Paige: The Private Investigator

[Tara Ariano]

Or, after the S2 premiere, the PRIVATES investigator. Right?

[Carrie Ann]

Here's a question: what do you think Paige suspects? She probably didn't jump to "Russian spies." So, does she think they're having affairs? Does she think they have secret government jobs? Does she think they're criminals in some other way?

I find her level of suspicion a little unrealistic, based on what we've seen. Now, if Philip is right and she has checked on them other nights when they've been out, then OK. But it seemed like she saw her mom come up from the basement in the middle of the night once and jumped into P.I. mode.

[Tara Ariano]

I mean, they do live in D.C.; she might think they're secret agents on behalf of the U.S. government.

[TravisNelson76]

She's a kid.  Her suspicions probably have nothing to do with secret agent-ing at all.  Maybe she thinks their having affairs?  Or that her mom is taking covert dance lessons?  Something like that.

[LittleVoice]

I've wondered about this too. My best theory is that for all Paige's life, as thorough and professional as P & E are about covering their tracks, there have been the occasional things that didn't add up. Not enough to make her think her parents are spies, but enough to stick in her subconscious. Now that she's reached her rebellious adolescent years, she's less prone to ignore that. Maybe she thinks there's something sordid in the family background that her parents are hiding from her. 

[Hal25]

Maybe she thinks there's something sordid in the family background that her parents are hiding from her. 

Yeah, I agree. Probably this and "could one of them be having an affair?" are the first places she would go. It would take such a fantastic leap for her to come up with the idea they were spies she would all but have to see them with Russian passports with their pictures, and the circuit breaker box downstairs with the guns. I wouldn't imagine she would come up with anything for a long time. That said, I hope they keep pushing with her. They kind of backed off in favor of the religion thing, but the suspicions on the home front was the more interesting of the two for me.

[Milburn Stone]

Also, it's deliciously ironic how hard a time both parents are giving her about "lying to us" when both parents are constantly lying to her! More than stuff not adding up, I think it's this sixth sense she has that she's constantly being lied to (because, after all, most sentient beings do develop a sense of when they're being lied to) that accounts for her discomfort.

[90PercentGravity]

Carrying over this comment from TWoP. Paige is the thing that gives this show the most 80s-like feel to me. I think mostly because the actress so strongly resembles Megan Follows, who was the same age at that time. I actually checked her imdb profile, because I was sure they must be related, but apparently not.

[Hal25]

She does kind of resemble her!

Also, it's deliciously ironic how hard a time both parents are giving her about "lying to us" when both parents are constantly lying to her!

That's usually my favorite part in their parenting moments--how quite often they're disciplining them for doing something they do all the time themselves.

 

Edited April 21, 2014 by maraleia
removed double post

[LittleVoice]

I miss Investigator Paige. The sudden religious fervor is an interesting character twist, but I really want to see her snooping around again!

[lucindabelle]

I can't believe Paige has the nerve to insist on Christian camp after last week. Three. On the is a grey long summer and I totally support Elizabeth in refusing. Paige has become a brainwashed brat.

[Milburn Stone]

Paige is in a commercial for Stouffer's Lasagna!

[lucindabelle]

Why doesn't Paige have any best friends? She seems to have no friends at all outside of the church group set. Why don't she and her brother have friends, and their parents would know their friends parents, etc.? They are both attractive and pleasant kids.

[LittleVoice]

I thought the brother at least had friends. Wasn't the house he broke into one of his friends'?

[sistermagpie]

Paige had mentioned friends and Henry had friends at his birthday party. We don't see most of their friends because they only matter in how they effect their parents. I wouldn't want to waste time on seeing their lives when they have nothing to do with the themes of the show.

 

That said, Paige quitting volleyball made me think she probably is dropping all her old friends to be all-church all the time and only hang out with her "good people" Jesus friends.

[NitneLiun]

Paige is in a commercial for Stouffer's Lasagna!

I saw that, right after the episode in which Elizabeth offered Paige some lasagna.

Edited May 13, 2014 by NitneLiun

[LittleVoice]

That said, Paige quitting volleyball made me think she probably is dropping all her old friends to be all-church all the time and only hang out with her "good people" Jesus friends.

And that is never a good sign.

[lucindabelle]

Oh I agree, I wouldn't want to see them, I'm just surprised they don't come up more. In real life, wouldn't her parents be citing her former best friends as ammunition about not staying in youth group? Even in "Heathers" the issue of new friends/old friends comes up (on my mind because of the great Off-Broadway musical now playing). At Paige's age, I was on the phone with my besties all the time. But we never even hear the names of any of Paige's or Henry's friends, as if they exist in a vacuum. I can understand her parents doing that, but for "normal" American kids, it's weird.

 

ETA: was that house one of Henry's friends? I thought it was just a neighbor.

Edited May 14, 2014 by lucindabelle

[LittleVoice]

I thought it was a friend and that's how he knew about the game system, but I may be wrong.

[Loandbehold]

What happened to the girl Paige met on the bus that got her interested in the church group in the first place? If we ever saw her again, I guess she could be Paige's newest bestie.

[TravisNelson76]

Space-time continuum be damned, I've decided that Paige's "summer camp" is actually the crazy cult farm from Orphan Black.  Paige and senior counselor Grace Florrick will bond while practicing their lip stitching skills.

[sistermagpie]

What happened to the girl Paige met on the bus that got her interested in the church group in the first place? If we ever saw her again, I guess she could be Paige's newest bestie.

 

 

Seems like once you get to the group everyone revolves around Pastor Tim. He's everyone's new bestie.

[5cents-worth]

Paige is in a commercial for Stouffer's Lasagna!

 

And she looks totally suspicious of everyone while still enjoying a hearty and delicious meal.

[Carrie Ann]

I have so many post-finale thoughts about Paige's S1/S2 storyline, and her path going forward. My husband's just starting to watch S1, so maybe I'll be able to catch more details again because right now things are very jumbled in my mind. Here are some things that look different now that we know the Centre's plans.

 

-That random hitchhiking creepster: could he have been an agent trying to evaluate Paige's tendencies, personality, capacity to handle herself?

 

-The church people: certainly Pastor Curly is Centre, right? I always felt like the girl she met on the bus was too convenient, so I think she was Centre too. I basically think the church is how the Centre has already gotten to Paige behind P & E's backs. They have her questioning the US government, to the point of protesting at their military bases.* They have her praising people who resist and question and put themselves on the line for others. Plus that pastor handled Philip with aplomb when he threatened him. Plus, the church camp? Three months of unfettered access to Paige to continue grooming her.

 

(*This is one major flaw in my theory, because the CIA and NSA have ways of knowing when their candidates have participated in protests, and it is a sticking point in getting a job there. Not sure about the FBI.)

 

Going forward, I'm a little concerned about this direction. I hope that P & E are successful in shutting it down, because I don't actually think the actress has it in her. They don't have another Keri Russell or Claire Danes on their hands. I just haven't seen much nuance from her, and I'm not interested in spending even more of next season focused on Paige. I like the story in theory, but in practice, I'm not sure it will play very well.

[PinkRibbons]

A little thing's been bugging me about Paige, and I wonder if it's symbolic or something on the writers' part: it's the fact that she's the only one in the Jennings family with a name that has no Russian equivalent whatsoever. The Jennings have probably known all this time that there's a chance they will be deported from the country with the kids in tow, so giving them names that work in both countries would make sense. And there are a ton of names that are used in the US and Russia as well without being obviously one or the other. (I mean, Philip and Elizabeth can even still be Philip and Yelizaveta in Russia, which were my late uncle and grandmother's respective names.) Alice, for example, would never point directly to Russian origins, but while rare, there were/are Russian Alisas. There's Eve, Joan, Mary, Anne, Rose, Lily, Amelia, etc.

 

Henry's name in Russia would be Genrikh, which sounds a little too German for post-war Russia, but he'd probably adjust to being called Gehna quickly enough (almost no one in Russia is referred to by their full name by anyone close to them. In season 1's finale, even though her mother does call her Nadezhda at one point, Elizabeth's mother starts her taped letter adressing her as "Nadinka", and I'm sure she was called Nadia throughout her whole childhood. And there's absolutely no way Philip has "Misha" on his birth certificate. His real name is almost definitely Mikhail/Michael.)

 

Paige would have to choose a brand new name in Russia if it came to that, and her parents could have saved her that trouble by choosing any number of names that converted well. So why choose "Paige", which has a completely English root? From what I can tell it wasn't a particularly popular name in the 80s US.

[sistermagpie]

I really think all the theories about how every random person Paige meets is part of some conspiracy (even when their behavior goes completely against the alleged goals of the conspiracy, because conspiracy theories by definition can never be proven wrong) break with the reality of the show and with what Claudia told us and with what we saw with Jared. Christians seem like spy recruiters because they *are* recruiters. Creepy guys seem like they have hidden agendas because they do have hidden agendas. The real world is far more dangerous and complicated than a world where everyone is either working for the USSR or the US. The Centre isn't assessing Paige's readiness to handle herself because they want her for her US citizenship, not because they think she's shown particular talent for spywork. 

 

The Pastor handled Philip like a Christian. He is recruiting Paige to be a Christian--along with Kelli and everyone else in the church. He can get arrested because he's on the up and up. Jared was not recruited into an American institution that caused friction with his parents before eventually got around to being KGB. He was told flat-out that his parents were spies (that caused friction) and asked to work for the KGB with a hot girl thrown in to mess with him. There's no reason Paige should be getting an approach so much more elaborate, time consuming and cautious than Jared.

 

I just haven't seen much nuance from her, and I'm not interested in spending even more of next season focused on Paige. I like the story in theory, but in practice, I'm not sure it will play very well.

 

 

 

Agreed.

 

A little thing's been bugging me about Paige, and I wonder if it's symbolic or something on the writers' part: it's the fact that she's the only one in the Jennings family with a name that has no Russian equivalent whatsoever.

 

 

Afaik, Jared doesn't have a Russian equivalent either, so they're probably not naming their kids as potential Russians, they're American citizens who might wind up anywhere. If they got kicked to the USSR their identities are gone anyway so what does it matter if they have a name technically related? Philip and Elizabeth wouldn't have their names chosen based on whether they're also Russian. As you said, they have Russian names--Nadyezhda (whatever) and Mikhail (whatever)--and those are the names they'd use if they went back to the USSR. Their names are Philip and Elizabeth because those are the names connected to the social security numbers they're using. They belonged to a real Philip Jennings and Elizabeth whatever who died.

[PinkRibbons]

Afaik, Jared doesn't have a Russian equivalent either, so they're probably not naming their kids as potential Russians, they're American citizens who might wind up anywhere. If they got kicked to the USSR their identities are gone anyway so what does it matter if they have a name technically related? Philip and Elizabeth wouldn't have their names chosen based on whether they're also Russian. As you said, they have Russian names--Nadyezhda (whatever) and Mikhail (whatever)--and those are the names they'd use if they went back to the USSR. Their names are Philip and Elizabeth because those are the names connected to the social security numbers they're using. They belonged to a real Philip Jennings and Elizabeth whatever who died.

 

My point, which maybe I should have emphasized more, is that it may be a symbolic choice on the writers' part, of setting Paige slightly outside of her family. If it is, that would lend another interesting note to Jared, who also has no equivalent name, but whose sister would be called Mila in the USSR. I was also merely using Philip and Elizabeth as examples of convertable names.

 

Edited to Add: If the whole family were to be kicked back to Russia, I doubt that the kids would lose their identities. They'd be the children of Misha and Nadezhda, heroes of the country that have returned home. The kids wouldn't have to lie about themselves, and they wouldn't have to choose new names. Having one that easily converted would make the transition easier, however.

Edited May 28, 2014 by PinkRibbons

[sistermagpie]

Edited to Add: If the whole family were to be kicked back to Russia, I doubt that the kids would lose their identities. They'd be the children of Misha and Nadezhda, heroes of the country that have returned home. The kids wouldn't have to lie about themselves, and they wouldn't have to choose new names. Having one that easily converted would make the transition easier, however.

 

 

I meant they'd lose their identities in that they wouldn't be Paige and Henry Jennings of Falls Church. Being the children of Russian heroes is not anything they've ever associated with themselves, so the fact that Henry could have a name that technically was his own in Russian probably wouldn't be very comforting. After all, his name would even be Genrikh Mikhailovich rather than Genrikh Philipovich when his dad's always been Philip! They wouldn't be lying about themselves, but there would be a huge disconnect between who they were supposed to be and who they identified as themselves.

 

That said, it could certainly be symbolic to have the one kid without a Russian equivalent if it turned out she was the one who couldn't get on board with the idea, but as of now the thing that makes her stand out seems to be her age as much as her personality--she's old enough to question, Henry just goes along with things and trusts his parents still. Jared embraced the cause, so there wasn't anything particularly not-Russian about him in his family, even if he wound up being against everyone else (though i guess we could say he tried to be Russian and it wasn't a good fit so he went mad). Are there equivalents of Emmett and Leanne?

[PinkRibbons]

I'm just saying that you never know what little things can help a painful transition. Not having to change your name completely could help in adjustment to a completely foreign world.

 

Jared embraced the cause, so there wasn't anything particularly not-Russian about him in his family, even if he wound up being against everyone else (though i guess we could say he tried to be Russian and it wasn't a good fit so he went mad). Are there equivalents of Emmett and Leanne?

 

My thinking is that yes, Jared's name signifying being outside his own family could be a tip off that one of those things are not like the others (i.e. batshit insane). Paige's outsider-ness could mean something else completely; like her absolutely rejecting the KGB and/or turning her folks in (although honestly I'd really prefer to see her reaction to the news as an underwhelmed "well, at least I know the truth now. I'm good.' Of course, that would not make any sense with how she's been characterized until now, but I can hope.)

 

I admit my theory breaks a bit with Emmett -- if I dug really deep I might be able to find a sound-alike, but nothing comes to mind off the top of my head. Leanne can easily be Lena.

[Inquisitionist]

-The church people: certainly Pastor Curly is Centre, right? I always felt like the girl she met on the bus was too convenient, so I think she was Centre too.

 

How would the Centre have planted that girl on the bus for an utterly impromptu trip that Paige took to look for Aunt Helen?

 

I really think all the theories about how every random person Paige meets is part of some conspiracy (even when their behavior goes completely against the alleged goals of the conspiracy, because conspiracy theories by definition can never be proven wrong) break with the reality of the show and with what Claudia told us and with what we saw with Jared. Christians seem like spy recruiters because they *are* recruiters. Creepy guys seem like they have hidden agendas because they do have hidden agendas. The real world is far more dangerous and complicated than a world where everyone is either working for the USSR or the US.

 

Agreed!

[MDKNIGHT]

I just caught up with this show so I'm  late to the party but I just wanted to say that I'm having difficulty thinking the Soviet Union would think their plans for Paige are likely to pan out and worth the risk.  I can SORT of buy Jared's conversion. Although I would see him betraying his country for sex with a sexy Soviet spy but STILL have a hard time buying his killing his family for Mother Russia. That was kind of difficult for me to believe buy history is full of horny guys doing bad things for sex so MAYBE.   But a teenaged girl raised here with at least SOME interest in religion converting to an athiest POV which ALSO means cow towing to her PARENT'S POV?  Put it this way....I could see Paige picking ANY OTHER religious/political etc POV JUST to mess with her parents.  If you told me her reaction to finding out her parents were Soviet spys was to become a Shaolin Nun (BTW they shave their heads just like the Shaolin Monks do as I met one once)I'd buy that before you got me to believe she'd go along with this.  AND my other problem with this plan is that the Center's position would be that if she doesn't join she has to be eliminated because she's a threat to Elizabeth and Philip.  Wouldn't you think they'd value them as assets and not want to unnecessarily risk their cover by trusting they can predict the mind of a teenaged girl? 

Edited July 20, 2014 by maraleia
changed thier to their

[90PercentGravity]

I go back and forth on whether or not Paige is a good candidate. On one hand, she is willful. On the other hand, she is searching for some kind of meaning and something to believe in, so she's probably at the most opportune moment. She's also relatively well-disciplined, even for a girl in rebellion.

[sistermagpie]

Although I would see him betraying his country for sex with a sexy Soviet spy but STILL have a hard time buying his killing his family for Mother Russia.

 

 

I don't think there's any question that he killed them for Mother Russia. He just lashed out at them emotionally for lying to him and then trying to take away the thing he'd glommed onto to make it all make sense. So first he found out they lied, then he found out they didn't even want him as part of the team and were going to get rid of Kate as well. It was more like any domestic dispute. If he was thinking of Mother Russia he wouldn't be murdering their most valuable agents! He just afterwards had to make it part of his adolescent hero fantasies as if he was the real spy and they didn't get it.

 

As for Paige, no idea how the Soviets imagine this is supposed to work if Paige is just horrified, as she could certainly be. Especially since they come from a culture where people informed on family members. If one kid actually murdered his parents, why wouldn't another kid blow their cover?

[topanga]

 

I go back and forth on whether or not Paige is a good candidate.

I don't think she'd be willing to fight and die for Mother Russia

[PinkRibbons]

Paige's name was coming up a lot on the latest episode's thread, so I thought I'd bring my thought over here. My little pet theory about Paige's name is that her first initial is taken from someone Philip or Elizabeth wanted to honor. Maybe Elizabeth's mother or an old friend of Philip's. They would probably be too paranoid to Americanize a whole Russian name that started with P, like Polina (Pauline), but they could subtly do with just the one initial. They knew they wanted their baby's name to start with a P, then probably looked at a list of American names and chose whichever they liked the sound of.

 

(The reason this came to my mind is that I see this a lot among Jewish people; the older generation will be incredibly firm about passing on names of dead family members while the younger generation will want more freedom of choice. Then everyone fights for a while until finally the younger generation compromises by choosing a name that shares the first letter of the required name and saying the child is named "in honor" of them. That's how I know a Shawn named after a Shiah.)

 

And on another topic completely...does anyone else wonder if Paige is gonna question her paternity if and when she finds out what her parents really do? I mean, if she learned the full extent. Because to be honest with the frequency Elizabeth has used sex to get information on this show, I've been wondering myself if the kids are definitely biologically Philip's. I'm pretty sure they are (she definitely did sleep with Philip to try and conceive children even when she was apathetic to him), but I wouldn't mind a clarification on how Elizabeth was/is sure.

[sistermagpie]

I would assume Elizabeth was absolutely sure in a way we're not supposed to question. If she used birth control when having sex on the job, but not with Philip, why doubt it? Also Elizabeth doesn't necessarily have sex all that much. I mean, not so much that she couldn't have gone a few months without it to be sure--especially for Henry. Philip does seem to be giving her a guy's name with the implication of sex in the scene where she starts trying for Paige, but if Elizabeth had the slightest doubt about parentage I think she just wouldn't have had the baby. She was very controlling on that issue.

 

I feel like I already said way too much on the name issue, but I was glad to see other people who also thought Paige was a more average name than Henry in that time period. Like others on the group, I knew at least one Paige my age. I can't think of a single Henry I even remember from my school.

[Chaos Theory]

Well there is such a thing as too normal. They could have named their kids "Mary" and "John" but that kinda reeks of too average and when you are trying to hide in plain sight being too average is also a danger. "Paige" and "Henry" are both names that can be written off as family names with the added benefit of added world building. "You were named after your greag aunt...oh she died a few years ago. I have a picture if you want to see."

Edited February 4, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[sistermagpie]

I get that but they're talking about her as if they plan to start indoctrinate her now, so that she's ready and willing when she gets this hypothetical government job. How do they plan to lure her to their side?

 

 

Good question. It seems that at this point they're simply working up to telling her they're Russian spies and to do that they have to make her think of Russian spies as something that isn't horrible. So Elizabeth's obviously starting out by just making her pro-Socialist and open to seeing the US as an aggressor in the world. Of course it's easy to be those things and not support the USSR, but from Elizabeth's pov that's the first step--presumably that's where Gregory and Charles started. So Paige is already seeing the US as pro-war under Reagan and stockpiling nuclear arms. Now she's pointing out corporations having too much power where the government ought to be doing something (like funding colleges). 

 

It's not clear yet how they would turn her to get even more radical in her views if that's possible--plus become atheist. But that's the sort of thing Elizabeth's looking out for in church. Elizabeth has noted that the key to Paige is her wanting to be part of making the world a better place so all she has to do is sell her cause as the real way to do that. She can start by pointing out the good things the church is saying, but then just show her the ways the church can't really be effective since it's still too supportive of the US and the religious stuff undermines any serious work with fairy tales.

[Bubbetv]

The promo for next week showed Elizabeth saying, "she set us up." And I did not think it was Claudia, or the candy gobbling new defector, but immediately flashed on Paige. How she made a huge point of telling Phillip she's fine, and irritated by all the concern...but I go blank as to what that endgame couls be.

I hope she ropes her parents into a church couples retreat to learn heartfelt commitment. THAT's a group discussion I'd love to see them doublespeak through.

[sistermagpie]

I hope she ropes her parents into a church couples retreat to learn heartfelt commitment. THAT's a group discussion I'd love to see them doublespeak through.

 

 

LOL! Elizabeth and Philip could pretty much run circles about anybody trying to teach them about heartfelt commitment. The trust exercises alone would be hilarious.

[methodwriter85]

I really like Paige's hair this year. It's got this vague 80's preppy feel to it, yet still feels classic. She's always had this aesthetic that makes her feel like an 80's teenager.

 

I also just find Paige very believable as a girl from a non-conventional home who craves normality and conformity. It fits in with the typical early 80's narrative of kids who rejected their parent's 60's idealism and embraced Ronald Reagan's values.

 

I also had two sisters that got into this weird, alternative church for about a year or two after 9/11 and how they tried hard to get me into it so this makes me think about. They were the "let's dance and sing!" kind of church as well.

Edited February 24, 2015 by methodwriter85

[PinkRibbons]

A new featurette focusing on Paige:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb36g7rlaRY

[sistermagpie]

I agree with Umbelina that I don't see Paige begin able to control herself over this information or to see things clearly. And I'm speaking just about Paige - not every teenage girl. This is just how I've seen her character to date. She's acting just as I thought she would. The shock is over and now she is PISSED. She can't tell anyone so she's going to make sure her parents know just how pissed she is. Phillip is letting her vent, within reason.Elizabeth is trying but is so caught off guard that Paige didn't give her a standing ovation upon hearing the news that she's a Russian, she doesn't know how to react to her.

 

 

I was thinking more about this whole discussion and how I feel about the Paige storyline and a few things came to mind. First, I do want to say that since the beginning of the show I always wanted them to avoid telling the kids for exactly this reason--that it gives a kid power over a couple of spies. So everything everyone is saying about how insane that is I do actually totally agree with. If I were Philip and was told to tell my kid I'd object not on the grounds that it would ruin her life but that as a professional they can't possibly expect me to take that kind of risk. It's already led to a lot of depressing speculation about Paige's first "mission" because the KGB is now going to hand over intelligence gathering for the war in Afghanistan to....Paige from Falls Church, VA, sophomore.

 

But given the story we have, this is what I feel about Paige. Her main motivation since midway through season 1--maybe since around the separation--is getting to know her parents. The religion thing is good for other parts of her personality, but even that kind of reflects her confusion and anxiety over her parents. It gives her an ordered universe where someone's in control and it tells her how to deal with feelings of doubt etc.

 

But even with that, it always came back to her parents. The religion stuff annoyed them. It got their attention. Elizabeth came to church with her and that was good (Paige isn't the kind of teenager who hates the idea of her mom horning in on her social life, apparently), but I feel like part of that convo after her baptism where she asks Elizabeth to try praying is Paige kind of realizing that this isn't the connection she'd hoped for. Elizabeth isn't having the same experience she has where they both feel like they can unburden themselves in church--maybe Pastor Tim had encouraged her to think that was possible with Mom. And the baptism didn't change her main problem or make things different. For all the build up it takes place at the top of the episode and despite Pastor Tim's words it does play like a simple ceremony that her parents attend and clap politely for. It's after that that she and Pastor Tim apparently decide she really just needs to confront her parents and she does--that's her real baptism (or initiation as Tim described it).

 

So the thing about Paige blowing everything up is that as angry as she is, this actually is what she always wanted. She's on the inside of the secret. Sure she's also angry and there's some satisfaction to be gained in blowing it up for them, but she's actually very close to and attached to her parents. She's really focused on them. Getting rid of them in favor of her church family who meets regularly and sings badly every Sunday might sound good when she's mad but getting rid of her parents would make her life like...I can't think of the right analogy but it's like...it's like reading Game of Thrones but only for the Dorn chapters. Or even better--it's like watching The Americans only for the parts where Stan mopes about his marriage and fast-forwarding through the rest.

 

Like with the idea of Pastor Tim being an alternate guardian--moving in with him might show her parents (so she might in the moment do that to hurt them) but it would also be a step back. Pastor Tim might not be a Soviet spy (seriously, he is not a Soviet spy!) but he's another adult she doesn't know on an adult level and whose only ever shown her one very perfect side to himself. Moving from her own house into his would be like going backwards again. Whatever he says about Paige being treated like an adult he's treating her like a teenager in his care where he's not only the adult but the pastor with all the answers. Adulthood is what she's experiencing at home with these two messed up people.

 

It's crushing to learn her parents are strangers...but I think it's also a pretty damn good payoff for all her suspicions. Who would want to walk away from them now with a million questions to be answered? Even Paige has to admit her parents gave up their secrets and amazingly became even more complex people--the answers lead to a million follow-up questions! And anger! And real emotion! And connection! And she can hurt them! And interrogate them! And judge them! And best of all maybe one day...understand them!

 

They are actually not letting her down here. I think she'd be more let down by some tawdry personal problems like that girl in her youth group whose dad was banging his secretary. The stuff they're doing is even relevant to her interests rather than being about money or something. Respect!

Edited April 9, 2015 by sistermagpie

[margol29]

My thoughts on Paige. I find her charactor hard to believe. An attractive 15 year old girl with no besties. She wants to join a church. The only friends she wants at her birthday dinner are the pastor and wife. She has no interest in boys. All these things do not ring true for a 15 year old.

 

Look at Kimmie. She is the same age. Her whole life is her girlfriends and her "man" friends. Her parents leave her alone a lot and she does not question where they go or if they are lying to her. She seems happy to have her freedom.

 

I was the same way when I was fifteen. Although it was many years ago. I would have loved to have my parents out of the house a lot of the time. I would not have questioned it, I would have just been glad to have my freedom to see my friends and not to account for where I was every minute to my parents.

 

P&E do a lot with their kids. They always have sit down meals together. They do game night and movies. They own a business and I know for a fact that it means late nights and meetings out of town. I would not have questioned it I would just be glad that I was left to my own devices at times.

 

Now that Paige knows who P&E are they need to do something to make her realize how serious the situation is. She has too much power over her parents now. In stead of going ot Kenya for the summer they should send her to the Young Pioneers that Nina talks of. Or some KGB summer camp for youth. That should straighten her out.  Ha Ha!!

[sistermagpie]

My thoughts on Paige. I find her charactor hard to believe. An attractive 15 year old girl with no besties. She wants to join a church. The only friends she wants at her birthday dinner are the pastor and wife. She has no interest in boys. All these things do not ring true for a 15 year old.

 

 

But there are plenty of 15 year old girls like this. In fact, I'm pretty sure Elizabeth was one too.

 

Kimmie and Paige are very different girls looking for different things and they have very different backgrounds. Kimmie feels that her family simply lacks and interest in her. Paige is angry that her parents lie to her but she knows they have an interest in her.

[Loandbehold]

 

Look at Kimmie. She is the same age. Her whole life is her girlfriends and her "man" friends. Her parents leave her alone a lot and she does not question where they go or if they are lying to her. She seems happy to have her freedom.

 

Kimmie and Paige are very different girls looking for different things and they have very different backgrounds. Kimmie feels that her family simply lacks and interest in her. Paige is angry that her parents lie to her but she knows they have an interest in her.

The latter post is closer to my view of Kimmie. I don't see her as being happy with her freedom. I see her as someone who actually wants some boundaries and wishes her father would bother to do so. The look on her face in the picture of the Hawaiian vacation shows Dad and step-Mom smiling, while Kimmie doesn't look happy at all. I believe that she dates older (and actual) men, as opposed to high school boys, because, on some level, she wants that father figure in her life. So, she caught between acting the ingenue trying to seduce someone and the 15 year old babysitter who wants to watch movies and have popcorn fights before she's told that it's late and she should go to bed.

 

That's very different from Paige, but not really a care-free existence. Paige and Kimmie do want different things and go about it in different ways. Whether either actually finds what she's looking for will hopefully be answered, either by the end of this season (I can't see Kimmie playing much of a role in future seasons) or as the series moves on.

[gwhh]

That typical for any other than any family member can watch it TV show of the last few decades.

Why doesn't Paige have any best friends? She seems to have no friends at all outside of the church group set. Why don't she and her brother have friends, and their parents would know their friends parents, etc.? They are both attractive and pleasant kids.

[sistermagpie]

There was some new comments on an old review thread for the S3 finale that got me thinking that it's really clever the way they've set up Paige's situation here. Because when she got involved with the church she very specifically said she admired Jesus and Pastor Tim for their willingness to sacrifice for others. Tim himself made a point of announcing that he was the type of person who would die for a cause, even if he wouldn't kill for it. Paige specifically criticized her parents (before knowing the truth) for not being able to understanding her admiration of Jesus's willingness to sacrifice for others and never helping anybody themselves.

 

So it's doubly ironic that on the one hand, it's Philip and Elizabeth's willingness to sacrifice everything that put her in this situation, which is something by her own beliefs she ought to admire, even if she rejects their motivation. They've both gone far beyond her or her pastor in terms of personal sacrifice--Paige gave all her money to the church, but it had little effect on her life. Her parents both started out with very little and gave up pretty much everything they had.

 

And more interestingly, by her own words, the thing that put her over the edge and made her draw the line was the idea that she was being asked to sacrifice something of her own identity--not just in the way the parents have sacrificed their identities, but just that she was going to have to "be a liar" when it's become very important to her sense of herself that she's not a liar. It's a neat little reflection of stated US vs. USSR values, in a way, since in the US individuality is often held up as the most important thing. (Paige would have heard the message that "The most important person in the whole wide world is YOU!")

 

Basically, it seems like it would really make sense for them to use the new season to explore Paige having to look at the conflicts between her reaction here and her values by thinking about this thing from different angles. They laid some of this out with Elizabeth telling her about her alleged activist past which turned Paige off...but also did give her the idea that her mom was far more hardcore in her beliefs than she was. She seemed very attracted to the idea of her parents as radicals until she wasn't. It seems like they cut out some of that from S3 (there was a clip of Paige asking if spies "stole" that was cut that makes me think they might get more into that next season). 

 

I wonder if Philip's backstory might also play into this. Because we know about Elizabeth's past, and how her sacrifices are very bound up in proving herself and living up to an ideal and even (though she wouldn't put it this way) assuring that she won't lose her mother's love and respect. But from what he's said Philip seems like he maybe got into for more human/compassionate reasons.

[SunnyBeBe]

Interesting comments on Paige, but I really wouldn't care if we didn't see much about her this season.  I know they have to resolve her somehow, but I don't like her character and wish they would send her somewhere.  IMO, the writers wrote themselves into a hole with her storyline. It seemed very dramatic, but it really limits her parents now. I find Henry more amusing and would rather they focus on him, if necessary.  

 

The only way out of this mess, IMO, is to put Paige into hypnosis and have her forget all that she has learned about her parent's true identity and mission in this country.  lol 

[viajero]

Personally I thought Paige's storyline is what made Season 3.  I would be very disappointed if they drop it too quickly in Season 4 without fully exploring all the ramifications of her finding out the truth about her parents.