S06.E07: Harvest

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Philip and Elizabeth come together for a perilous operation unlike any they’ve ever had before. Stan and Henry spend a little quality time together.

[Bannon]

I have an Andy Jackson that sez that Liz whacks Kimmie this week. Just out of habit.

[jjj]

Aggggggh.  This one should have had a double "V" for Violence.  Philip is back to his old spy self, but now with his soul in tatters.  The ending was shattering -- I thought he was going to take a cyanide pill himself.

That seemed like an awful lot of information to give to Paige, who would fold in a minute under interrogation.

And what happened to The Plan for Paige?  She was never intended to be an operative in the field and be in the line of fire.  How is this preparing her for an internship?  

Stan just had my heart stopped when he went into the house.

Edited May 10, 2018 by jjj

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Stan: "I'm really good at noticing when things are wrong." One of the biggest laughs I've had in a long time.

I might be starting to believe there's more to Elizabeth's stress zit than just stress or a zit. That thing is epic.

Harvest sure did think Philip had unlimited abilities to memorize all those deathbed thoughts.

The mission was pretty much a bust, but I guess it got them out-of-town and an excuse for getting Stan to snoop around the house.  

So close to a Paige-free episode. By all means, let's give this kid all the info about a mission that just went really badly and means the FBI is working on an escalated level of urgency to find the illegals involved.

"Then it's time for you to apply for an internship at the State Department." But Mom, I wanna kill people like you do!!!!!!!!

[Primetimer]

Rififi's got nothing on the Jenningses' Harvest heist in our latest EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP!

View the full article

[Chaos Theory]

Well this sure was a Stan-tastic episode.  That early Stan and Philip scene was made of so much win and so much history and emotion between the two.  I kept thinking that Stan is more emotionally intune to Philip then Elizabeth is.  Plus that hug.  I don't think Philip and Elizabeth have actually ever hugged.  And then Stan goes and kinda sorta interrogates Henry who also kinda sorta notices that mom and dad are never around especially at night.  AND THEN Stan breaks into their house.  Oh Stan you are putting the pieces together aren't you?   The truly tragic thing is its going to bring an end to your friendship with Philip which is probably one of the great things about this show.

I did also like the conversation Elizabeth had with Paige.  Elizabeth willing to give Paige an out if she wanted one.  Even going so far as kinda explaining that Philip was probably always wrong for the spy life.  However Paige (whatever your opinion of her is and I don't really want to get into it) has dug her heals in and is now going to be applying for an internship in the state department.

And well....look ma no hands.....or head for that matter.   

Edited May 10, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[WritinMan]

One of the better episodes this season. Particularly liked the parts with Stan. A bit too much of people staring at each other or staring at...whatever.

I am really tired of those commercials for Pose, though.

[TaurusRose]

Almost escaped seeing Paige this week. I can’t believe how gullible she is. She’s taking on a cause she has no interest in and all of her information is propaganda. I hope her ass is busted before she completes her internship app. Stan is finally smelling a rat. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes his neighbors and BFF are illegals.  

[SailorGirl]

Okay, first of all . . . EWWW. I rarely have to do the eye cover and peek during a tv show but . . . blergh. 

Stan, Stan, Stan . . . so damn close, but yet so damn far!! 

Second, am I alone in thinking that Philip's going to betray Elizabeth and flip and go to Stan? I actually thought last week when he was on the pay phone with her that the look on his face was determination to stop her (AKA - kill her) from conducting the Chicago mission, not go through with helping her. And then the scene with him tonight, pondering their real marriage by the Russian priest in the garage, is, at least to me, broadcasting that he is seriously considering defecting and spilling all the Russian tea . . . 

Oh, and am I also alone in thinking that Elizabeth took the cyanide necklace out of the bag before she tossed it in the river?

edited for wedding clarity and possible pill poppin' retention . . . 

Edited May 10, 2018 by SailorGirl

[AimingforYoko]

12 minutes ago, jjj said:

Aggggggh.  This one should have had a double "V" for Violence.

 

Just now, SailorGirl said:

Okay, first of all . . . EWWW. I rarely have to do the eye cover and peek during a tv show but . . . blergh.

Hey, it could've been worse, they could've stuffed 'em into a suitcase.

[skippylou]

9 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Harvest sure did think Philip had unlimited abilities to memorize all those deathbed thoughts.

 

The question is: Did Phillip pass along the intel that the schematics for the sensor are at an Airfield in France.  Does he give it to Elizabeth, Oleg, both or no one?

4 minutes ago, taurusrose said:

Almost escaped seeing Paige this week. I can’t believe how gullible she is. She’s taking on a cause she has no interest in and all of her information is propaganda. I hope her ass is busted before she completes her internship app. Stan is finally smelling a rat. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes his neighbors and BFF are illegals.  

He's going over old evidence now.  It's a matter of time until he tries to trace the only thing Martha left behind:  Elizabeth's necklace.  

[Pickles]

What did Phillip say to Elizabeth when she asked where Stavros was? He said he had to let him go, because...? I missed that part. 

How many more episodes? Two?

[chocolatine]

I never thought anything could be more sickening than stuffing Annaliese into a suitcase, but I was wrong. I had to cover my eyes every time the axe came down.

45 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

The mission was pretty much a bust

Well, they didn't let the FBI capture Harvest alive, so there's that. Though if I'm not mistaken it turned out that he also had a pill, right?

45 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Harvest sure did think Philip had unlimited abilities to memorize all those deathbed thoughts.

He didn't say much, only that he loves his mother and is thankful for everything she's done for him, he's sorry that he left without saying goodbye, but he's had a very interesting and colorful life. And that his father is a son of a bitch who hopefully suffers greatly before he dies. Not that Philip will ever be relaying the messages personally to the intended recipients, anyway.

I caught a little goof in the van scene: Elizabeth asks where Milwaukee Ave is, and Harvest tells her, in Russian, to drive straight ahead and not make any turns. Next thing, we see the van making a turn.

I had the feeling Elizabeth was trying to talk Paige out of spying. She must have realized after Chicago that if Paige ever had to participate in that kind of mission, she'd end up being the one with her head and hands chopped off. Getting her on the internship track quickly is probably Liz's way of keeping her away from any dangerous missions.

So Stan finally started putting the pieces together, and it only took six years. He didn't find anything in the garage though, did he? So he'll need to find the evidence elsewhere.

Edited May 10, 2018 by chocolatine

[Erin9]

Stan is no where near as good at noticing things as he thinks he is. That was funny. I really don’t buy Philip suddenly leaving as being the big light bulb moment for Stan. But okay. Had to be something I guess.  I wonder if Henry will ever know or even care how Stan used him. I know Henry had reason to be upset, but I really wanted him to shut up. 

Philip obviously had so much he wanted to say to Henry at Stan’s, but couldn’t. Maybe he’ll never really get to say anything.....ugh.....frustrating. I think Philip has really tried with both kids 

That was a sad last scene between Stan and Philip. I think Philip was genuinely grateful for the friendship, such that it was, with Stan. I can’t believe he hugged him. Shocked to the heck out of me. 

I liked hearing Harvest speak Russian to Philip at the end. Nice touch. I think he did that when he was talking about his parents. Not the Summit. I think Philip can remember the gist- loves mom, hates dad, no regrets. And- Philip actually spoke a few words of Russian. That was a surprise too:  “Not a word.” (He won’t forget.) It seems significant that he chose to respond in Russian. 

It was nice to see Elizabeth show some consideration for Philip’s feelings. 3 episodes left to tell him she loves him. I sure would like to hear it. 

At least Elizabeth was direct with Paige about this being a possibly deadly lifetime commitment. And gave her an out. Not that I think Paige truly gets it. 

What was Philip thinking at the end when he remembered the wedding? He got intel from Harvest. The promo is intriguing.

Not sure which was more horrific- Annalise and the suitcase or Marilyn getting hacked. 

I don’t want this show to end. Also- if they’re going to have so many extended episodes, they could have just.... had more episodes. They clearly needed the time. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by Erin9

[CaliCheeseSucks]

7 minutes ago, Pickles said:

What did Phillip say to Elizabeth when she asked where Stavros was? He said he had to let him go, because...? I missed that part. 

How many more episodes? Two?

Three more episodes - eight, nine, ten.

[zibnchy]

2 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

Not sure which was more horrific- Annalise and the suitcase or Marilyn getting hacked. 

For me, it's the noises. With Annalise I remember some, um, cracking noises when they had to make her fit in that suitcase. And there were squishy noises when Philip was beheading Marilyn. Makes it so much worse somehow.

Love this show.

[Ellaria]

Stan finally gets his “Leaves of Grass” moment. I don’t know what finally shoved him over the edge but it made for some riveting scenes.

Poor Sad Philip...this was it for him. The first thing he did when walking thru the door was call Henry (for the final time?) only to get blown off. There is nothing good left in his life. I am dreading what he does next. Philip is just a ruined man. MR conveys it in every scene; he is a remarkable actor.

Alternatively, I am much less invested in Elizabeth and where this destructive path leads her.

Ugh...Paige. Committing your life to a cause that you don’t understand is not going to end well. Why do they keep telling us that she doesn’t have friends? I’m so tired of our little sad sack. 

Where is Oleg? I am missing him.

Otherwise, this was a brilliant but depressing episode. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by Ellaria Sand

[Erin9]

1 minute ago, zibnchy said:

For me, it's the noises. With Annalise I remember some, um, cracking noises when they had to make her fit in that suitcase. And there were squishy noises when Philip was beheading Marilyn. Makes it so much worse somehow.

Love this show.

Agreed the noises make it so much worse. 

Surely, they’re not really giving that huge of a spoiler away in a promo? Philip can’t quite be saying what it seems, can he? And with 2 episodes after that.....

[MJ Frog]

I don't think Stan is going to make it out of this alive. And I think Renee is going to kill him. 

That's my crazy theory. Which is probably wrong. But I couldn't stop thinking that as he was walking through the Jennings' home.

Quote

Stan finally gets his “Leaves of Grass” moment.

This is probably why I'm convinced he's gonna die.

Edited May 10, 2018 by MJ Frog
To add a thing.

[Maire]

So what triggered Stan? That the Jennings are away (again?)Doesn't  seem like that's a big enough change to wake him up.  But as  stated above he has to start somehow. I wasn't  nervous when he was scouting the house because the Jennings are just that good. Unless he gets into the secret panels Stan wouldn't find anything.

Also I didn't recall the poisoned spy talking to Stan on his deathbed about the other spies. Did we see that? 

Still a good episode. Tense like the shows of yesteryear!

[Door County Cherry]

18 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I had the feeling Elizabeth was trying to talk Paige out of spying. She must have realized after Chicago that if Paige ever had to participate in that kind of mission, she'd end up being the one with her head and hands chopped off. Getting her on the internship track quickly is probably Liz's way of keeping her away from any dangerous missions.

 

I thought so too. But I think telling her to get an internship at the state department did push her out of the more dangerous type of spying that Elizabeth and Phillip do.  She's more likely to get arrested than killed spying at the state department. 

Quote

So Stan finally started putting the pieces together, and it only took six years. He didn't find anything in the garage though, did he? So he'll need to find the evidence elsewhere.

I guess we'll see where things go but I wonder if he really put the pieces together or if working on the illegals stuff is making him paranoid/suspicious again of anything not normal.  I found it pretty interesting how much he was interrogating Henry about his frirend's parents, their money and what they do.  He only jumped on Phillip and Elizabeth when Henry talked about how often they're called away for work. So it might not be some major epiphany moment but rather the combination of a heightened suspicious nature mixed with some weird things and a touch of confirmation bias. 

I saw tonight's breakin as a callback to the pilot when Stan broke into the garage and snooped around.  There was something about the Jennings Family that made him suspicious but he let it go when he didn't find anything.  It'll be interesting to see if not finding anything will lead to him letting this hunch go as well or if it will linger. 

I fast forwarded the chopping bit but stopped too soon and saw the hands fall.  That was more awful to me than the axing.  

[Dev F]

2 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

Stan finally gets his “Leaves of Grass” moment. I don’t know what finally shoved him over the edge but it made for some riveting scenes.

I thought the episode did a good job of showing how Stan could've finally hit upon the truth not because of some sudden new revelation, but because all these things he'd been mulling over for years finally clicked into place in exactly the right way. That was one of the main thrusts of the episode -- the idea that all these seeds were planted long ago, and now the characters are reaping the harvest.

[BradandJanet]

I wonder if Erica is putting Elizabeth "into her art" by sketching Liz next to an airplane window. Phillip and Elizabeth have gotten away with so much for so long, it's funny to think it's death by paper cuts right now. 

This is yucky, but when Phillip was hacking away at the late Marilyn's head, the overhead shot looked as if her hands were still attached. Wouldn't they go flying from an ax chop? I thought it was an editing mistake, but then I wasn't exactly studying the scene. 

Paige had better read that copy of What Color is Your Parachute? in the college library because she's making a bad career choice. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by BradandJanet
misnamed character

[hellmouse]

30 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Well this sure was a Stan-tastic episode.  That early Stan and Philip scene was made of so much win and so much history and emotion between the two.  I kept thinking that Stan is more emotionally intune to Philip then Elizabeth is.  Plus that hug.  I don't think Philip and Elizabeth have actually ever hugged.  And then Stan goes and kinda sorta interrogates Henry who also kinda sorta notices that mom and dad are never around especially at night.  AND THEN Stan breaks into their house.  Oh Stan you are putting the pieces together aren't you?   The truly tragic thing is its going to bring an end to your friendship with Philip which is probably one of the great things about this show.

I did also like the conversation Elizabeth had with Paige.  Elizabeth willing to give Paige an out if she wanted one.  Even going so far as kinda explaining that Philip was probably always wrong for the spy life.  However Paige (whatever your opinion of her is and I don't really want to get into it) has dug her heals in and is now going to be applying for an internship in the state department.

And well....look ma no hands.....or head for that matter.   

The Stan and Philip scene had the tension of pre-season 5 episodes. So many layers that we the viewers are aware of, but Stan is not. But he's so close!

Philip and Elizabeth have had some great hugs. For example in Open House, when she gets back from eluding the FBI and CIA. Before the basement dentistry. There have been others, but that one conveyed such relief and that sense of being safe in someone's arms. 

I agree about Elizabeth giving Paige an out. But the problem is, Paige doesn't realize what Elizabeth means by lifetime commitment. She's too young to realize the gravity of what this commitment means. Plus, her fear of being alone is one that is very likely to happen. Remember William being alone? That will be Paige. 

I wonder how Paige thinks Elizabeth and Philip met each other. I wonder if she's ever asked. 

Great episode.

[lencidoll]

I thought Elizabeth was on the verge of telling Paige that she and Phillip were paired up but, she didn't.

[Ellaria]

3 minutes ago, Dev F said:

I thought the episode did a good job of showing how Stan could've finally hit upon the truth not because of some sudden new revelation, but because all these things he'd been mulling over for years finally clicked into place in exactly the right way. That was one of the main thrusts of the episode -- the idea that all these seeds were planted long ago, and now the characters are reaping the harvest.

It was well done. As I said, the scenes were riveting. And that is without any new revelations. However, maybe - just maybe - they could have sprinkled some of these moments over a few episodes rather than only one. I assume that it was done for dramatic effect and it worked fine. 

Not quite sure that Stan is reaping any harvest just yet.

[hellmouse]

8 minutes ago, Dev F said:

I thought the episode did a good job of showing how Stan could've finally hit upon the truth not because of some sudden new revelation, but because all these things he'd been mulling over for years finally clicked into place in exactly the right way. That was one of the main thrusts of the episode -- the idea that all these seeds were planted long ago, and now the characters are reaping the harvest.

I agree. And even the fact that he didn't find any evidence in their house (I'm guessing) won't deter him this time. He's going to be keeping an eye on them. Which is a problem given that Elizabeth is going to be "working" a lot. 

34 minutes ago, skippylou said:

He's going over old evidence now.  It's a matter of time until he tries to trace the only thing Martha left behind:  Elizabeth's necklace.  

Is there any way to connect that necklace to Elizabeth? I can't recall seeing any photos of her wearing it. 

[jjj]

I guess I'm a little surprised they flew back from Chicago instead of driving -- less of a record of their travel that way.  (It's 13-14 hours; I've done it.) 

Was "William" in the credits?  I never look at the actor credits that roll at the start, because sometimes there are surprises.

The necklace was from the man, who took his cyanide pill in the van.

2 minutes ago, hellmouse said:

Is there any way to connect that necklace to Elizabeth? I can't recall seeing any photos of her wearing it. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by jjj

[MJ Frog]

9 minutes ago, Maire said:

So what triggered Stan?

I think it was all the little things over the years, combined with his talk with Henry, and most importantly, the coincidence of the Jennings being out of town during the big blow-up in Chicago. Particularly when put together with the basic descriptions of the suspects which, while superficial (white dude, white lady), was enough to get the wheels turning. 

[hellmouse]

4 minutes ago, jjj said:

I guess I'm a little surprised they flew back from Chicago instead of driving -- less of a record of their travel that way.  (It's 13-14 hours; I've done it.) 

The necklace was from the man, who took his cyanide pill in the van.

No, that's a different necklace. Skippylou was talking about the necklace Clark gave Martha (the heart), which was actually a necklace that Philip had given Elizabeth. Martha wasn't wearing it when she left. But I don't know if Stan will connect that necklace to Elizabeth. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by hellmouse

[sistermagpie]

Elizabeth seems to be sort of using Philip as her proxy for all spy problems in this ep. I guess it's her next step towards discovering the truth. She now worries that Paige, like Philip, will make a mistake by joining too young but of course she's joining too young. And for terrible reasons--much worse than Philip's--which she just laid out to Elizabeth. But when young Paige says this is what she's always wanted Elizabeth accepts it so both of them can not be alone with each other. She thinks Paige is like Philip when she's exactly like Elizabeth. Having her talk about making a difference in the same conversation as her parroting stuff about the system was just sad. Also they are really killing Paige's silhouette with those pants and jacket. (She also did one of those hesitant line readings she likes so much: "What...happened?")

I've lost track of how many empty tough talks Elizabeth's given and how many times Paige has replied with "I get it--by which I mean I do not get it at all." In this ep she even further explained, "I'm 19 and I'm literally telling you that I'm doing this because I have no other friends but you, mom, and I don't want to be alone. That's what I decided in season 5, that I can only be friends with you guys! I mean... I don't have other friends because they don't get how the world works. It works the way you and Claudia say it does! Exactly like that! I need to believe our little Russia club is like having friends!"

Yeah, Paige won't be alone unless they need to chop her head off and dump it in a lake. Paige doesn't even have a country on her side.

53 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

 I don't think Philip and Elizabeth have actually ever hugged.  

They've had some great hugs, actually. I'll give them that.

Loved Philip getting the right idea with the axe. Again I think there was some projection going on with Elizabeth. When she came to check on Philip because of "how his face looked" she tried to make it all about him--but Philip knew what he was doing. He knows he'll feel like shit but he's accepted it. I think it's like Colleen said. She keeps experiencing this stuff as if it's just her looking at this, not her in this. She's seeing herself in what Philip is doing. Elizabeth needs to step it up with the person "making her learn."

I think Philip is totally preparing for death at this point.

47 minutes ago, skippylou said:

The question is: Did Phillip pass along the intel that the schematics for the sensor are at an Airfield in France.  Does he give it to Elizabeth, Oleg, both or no one?

Elizabeth would have heard it already, I assume. She was listening and seemed concerned that Philip was hearing it too. But yeah, I think he gives it to Oleg.

53 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I did also like the conversation Elizabeth had with Paige.  Elizabeth willing to give Paige an out if she wanted one.  Even going so far as kinda explaining that Philip was probably always wrong for the spy life.

Well, he was actually fine with it for years and even now Elizabeth feels better with him on the job. Again she's trying to make it about him having a problem and her (and Paige if she says she doesn't have a problem) not having a problem. Elizabeth didn't really give Paige the whole truth, as usual. Illegals can retire and go back home as Philip wanted. Elizabeth didn't want to, which is why he's here, which is why he got pulled back in again. Of course it might be more permanent with Paige since she's a traitor. It's unlikely she'll meet some Communist prince like Elizabeth did. She and Gregory bonded over not caring about each other enough to put it above the cause and Philip was assigned to her by Centre matchmakers. Paige is set up to be completely alone. Mom's even got a suicide necklace and it's 1987 not 1968.

Often people claim that Philip would never want to go back to Russia but it seems really significant to me that Elizabeth has not only always been the one to refuse to go but that she isn't even honest about it. Of course I get that there's good reason not to tell Paige that it was an option, but I think it's more than that. She has to tell herself that it's for life

50 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

And then the scene with him pondering their authentic marriage, is, at least to me, broadcasting that he is seriously considering defecting and spilling all the Russian tea . . . 

Why does he have to defect? He's working with Oleg trying to stop what Elizabeth's doing. If he's going to lose his life for this stuff--which he certainly seems to feel he's going to--I think he'd rather do that thing that he believes in for his country instead of betraying them and being forced to work for the USA. Maybe he's committing himself to Elizabeth again in his mind.

I loved Harvest's last words--and that they let MR speak to him in Russian even if it was only a tiny bit. Presumably Philip heard every word of that speech to the guy's father as directed at him from Henry. I'm glad I never saw you again, you piece of shit Jack Torrance axe-weilding commie!

42 minutes ago, Pickles said:

What did Phillip say to Elizabeth when she asked where Stavros was? He said he had to let him go, because...? I missed that part. 

He had to let him go and then he named the two other people he had to let go.

41 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Well, they didn't let the FBI capture Harvest alive, so there's that. Though if I'm not mistaken it turned out that he also had a pill, right?

I honestly thought Philip might take his pill for himself. I mean, not eat it, but take it.

41 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I had the feeling Elizabeth was trying to talk Paige out of spying.

Yup, and of course, why would Paige at 19 with no experience and no relationships outside her mother and Claudia actually say no? Elizabeth tends to hope people will make those kinds of choices for her and they can't. Again it makes me think of Colleen. She's starting to recognize that things are wrong but is still trying to just make little gestures at them instead of committing. I think Philip is committed to Elizabeth. Doesn't mean he'll do anything she says, but I think he's committed.

38 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

Stan is no where near as good at noticing things as he thinks he is. That was funny. I really don’t buy Philip suddenly leaving as being the big light bulb moment for Stan. But okay. Had to be something I guess.  I wonder if Henry will ever know or even care how Stan used him. I know Henry had reason to be upset, but I really wanted him to shut up. 

I wondered if Henry's line about how in the end you have to be there for your family was significant. Henry's one big moment on the show was when he beaned the creep who seemed to be threatening Paige with a beer bottle. He said Paige met Aunt Helen--I wonder if that will put Stan on track to think she's in on the spying.

I didn't really buy his sudden desire to check their house despite all the reasons for it, but I was certainly terrified when he was doing it!

31 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

Surely, they’re not really giving that huge of a spoiler away in a promo? Philip can’t quite be saying what it seems, can he? And with 2 episodes after that.....

I assume he's talking to Paige or Elizabeth. Philip, as always, thinks the bad part of the job is the things they have to do to people, not risking your life, which is the only thing Elizabeth talked about to Paige. She still makes it sound heroic.

24 minutes ago, Maire said:

Also I didn't recall the poisoned spy talking to Stan on his deathbed about the other spies. Did we see that? 

Oh yeah, we did. "Would you like a coke?" was the best part of the scene, though!

23 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

I saw tonight's breakin as a callback to the pilot when Stan broke into the garage and snooped around. 

Also the dumping of the body in the water was like the pilot. Philip killed somebody for her then. In this ep he came to help her.

Totally knew Marilyn was going to die. I wonder if Paige will ask if they can go to the funeral. (It's unlikely she'd think to ask what happened to her body and if it could be traced back to DC...)

10 minutes ago, jjj said:

The necklace was from the man, who took his cyanide pill in the van.

They mean the necklace that Elizabeth spitefully gave Philip to give to Martha. Martha left it behind and the FBI has it. I was totally looking for it in that picture.

9 minutes ago, MJ Frog said:

I think it was all the little things over the years, combined with his talk with Henry, and most importantly, the coincidence of the Jennings being out of town during the big blow-up in Chicago.

And probably more importantly, him remembering that Elizabeth was away for 3 months right after that "big case" (aka the shootout where the Illegal woman was shot by Stan).

At this point if Stan was really curious he'd check for death records, but he doesn't want it to be true.

ETA: Harvest's death scene just played again. He actually says "Take a left on Milwaukee Avenue up ahead" so that wasn't a mistake. Also yes, he does only speak Russian for the messages to his family. Nice touch. Also note that Philip says "I will" in response to whether he'll remember the Russian message to Harvest's mother, but "ни слова" in response to the message for his father. There would be some reason for that!

Edited May 10, 2018 by sistermagpie

[zibnchy]

14 minutes ago, Maire said:

So what triggered Stan?

Only 3 more episodes. :-)

 

11 minutes ago, hellmouse said:

I wonder how Paige thinks Elizabeth and Philip met each other.

They met cute in an alley, fighting over a rat they just killed for dinner.

I thought the scene between P&E at the house, as she was leaving for nursing work, was kind of tender, with the way E touched P's face. Like she was saying goodbye. Lots of that in this episode.

[jjj]

6 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Totally knew Marilyn was going to die. I wonder if Paige will ask if they can go to the funeral. (It's unlikely she'd think to ask what happened to her body and if it could be traced back to DC...)  [snip]T

They mean the necklace that Elizabeth spitefully gave Philip to give to Martha. Martha left it behind and the FBI has it. I was totally looking for it in that picture.

No funeral for Marilyn, unfortunately.  If I were Philip, I'd be sitting there thinking that someday all that would be left of me are pieces scattered around and dumped. 

I missed the Martha necklace -- was that the cross in the house that Stan touched? 

[sistermagpie]

1 minute ago, jjj said:

No funeral for Marilyn, unfortunately.  If I were Philip, I'd be sitting there thinking that someday all that would be left of me are pieces scattered around and dumped. 

Oh no, that's what I meant. I wondered if Philip would tell her that there's no funeral since he made sure she was unidentifiable by chopping off her head and her hands.

2 minutes ago, jjj said:

I missed the Martha necklace -- was that the cross in the house that Stan touched? 

No, that was I assume Paige's old necklace. The Martha necklace is in evidence at the FBI. But it used to be Elizabeth's so I wondered if it would be on her in a picture.

[Cardie]

I hope Stan has his suspicions confirmed before the finale. I don't want it to be rushed over as they try to tie everything up for the end of the series. 

The failed Operation Harvest was one of the best capers the series, but I could have done without Marilyn's dismemberment.

Elizabeth's facial marks cannot be plot-related or someone would have said something by now.  I think they may be an injury or rash Keri Russell suffered and they decided to let it be her Chicago look while concealing it with make-up, glasses or hair the rest of the time.

People above mentioned Colleen. Is that Elizabeth's nurse-persona name?

[jjj]

2 hours ago, Cardie said:

People above mentioned Colleen. Is that Elizabeth's nurse-persona name?

RIP Marilyn/Colleen

(I think that was her nurse name)

Edited May 10, 2018 by jjj

[Erin9]

@sistermagpie- Yes, I think Philip must be talking to Paige or Elizabeth...or at the very least it can’t be quite how it sounds. I was just so surprised. My first thought was exactly what they wanted: Whaaat????

Paige obviously doesn’t know how her parents met, but I don’t think she’s processed how virtually impossible it will be for her to meet a man she can share her life with as a Russian spy. She seems very lonely, looking for something to throw herself into. I guess that’s sometimes how it happens IRL. 

It is interesting that Henry’s sum up was that you have to be there for your family in the end. 

I just feel bad for Philip. He never catches a break. But Elizabeth doesn’t seem to get how badly burned out she is. She focuses on his burnout, not her own. 

This was a tense episode. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by Erin9

[ruby24]

Figure it out Stan, figure it out! Come on, how good an FBI agent are you?! Remember when your first instinct was to break into their house on the day you MET them? 

I don't think there's enough time for this, but I wish he could have figured it out sooner and brought Philip in as a double agent to take down Elizabeth in exchange for immunity for himself and the kids.

Paige is SO STUPID. I think the big thing missing here is why on earth she would have any motivation at all to work undercover for the Soviet Union for the rest of her life. She's never even been there! I wish they would imply that she's only really doing this to establish a relationship with her mother, which she'd been craving all her life or something. 

[tennisgurl]

Oh Philip. He has just become the saddest person in the world, and its even worse seeing how happy he was when the season started. Just when he thinks he`s out, they pull him back in, He has become so sad, even Elizabeth is willing to cut him some slack, despite his increasingly clear lack of interest in The Cause. He is so burned out, just looking at him exhausted me. At least he finally got a hug. I almost wonder now if Philip will surrender to Stan, or try to get someone to kill him in a last stand to save Liz or Paige, or his mission with Oleg, just to finally get some rest and be done.

Operation Harvest was a great caper, but it ended so very badly and nastily. Oh, those horrible sounds of the body being hacked up!Now I am having horrible flashbacks to P&E stuffing Philips poor dead contact into luggage to hide her body. This show makes me want to find a sound editor and ask them who hurt them to make them do things like this. 

Really, the tragedy of Paige is that, as much as she means well, she is just a natural follower who just does whatever someone in authority is telling her at the time, and buys into whatever their selling. First it was Pastor Tim and his groovy church, and now its Elizabeth and Claudia and the Communist Manifesto as told by mother and grandma Russia. Its honestly rather sad, as annoyingly naive as Paige can be. Even when Elizabeth tries to give Paige an out, she wont take it, because this is her new Thing, and she was told how awesome it is by her mom. She wants to do good, but she is so naive and lacking in real forethought, that she is extremely easy to manipulate, which is both a good and bad trait in a spy I guess. 

Stan is getting closer and closer to the truth, and while I cant wait for Stan to finally realize that he actually kind of sucks at the whole observation thing, it also makes me sad to think of how betrayed he will be by finding out his best friend has been lying to him. Philip really does care about him and values his friendship, and I hope that Stan at least can know that a lot of it wasn't a lie. Of course, Stan should have been tipped off by the fact that half the people he bonds with are Soviets, so why would this change his pattern? Maybe Stan should try a different job, because I dont see his career going well after this. He kind of needs to work on some I-SPY games. 

Classic Americans. Very tense, and very depressing. 

Edited May 10, 2018 by tennisgurl

[BradandJanet]

19 minutes ago, Cardie said:

People above mentioned Colleen. Is that Elizabeth's nurse-persona name?

I did that by accident, calling the patient, Erica ,by the wrong name in my post. I hope Erica figures into the end somehow. Perhaps she's sketching Elizabeth (aka ?) and someone finds the sketches and recognizes Elizabeth. 

[tpplay]

So sad that I thought throughout this episode "I can't wait for Elizabeth to die."  Which is what I've bene thinking all season.

It distracts me from the story.

I still love Stan.  I hope he survives.  He's going to be sad about Philip  Or maybe angry.  That'd be good.

Also, poor Henry.  I can't imagine.

Sigh.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Henry: “You have to be there for your family.”

Unless it is Thanksgiving break and your family goes to *Houston.

And except for Paige, who lives in DC and could have spent two minutes hanging out with her brother or even taken him to his friend’s house for his ride back to school.

[MisterBluxom]

2 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

Okay, first of all . . . EWWW. I rarely have to do the eye cover and peek during a tv show but . . . blergh. 

Stan, Stan, Stan . . . so damn close, but yet so damn far!! 

Second, am I alone in thinking that Philip's going to betray Elizabeth and flip and go to Stan? I actually thought last week when he was on the pay phone with her that the look on his face was determination to stop her (AKA - kill her) from conducting the Chicago mission, not go through with helping her. And then the scene with him tonight, pondering their real marriage by the Russian priest in the garage, is, at least to me, broadcasting that he is seriously considering defecting and spilling all the Russian tea . . . 

Oh, and am I also alone in thinking that Elizabeth took the cyanide necklace out of the bag before she tossed it in the river?

edited for wedding clarity and possible pill poppin' retention . . . 

 

I think it's now too late for Phil to go to Stan and flip. IMO, Stan has crossed the point of no return. How can he explain how he has been suspicious of these killers of FBI agents for more than six years but never did anything about it? He has begun to investigate them. His superiors could never tolerate that he is suspicious and has begun to investigate but still did nothing to prevent them from killing FBI agents. I can't imagine Stan having any kind of career in the FBI if that ever becomes known.

I'm surprised Bannon has not criticized the writing in this episode. Screw all the half-assed searching of their house. All Stan had to do was make a phone call to the airlines and check whether P & E really did fly to Houston. Once he learned they flew to Chicago, it would all be over. I'm going to take a shot at the writing this episode.

Bad writing. Bad premise. All it would take is one phone call to the airlines. WTH?

It seems like such an easy and simple premise to me for any investigator. If you are suspicious of someone - even just a tiny bit suspicious - just double check all the details about them that is easy to check. If anything doesn't pan out, then you can go further. But it's just so bad to not even take ten minutes to check what can be checked in ten  minutes. I have never before been seriously angry about the writing. But this just seems like terrible writing to me. Why wouldn't Stand call the airlines to check the details if he had even the slightest suspicion of his very bestest buddy?

Edited May 10, 2018 by MissBluxom

[Tetraneutron]

2 hours ago, jjj said:

And what happened to The Plan for Paige?  She was never intended to be an operative in the field and be in the line of fire.  How is this preparing her for an internship?  

It's preparing her to be ideologically Russian, to see the world as Elizabeth and Claudia do and to neither be loyal to America, see it as her homeland, or see it as a good place to live. Based on her conversation with Elizabeth, that succeeded very well. 

2 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

Okay, first of all . . . EWWW. I rarely have to do the eye cover and peek during a tv show but . . . blergh. 

Stan, Stan, Stan . . . so damn close, but yet so damn far!! 

Second, am I alone in thinking that Philip's going to betray Elizabeth and flip and go to Stan? I actually thought last week when he was on the pay phone with her that the look on his face was determination to stop her (AKA - kill her) from conducting the Chicago mission, not go through with helping her. And then the scene with him tonight, pondering their real marriage by the Russian priest in the garage, is, at least to me, broadcasting that he is seriously considering defecting and spilling all the Russian tea . . . 

Oh, and am I also alone in thinking that Elizabeth took the cyanide necklace out of the bag before she tossed it in the river?

edited for wedding clarity and possible pill poppin' retention . . . 

I don't. His goal this season has been to stop Elizabeth from blowing up the world, not punishing her for wanting a different life than his. He doesn't want to involve the American government, which would doom him and his whole family. This has never been about politics for him. Elizabeth was right when she said he was in the wrong line of work. 

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

I had the feeling Elizabeth was trying to talk Paige out of spying. She must have realized after Chicago that if Paige ever had to participate in that kind of mission, she'd end up being the one with her head and hands chopped off. Getting her on the internship track quickly is probably Liz's way of keeping her away from any dangerous missions.

I don't think so. I think she was reminded about how much it destroyed Philiip and wanted assurances that Paige wouldn't end up that way. I still think the time jump is a narrative cheat because we never saw HOW Paige went from loyalty and admiration to her mother to being in. Her spy arc is actually sort of like Gregory's, I think. General do-gooder who yearns to be part of a cause but when it absolutely comes down to it, isn't really Russian. 

 

Interesting that they're bringing back the illegal from one of the first episodes but they aren't following up on all the info they got about the last illegal they knew about, William Crandell. They also got a lot of process details from him. Does anyone else think it's weird that Aderholt is getting all the info about the spies but as a character he's still just an exposition device for Stan? We've had the fakeout tease so many times of Stan seeing a picture of the Jenningses and figuring the whole thing out that I doubt it will ever happen. I bet he dies because his death would be the most tragic for the viewer. 

[Umbelina]

1 hour ago, jjj said:

I guess I'm a little surprised they flew back from Chicago instead of driving -- less of a record of their travel that way.  (It's 13-14 hours; I've done it.) 

 

 

They are travel agents, they could book a flight under any name.  Actually, anyone could back then.  You didn't have to show ID to check in, or ever, just the plane ticket, you could even sell a plane ticket to someone else that you weren't able to use.  No one cared if what name was on the ticket, or who you were.  Even if you did, they are loaded with fake ID's.

Airport security only got wild after 9/11.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Umbelina

[MisterBluxom]

4 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

They are travel agents, they could book a flight under any name.  Actually, anyone could back then.  You didn't have to show ID to check in, or ever, just the plane ticket, you could even sell a plane ticket to someone else that you weren't able to use.  No one cared if what name was on the ticket, or who you were.  Even if you did, they are loaded with fake ID's.

Airport security only got wild after 9/11.

 

Oops. Maybe I was off base. But surely an FBI agent could double check with the airlines to see if P & E really flew to Houston? At least to find out where they really did fly? I can't believe it wouldn't be fairly easy for an FBI agent to check where they flew. Wouldn't it?

Edited May 10, 2018 by MissBluxom

[scartact]

Rusty on keeping up with episode threads these days so I apologize if I'm repeating things folks have already discussed or pondered, but a plot I'm really engaged in is Elizabeth's storyline with Erica this season. As someone who has previously admitted Elizabeth is my favorite character (though admittedly I love all the characters; I'm less inclined these days to nitpick them), even I've found her to be extremely staunch and unlikable this season, which to me comes from a major air of desperation Elizabeth is projecting in the form of becoming more and more extremist. Though, I do get what they're doing and why they're doing that.

Anyway, that being said, I've been thinking about who Erica is to Elizabeth and one TV critic called the art lessons Liz is doing her version of est, but I find that the one mode of humanization for Liz this season. I haven't fully thought out if Erica slowly dying and Elizabeth watching her die is some kind of metaphor for what's happening with Liz this season, or what's stricken Liz about Erica's art and partaking in art. I think there's something there about Erica's rawness of self that Liz is resonating with and responding to, even as much as she tries to resist it. But at this point, Phil and Liz are pretty out of step and she's especially isolated and holding on to this major secret with Dead Hand. I'm just thinking through Erica's frustrations with Stephanie and telling her she has to get out of her own way, which obviously in some ways Elizabeth is in her own way this season in doing the work because she's trying to hold all of it, much to her detriment. 

As for this episode? the Harvest operation was tense to watch, but of course it wasn't gonna be successful. I think there's some season one echoing that season six is doing, so this made me think about the season one finale with Phil and Liz's escape and how this becomes the failed version of it. They get away, but they don't succeed and two spies are dead. And damn I definitely didn't have the stomach for watching Philip hacking at Marilyn's neck. That was gross. As for Stan breaking in and snooping, I was hella tense throughout that entire sequence! There's something so jarring about seeing him so close to everything, that all he needs is to just have the right combination of knowledge to uncover all of it.

As for when Elizabeth and Paige had their final discussion, I read a critic (I think Vox?) who interpreted that as Elizabeth trying to goad Paige into committing, but I actually read that as her trying to find some outlet to push Paige out of doing the work, especially after seeing how much it took for Philip to go back into it. And if not really push her out, at the very least push Paige to think much more clearly and intentionally about the choice Paige is making. But I also think Paige is still being incredibly naive and foolish in saying that she isn't afraid to die. How will Paige know till she's legitimately in that situation?

[Umbelina]

21 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

Oops. Maybe I was off base. But surely an FBI agent could double check with the airlines to see if P & E really flew to Houston? At least to find out where they really did fly? I can't believe it wouldn't be fairly easy for an FBI agent to check where they flew. Wouldn't it?

JJJ said it.

They didn't fly under their own names.  NO one had to have a ticket that matched their name back then.

[KarenX]

I saw the Paige/Elizabeth scene as Elizabeth trying her best to talk Paige out of it. But she couldn’t, and not because Paige is a whiny baby who only wants to impress her mother. Elizabeth couldn’t talk Paige out of it because Elizabeth has no life experience, empathy, or good explanations. She can’t think for herself because she was trained explicitly not to think.

 

Poor Paige said she really just wants to make a (positive) difference in the world. That was Elizabeth’s chance! Paige! You can make a difference doing X or Y instead! A normal person could have provided ten alternatives without taking a breath first.

 

But Elizabeth’s life is so small and her perspective so limited and her creativity so stifled she couldn’t even make one suggestion. Instead, she gave Paige another order to follow, because that is all she knows how to do.

[Cardie]

39 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

They didn't fly under their own names.  NO one had to have a ticket that matched their name back then.

And, as travel agents, they probably also ticketed themselves to Houston under their Philip and Elizabeth names. They could have then put a pair of their spy cell operatives on the plane under those names.