I like how this opening convo mirrors the one at the start of the season when Philip tried to talk to Elizabeth. In both of them she both cuts him off and won't let him talk and sneers about how much he likes to talk. And yet, they've barely spoken all season...and now she finds out he's actually been keeping a secret.
Elizabeth says if Philip really wanted to talk he would have, but really the problem was it wasn't until now that she would have listened. If he'd have told her about Oleg the first couple of times he tried she would never have listened--which is why he stopped.
Plus then it's reflected again in the scene where she learns Claudia is also lying to her. Yet the contrast between them probably makes Philip's sincerity all the more obvious. What he is doing and what Claudia are doing is so different she almost has to see Philip's team as the good guys.
I know this is Elizabeth's big revelation episode but I was so all about Philip in it. I guess because the stuff with Elizabeth was so much more straightforward. Great, but laid out in action as it had to be. The summary of it above is so great. The showrunners really came up with a fantastic way of writing the Jennings' differences of opinion into real world things for them to do--and so also see their common ground.
Someone else pointed out that "the summit" is the place from which you can see everything clearly from a distance. And it's reflected in that scene in the park where Claudia and Elizabeth literally split off to take different paths.
it's still hilarious watching Paige try to come up with something to say in response to things Elizabeth and Claudia feed her. Umm...did you ever meet Gorbachev? It's so weird that he's here!
Some excellent visual symbolism in this ep: Philip's scene with Stavos is about Philip not being loyal to Stavos the person who's been more loyal to Philip than Philip even knew. In previous weeks Philip tried to do the strict capitalist thing by letting him go because he was unproductive. He literally reduced him to numbers in a ledger. In this ep there's a moment where Philip is once again hunched over a calculator and looks up to see...an office almost devoid of people. Symbolism!
Though I will say I think Stavos is pushing it. Maybe instead of just feeling entitled to pay because you're keeping your boss's secrets without him knowing you could be better at the job you've done for 20 years? Maybe that's just the capitalist in me speaking.
Some people think Henry is blowing Philip off out of resentment over Thanksgiving--that was weeks before, though, so I think it would be a bigger deal if he was. Anyway, I thought in this ep they didn't want to include a convo between the two but wanted to show us that Philip wanted to talk to him--before his potentially impending death. I wonder if they've put off having the two of them have a real conversation onscreen because when they do Henry is going to mention Aunt Helen. Seems like P&E have to get a heads up about the FBI so they can try to escape.
MR is so good in this ep. I'm most impressed at the way he watches that movie. It's a rule he's never broken, and he does it because again I assume he thinks he's going to die. (Love again how P&E literally never talk to each other after that tense opening conversation so it took me a bit to put together just what was going on with Philip in his scenes as counterpoint to Elizabeth. They even set up the convo with Claudia to make it seem like Elizabeth might tell on him.)
Anyway, when he turns it on he just opens his eyes and his expression as if he's opening all the windows or something and letting it in passively. It's not eager or wary it's just like...whelp, it's me again.
I mean, as always there's something so perfect in how Philip is watching this movie alone, especially after a season of Elizabeth and Claudia doing this kind of thing with Paige--we started with them watching a movie. Only with them it had an agenda and they weren't really just open to it. Paige was self-consciously performing her reactions to some extent, trying to find ways of relating to it. Elizabeth and Claudia have a ton of complicated stuff going on.
Someone elsewhere said they thought that movie was a bad one to inspire Philip but I thought that's exactly what he would pick. He doesn't want some weepy WWII epic that's about manipulating patriotic and protective feelings. He wanted a movie about normal, goofy life where people act like idiots a lot of the time. Plus as a comedy it was playing up many of the things Gorbachev was trying to address.
Also, I like that with the close-up on his face it subtly shows you he's not reading the subtitles. Of course he's not, but it's nice to see that and think about it.
Elizabeth doesn't even say anything about the movie. Things are so weird now what's a few tinny Russian voices coming from the living room, after all?
I love how Philip protects Oleg. Also he apologizes for betraying Elizabeth, which she pointedly never did after her reporting on him came out. Which led to Irina etc. etc. etc. Philip learned his lesson there--he might not have told her about this right away but he did tell her. (Claudia only talked because she was caught.)
That picture Elizabeth took always reminded me of her mother. I loved the sight of her trying to get it into her car. They made it very clear she wasn't just taking that thing to placate the husband. She also is wearing a hot outfit while burning it--poor Paige and those terrible silhouettes she's had lately!
My favorite symbolism moment--when Philip is buying is suit for his own burial there's a close-up of him buttoning his jacket. The camera shoots his reflection instead of his real self, so that when you look at him he appears to be wearing his wedding ring on his right hand--where his real wedding ring is worn.
Sistermagpie's Thoughts on the Summit
Elizabeth says if Philip really wanted to talk he would have, but really the problem was it wasn't until now that she would have listened. If he'd have told her about Oleg the first couple of times he tried she would never have listened--which is why he stopped.
Plus then it's reflected again in the scene where she learns Claudia is also lying to her. Yet the contrast between them probably makes Philip's sincerity all the more obvious. What he is doing and what Claudia are doing is so different she almost has to see Philip's team as the good guys.
I know this is Elizabeth's big revelation episode but I was so all about Philip in it. I guess because the stuff with Elizabeth was so much more straightforward. Great, but laid out in action as it had to be. The summary of it above is so great. The showrunners really came up with a fantastic way of writing the Jennings' differences of opinion into real world things for them to do--and so also see their common ground.
Someone else pointed out that "the summit" is the place from which you can see everything clearly from a distance. And it's reflected in that scene in the park where Claudia and Elizabeth literally split off to take different paths.
it's still hilarious watching Paige try to come up with something to say in response to things Elizabeth and Claudia feed her. Umm...did you ever meet Gorbachev? It's so weird that he's here!
Some excellent visual symbolism in this ep: Philip's scene with Stavos is about Philip not being loyal to Stavos the person who's been more loyal to Philip than Philip even knew. In previous weeks Philip tried to do the strict capitalist thing by letting him go because he was unproductive. He literally reduced him to numbers in a ledger. In this ep there's a moment where Philip is once again hunched over a calculator and looks up to see...an office almost devoid of people. Symbolism!
Though I will say I think Stavos is pushing it. Maybe instead of just feeling entitled to pay because you're keeping your boss's secrets without him knowing you could be better at the job you've done for 20 years? Maybe that's just the capitalist in me speaking.
Some people think Henry is blowing Philip off out of resentment over Thanksgiving--that was weeks before, though, so I think it would be a bigger deal if he was. Anyway, I thought in this ep they didn't want to include a convo between the two but wanted to show us that Philip wanted to talk to him--before his potentially impending death. I wonder if they've put off having the two of them have a real conversation onscreen because when they do Henry is going to mention Aunt Helen. Seems like P&E have to get a heads up about the FBI so they can try to escape.
MR is so good in this ep. I'm most impressed at the way he watches that movie. It's a rule he's never broken, and he does it because again I assume he thinks he's going to die. (Love again how P&E literally never talk to each other after that tense opening conversation so it took me a bit to put together just what was going on with Philip in his scenes as counterpoint to Elizabeth. They even set up the convo with Claudia to make it seem like Elizabeth might tell on him.)
Anyway, when he turns it on he just opens his eyes and his expression as if he's opening all the windows or something and letting it in passively. It's not eager or wary it's just like...whelp, it's me again.
I mean, as always there's something so perfect in how Philip is watching this movie alone, especially after a season of Elizabeth and Claudia doing this kind of thing with Paige--we started with them watching a movie. Only with them it had an agenda and they weren't really just open to it. Paige was self-consciously performing her reactions to some extent, trying to find ways of relating to it. Elizabeth and Claudia have a ton of complicated stuff going on.
Someone elsewhere said they thought that movie was a bad one to inspire Philip but I thought that's exactly what he would pick. He doesn't want some weepy WWII epic that's about manipulating patriotic and protective feelings. He wanted a movie about normal, goofy life where people act like idiots a lot of the time. Plus as a comedy it was playing up many of the things Gorbachev was trying to address.
Also, I like that with the close-up on his face it subtly shows you he's not reading the subtitles. Of course he's not, but it's nice to see that and think about it.
Elizabeth doesn't even say anything about the movie. Things are so weird now what's a few tinny Russian voices coming from the living room, after all?
I love how Philip protects Oleg. Also he apologizes for betraying Elizabeth, which she pointedly never did after her reporting on him came out. Which led to Irina etc. etc. etc. Philip learned his lesson there--he might not have told her about this right away but he did tell her. (Claudia only talked because she was caught.)
That picture Elizabeth took always reminded me of her mother. I loved the sight of her trying to get it into her car. They made it very clear she wasn't just taking that thing to placate the husband. She also is wearing a hot outfit while burning it--poor Paige and those terrible silhouettes she's had lately!
My favorite symbolism moment--when Philip is buying is suit for his own burial there's a close-up of him buttoning his jacket. The camera shoots his reflection instead of his real self, so that when you look at him he appears to be wearing his wedding ring on his right hand--where his real wedding ring is worn.