theamericans | Episode discussion post: "Tchaikovsky"

jae posting in

Aired:
4 April 2018 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 602 of The Americans, intended for viewers who are watching the show on the U.S./Canadian schedule. (Feel free to dive in to the discussion even if you're coming in late--and you should also feel free to start a new thread if it seems too daunting to read through what's already been posted first. If you're reading this at a point where you've already seen subsequent episodes, though, please take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season six, episode two.)

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From:

selenak

Now the new General Up To No Good had explicitly ordered Elizabeth not to tell her husband about the whole summit mission, but the fact that Elizabeth goes out of her way not to talk to Philip in general and during their one and only conversation in this episode when having the chance invents a worry with Paige instead of talking about the actual worrisome Paige-related event last episode (i.e. the security guard) does not augur well. Now it could be that Elizabeth simply does not want to worry Philip - Paige slipping up with a name sounds more harmless than "security guard confiscated fake ID with Paige's photo on it, hit on her, then I killed him", an action which Philip more likely than not would have undertaken as well (see: past record). But in these two keeping secrets from each other in this show never ends well, especially when it's not even necessary by plot. Mind you, I buy it completely as part of their psychological make-up, given their chosen profession for decades. Keeping secrets and lying is their default. Note that Philip also doesn't insist on another conversation or tries to bring up that interesting encounter he had again. Which would indicate he's already at least considering what Oleg suggested.

At a guess, this is also the point of the whole losing-a-client mini subplot which otherwise seems a bit random. Philip at first blames losing his client of 15 years on Stavros, but as both Stavros and Henry point out, Philp is the one who had formed the relationship, and just handing the man over to Stavros already is a step to enstrangement. Now it had been Elizabeth who suggested to Philip he should quit and let her carry on the spying alone, but still, they both know in that profession, you're in or you're out, and their relationship, long before it became romantic, started as a professional partnership first and foremost. Take that element away, on which all others were built, and can the remainder survive?

Meanwhile, back at the FBI: Aderholt tells Stan Oleg is back in town, and not on a diplomatic via, but alas the show is making us wait for that extremely interesting reunion for another episode. Instead, we get treated to Stan Beeman, worst marriage guidance counsellor ever, and seriously, who thought Stan could work with this part of being a handler? (Actually, I don't think Stan is good at being a handler in general, and not just because of Nina; he's not capable of adjusting parts of his personality to what the asset needs, the way we've seen both Elizabeth and Philip do over the course of the series.) Lastly, did I mishear or did Stan address Aderholt as "Gus"? I thought Aderholt's first name was Dennis?

Speaking of handlers: I note that Claudia is careful to make it clear she's "not supposed to be curious" about what the orders for Elizabeth she's handing over from the Centre are about, i.e. that she does not know anything of the matter. Could be significant on either a Doylist (the show's writers want to make this clear) or Watsonian (Claudia points this out, whether or not it's actually true, in order to have cover and plausible deniability when things go sideways) level. That she plays the Tchaikovsky record for Elizabeth and Paige (who is not into classics) is one of the few times we've seen Claudia share something personally important to her and would indicate she's made Elizabeth and Paige a replacement family, but of course as with anything, it could be manipulation as well.

Elizabeth continues to run herself ragged, working (and smoking) nonstop and slipping in and out of different roles, which is perhaps why she makes a catastrophic mistake at the end by bringing Paige as back-up. Seriously: meeting a jumpy high level official whom you're attempting to blackmail alone in a park is not something you bring a rookie like Paige to as back-up. Even the late Hans early on would have been a questionable choice. That's the kind of mission you need a complete professional as backup for, and even if Philip is no longer available, there's the woman we saw Elizabeth with last episode. With the end result being Paige as an almost-witness to the gory death of an US admiral and definitely liable for the resulting clean-up. Never mind Paige's shock and the sight of her mother covered in brains, she's due to a lengthy prison sentence too now.

Incidentally, how old is Paige by now? Because I'm not sure I'm buying the naivete of her "is there sex involved?" question about spying. I mean, not having an idea of just how completely both of her parents were sexually used by the state is one thing, but the basic concept of a honey trap is really not something that you need books to read for in 1987.

Let's see, what else: Reagan's senility as a factor, which is interesting, since I did buy Claudia's complete surprise in this regard, and also her having no idea of what that means for the USSR - good or bad? The guide's little speech at the Lafayette bust about how sympbolism matters more than the truth - how Lafayette actually looked like is besides the point, only what he symbolizes for US history. Could be read as meta; Reagan's image not just in conservative US circles versus the reality?

From:

lovingboth

This is a scene I would have liked to have seen - what has been agreed in terms of (not) talking about the work?

In s6e1's musical intro to the series, one of the early shots is Elizabeth arriving late and them just exchanging glances and the barest of smiles before she goes off, alone, upstairs.

So is it 'don't ask, don't tell', up to the point where there's something about Paige?

Re: The deal between Elizabeth and Philip

From:

selenak - Date: 2018-04-05 03:05 pm (UTC) - Expand

From:

sistermagpie

Now it could be that Elizabeth simply does not want to worry Philip - Paige slipping up with a name sounds more harmless than "security guard confiscated fake ID with Paige's photo on it, hit on her, then I killed him", an action which Philip more likely than not would have undertaken as well (see: past record).

Seems like Elizabeth's fencing herself in with lies on all levels here. She probably doesn't want to worry Philip, but there's also the issue of Elizabeth never wanting to admit she's wrong or that she needs help. Plus she's so invested in Paige doing this with her and it all working out the way she plans.

She seems pretty afraid of anybody offering a more life-affirming view these days. She doesn't even want to think about art except to dismiss it as a waste. She can't talk to Philip because even without him knowing the details he can see things are going bad.

Philip at first blames losing his client of 15 years on Stavros, but as both Stavros and Henry point out, Philp is the one who had formed the relationship, and just handing the man over to Stavros already is a step to enstrangement.

And not just Elizabeth here, but the USSR. He's passed off his part in protecting it to others and some of those are people like the ones Elizabeth's working with. I think we're going to see that Philip and Elizabeth really do have very different views on the country where Philip can't just assume things are getting done by someone. There's a reason Arkady sent Oleg to him personally.

Incidentally, how old is Paige by now?

She should be...almost 19 I guess? I thought 20 but no, it would 19 in a month or so. Just starting her sophomore year of college.

It also seems significant that all the adults still treat Paige like the child that needs to be nurtured and managed and taken care of. Elizabeth lies to her and answers her questions, praises her, worries a bit about her behind her back, suggests Claudia could "finish with her" if Elizabeth died because Paige has "taken to her" so much.

Henry, by contrast, is transitioning into a more adult relationship with his father that echoes his relationship with Stan the way Paige's relationship with adults echoes that she had with Pastor Tim. It's not that they're completely equal, but Henry's able to give Philip advice, even mildly critical advice, and Philip respects it.

is one of the few times we've seen Claudia share something personally important to her and would indicate she's made Elizabeth and Paige a replacement family, but of course as with anything, it could be manipulation as well.

And more reason for people like Claudia to want things to stay exactly the way they are, with the Cold War going on forever.

From:

treonb

I note that Claudia is careful to make it clear she's "not supposed to be curious" about what the orders for Elizabeth she's handing over from the Centre are about, i.e. that she does not know anything of the matter.

I thought it was Claudia's way of fishing for info. "I'm not supposed to ask" isn't the same as "you're not supposed to tell me". There's a slight pause after that sentence, and then Elizabeth moves on to a different topic.

Re: Claudia's curiosity

From:

selenak - Date: 2018-04-10 06:34 am (UTC) - Expand

From:

treonb

For whatever it's worth, Mossad agents supposedly do not use sex.

From:

lovingboth

There's going to be more Stan in this episode.

Smoking again. I do love the bokeh'd light of her lighter in the background, through the door window, as the shot focuses on Philip.

A very different looking FBI department from Stan's old one! Case meetings in the open and everything...

'I'll come down soon.. I'll come down now'.

The shot of the mail robot was deliberate too.

Ah, they do know Oleg is there. Pointed reversal of authority between the pair of them.

Why's Philip using a calculator rather than a spreadsheet?

I am now wondering where I've seen the actor playing Patrick in the bookshop now. Oh, of course, Frank's VP in House of Cards.

People you wouldn't ask for advice on your relationship: #1 Stan.

"You're a good friend." "Yeah..."

Is Elizabeth going to use him killing his wife as leverage or offer to do it herself as leverage?

Ah, the classic morphine overdose method and, yes, she is offering.

There should have been a lot more supervision meetings like this in the show - a really interesting mix of personal and professional, even in the short bit we see: keeping her alive, despite the pain, until the end of the summit.

"Don't tell her we talked about this". Does Paige know Philip is retired and what does she think about it?

Dealing with "murderers, drug dealers and corrupt politicians" - this is what Stan was doing in his previous department!

I like the way that he leans back on the toilet to make sure he's out of the way of the x-rays!! I do wonder about anyone coming into the room though.

Another spend on the music licensing budget, another Talking Heads. As no-one's talking...

Philip working in another way.

Nice shot of the newly un-blonde Elizabeth going off in the distance.

"You have to keep this to yourself" - Reagan's dementia wasn't exactly a secret.

Skipping over Tchaikovsky's homosexuality there..

Oh come on, Elizabeth, be honest with Paige about the sex. You can tell she doesn't believe you.

.. especially as you get to 'yes' anyway.

I'm still amused / annoyed that there are so many scenes in parks at night (and toilets come to that) and not once do we see any cruising.

"And whose fault is that?"

Elizabeth is going to kill her at some point.

Yet another work debrief in this episode, this time from Henry.

How long has it been since someone pointed a gun at Elizabeth?

Ah, this is more like Elizabeth! She's a bit lucky the angle of the gun was right..

.. and along comes Paige. 'No, I don't have sex with them, but I do sometimes get their brains splattered all over my face...'

Why is she whispering when she would be deafened by having three gun shots go off very close to her ears?

The lighting is very dim, but is there something incriminating left on the ground as she leaves?

From:

selenak

"You have to keep this to yourself" - Reagan's dementia wasn't exactly a secret.

Hm, not sure about this. I seem to recall the stories didn't start until his last year in office or therabouts, but then again I wasn't in the US at the time. Or, wait - we're in 1987. That is about that time.

Skipping over Tchaikovsky's homosexuality there...

Which didn't exist as far as official Russian history was concerned at the time, methinks. (Depressingly, it got written out of history again more recently.) Certainly not when Claudia was young. Otoh "he had a lonely life" was maybe her euphemism. Though I thought she was more drawing a parallel to herself.

Re: While watching thoughts

From:

saraqael - Date: 2018-04-05 08:10 pm (UTC) - Expand

From:

sistermagpie

"Don't tell her we talked about this". Does Paige know Philip is retired and what does she think about it?

I think she definitely knows. If he was working he'd be training her too and they'd be talking about whatever she's doing.

The lighting is very dim, but is there something incriminating left on the ground as she leaves?

Besides the big corpse? LOL.

Apart from the big corpse...

From:

lovingboth - Date: 2018-04-05 05:24 pm (UTC) - Expand

Philip and Paige

From:

lovingboth - Date: 2018-04-05 05:32 pm (UTC) - Expand

Re: Philip and Paige

From:

sistermagpie - Date: 2018-04-05 05:57 pm (UTC) - Expand

Re: Philip and Paige

From:

quantumreality - Date: 2018-04-06 03:14 am (UTC) - Expand

From:

quantumreality

I think the calculator thing shows Philip's background and generation. If you were circa 40 yo in 1987, you grew up with slide rules and *maybe* mechanical adding machines. So Philip might not be used to using spreadsheets to track all of his invoices right down to a line by line day to day thing, but would probably be doing his P&L on a weekly or monthly basis.

(today I think it'd be almost routine, since you could separate out the accounts payable and receivable by date, etc)

From:

saraqael

Elizabeth looked like a ghost of herself when she was at home talking to Philip. When she was talking to Claudia, she seemed to imply that she knows that she's doomed to die on this mission. She essentially handed Paige's future over to Claudia. Why on earth Elizabeth thinks that she can trust Claudia to provide Paige with a kinder, gentler espionage career is beyond me. I think it just fits in with Elizabeth's narrative about her own doomed future if she can convince herself that she'll die in order to ensure that Paige will have a 'nicer' future in the family business. She seems to have forgotten every single thing she ever knew about Claudia and now she's come to regard her as her trusted 'granny' just as much as Paige does. Say what you want about Claudia but it's undeniably true that she's figured out how to manipulate Elizabeth very well.

Elizabeth's willingness to embrace death as her fate is completely opposite to the artist who actually is dying. Elizabeth seems utterly blind to the fact that at any moment she could choose a different fate for herself. She's so devoted to her rigid view of herself as ideologically pure warrior that she'll willingly (and unnecessarily) die for the Cause. The artist seems to want to deny death right up until the last unbearable moment by creating new art, but at the same time the pain she's suffering is so overwhelming that death would be a welcome release. Elizabeth would like to ease her suffering and help her achieve an efficient, painless death, but she also needs to keep her alive (and suffering) until the summit is over. And Elizabeth still can't figure out why the dying artist insists on feverishly creating art (life) with every waking moment. Hopefully Elizabeth will see the point before the series ends, but maybe not. It's entirely possible that the series will end with Elizabeth choosing death-by-ideology over life.

On a lighter note, how hilarious was it to see Stan Beeman providing marriage counseling to Gennady and Sofia? Comedy gold. "Hey, uh, guys. Um. Relationships are hard. Please keep spying for us, kthanx!"

I was even more amused to see how easily Aderholt was able to lure Beeman back over to counter-intelligence ops. Forget how much fun it is to work on cases involving drug dealers, murderers, and corrupt politicians. "Hey Stan. Guess who's back in town. Your old pal Oleg Burov!" Stan: "Really? Damn. Guess I'm going to play an active role in the end of this series after all!" My current crack speculation is that Oleg is going to manipulate Stan into sending intel back to Arkady in Russia, because there's no other easy way for Oleg to get updates back home without drawing attention to himself from the hardliner wing of the KGB. We'll see.

Right now I'm not feeling too good about Elizabeth's fate, but of course the show wants us to feel that way so I still can't figure out what's going to happen to her. I know what I want to happen, but the great thing about the writing on this show is that it's unpredictable.

Random thoughts:
- How hilarious was it when Paige asked Elizabeth about honeytrapping? Elizabeth: "Who told you about me?!? I mean, NO, that never happens! I mean, it probably does happen, but what do I know? Nobody ever tells me anything! I mean... hey look over there!" Tries to distract Paige.

- How hopeful for Paige that she revealed that she is doing her own side-research into espionage. Maybe there's still a chance that she'll figure out all on her own that spying isn't a harmless, feel-good frolic.

- Henry's brief phone call with Philip was quite endearing. That kid is the only one in the family who is actually succeeding to have a life of his own. Good for him. Being the overlooked, latch-key kid probably saved his life. At least for now.

Edited Date: 2018-04-05 02:21 pm (UTC)

From:

sistermagpie

Say what you want about Claudia but it's undeniably true that she's figured out how to manipulate Elizabeth very well.

I almost wonder why Elizabeth fought her early on.

Elizabeth's willingness to embrace death as her fate is completely opposite to the artist who actually is dying.

Yes, Elizabeth is really gearing up for yet another potential heroic death scene. Only this is the first one where when she thinks about Paige after her death she's passing her off to Claudia and the Centre rather than Philip, who seems to have become just a figure of terror for Elizabeth for everything he represents.

That's why I feel like she can't get that ending. She sees it as the solution to her problems too much.

My current crack speculation is that Oleg is going to manipulate Stan into sending intel back to Arkady in Russia, because there's no other easy way for Oleg to get updates back home without drawing attention to himself from the hardliner wing of the KGB. We'll see.

Ooh, I hadn't thought of that. Until Philip changes his mind Oleg doesn't have any other allies and Stan would be working against the KGB here. Or not. Not sure how Stan will relate to it all.

- Henry's brief phone call with Philip was quite endearing. That kid is the only one in the family who is actually succeeding to have a life of his own. Good for him. Being the overlooked, latch-key kid probably saved his life. At least for now.

I would actually give Henry more credit than that. That is, he wasn't overlooked so much as he was independent from the start. Paige was constantly jumping up and waving her arms to get her parents attention and get inside their relationship. Henry was simply more interested in the world from the very start.

Elizabeth's fatalism

From:

lovingboth - Date: 2018-04-05 05:34 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From:

saraqael - Date: 2018-04-05 08:57 pm (UTC) - Expand

Gennady and Sophia

From:

sistermagpie - Date: 2018-04-05 09:16 pm (UTC) - Expand

From:

sistermagpie

T must be Philip's "refusing the call" ep. He got the call from Oleg but he's trying to ignore it. Not the most exciting, but the phone call at the end brought it into perspective.

I realized watching Gennady that I know him from this Russian movie and it was hard to not think of him as the ad executive whose long lost daughter showed up to try to get her parents back together. LOL!

When Elizabeth said "at least her husband's doing something" about the artist I felt like that was central to Elizabeth's character now because...what is she doing? That is, what's she doing it for? She thinks she's saving the world, but what for since she holds all humanity in contempt? She thinks art's a waste of time, doesn't really respect people who like life and are happy for dumb reasons, doesn't value relationships. She's nobly handing off Paige to the woman who tried to break up her family because why shouldn't Paige's main relationship be with a person who gets paid to manipulate her and would shoot her in the face if necessary? Because the KGB obviously values their sources so much. Would Claudia would stick her neck out for her like Philip did for Martha?

In fact, when Elizabeth gave her little "it'll be better for her" speech as if she'd just have a 9 to 5 job, it's funny she didn't think of 9 to 5 Martha. Who the KGB would have let swing if not for Philip. (I like that it seems she's not just dead to life she's almost afraid of life--afraid to even try to draw a cup because art is too much like life.)

But then, it seems like Claudia suckered Elizabeth in with her mommy issues long ago, much as Paige caved to Elizabeth.

If I were Marilyn I'd be seriously looking for a way out. I thought she was acting as lookout on that job at the end too but man, why bring Paige and her knitted tam hat?

The Paige/Claudia/Elizabeth scene seemed again sad. I'm sure Paige has sat through plenty of a filmstrips about Tchaikovsky already in school. He's kinda famous. (I wondered if Elizabeth saying Paige didn't like classical music was supposed to echo Elizabeth's disinterest in art at all. Cause it's not like Paige seems like she's interested in any other music.)

More importantly was Claudia's waxing rhapsodic about the war. It reminded me of that review that talked about some people just wanting to hang onto their misery. Not to mention, how awkward with them all having to stand there and listen to a record. It just seems like the out of touch club. Paige has no connection to The War at all--and if she did it certainly wouldn't be from the perspective of a Russian who remembered it. We know Claudia couldn't connect to her actual Russian family when she went home. Much easier to deal with blank slate Paige.

Paige once again behaves as a daughter rather than a spy. Not only does she run toward a gun shot after being told to stay in the car but she runs in yelling, "Mom!" to reveal what a great hostage she'd be if the guy wanted one. Or just a prisoner. So much for that inspiring "You kept your cover!" speech from last week. Maybe just let her keep her leather jacket and pretend she's doing stakeouts from now on.

I do like that the guy didn't give Elizabeth what she wanted. He and Philip were on the same page way back when. He and Elizabeth not so much. The guy wasn't a traitor.

Gotta say, my favorite scene was when Henry called. Talk about an injection of energy and charisma--but sounding natural. It didn't feel over the top to me and it could have, having him clown around.

The thing that really struck me about the scene--and I hope this was intended--was that we have all these intense bonding scenes with Paige who allegedly knows the "real" Elizabeth, but they're full of manipulation and lies. Elizabeth lies about using sex, she'll presumably lie about the guy committing suicide. She lied about Paige's mistake, doesn't want Philip to know they talked about her. She can't say anything that isn't selling the Centre but also isn't give her the "tough talk" stuff. Paige doesn't seem to notice that her mom's a zombie. She's too busy focusing on the Cause and her big important part in it.

Then Henry calls and immediately zeroes in on the fact that his dad's really down, that he sounds like he wants to "jump out a window," that he's at the office long after he should have gone home. Philip can't tell him what's really weighing on him, but he does have a handy metaphorical alternate scenario to explain to him. And Henry once again zeroes in on exactly what Philip's problem is--he feels like he's walked away from his responsibilities. Then he cheered him up with his bad Stavos impression.

I really really hope that's intentional, despite all the lead-up to the season being as per usual about how Paige and Elizabeth are so similar and bonding etc. Because the show has always looked at all sides of how this stuff can bring people together or apart and all and if you put the Centre first, you are putting the relationship second. You're either Gregory or Philip.

From:

saraqael

I forgot to include this thought in my first post.

Elizabeth told Philip about Paige getting the naval guy's name wrong as a way to deflect Philip away from what was really bothering her (the suicide mission). She feels free to tell Philip that Paige made a little mistake, because that helps her trick Philip into thinking that he's being kept in the loop about Paige's training. All good. But what struck me in their conversation was when Philip commented that everybody makes little mistakes and they eventually learn, etc., Elizabeth replies very quickly that she was a fast learner. What prompted that crack? She was a fast learner compared to who? Paige.

I think that Elizabeth actually realizes that Paige is not nearly as ready as she should be by now. I think she expected Paige to become adept as quickly as she herself did but that's not happening. Whether she's ready to openly admit it to herself, I suspect that Elizabeth knows that Paige is failing as a trainee.

Edited Date: 2018-04-05 08:00 pm (UTC)

From:

sistermagpie

Yes, it's such a strangled conversation because it's hard for her to say anything and there's so many things it could mean. Is she thinking about how she didn't have the luxury of making mistakes? That Paige is no where near at the level she should be at by now? That she thinks she's going to die soon and Paige won't be ready? Is it just automatic pride in herself? The central message seems like it has to be about Paige's general non-readiness.

Re: Quick thought on Elizabeth's comment about being a fast learner

From:

quantumreality - Date: 2018-04-06 03:09 am (UTC) - Expand

Re: Quick thought on Elizabeth's comment about being a fast learner

From:

sistermagpie - Date: 2018-04-06 03:17 am (UTC) - Expand

From:

beer_good_foamy

Song of the episode: Talking Heads, "Slippery People". A song, arguably, about being unsure whether to trust aurthorities you've always depended on.

What about the time?
You were rollin' over
Fall on your face
You must be having fun

Walk lightly!
Think of a time.
You'd best believe
This thing is real

Put away that gun
And this part is simple
Try to recognize
What is in your mind

God help us!
Help us lose our minds
These slippery people
Help us understand

What's the matter with him? (He's alright!)
I see his face (The lord won't mind!)
Don't know no games (He's alright!)
Love from the bottom to the top

Turn like a wheel (He's alright!)
See for yourself (The lord won't mind!)
We're gonna move (Right now!)
Turn like a wheel inside a wheel

I remember when
Sittin' in the tub
Pulled out the plug
The water was runnin' out

Cool down
Stop acting crazy
They're gonna leave
And we'll be on our own

Seven times five
They were living creatures
Watch 'em come to life
Right before your eyes

Backsliding!
How do you do?
These slippery people
Gonna see you through...

From:

shapinglight

They've used two stellar Talking Heads songs so far this season. Last week's Listening Wind is such an evocative song and fit the context so well.

Talking Heads

From:

lovingboth - Date: 2018-04-05 09:58 pm (UTC) - Expand

Re: Talking Heads

From:

beer_good_foamy - Date: 2018-04-06 05:29 am (UTC) - Expand

From:

jae

This song would have never occurred to me to use (I think because I haven't thought about it in decades), but it was just SO PERFECT, wasn't it?

-J

From:

beer_good_foamy

Also, re: the title. Tchaikovsky's perhaps most famous work, Swan Lake, is (very simplified) about a young woman who's cursed by an evil enchanter to become an animal and can only be herself at night. In the end, both she and her prince die (or, depending on the production, break the spell and live).

Who's the animal and who's the enchanter here?

Of course, his other most famous work is about Russian triumph in the face of a seemingly superior foe, so...

From:

quantumreality

So the FBI's onto Oleg, and I was mistaken about his posting back in the USSR - apparently he got himself into the Ministry of Transportation instead.

Stan's back in the Criminal Investigation Division, and seemingly getting on fairly well. He's also discovering the pitfalls of having to be a handler for an important Soviet asset having trouble with his wife. And on top of that, Sofia is fed up with Gennadi and wants out.

Elizabeth seems very somber this episode, what with weighty topics like euthanasia, her own mortality and making sure Paige could keep going, and trying to juggle her assets.

Speaking of Paige, she did mistake the guy's name, but Philip, with 20+ years of experience behind him, notes that it's an occupational hazard.

Reagan's Alzheimer's gets a passing mention!

Claudia slipping into the grandmother role with Paige is a nice bit of acting.

The haunting air of the opening strains of Tchaikovsky perfectly fit the mood for this episod.

And now Paige asks about using sex. :O

I do not like where this is going.

"So it never happens?" "No."

surejan.gif

Elizabeth tries to explain the shades of grey the world takes on, which is kind of ironic in light of *her* ideological viewpoints.

Elizabeth also really shows how good an actor she is when she fakes being scared of the gun :O

And yikes, it goes sideways :O Paige witnesses it!

I wonder how this will shake out next week :O

From:

sistermagpie

Speaking of Paige, she did mistake the guy's name, but Philip, with 20+ years of experience behind him, notes that it's an occupational hazard.

I don't think the point there was that it really was just an occupational hazard. Philip assumed she wanted reassurance and gave it to her. Elizabeth's response that she was a 'fast learner' seemed to imply a lingering anxiety. As was her bringing it up in the first place (as presumably the easiest problem).

I mean, he's not lying. It does happen. But I don't think it's really about Elizabeth just remembering this mild thing and Philip reminding her it's nothing and that's tath.

Then in this episode Paige runs into the action screaming "Mom." Meanwhile Elizabeth's still telling anyone who'll listen that Paige's life will mostly just be a 9 to 5 job, which seems to be a fantasy. She's lying to just about everybody.

It just seems like Elizabeth's in such a bad place here, rejecting anything that's not about her cause, that any sign of doubt on her part is a healthy thing. Claudia's own grandchildren aren't buying what she's selling--and Claudia's not being paid to keep them in line.

Edited Date: 2018-04-06 03:09 am (UTC)