I agree that Paige has been masterfully manipulated by Elizabeth. I don't think that Elizabeth herself fully realizes the depth of what she's doing to Paige. Elizabeth wanted Paige to know and love her for who she really is (fierce Russian warrior for universal justice). Paige desperately wanted to find out why her family felt so fake so that she could feel normal and feel like she fits in somewhere. Both of these desires, IMO, have collided and created this disastrous situation. I don't blame Paige at all for being what her parents created. I freely admit that at the start of the season, the presentation of 'Badass Superspy Paige' irritated me because it was so implausible. Then I realized that this was entirely the point with Paige and I became quite sympathetic to her again. Paige thinks she's invincible and on top of the world when in fact she's drowning in all of this right before our very eyes and no one on the show will tell her otherwise.
Elizabeth is blinding herself to what's obvious to every single viewer: Paige is not suitable for the spy life. The fact that it's this obvious to everyone tells me that this is the message that the showrunners actually intended to impart.Everybody is railing at Paige for being such a failure as a spy, but she's being written this way for a reason. The person who won't admit that Paige isn't cutting it is Elizabeth. (Though she did quickly admit it to Philip in a tossed off comment meant to deflect him.) Paige is out doing her own research on espionage and also out doing her own thing because she's now intensely in to being a spy. Except that she's not. She has no idea about the physical danger she's in because Elizabeth continues to shelter her. She doesn't appear to care at all that she's committing treason simply because she gets to spy with her mom and it's so cool and glamorous.
Paige may have started learning self defense in order to conquer her fear of 'rapey creepers' as you say, but as a spy in training, she ought to have known by now not to draw any undo attention to herself. That's the entire point of living as an illegal: you blend in and never draw attention to herself. From the way that Elizabeth reprimanded her, it's clear that this isn't the first time that Paige has been told never to do anything that might make people question who you are.
I actually agree with you that she lost control and reacted in a panic. I should have been more clear that my 'Me Too-girl power' comment was more directed at the social media response that I saw to this scene, and not to the scene itself. I saw so many 'badass, cool, Me Too!' Paige comments on social media that I felt like I was watching a different show from all of those viewers who thought that it was so great that Paige hit those guys. It wasn't great. It was the opposite of great.
I think that Paige is a walking disaster waiting to happen. She thinks she found the truth about her family but she's only been told a bowdlerized fairy tale version of that truth. I stand by my comment of calling her an arrogant idiot but I don't intend that in a mean way. She's in way over her head but the one person who could save her - Elizabeth - won't tell her the truth because she's too busy lying to herself about Paige. Elizabeth is feeding Paige's illusion that she's doing something secret and grand but she's not. Paige thinks that shadowboxing in the garage with nice cushiony pads on the floor makes her a badass, but it doesn't. Philip tried to show her (without telling her) that she has no idea what she's actually up against, but I don't know if the message sunk in. He's still playing by the Center's rules: Paige belongs to them now. If he really wanted to free her, while he had her in a choke hold he should have said, "Ask your mother how many people she's slept with and how many she's killed. Then come back and ask me the same thing. And then maybe think about why I'm not in to this any more." He's still just as complicit as Elizabeth in lying to Paige.
Paige losing control
Elizabeth is blinding herself to what's obvious to every single viewer: Paige is not suitable for the spy life. The fact that it's this obvious to everyone tells me that this is the message that the showrunners actually intended to impart.Everybody is railing at Paige for being such a failure as a spy, but she's being written this way for a reason. The person who won't admit that Paige isn't cutting it is Elizabeth. (Though she did quickly admit it to Philip in a tossed off comment meant to deflect him.) Paige is out doing her own research on espionage and also out doing her own thing because she's now intensely in to being a spy. Except that she's not. She has no idea about the physical danger she's in because Elizabeth continues to shelter her. She doesn't appear to care at all that she's committing treason simply because she gets to spy with her mom and it's so cool and glamorous.
Paige may have started learning self defense in order to conquer her fear of 'rapey creepers' as you say, but as a spy in training, she ought to have known by now not to draw any undo attention to herself. That's the entire point of living as an illegal: you blend in and never draw attention to herself. From the way that Elizabeth reprimanded her, it's clear that this isn't the first time that Paige has been told never to do anything that might make people question who you are.
I actually agree with you that she lost control and reacted in a panic. I should have been more clear that my 'Me Too-girl power' comment was more directed at the social media response that I saw to this scene, and not to the scene itself. I saw so many 'badass, cool, Me Too!' Paige comments on social media that I felt like I was watching a different show from all of those viewers who thought that it was so great that Paige hit those guys. It wasn't great. It was the opposite of great.
I think that Paige is a walking disaster waiting to happen. She thinks she found the truth about her family but she's only been told a bowdlerized fairy tale version of that truth. I stand by my comment of calling her an arrogant idiot but I don't intend that in a mean way. She's in way over her head but the one person who could save her - Elizabeth - won't tell her the truth because she's too busy lying to herself about Paige. Elizabeth is feeding Paige's illusion that she's doing something secret and grand but she's not. Paige thinks that shadowboxing in the garage with nice cushiony pads on the floor makes her a badass, but it doesn't. Philip tried to show her (without telling her) that she has no idea what she's actually up against, but I don't know if the message sunk in. He's still playing by the Center's rules: Paige belongs to them now. If he really wanted to free her, while he had her in a choke hold he should have said, "Ask your mother how many people she's slept with and how many she's killed. Then come back and ask me the same thing. And then maybe think about why I'm not in to this any more." He's still just as complicit as Elizabeth in lying to Paige.