does have a lot to feel like shit about and yes, Philip, you killed a completely innocent guy because you guys were utterly WRONG.

At least he feels bad. I really don't think Elizabeth does. Collateral damage and all that. She was just trying to placate Philip. Still I rewatched the scene twice where she finds out they are idiots just for the look on her face.

While my sympathies lie with the poor dead guy from the lab (as well as the other innocents that they have killed), watching Philip's pain is still uncomfortable. I had the same reaction to Elizabeth: does she feel bad? I don't think so...and yes, I understand that P&E are very different in their belief and commitment to their ideology. 

6 hours ago, benteen said:

Like the rest of the episodes this season, I thought the episode was good.  I thought the show ended with a strong last couple of minutes as Philip realizes the mistake that he's made.  But again, this season hasn't been impressing me.  In the prior seasons, the show had at least 1 or 2 standout episodes by this point.  So far, there's been nothing remarkable and it feels like the show is costing on its reputation.  This show is far too good for that and I hope it kicks into gear and that there's two storylines (the grain and Mischa) hasn't just been for nothing...

On and Paige is unhappy...what a shock.  True, it's understandable given what she's going through but just because it is doesn't mean I want to see another 18 episodes of the same character beats.

Paige...please. I get that the Chinese dinner scene was, in large part, to fully demonstrate Philip's pain but I am so done with her moping and brooding. I'm sure that its all leading somewhere but I hope it gets there soon.

Surprisingly, I have enjoyed the Misha storyline. His scene with Gabriel was heartbreaking. I am relatively sure that he isn't headed back to Russia any time soon. Somehow, he will meet Phillip. Right now, I think it depends on Gabriel and his "softer side."

I also feel that this fine show has been less than remarkable this season. Something needs to shake it up. I am hoping that Phillip decides that he has had enough and, after meeting with Misha, moves with him and Henry to Venice Beach and opens a surfer bar.

[Chaos Theory]

Gabriel and Claudia are a lot like an older (and unmarried) version of Philip and Elizabeth.  They do work well with each other and do bounce ideas off each other well.  Claudia is harder as more of a true believer.  While Gabriel might actually love his charges like a father and want what is best for them regardless of what it means for the mission.  I thought the scene between Claudia and Gabriel was short but it didn't need to be longer.  Claudia just wanted Misha gone.  Gabriel questioned the idea of actually letting the two meet because he knew how much Philip wanted to know his son.

[SWLinPHX]

Gosh, where to start...

I've always been upset by the innocents being killed in past seasons (like the older lady Elizabeth forced to overdose on her own pills while seeming to empathize with her at the same time), but I was not able to get over the fate of Hans and the lab guy this season.  This kind of evil in them (or at least lack of a conscious) is no longer acceptable at this stage without severe consequences and I think that is where all of this is heading.

Philip possibly meeting his son (and finding out how Mischa's long journey was intercepted and how Mischa was treated back home after Afghanistan), the guilt over the nice and innocent guy in the lab who cooperated and pleaded for his life but nevertheless was killed, the guilt about what Paige said to him over Chinese food that prompted him to go to an EST meeting about understanding teenagers, the thing their Russian defector family man has reminded him about conditions back home -- all of this is setting up the beginning of the end for Philip that I have always anticipated is how the series itself would wrap up.  It's been too long coming and now the tide must begin to turn, not only due to the circumstances which have come to a head but also that we are only a couple years away from Gorbachev and "glasnost" anyway.  Act Three of the entire series must now (finally) commence!

Edited April 5, 2017 by SWLinPHX

[Bannon]

I also want to note that what has made this show worth watching, from the beginning, for me, are the performances of Russell and Rhys. They have taken one of the great premises in heavily serialized television drama, and then really capitalized on it, sometimes overcoming  writing missteps along the way. I go back and forth as to who has been better. Last night, Rhys was just magnificent; he reminded me of a young Pacino, before the guy who nailed Michael Corleone became a manic scenery chewer.

[Inquisitionist]

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

It must be awkward for Philip that Deirdre is more interested in Lotus 1-2-3 than him.  Dude she is just not that into you.  But hey at least Elizabeth's mark is into her.  Enough for her to realize that they almost made a terrible terrible mistake.

She realized they HAD mad a terrible mistake.  Killing the poor guy at the greenhouse was never OK, but now learning that it wasn't even for their "cause"?  Yikes.  I agree, though, that this storyline has felt sloppy and end-point driven.  No way that high-level ops like E&P would be sneaking around a greenhouse like that.  They're much too valuable as people who cultivate contacts.

9 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

IIt's The Dating Game! (Moscow Edition) with your host Ivan Burov!

Ha, that's literally what I said to my husband! 

9 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

One thing that totally interested me, of course, was Philip's flashbacks, which now seem to be set up as a genuine mystery, Spellbound-style. When Elizabeth asked if he ever brought home anything else--that was a lot more on point than the EST stuff. If he's remembering this particular pattern, there's something to it. ...

And Philip as a son--to his father in flashbacks and maybe to Gabriel. (Not sure about Gabriel yet, but he gets that Philip would want to talk to Mischa. What's sad is he could probably just tell Mischa not to talk about the war. That's probably not actually what he wants to talk to him about.

Re point 1 above, I noticed E's question as well, and wondered about its significance.  What was P's father doing to come up with the things he brought home?  Re the second point, I think there is simply too much risk in having Mischa meet Philip at all. 

8 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I'm watching this episode again because IMDb gave me bad intel; they mistakenly had Alison Wright in the credits. I must say I would have really enjoyed it if she was bachelorette #4 sitting at the dinner table.

Now that would have been a hoot!

7 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I thought of PTSD because the flashbacks seemed intrusive and uncontrolled/uncontrolable. PTSD is usually the result of something traumatic, often resulting from a life or death situation. My working theory right now is that each of these little flashbacks is a piece to a larger puzzle. This is building to something big, I just have no idea what that is.  

We've already seen that Philip killed a young classmate as a boy himself.  Good lord, how much more traumatic does it get than that?

[rose711]

Just wanted to add that I learned in an anthropology class that the experiment to grow wheat in Africa actually caused more famine because it can't grow well there.

[kokapetl]

11 hours ago, vb68 said:

I'm confused now on Claudia's status. Is she Gabriel's handler just there to be his sounding board? It would seem she's still co-handler of Philip and Elizabeth, but she really doesn't interact with them at all.

I think Claudia is some sort of S program support officer, but the real reason she remains in the show is so Gabriel can talk about the Jennings to someone. 

With the wheat thing all wrapped up, Tuan is probably going to become a problem. 

ETA:

Spoiler

Ivan Mok isn't credited for any future episodes. I wonder if Philip wanted to eat his Big Mac after he kills Tuan. 

[stagmania]

I guess I'll stand alone in my corner, because I really liked this episode and I'm not bothered by the slow pace of the season. I always prefer the emotional and existential episodes to the plot heavy ones, and there was lots of good stuff to chew on here.

All your speculation about Phillips's memories being some sort of PTSD or functioning as puzzle pieces is really interesting; I think and hope it's leading to something bigger that will give us further insight to his character. His guilt over the bad kill, in conjunction with realizing he's neglected Henry and Paige is miserable, has him primed for a major meltdown. I expect that Mischa (and maybe Stan?) is going to be the final straw, however that ends up happening.

I do think Elizabeth felt bad about their mistake, but in a different way than Phillip. For him, the pain is more existential-he doesn't want to hurt people anymore, he no longer has strong faith in their righteousness, and it's chipping away at his soul. Elizabeth, on the other hand, still has her cause and truly believes that what they're doing is for the greater good, and can view occasional mistakes as unfortunate but unavoidable collateral damage. So she feels bad they killed an innocent man, but most of her concern was for Phillip and how she knew the knowledge would hit him. At this point, I think she understands that she's able to compartmentalize and cope with the nastier parts of their work much better than him, and it was a very generous thing for her to offer to take on his burden. Of course she wants to comfort him-I think the show has gone through great pains to show us her evolution in falling in love with him for real and trying to understand him better.

I felt awful for poor Mischa; he seemed so child like and innocent in the scene with Gabriel. I don't think that story is over by any means. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by stagmania

[shura]

So one can confess to a murder, try to interfere in matters of national security by blackmailing a government official, and keep going about their life consequence-free? That's cool.

I don't get why the FBI had to bring Alexei to that greenhouse in the middle of nowhere. What was so Soviet in there that required a Soviet agriculture expert?

Also wondering why P and E had to kill the guy in the lab. They left people alive before, like the guy at the sub propeller factory, for example. Were they not wearing disguises?

Edited April 5, 2017 by shura

[MisterBluxom]

If I was Henry, the only thing I would have wanted my dad to say to me was, "I'm proud of you".

I was struck by how Phillip seemed to stammer around saying, "We're very pleased". I think he said that twice. But somehow, there just didn't seem to be a direct connection between father and son.

This episode seemed to have a very different kind of pacing to it. The scene with Phillip in bed with the K.C. lady hit home with me. I've had similar experiences with people who just don't seem to know that sex can be an enjoyable experience. It can be fun and I hope it would be fun for most people. But that lady just seemed to think of it as a necessary chore - like doing the dishes or something. I know that's not quite correct. Maybe someone else here could describe her attitude better. But it was just so odd that she would have sex with Phillip and then ask, "Well, would you like to hear about Lotus 1-2-3 now?" It just seemed so odd to me. If the poor girl can't seem to find any enjoyment in the sex act, how does she find any fun in her life?

One thing that seemed odd to me was that for most of that scene, Phillip was on top. Then near the end, she was on top. It's as if one of them decided things were just not working out with him on top and they arranged to change things so he was on top. Any guesses on who made that call?

I'd also like to ask if anyone would care to guess whether Mischa will find a way to meet up with his father. If so, how would he ever manage to do that?

If you were a travel agent in Washington D.C., how would you feel if some very young man came into your office and in halting English said, "Hello. My name is Mischa and I am looking for my father. Maybe it could be that you are my father? Do you think that you could be my father?"

I'm guessing that he would find himself in the hands of Customs & Immigration within an hour or so. So, how could he ever manage to succeed at this?

[MisterBluxom]

52 minutes ago, rose711 said:

Just wanted to add that I learned in an anthropology class that the experiment to grow wheat in Africa actually caused more famine because it can't grow well there.

That sounds very likely to me. There is a good reason why the primary grain for people in China and neighboring countries is rice and the primary grain in North America is wheat. I think the two crops just don't grow well in the other climate. I think rice needs a very wet place. It always seems to be harvested under water. Wheat fields, by comparison, always seem very dry. I hope they don't just let the "wheat" story line drop here. It will seem like a very large waste of time to me if they do that. If the only issue to come out of that story is Phillip's regret over killing someone by mistake, they could have arranged for that to happein in a way that didn't take up so much time in so many episodes.

I would guess (more likely I would hope) that story is not over yet and something important is still about to happen there.

[SunnyBeBe]

So, will the new mission be to steal the secrets on how to grow this highly resistant wheat?  I would think that would be a valuable bit of info. So, there will be continued spying in the midwest? Doesn't the USSR need info on storage and transportation?  Also, they will likely keep spying on the Russian family?  Since the Mrs. has a job with the Dept. of Agricultural?  Even though the Center had incorrect initial beliefs on food destruction,  Alexie and his wife will still have valuable info, right?

When Philip was on top of that lady....omg...I thought he was going to throw up.  Not good.  Good thing the woman had her eyes closed.  

Stan's girlfriend is so natural and appealing....man, if she's not genuine, it will freak me out.  Also, when she left the bar, who was following her?  I thought it was Philip in disguise, but, then it looked just like the guy who was speaking at the EST class.  Check it out.  

You know it's bad when I dread seeing a scene with Paige (man, she's a downer) more than Mischa being pushed away.  The young man has good instincts.  I thought Gabriel was going to take him off and kill him too, the way he wanted to take him away.  He's a survivor.  I can't help, but think that he will survive this thing.  I hope that Claudia realizes that she is not infallible.  She may be correct that Philip and Mishca being a little unstable, but, keeping them apart might only contribute to this. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Chaos Theory]

I think this season is actually very good.  I think some of the problems is that last season had some of the best episodes the show has ever done.  The Martha gets exfiltrated episodes were some of the most thrilling episodes the show has ever done.  Plus I don't think the series is the same since Martha and to a lesser extent Gaad has left

That being said I don't think the show is trying to be.  I think it understands that everyone is a shell of who they once were.  When Philip was having sex with Deidra  I kept comparing it to Martha and how despite his saying otherwise Philip had affection for Martha and it showed but with Deidra  their sex was empty and neither of them particularly enjoyed themselves.

I know a lot of people don't like Paige but I think Holly Taylor is doing a good job portraying a young girl who is already feeling beat down by life and the knowledge that maybe life doesn't hold much for her.  The irony is Henry the ignored forgotten child may be the lucky one.

i think the season may be heading towards a lot of father and son moments which does bring Henry in a lot  more.  Plus Tuan.   And Misha.  Poor poor Misha.  Misha who has the same sad puppy dog eyes as his father. 

Still I am enjoying this season.  It is well written and fascinating just not quite as thrilling as last season.

And I miss Martha.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Silly Angel]

God, please tell me that was blackened bread.

I find it interesting that just as Paige melts down into a near-comatose state from her skulking/spying/Matthew-boyfriending, and indicates to Philip that she's not cut out for spy stuff (note she did not offer this confession to Elizabeth, which...would you?), Henry emerges from virtually out of nowhere to be great at something that will become crucial in spycraft v. v. soon. Also, since we don't know his personality, perhaps he's more temperamentally suited to the craft. Also also, we already had a sort of shadow of a rabidly pro-Soviet teenage boy who did the unspeakable for his cause. Eenteresting.

[dubbel zout]

I loved this episode. I thought it was one of the strongest of the entire series.

11 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

It must be awkward for Philip that Deirdre is more interested in Lotus 1-2-3 than him.  Dude she is just not that into you. But hey at least Elizabeth's mark is into her.  Enough for her to realize that they almost made a terrible terrible mistake.

I think Philip was relieved. When he was screwing her, his face showed he was clearly wondering when she'd have her orgasm so he could be done with it. Same with Elizabeth and her mark—she was looking around the room while he was going down on her.

11 hours ago, PreviouslyTV said:

Ben gives Elizabeth some bad news -- but it's over s'mores, so it could be worse.

I'm with Ben that the point of having a fireplace is so you can make s'mores indoors. Heh. When Ben was telling Elizabeth what he was doing, I loved her "You're really an idealist, aren't you?" and it was thisclose to mocking, but then she realizes he's serious about eradicating poverty, and you see her kind of horrified that the Centre had gotten things so wrong, and maybe—just maybe—the hunger problems in the USSR are of its own making. Such a great scene, and super acting from KR.

10 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

Btw, I couldn't identify the guy in the poster on Paige's wall.

Me neither, and it drove me nuts!

Philip and Elizabeth's stunned reaction to Henry's math teacher was hilarious, as was her "Our Henry! Go figure!" to Philip afterward. It's always the quiet ones who are underestimated. I'm still annoyed they went into that meeting completely blind. Really bad move on the teacher's part.

The Moscow Dating Game was also really funny. Poor Oleg, though I thought he could have at least tried to be interested. His dad didn't present the women in the best light, but that doesn't mean they were all stupid. And I felt sorry for the women, being trotted out like contestants. Yeesh.

54 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

But that lady just seemed to think of it as a necessary chore - like doing the dishes or something. I know that's not quite correct. Maybe someone else here could describe her attitude better. But it was just so odd that she would have sex with Phillip and then ask, "Well, would you like to hear about Lotus 1-2-3 now?"

I think she's socially awkward and probably doesn't have all that much sexual experience. And there's also the possibility that she's simply not a screamer. She seemed satisfied to me, but she didn't really know what to do next. Plus, think of their dinner scene: She and Philip are both working. 

17 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 Also, when she left the bar, who was following her?  I thought it was Philip in disguise

It was Philip in disguise, and the second person was a woman we'd seen before help out.

3 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I know a lot of people don't like Paige but I think Holly Taylor is doing a good job portraying a young girl who is already feeling beat down by life and the knowledge that maybe life doesn't hold much for her.  The irony is Henry the ignored forgotten child may be the lucky one.

Same here. Poor Paige. She's got the world on her shoulders and she doesn't know how to deal. 

[Bannon]

29 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So, will the new mission be to steal the secrets on how to grow this highly resistant wheat?  I would think that would be a valuable bit of info. So, there will be continued spying in the midwest? Doesn't the USSR need info on storage and transportation?  Also, they will likely keep spying on the Russian family?  Since the Mrs. has a job with the Dept. of Agricultural?  Even though the Center had incorrect initial beliefs on food destruction,  Alexie and his wife will still have valuable info, right?

When Philip was on top of that lady....omg...I thought he was going to throw up.  Not good.  Good thing the woman had her eyes closed.  

Stan's girlfriend is so natural and appealing....man, if she's not genuine, it will freak me out.  Also, when she left the bar, who was following her?  I thought it was Philip in disguise, but, then it looked just like the guy who was speaking at the EST class.  Check it out.  

You know it's bad when I dread seeing a scene with Paige (man, she's a downer) more than Mischa being pushed away.  The young man has good instincts.  I thought Gabriel was going to take him off and kill him too, the way he wanted to take him away.  He's a survivor.  I can't help, but think that he will survive this thing.  I hope that Claudia realizes that she is not infallible.  She may be correct that Philip and Mishca being a little unstable, but, keeping them apart might only contribute to this. 

Nobody needs to steal any secrets about the wheat hybrid. If the hybrid works out, the company  is going to sell the seeds. Yes, it will be patented, but I don't think the USSR was ever inhibited by international intellectual property law.

Spoiler

It appears from the previews that E will be back in Topeka again. I think it would be more interesting for the Centre to order her back, despite her input that there isn't any useful espionage work to be done there. Too much ignorant, top-down, hierarchy is really what destroyed the Soviet Union, and it would be good to give that greater emphasis.   

It is going to stretch credibility if Claudia and Gabriel don't have Mischa disappeared, with P being none the wiser. He's a traitor to the Soviet State, and he is a threat to one of the Soviets most valuable intelligence assets, E & P. Mischa has to go away.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Bannon

[shura]

36 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Stan's girlfriend is so natural and appealing....man, if she's not genuine, it will freak me out.

Really? She looks phony to me. I feel like she talks to much to show how strong and in control she is. All these "we'll hold you to that" (to the Jennings she's known for what, two weeks?), "I'm teaching him [fly fishing]", "I'll keep him as long as he doesn't diss the Kings"... It looks to me like she is trying to convey an impression. And it doesn't really matter if this impression is of what she genuinely is - I see that she is making an effort (imo), and it makes me wonder. Maybe if she could show and not tell it would be different.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

She came off as if it really wasn't that big of a deal.

And that the solution wasn't that they try harder not to make such a mistake again but that Phillip not be involved the next time. Seriously, by the time this series ends I'm going to need Elizabeth to be dead.

Quote

They were treated as nothing more than play things.

But they seemed to be willing to play. Of course it's possible their families were being held hostage or something. Whatever, you'd think some of them would've already been paired up with party bigwigs.

I think at some point they're going to want Henry to help them access some data that's on Lotus. Wonder how P&E will make the move? Will they be straight with Henry about their real jobs or find some way to con him? Also, were floppy disks in common use by 1984? Wonder how they'll get the data off the woman's PC unless they take the whole box and other stuff to make it look like a regular burglary.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[Ina123]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

If Philip ever finds out that he is being prevented from seeing his son, or if something happens to his son, because his son won't drop the thought of seeing his dad, that would probably be the last straw for Philip.  That could especially get ugly if Elizabeth has to "solve" the son problem.

Oh, dear God, what a predicament that would be if she did "solve" it and Phillip found out.

[sistermagpie]

OMG, this is TWO TIMES I've lost my entire post with all the quotes.

11 hours ago, Umbelina said:

It's beginning to really annoy me, yes, I'm interested, but it's all set up set up set up, with very little payoff, and we're 5 episodes in already. 

To me that's something I notice in the episodes. I feel like the episode is always running around setting things up and there's so much nothing gets to play out. I know I'll have to wait for another ep for that. Like here we start out with this whole thing with Henry but it's just another ticking in that time bomb, not a story of that ep.

11 hours ago, whiporee said:

However, she didn't try honeytrap him tonight, which was new.

It's not new. There's plenty of times Elizabeth has comforted Philip without sex, and if there is sex involved that doesn't make it a honeytraps. Honeytraps are about deception. Calling it that makes it sound like Elizabeth just sees this guy as a lump to manipulate instead of a partner and husband she honestly wants to be there for. She depends on him and needs to be honest with him.

11 hours ago, benteen said:

On and Paige is unhappy...what a shock.  True, it's understandable given what she's going through but just because it is doesn't mean I want to see another 18 episodes of the same character beats.

Although Paige's lines about how she wanted to get involved with Matthew were probably the most interesting things she's ever said, imo, it struck me in this ep how everyone treats Paige like they're a caregiver--and that's even more interesting when put in context of Henry. Even Matthew has to talk to her in that gentle, concerned way because she always seems to be suffering. It's funny this show often makes me sympathetic to the hardliners who just tell people to accept their lot and get on with it. Like it's ironic that Paige started out wanting to save the world and be all about sacrifice like Jesus and this is exactly where it's brought her.

Of course I get that she's got actual problems, but it's like last week she had scenes with Pastor Tim and Elizabeth where they even tried to inject a little levity and it was totally lost on her. Imagine it all from Henry's pov. I like how this ep seemed to suggest that for him that's what this is about-that Paige is the favorite because she's a goody-two shoes. Her parents hover over her like she's a sickly Victorian maiden and even suck up to her pastor. No wonder it's so surprising when Henry talks to her like a normal teenager.

10 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

Is it really so hard for Philip to just sit down and apologize to Henry for making the wrong assumption and say that he's proud of him? Maybe. It's unlikely Philip's father was the type to worry what his child thought of him.

I don't think it would be hard for him, I just don't think he gets it. From his pov, Henry has the best life of everyone. He plays on the computer whenever he wants and he genuinely was pleased that it turned out he was working hard. Because that was the thing--it's not that they've ever thought he was stupid, they just saw him (quite possibly correctly) as lazy. And they are the opposite of lazy. They weren't surprised that he could do math, but that he was suddenly working hard at it. Of course that shouldn't be a surprise--Henry's always worked hard at stuff that interested him. But it's never really connected with school so directly.

Philip probably doesn't get just how much his attention to Paige comes across as favoritism, because first, Henry isn't in his face with all his feelings demanding the attention he wants. Like in this ep he announces that Paige is the favorite and then walks over to the computer as if to make it clear that these two things are related. But from Philip's pov, Henry's often in the room ignoring everyone in favor of the computer, or asking to spend time at Stan's rather than at home. So he probably doesn't get just how sensitive Henry's gotten not just to the way Philip and Elizabeth rush off to talk to Paige so often, but also even seem connected more to her when they're all in a room together. When Henry tries to express his feelings it comes out as passive-aggressive snarking and Philip just snarks back to him. They're clashing the same way Elizabeth and Paige always clash--they're too alike. 

It's funny, though, that Henry is doing his own Paige thing. Where she got involved with the church and shoved it in their faces and annoyed them enough to want to compete with Pastor Tim, Henry's made them genuinely curious about his life by leaving them out of it.

8 hours ago, Bannon said:

I think there are repressed memories of  nearly unimaginable horror that P is dealing with; perhaps cannibalism. His psychological implosion may be what drives this show from here on out. I hope the writers have the skill to execute it well.

Yeah, when Philip was first telling the milk story I thought the "and then he killed them both" ending was just a fan joke. Turns out yeah, he did. So nothing seems too dark at this point.

I do think it seems to be a puzzle leading up to something. So interesting that Elizabeth asked naturally if it was a happy memory since his dad was bringing stuff home, but Philip didn't think so. He was 6 at the time, so wouldn't have a really clear understanding, probably. I just love that the show seems to be using how it's hidden Philip's past for so long as an actual plot, like it really was repressed. Back in the pilot Philip talked about just becoming the people they were pretending to do and I thought that was unhealthy--like no, Philip, you actually aren't that guy. Your life didn't start when your kids were born. Now this is coming out. For Philip to have real relationships he has to be Mischa too. Philip Jennings didn't murder anyone at 10, and whatever he's remembering here didn't happen to him.

I have to say, some of this reminds me of those fun psychological TV movies of the 70s like Sybil. 

8 hours ago, jjj said:

And it was odd that he was not willing to go with Gabriel, after trusting men he had just met and being thrown into cars under blankets.  Gabriel was much kinder than anyone we have seen Mischa interact with -- and really, what options does Mischa have if Gabriel is not his lifeline? 

Gabriel is KGB and Mischa knows it. He's not going to trust any kindness from him. He had every reason to think Gabriel was going to kill him.

5 hours ago, SlackerInc said:

Oh dear.  Gentle recapper, I enjoy your writeups, but, um...you really didn't consider that it might just be the sign that Stan's extortion was successful?

Anyone else think maybe Gabriel was going to kill Mischa?

That's what I got from it with Oleg's scene. One person who thought Gabriel was going to kill Mischa...Mischa!

2 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

We've already seen that Philip killed a young classmate as a boy himself.  Good lord, how much more traumatic does it get than that?

Just a nitpick, but those boys weren't classmates. They were teenagers--if young ones--and Philip was 10.

Quote

 

I'm confused now on Claudia's status. Is she Gabriel's handler just there to be his sounding board? It would seem she's still co-handler of Philip and Elizabeth, but she really doesn't interact with them at all.

 

 

 

She's a handler, just of other agents besides them. So I think they can just be sounding boards to each other.

2 hours ago, shura said:

So one can confess to a murder, try to interfere in matters of national security by blackmailing a government official, and keep going about their life consequence-free? That's cool.

 

I think it'll come back to bite him later, but I admit there were times during this ep where I was just saying "Why does Stan still have a job?"

47 minutes ago, Silly Angel said:

I find it interesting that just as Paige melts down into a near-comatose state from her skulking/spying/Matthew-boyfriending, and indicates to Philip that she's not cut out for spy stuff (note she did not offer this confession to Eliza

I was thinking about this sort of thing, because Paige must know by now how her parents react differently. When she says something to Elizabeth, Elizabeth always gives her back an easy solution. When they got back from Germany she said she couldn't lie and Elizabeth just said "Everybody lies." Then the other week it was "Everyone holds back something in a relationship." 

In both cases she was right in some ways, but also not really being honest about the specific lies and secrets Paige was talking about.

Here with Philip Paige was more specific about what she was thinking and Philip just listened and respected it, didn't give her an answer because he didn't have one. Like when she talked about nuclear war and asked if he was doing anything to stop it and he just said he didn't know. He didn't have any easy answer or dismissal about it.

47 minutes ago, Silly Angel said:

Also, since we don't know his personality, perhaps he's more temperamentally suited to the craft.

I think what we do know about his personality says he's absolutely more temperamentally suited to it. There's several times he's been naturally paralleled to Philip in spy-mode or in life. And for all his greater problems with the moral aspects (which Henry has also paralleled in the past), Philip is more naturally spy-like. Elizabeth doesn't get her strength from being more suited to lying--she's far more naturally honest. She gets her strength from her fanaticism, just as Paige sought to do with Christianity. Paige is the kid that actually wanted this kind of life in terms of wanting to be dedicated completely to a cause above herself. But she didn't really want it on this level.

16 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Also, were floppy disks in common use by 1984?

Heh. They exist in Deutschland 83. The spies steal the thing and they're like...wtf is this? They call it a floopy disc?

Edited April 5, 2017 by sistermagpie

[Ina123]

1 hour ago, MissBluxom said:

That sounds very likely to me. There is a good reason why the primary grain for people in China and neighboring countries is rice and the primary grain in North America is wheat. I think the two crops just don't grow well in the other climate. I think rice needs a very wet place. It always seems to be harvested under water. Wheat fields, by comparison, always seem very dry. I hope they don't just let the "wheat" story line drop here. It will seem like a very large waste of time to me if they do that. If the only issue to come out of that story is Phillip's regret over killing someone by mistake, they could have arranged for that to happein in a way that didn't take up so much time in so many episodes.

I would guess (more likely I would hope) that story is not over yet and something important is still about to happen there.

I think it will switch to the emphasis being on the mother since she has been hired as a Russian teacher.

[teddysmom]

Quote

don't know anyone in real life who uses chopsticks for their Chinese food.

My sister when she wants to be insufferable.  The rest of us are done like 30 minutes before she is because she's fucking around with chopsticks. 

The actress playing Phillip's hook up/target reminds me of Judy Greer.  I kept thinking she would show Phillip some spreadsheets then yell "last time you'll see these!"  ala Kitty from Arrested Development. 

[jjj]

Yes, floppy discs were the storage medium of choice in the mid 1980s!

I also was admiring the vintage McDonald packaging-- made me wonder if they found that and built the scene around it.  

[jww]

Is Henry suppose to be 13 and in 7th grade in a middle school (grades6-8)?  Transferring him into Algebra II midway through the second semester does not make a lot of sense.  The standard track for college bound students is usually (at least in the 60s)  algebra I in 9th, geometry in 10th algebra II in 11 and trig in 12th with the elite students taking algebra I in the 8th grade and calculus in 12th.  If he is already in 8th grade taking algebra I E+P should already know of his advanced status. 

[jjj]

2 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

My sister when she wants to be insufferable.  The rest of us are done like 30 minutes before she is because she's fucking around with chopsticks. 

Sorry, but I and many friends (not Asian) always use chopsticks with Chinese food.  And it's not to be insufferable!  That made perfect sense that he would use the correct utensils after living in a country.  

[teddysmom]

Quote

Sorry, but I and many friends (not Asian) always use chopsticks with Chinese food.  And it's not to be insufferable! 

I'm sure you do.  That being said, you don't know my sister.  

[Ina123]

9 minutes ago, jww said:

Is Henry suppose to be 13 and in 7th grade in a middle school (grades6-8)?  Transferring him into Algebra II midway through the second semester does not make a lot of sense.  The standard track for college bound students is usually (at least in the 60s)  algebra I in 9th, geometry in 10th algebra II in 11 and trig in 12th with the elite students taking algebra I in the 8th grade and calculus in 12th.  If he is already in 8th grade taking algebra I E+P should already know of his advanced status. 

I think I noticed that the name on the school said Falls Church middle school but in that day (I think) most schools for Henry's age would be called Junior High (7-9). I can't remember if 1984 was in the era of the great school consolidation movement or not. Probably the production people got it right and I'm just not remembering correctly.

I was in accelerated math in the late 60s. I had Algebra I in 8th, Geometry in 9th, Algebra II in 10th, Trig in 11th and Calc in my senior year. (I went into engineering, so God bless my counselors and parents. Very few women were encouraged to pursue the math route in those days.)

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ina123

[teddysmom]

I saw the Henry is a math genius plot a mile away, and I think Stan's girlfriend is either CIA or Russian. 

Also, someone please explain the floor plans of these houses! The interiors and exteriors do not match at all.  What's happening here? 

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, shura said:

Really? She looks phony to me. I feel like she talks to much to show how strong and in control she is. All these "we'll hold you to that" (to the Jennings she's known for what, two weeks?), "I'm teaching him [fly fishing]", "I'll keep him as long as he doesn't diss the Kings"... It looks to me like she is trying to convey an impression. And it doesn't really matter if this impression is of what she genuinely is - I see that she is making an effort (imo), and it makes me wonder. Maybe if she could show and not tell it would be different.

I see your point. Still, I just thought she felt natural and that she's just that kind of person.  Stan is too really. Recall how he's invited himself to dinner before. He's not the most socially conscious person I've ever seen.  One thing that did raise an eyebrow was when she suggested he tell her about work, but, said he could be vague.  From the heart or manipulation......?

Edited April 5, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Ellaria]

3 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

With the wheat thing all wrapped up, Tuan is probably going to become a problem.

I think that Tuan will be a problem, regardless. Once the operation with Pasha and his family comes to an end, the existence of Tuan and Ma and Pa Eckert is unnecessary. The "family" can move, claiming to be transferred to another city. Or Tuan will have to exit the school system in some manner - early graduation perhaps. A high school student cannot disappear into the night without raising suspicions.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ellaria Sand

[topanga]

6 minutes ago, jww said:

Is Henry suppose to be 13 and in 7th grade in a middle school (grades6-8)?  Transferring him into Algebra II midway through the second semester does not make a lot of sense.  The standard track for college bound students is usually (at least in the 60s)  algebra I in 9th, geometry in 10th algebra II in 11 and trig in 12th with the elite students taking algebra I in the 8th grade and calculus in 12th.  If he is already in 8th grade taking algebra I E+P should already know of his advanced status. 

Maybe his teacher has been giving him Algebra II work already this semester. But I agree that Geometry usually comes in between the two algebras. 

But many middle schools put advanced kids in Algebra I. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that P & E never look at Henry's report cards and never make it to parent-teacher conferences.

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I think she's socially awkward and probably doesn't have all that much sexual experience. And there's also the possibility that she's simply not a screamer

But she was making some amount of noise. I tune out during love scene, but I remember having to turn down the volume because the kids were asleep upstairs. She's no Martha, but then again, Philip wasn't being wild Clark, either.

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, Gabrielle Tracy said:

Nah, a kid I dated in high school famously hacked into the school districts computers.  He graduated in 1984, so stuff like that was going on back when The Americans takes place.

Some other stuff I think I think:

I got the meaning of "Lotus 1-2-3" immediately and it never occurred to me that not everyone would know what it was.  I guess I have just outed myself as a middle-aged person!

I liked how Paige and Phillip were eating their leftover Chinese food with forks.  In tv and movies, the people always use chopsticks and I honestly don't know anyone in real life who uses chopsticks for their Chinese food.

Wow, a real blast from the past seeing the Styrofoam Big Mac containers.  I wonder where they found that?

Possible spoiler:

  Reveal hidden contents

IMDB says that Alex Ozerov, the actor who plays Mischa, appears in 7 episodes in 2016-2017.  Anyone keep track of how many he's been in so far?

 

I had to respond to the bolden.  I did not notice that about the forks.  But, I will say that I didn't have the opportunity to eat Chinese food until I was a teen.  None in my small town!  I immediately used them like it was my utensil of choice in a former life!  I have used them for any Asian food since!  lol

I did notice that Elizabeth was cooking homemade dishes for her fake family with Tuan, but, ordering out for her her real one.  lol 

[sistermagpie]

7 minutes ago, topanga said:

But many middle schools put advanced kids in Algebra I. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that P & E never look at Henry's report cards and never make it to parent-teacher conferences.

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Why wouldn't they? They've discussed Henry's schoolwork before. They're doing all the basic parental stuff there. The teacher made a point of saying that this was about Henry only recently becoming passionate about it.

4 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I did notice that Elizabeth was cooking homemade dishes for her fake family with Tuan, but, ordering out for her her real one.  lol 

She makes a lot of homemade meals at home, though. I have a friend who claims she's literally always making salad. She was thrilled when she switched to lasagna last week.

Also loved Elizabeth giving Pasha's mom tips on giving her son space. Yes, like Henry. He has lots of space!

[stagmania]

1 hour ago, Ina123 said:

Oh, dear God, what a predicament that would be if she did "solve" it and Phillip found out.

I see no scenario in which Elizabeth would agree to murder Phillip's son, or in which Gabriel, Claudia, or anyone else would order her to. There are hard limits and even the Centre understands that.

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

I do think it seems to be a puzzle leading up to something. So interesting that Elizabeth asked naturally if it was a happy memory since his dad was bringing stuff home, but Philip didn't think so. He was 6 at the time, so wouldn't have a really clear understanding, probably. I just love that the show seems to be using how it's hidden Philip's past for so long as an actual plot, like it really was repressed. 

They've managed to do this twice this season, with both Phillip's repressed past and Henry's neglect turning into intentional plot lines. I trust these writers enough to give them credit for having planned this out in advance.

[SunnyBeBe]

Maybe, those around here know a lot more about repressed memories returning in an adult than I do.  I've read that there is a difference in repressed memories and suppressed memories and that neither can be reliable, without independent evidence.  I guess I'm just skeptical.  So, are the EST classes helping Philip with this breakthrough? How will these new memories influence the storyline? Seems odd to me and not very impressive from a script standpoint. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[sistermagpie]

13 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Maybe, those around here know a lot more about repressed memories returning in an adult than I do.  I've read that there is a difference in repressed memories and suppressed memories and that neither can be reliable, without independent evidence.  I guess I'm just skeptical.  So, are the EST classes helping Philip with this breakthrough? How will these new memories influence the storyline? Seems odd to me and not very impressive from a script standing point. 

I guess we won't be able to tell until we see what happens, but I would assume we can take his memories as reliable since it would be hard for them to write a story where they weren't. (Who could possibly tell us he's wrong, for instance?) I'm not sure if they're EST related--more like his being drawn to EST is part of the same general evolution of his character. It might be more related to whatever feelings he's having about his family now, maybe coupled with the thoughts on food coming up again. He's now close enough to Elizabeth that it's safe psychologically for him to think about things he just didn't think about in the past. It might only influence the plot in terms of Philip's character and how that effects him. Also Philip may be aware of certain things in a detached way without really feeling them. He's a character who canonically has been trained to make things about himself "real" and therefore make other things not real. Him actually feeling things about events in his past would probably play the same way as him recovering repressed memories.

One thing that this ep recalled is that Elizabeth is very good at classifying people as "us" and "them." The lab guy isn't part of her circle so she can deal with his death more dispassionately--he's not like Hans. Maybe they've held back some of Philip's memories until they thought it was the best time for Elizabeth to have to deal with them. Up until now it at least seems as if she's just assumed that she and Philip had similar childhoods. 

Btw, this also makes me think how MR has always had this tic he uses sometimes with Philip where he squeezes his eyes shut--that, to me, always implied something like this, like he was someone who at times had certain feelings or memories that he was trying to shut out.

Edited April 5, 2017 by sistermagpie

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Tracking Down His Distant Dad Isn't Child's Play For Mischa On The Americans

As The Centre interferes with a much-desired meeting, Ben gives Elizabeth some bad news -- but it's over s'mores, so it could be worse.

[kikaha]

I found it sickly ironic, that right before P killed the tech guy a while back, E told him "you should have asked."  Yet Elizabeth asks no such questions herself, and treats murders like that as collateral damage. 

[zibnchy]

4 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

With the wheat thing all wrapped up, Tuan is probably going to become a problem. 

When Elizabeth showed up at the end I honestly thought she was there to kill Tuan. Then when he said he was going upstairs I thought maybe he grabbed his go bag and headed for the hills.

[sistermagpie]

1 minute ago, zibnchy said:

When Elizabeth showed up at the end I honestly thought she was there to kill Tuan. Then when he said he was going upstairs I thought maybe he grabbed his go bag and headed for the hills.

Would't killing Tuan cause a pretty big international problem? He's a Vietnamese agent. The Russians don't just get to kill him when the mission's done. They're expecting him back in one piece, surely.

[Bannon]

14 minutes ago, kikaha said:

I found it sickly ironic, that right before P killed the tech guy a while back, E told him "you should have asked."  Yet Elizabeth asks no such questions herself, and treats murders like that as collateral damage. 

I've criticized the writers in this show for having too much homicide woven into the plot, but I do appreciate the fact that they have had the courage to write the character portrayed by Keri Russell as being so ruthlessly ideologically driven, and thus so easily capable of rationalizing away hideous behavior. The show, in my view, would have been ruined without this element, to contrast against E's spouse, and it would not have been nearly as effective, dramatically, if the writers had reversed the qualities of of the couple.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Bannon
typo