Season one group rewatch: "The Colonel"
Nov. 23rd, 2013 06:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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theamericansThis is the discussion post for "The Colonel" (episode #13, the season finale) in the group rewatch of season one. When you rewatched the episode, was there anything you noticed that you didn't notice the first time (and any subsequent times) you saw it? What things about it did you perhaps view differently after having seen the later episodes?
You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments. Feel free to join in even if you didn't get a chance to watch the episodes that preceded it!
You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments. Feel free to join in even if you didn't get a chance to watch the episodes that preceded it!
no subject
Date: 2013-11-23 07:52 pm (UTC)*I like Stan showing his talents with the deadbeat guy, especially after Elizabeth's line about how he can be broken with a feather duster.
*Grannie looks so completely at home in that restaurant with her breakfast.
*I wouldn't know what to do with eggs Florentine either. But I'll bet Grannie chose them for a reason. Maybe Elizabeth loves them. And she just decided she will never eat them again. Stupid, decadent capitalist eggs!
*Grannie's really good at covering up her own real fear here to calm Elizabeth.
*It has 27 sections. LOL!
*This is why it sucks being the "loyal" one--there's always a competition to be the most loyal who can spot the disloyalty of others. Now Elizabeth's getting reported on as a danger, even if it’s not the same type as Philip.
*"And you don't know me at all" is pretty badass. I do wonder how Grannie sees Elizabeth here, what her weakness is supposed to be, and whether she really does understand her any more than Elizabeth understands Grannie.
*Nice touch turning on the Xerox for the sound before meeting at work.
*I've been thinking this for 2 episodes now: Does Keri Russell have a cold sore or something on her lip? It kind of fits, it makes Elizabeth look a little stressed and run down.
*It's interesting that this entire conversation about who should do each job is entirely about the kids. Not one mention of how Elizabeth should be the one caught because she'll hold out better under FBI pressure. This seems like a mixture of 2 somewhat conflicting things: 1) That they're both admitting the kids are their shared priority and 2) That Elizabeth is tacitly admitting that Philip's just as trustworthy as an agent as she is.
*Never noticed that Elizabeth says Philip is the one the kids "understand." That seems to say a lot about what Elizabeth thinks separates her from them. Though knowing Philip it also brings up the question: do they really understand him any more than she or anyone else does?
*Again, you can see that there's something very different in the way Nina approaches her spying on Stan than spying on the KGB. All about the motivation.
*The line about Stan's vulnerability is pretty chilling. I buy it.
*I like that they explain why a Directorate S person must pick up the tape.
*Jennings on the couch. They fit so perfect. Plus Mom and Dad can exchange Significant Looks over the kids' heads.
*Paige very closely watches her parents when they go into the kitchen together. This whole separation has turned her into an Observer in ways she wasn't before--or at least it kick-started her natural adolescent focus. I’d love to know how her questions about the marriage bleed into her general suspicion.
*I find myself noticing that little opening that goes to the living room as the Jennings talk, like a spy hole but not. Just the way this convo between the parents is set up you can see many openings to where the kids are--very different than in the office where they turned on the Xerox and shut the blinds. Not to get to film studenty-y but it feels more open, like as if communication b/w them is more open.
*"We all need a little spontaneity in our lives" sounds like a password phrase. It's probably something Philip's said before. God knows Elizabeth wouldn't!
*If this plan worked out, what would it mean to the kids? Separated couples don't go away on surprise family weekends. Elizabeth is saying she'd be meeting them all, right?
*Philip does finally close one of the doors, and it's at the moment where they start talking about their mission instead of the kids.
*"I won't fight you" is Philip practically telling her flat-out he's going to be sneaky and do it his way!
*I can see why Sandra doesn't go for this thing with Stan. Even I can't tell exactly what he's offering here--it feels very superficial. "You have to dig a little deeper," Stan. It's a Clark move, a display of intimacy to make her easier to handle.
*Elizabeth's tape starts out with "this year has been hard"--does she get one tape per year?
*Her story about her brother is so sad, and must be carefully chosen for the themes of the show. Elizabeth must worry about forgetting her family back in Russia, so that "she" (Nadezhda) isn't there anymore.
*I wonder if she's not supposed to keep those tapes. But I can see Elizabeth studying them to ground herself. It's the only time she hears Russian, hears her mother, hears about her family.
*Do they have it rigged to make it easier to move that washing machine? It must be pretty loud to pull it out!
*Even her mother focuses on the family as the center of her life and the thing that connects her to Elizabeth.
*Love Grannie's dog pin. Maybe she really does have a dog.
*There's something so weird about going into your sibling's room after a nightmare rather than you parents, and this scene is probably common. Paige and Henry must always do that on the rare occasions they wake up. It's a weirdly dark note in their family life, given their relationship with their parents. I wonder how old they would have to be to even follow those orders.
*Paige even obviously knows she's doing something big by knocking on her mother’s door and opening it. I notice the lights on, you can see from the hall.
*And Paige finds what she'd have found a lot of those times--an empty room! Though luckily this time Elizabeth's just downstairs.
*I wonder how late it is. The confrontation b/w Paige and Elizabeth feels like a horror movie!
*I love the reveal of Claudia's real feelings with Arkady. And Arkady being on her side, seeing the Jennings as stabbing her in the back. Everybody sees things from their own perspective.
*First time I saw this I didn’t know if Nina was going to take the deal from Stan, or if she was feeling like she blew it by confessing to the KGB. I like knowing that really she’s worried about what his new confidence means for their agents. (With many other conflicts thrown in maybe.)
*Amidst the tension, a nice laugh when we get to see Philip’s latest outfit. Love it! And unless I’m mistaken, he’s kind of matched Elizabeth’s own outfit. Maybe I’ve been reading too much of Tom and Lorenzo’s Mad Style, but I think that’s telling us how in sync they are.
*Arkady is also so awesome in this ep. I’m so glad he took over for Nicolai, even if Nicolai got shafted. I wonder if his name is cleared and, if so, if it was posthumously. How would the KGB deal with having made such a mistake?
*I like the colonel. He’s a nice addition to the many ways people relate to spywork so far with his jokes about his own pass phrases and rueful comments about the cold war.
*Grannie snaps into action! Damn, the suspense in this ep really works, maybe because it’s so well set up. Everybody looks smart.
*Speaking of suspense, the birds are so loud around the waiting car it’s like a Hitchcock film.
*Philip also gets to be awesome showing off his mad driving skillz. It’s an extra bonus knowing how much Matthew Rhys must have enjoyed that. Especially since he gets to do it in a David Soul-esque wig.
*Even the waiting until Elizabeth actually opens the trunk or gets into the car makes sense without it being one of those things where they wait longer than necessary to give our hero time to arrive. Every single thing that happens in this ep comes down to spying and who has more information.
*There was a lot of discussion about this moment but I think we do see the moment when Elizabeth gets shot and I do think it’s Stan shooting at them in that moment.
*Philip and Elizabeth must have mapped out all the streets they needed really well. That must be harder before Google maps.
*Note how Elizabeth and Philip never need to talk during this whole sequence. The only thing he needs to say is “Get in,” advice she knows enough to follow immediately, until Philip’s next “order” where he gives her the job of wiping the prints while he hotwires the other car. It’s a real contrast to the FBI getting on several phones at once. (Not that I think the talking is supposed to look bad for the FBI, it just emphasizes their different positions and relative strength in the scene.) The Jennings are being pursued by multiple cars.
*And they get away same as always, by blending in in plain sight. I hadn’t noticed that Elizabeth was wearing phony teeth! But I love the detail of her rolling down the window to match the broken one.
*I wonder if the FBI doesn’t check that garage pretty quickly since it’s on their way and seems obvious for them to try to duck in somewhere.
*When the Jennings do finally start talking, it’s perfect that it’s to have a suburban couple conversation about family. Or at least an attempted one from Elizabeth’s pov.
*The shot of Philip when he says “Really?” looks a bit distorted, foreshadowing Elizabeth’s state of mind. She must be crazy if she’s asking him to go away with her, right?
*And Nina, too, is probably back just in time with her bath cover story. The Russians have such close calls in this ep you can’t help but root for them. She even uses the moment to guilt him a little. Nina’s on the job!
*She must be so happy to hear it fell apart. Nina saved the day!
*Stan’s sitting down and the camera’s looking down at him from Nina’s pov, I think showing that she’s now seeing what Arkady said earlier about him being vulnerable. Not so much at the office, but with her.
*I love that Philip even helps with the operation on Elizabeth.
*I think it’s always pretty clear she’s going to make it—they don’t try to make the audience worry she’s really dying (except Matthew Rhys who later claimed she succumbed to septicemia after the ep was over and next season would be re-titled “The American”), but it’s still symbolic of how close they came and how vulnerable they are. These moments really show that contrast that on one hand we’ve got the badass FBI/KGB with their plots and underneath there’s these people who are really scared they almost got caught or really disappointed they were powerless to catch the enemy.
*I wonder how long “a very long time” is that Elizabeth has to stay away from the kids.
*Philip’s loyalty earns him an actual shoulder touch from Grannie. I like how frizzy his hair is, btw.
*So great that Philip then asks Stan to take care of the kids. And has time for a look at his reflection after he hangs up. It’s dark already—did the kids come home to an empty house again?
*Best ending song ever.
*Let’s go over this ending montage for details:
1. Martha comes home and takes her wedding ring out of a box. She’s a woman with a secret that makes her happy, but actually she’s being played. The guy she’s married to isn’t keeping the marriage secret—his wife knows about it. She thinks her secret is purely domestic and so far denies any sinister connection to the secrets she’s keeping at work about the bug and the documents.
2. Gaad’s identified the colonel and reveals him to the deadbeat dad. He spills his secrets. So Gaad presumably now knows about that meeting, and about the woman who was this guy’s connection. Elizabeth knows he’s been caught so is probably safe from danger there. Unclear what will happen to the colonel and whether he would admit what he told the KGB guy he met with. Also we don’t know if he’d tell about that agent figuring out the set up and going to rescue “Elizabeth”. The colonel has some heads-up about this given how his meeting ended.
3. In a parallel scene Nina brings Stan’s file to Arkady. She’s actively working him now to use him and ultimately, if possible, turn him. Stan has no idea and thinks he’s working Nina.
4. At the Beeman’s Sandra faces the 3 kids at the table while Stan stands off to one side, separated from them. The song is brought to a halt by Paige asking to get her homework. Paige is the unforeseen new element in this story who’s unexpectedly starting her own investigation under a false story of getting her homework. no one is aware of this.
5. The song stays stopped for the scene where Elizabeth wakes up, stressing that this scene isn’t part of the Games Without Frontiers/Spy Games. Elizabeth “drops her cover” in every possible way here, asking the Russian man she’s married to to come home in Russian. Again, he doesn’t need to answer for them to be on the same page. This conversation happens in secret with the other agents in the background. Then the song starts again, signaling a return to Spy stuff.
6. The song starts up again with a new verse for Paige reconnaissance mission into the house. She plays her part at first, getting her homework, but she underneath she knew why she was there all along, probably. It does seem blocked this way on purpose. Another show would have had her go straight to the laundry room, but the way she goes through the motions of just being there to get her homework mimics earlier scenes like Martha at the office placing the bug. Her hesitation about going into the laundry room isn’t about thinking she’s being silly so much as *knowing* she’s crossing a line she can never uncross. She’s admitting that she suspects her parents of something and has for some time.
7. In the laundry room, Elizabeth’s folded towels possibly only serve to make Paige more suspicious by the way Elizabeth thinks to leave evidence of her earlier activity. It’s just too perfect. Her looking at the folded stuff ties it back to her earlier confrontation with Elizabeth. That she then looks at the rest of the laundry room shows she’s not laughing off her suspicions thanks to her mom’s leaving evidence that she really was folding laundry. The scene’s the perfect bookend to Martha, as Paige and Martha are the two civilians being duped by spy family members. Paige is waking up about it.
*And that’s season 1! I really love this last episode. It’s fun and suspenseful like an action movie, has a romantic ending, shows all sorts of emotional vulnerabilities hidden until now, and sets up new fears and dangers for season 2! I can’t wait to see where it goes from here!
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 05:54 pm (UTC)Now Elizabeth's getting reported on as a danger, even if it’s not the same type as Philip.
Claudia's not wrong about that, though. I wouldn't take it so far as to say that they're "losing her"--she is still putting herself in mortal danger for her job and her government, after all--but the second thoughts that she's sensing are absolutely there. And of course, as you point out, what a horrible--and horribly foreign--position for Elizabeth to find herself in!
This seems like a mixture of 2 somewhat conflicting things: 1) That they're both admitting the kids are their shared priority and 2) That Elizabeth is tacitly admitting that Philip's just as trustworthy as an agent as she is.
*nods* I think she still doesn't entirely understand Philip's way of doing things, but she knows it works, and over the course of the first season, she came to not just trust it (which she kind of always had to), but recognize that it's actually just as "good" as the way she works.
Not to get to film studenty-y but it feels more open, like as if communication b/w them is more open.
I think I speak for everyone when I say: "please, get all film-student-y as often as you want in these discussions!" :D
"I won't fight you" is Philip practically telling her flat-out he's going to be sneaky and do it his way!
I think that's what she's thinking when she gets his note later: "God, I so should have seen this coming. What is wrong with me?"
Do they have it rigged to make it easier to move that washing machine? It must be pretty loud to pull it out!
Is it the washing machine or the dryer?
Love Grannie's dog pin. Maybe she really does have a dog.
Totally missed this! I still love the idea of her with a dog, though.
First time I saw this I didn’t know if Nina was going to take the deal from Stan, or if she was feeling like she blew it by confessing to the KGB.
Same here! I don't know when I came around to thinking that Nina really was back on "the right side" and even feeling kind of relieved about that, but that's definitely what I think now.
I love the reveal of Claudia's real feelings with Arkady.
Meeee toooo. That one little scene completely changed the way I saw Claudia during the rewatch.
And Arkady being on her side, seeing the Jennings as stabbing her in the back. Everybody sees things from their own perspective.
Which is totally realistic. From what I've read, it's clear that "regular" spies had a weird relationship with the illegals: they admired them (illegals were basically rock stars in the Soviet Union) but they were really suspicious of them at the same time.
Arkady is also so awesome in this ep.
Agreed. I really didn't have a sense of his character until this episode, but I found looking back at the other episodes that it was actually consistent all along (which was very gratifying!). I look forward to learning more about him in the second season.
I’m so glad he took over for Nicolai, even if Nicolai got shafted. I wonder if his name is cleared and, if so, if it was posthumously. How would the KGB deal with having made such a mistake?
Good question! Not very well, I suspect.
I like the colonel.
Me too! I love how you get a really strong sense of him: how his horror at the way his government has been constructing this phantom for years just to make the Soviets freak out must have grown and grown, making him more and more isolated and desperate to put a stop to it any way he could.
I wonder how long “a very long time” is that Elizabeth has to stay away from the kids.
I'm actually kind of concerned that we might never find this out. :/
The song stays stopped for the scene where Elizabeth wakes up, stressing that this scene isn’t part of the Games Without Frontiers/Spy Games.
YES! This is such a great touch!
-J
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 06:24 pm (UTC)Heh--the whole comment's basically a fangirl heart to begin with!
Yup, she is. But it goes to show how hard it is to live up the standard that Elizabeth herself tried to set. And Claudia's motivations are probably more compassionate than Elizabeth's original doubts about Philip. (Not to mention Claudia's current doubts about him. Though I wonder if she changes her mind a bit at the end of this ep--I doubt she believed in his love for Elizabeth before.)
In fact, that just makes me think how one of the thing I love about the show is it can have people make those big "I know you so well" speeches and have them be completely wrong and based on projection. But they're not always wrong. It depends on a lot of things, often the character's way of dealing with other people in general. For instance, Philip doesn't often make sweeping generalizations about people. He holds back and waits for more info or only makes limited judgments based on experience. It's really pretty consistent if you think back on things like that he's said throughout the season vs. Elizabeth's grander accusations to Claudia, for instance. Or Philip himself.
Maybe the dryer would be easier to move?
This is another thing I love about the show--so often in spy movies they have the actors telegraph their "real" feelings when they're supposed to be being spies. In this show you're genuinely unsure about everyone until some speech where they seem objectively likely to be being truthful. Then you can watch again and it still makes sense.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 08:58 am (UTC)I was thinking the exact same thing. He didn't tell her "OK, we'll do it your way", and she didn't pick up on it.
Elizabeth must worry about forgetting her family back in Russia
Either that or she's afraid she'll be forgotten.
(except Matthew Rhys who later claimed she succumbed to septicemia after the ep was over and next season would be re-titled “The American”)
LOL! Seriously :-D
Let’s go over this ending montage for details:
I love your analysis! It's such beautiful editing.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 05:34 pm (UTC)This is a very professional review!!!!
Giving that meaning to the music break before Elizabeth says her famous words is a master!!!! Congratulations
no subject
Date: 2013-11-23 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 05:54 pm (UTC)-J
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 07:52 pm (UTC)It's so beautiful because after all the "I won't mend this; I want you to say you want me back first" stuff they'd been trading back and forth over the course of 2-3 episodes, when it comes to the final words he gets to say to her (he assumes), it's just the purest form of truth. No games. No attempts to hold out so she'll give back to him. Just how he's always felt about her.
And, it's a much truer "I love you" than the first one we got, not that he didn't mean that one just as sincerely in the moment, just that this one is proven in a way that Elizabeth simply *can't* doubt. He's choosing to sacrifice himself and give her their children. There is no more selfless way he could prove it's "real" to him too, and I think that would be the moment it all really changes for her.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 04:31 pm (UTC)The episode functions to recap where each character, each relationship has ended up, and to set the scene for the next season. (See, very insightful...)
I couldn't remember if the Colonel was based on a real person. It sounds right but I couldn't verify it. Everything he said about the Star Wars program was true. The science was a fairy tale. While President Reagan may not have intended to bring down the Soviet Union by forcing massive military spending, that may have been one of the factors.
Given that the person who recruited the Colonel is now in Federal custody, shouldn't Philip or Claudia have told him that? I'm sure he'll end up in a military prison even though he didn't actually give away anything of consequence--since there wasn't anything to give.
Elizabeth's meeting with Claudia had some interesting lines, which I'm paraphrasing to the best of my ability.
"I know you better than you know yourself and you don't know me at all." I think that was meant to set up the scene where Claudia murders the man she believes responsible for Zukov's death. Claudia sees herself as a better agent than Elizabeth, and a more loyal friend to Zukov since Claudia's plan succeeded where Elizabeth failed. Claudia has access to Elizabeth's entire file. Elizabeth knows only what Claudia wants her to know. I think ordering the eggs florentine for Elizabeth was meant to be a tiny demonstration--See, I even remember what you ordered the last time we met here.
"They're in danger of losing you." "You've been in the field too long." So are we to take it that Claudia thinks Elizabeth should be pulled out of the field? What has changed in Elizabeth to make Claudia believe that? Is it her growing attachment to Philip? Her feelings for her children? Her loss of control?
I think Claudia might be correct. Elizabeth's feelings for her family, especially her children, are a vulnerability. The person Elizabeth loved most in the world was her mother. She listened to that tape to strengthen her resolve. Her mother. Her mother country. This is why I'm here, to protect them, the way they protected me. And now Elizabeth's a mother. The center never should have had Elizabeth have children of her own. It's changing her.
Philip. His biggest vulnerability is his feelings for Elizabeth, which have only gotten stronger since the separation. He told her that he wanted to do the meeting with the colonel because of the children. The children need you. You're their mother. And maybe he half believes that. But if his first loyalty was to his children, he would have done as Claudia suggested and gone home to them, left Elizabeth in the safehouse. (A very crummy safehouse, by the way, to bring a woman who suffered a gunshot to the abdomen.) He didn't follow the Center's orders because he wanted to protect her. If he wanted to protect his children, as soon as he found out the car pickup was the setup, he should have rushed home to collect Paige and Henry and headed for Canada. Instead, he drove like a madman to try to save her.
If the Center had any sense, they'd pull them both out of the field but then we wouldn't have a second season.
Arkady Ivanovich should be in a strengthened position. He listened to Claudia, made the right call, and sent the abort signal, thereby saving his illegals. Claudia should be, too, since it was her advice to abort. But the Center is staffed with at least some people who make bad decisions, so who knows what will happen.
Only one thing has changed for Stan Beeman, and he doesn't know it. He's still estranged from his family. He's still chasing his tail at work, trying to find Elizabeth and Philip, the people he believes are responsible for his friend's death, etc. The big operation went south because his forced recruit, Nina, turned on him. He's developed feelings for her and she's his weakness now. She's working him now. Maybe she's been working him all along.
Martha Hanson. How could she be so blind? She's got to figure out that that bug she planted is giving information to the enemy. This is just speculation obviously but I think she's toast next season. Philip will kill her if he thinks she's getting suspicious.
Paige. I think the scene where she goes down to the basement to take a look around is to let us know that she's suspicious. Something is not right with her family. I think she's been thinking about that for awhile. That scene where she confronts her mother about the laundry told us that. "What are you doing?" Exactly. Philip's decision to send his kids to the Beeman's instead of going home is going to have repercussions.
I can't wait for next season!
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 06:06 pm (UTC)The center never should have had Elizabeth have children of her own. It's changing her.
I've wondered about this too. In real life there were illegals who didn't have kids (though there were of course some who did too). I imagine that they must have discussed that; weighed the pros and the cons.
So are we to take it that Claudia thinks Elizabeth should be pulled out of the field? What has changed in Elizabeth to make Claudia believe that? Is it her growing attachment to Philip? Her feelings for her children? Her loss of control?
I can't imagine she wants Elizabeth pulled out entirely; she's too good, and they've made too much of an investment in her. Maybe given a vacation (and some reeducation). I think the fact that she's shown herself to be someone who could fall in love with Philip makes Claudia suspicious, certainly. And the way the thing with Patterson went down must have made Claudia go "whoa, hold on."
Philip. His biggest vulnerability is his feelings for Elizabeth, which have only gotten stronger since the separation. He told her that he wanted to do the meeting with the colonel because of the children. The children need you. You're their mother. And maybe he half believes that.
I think you're exactly right about this, but I do think that he's not just deceiving himself about the role the children play in this, either. My read is that becoming parents sort of originally sealed the deal on his burgeoning feelings for Elizabeth, back in the day, so it's all sort of one big blob of an Achilles heel for him. Look at the pilot, where he avenges Paige's honour in very much the same irrational way that he wants to defend Elizabeth later, in "COMINT."
But the Center is staffed with at least some people who make bad decisions, so who knows what will happen.
Absolutely. But the Center are people who are following orders from people very high up the food chain who may or may not have any idea about spywork. It must make them feel conflicted all the time.
The big operation went south because his forced recruit, Nina, turned on him. He's developed feelings for her and she's his weakness now. She's working him now. Maybe she's been working him all along.
I think they were both working each other all along, but you're right--by the end Nina definitely has the upper hand.
-J
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 06:11 pm (UTC)Which is probably why there's that scene with Sandra. Stan's making a half-assed attempt to save himself by making things up with his wife but it's not that easy and he turns back to the relationship he thinks he has with "easier" Nina.
Yes, for me the important point here is that he doesn't separate the kids from Elizabeth. Because if he had to sit down and really assess the dangers, it would make sense to save the kids first even if the danger to them seemed less pressing. But his instinct is, of course, to save Elizabeth in hopes of saving all of them. I think he'd do exactly the same thing if Paige was in danger in such a way that he'd risk his cover or whatever to save her, but his actions here and in the pilot show that when he says "family comes first" he doesn't necessarily mean the children come before everything. Whoever is in the most danger at that moment is the priority.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 07:42 pm (UTC)And really, this is one of the only "real" things about their lives that grounds them and can't be taken away. For someone like Philip who can be such a slippery personality, having something that roots him (to use Elizabeth's great choice of words) would be a huge draw.
It's such a great scenario to have them have kids because on the one hand, who knows how much earlier someone might've gotten suspicious of them if not for the presence of kids continually working in their favor to present an image that was the opposite of "spies" in their minds? But on the other, it's a risk to bank on the idea they won't get attached to their kids and bond as a family. Sure, some people don't, but most do.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 09:04 am (UTC)Which makes me wonder if the KGB expectations from people to completely devote their lives and give up a family wasn't too much.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 07:49 pm (UTC)I can see why she would. Elizabeth has proven a good agent, but in the past few months she's become a loose cannon. She beat up Claudia for merely following orders, which is unthinkable from the purist KGB perspective. She's getting cozy with her assigned partner. She had a failed mission with the assassin (from their POV.) She showed completely flawed judgment and no perspective with the Gregory situation and then directly defied orders. She was out of control with the Patterson situation and again defied orders. Elizabeth would have to majorly be on their radar at that point, and because of her, probably Philip too.
I know, right? It's such a great demonstration of watching Philip slowly work her that he's now got her planting bugs and thinking everything is just grand for their future. I suspect/hope she gets killed in the end too, both because the character doesn't do much for me and also because I find it fascinating to watch the details of how they actually carry out these things from start to finish, and the effect it will have on Philip if he has to kill her. Like you have to assume they've had lots of "Marthas" in the past, so how does he typically extricate himself?
no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 09:04 am (UTC)Except for saying it's technology 50 years in the future ;-) I think we have very similar capabilities now.
Maybe she's been working him all along.
I can see it either way. She has the cunning and ability and I can see her turning Stan.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 05:13 pm (UTC)You know, when I first started reading this point I was ready to disagree--I was going to say that Philip's decision to stay with Elizabeth also had to do with the kids not being in danger. But the rest of what you wrote made me see that you're right, it's much more than that. He did, in fact, risk everything by rushing to save Elizabeth. His first thought was protecting his wife and his partner, not to rush home to get the kids out of the country and give her up for a loss. And as an agent he's used to making those kinds of decisions in the field.
And that's right in line with the pilot--he does the same thing there when he throws away what he thinks is best for the family (defection) because this guy hurt Elizabeth personally. Elizabeth doesn't want to admit it, but this instinct of Philip's means a lot to her. She'd always tell him to make a different choice but in her heart she appreciates how important she is to him personally.
And then, like you say, that sets up the kids being alone that night, giving Paige more time to stew over how both her parents have always had some pretty weird rules. While she might not be thinking it consciously I do think she has been able to see for a long time that whatever weirdness there is going on in their family, they're in it together. She might have deduced that the separation was what Elizabeth wanted, but I don't think she sees them as being in cahoots about whatever she's suspicious about now--not that she knows exactly what that is.
Interesting question about what Claudia wants for Elizabeth. I'm not sure she really thinks she should be taken out of the field. I think more likely she's just trying to make Elizabeth see the ways she's been corrupted so she can start self-policing herself.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 07:38 pm (UTC)Yes, absolutely. Although in kind of a different way to look at it, perhaps he was also honoring what he said about them needing Elizabeth... he could've gone to get them and taken them to Canada, but at that point, their "normal" lives are essentially over forever. Not only do they have to live in hiding permanently, but they will (most likely) never see their mother again. So would they be "safe" physically with Philip? Sure, but very hurt, deceived, living a half life and grieving the loss of their mother. The only way any of them had any hope of ever being truly happy again was to risk that he might be caught going for her. I think that other possibility (a life without Elizabeth) was so unthinkable for him (for himself or for any of them) that it was really a non-choice at that point in his mind.
Yes, it's great because it's a mirror to what IMHO attracts Philip to her--that he can really trust her in a way he can't other people (Irina.) So that honesty both feels great at times and hurts at others. It clearly peeves Elizabeth at times when he gets protective and overreacts like in "COMINT" but then part of her also seems to relish that it IS personal with them and he does always put her first, whether they're on a break or not.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 08:19 pm (UTC)I agree. As jae said, it's kind of a big blob in his mind. He isn't just saving Elizabeth because he's madly in love with her, he's also trying to keep his kids' life in tact for their own happiness. It's a gamble, but one he's prepared to make and has reason to think he might pull off, so it's worth the risk. (Much better a risk than The Clock caper!)
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 05:17 pm (UTC)• Claudia to Elizabeth: "you don't know me at all." She's right about a lot of the things she says to Elizabeth in that initial speech, but nothing more than that.
• I have to say, I'm still with Elizabeth on which one of them should stay with the kids if the worst were to come. I think either of them could single-parent them if they had to, but Philip would do a much better job explaining to them the kinds of things that would need to be explained to them in a situation like that. And would there ever be explaining to do!
• Arkady must see Nina as very promising to have stuck his neck out for her like that. (The fact that he gives her that chance--and convinces Moscow to go along with it--is actually just shy of believable, but I can still believe it if I squint.)
• Elizabeth is still angry with Philip (on several levels), but she still invites him to stay. She doesn't begrudge him what could potentially be their last evening together as a family. (Which also suggests that even though she and Philip are broken up at this point, she still sees them as an intact family.)
• The "letter from Nadya's mother" thing is unfortunately totally unrealistic--the parents of real-life illegals were never actually told that their kids were illegals and tended to be told that their children were on missions in Outer Mongolia and unreachable or stuff like that. But you know what? I don't even care! That scene just kills me. It tells us so many little subtle things about both Elizabeth and her relationship with her mother.
• I love love love the "Paige starts to suspect something is up" plotline, and can't wait to see where they take that in season two.
• Also? Philip putting Elizabeth in danger at the very time that he's trying to secretly manipulate things to keep her out of danger is both fascinating and horrifying. He must have been so devastated when he realized!
• I also love that it was Nina who saved Elizabeth. Even though they've never even met!
• The first time I saw this episode, I actually rolled my eyes a little at the big FBI/KGB confrontation scene. I thought: "Come on, really, a car chase? And everybody gets away unscathed? This show is better than those kinds of action clichés!" But then came the twist: Elizabeth was actually hit, and Philip is left to improvise in order to clean up the mess. Which he does, but of course there are still consequences. I still feel guilty for underestimating my show like that, but man, did the surprise factor ever make watching it the first time more intense!
• Philip being forced by scarce resources to help operate on Elizabeth just breaks my heart. But I have to say: there is no scene in all thirteen episodes of the first season that makes me love Philip more than the one where he's calling up the man who just shot the woman he loves and asking him to watch his kids. That sums up his character so well. He has no hard feelings toward Stan: he was just doing his job and staying true to his American self.
• Also, how much do I love Elizabeth for speaking Russian to him??? THIS MUCH. That says so much more than just the actual words she said, you know?
• And this isn't a new observation, but COULD I LOVE THE WRITERS MORE for using "Games Without Frontiers"??? I think not.
(Sorry for all the all-caps. It's just...this EPISODE. GAH.)
no subject
Date: 2013-11-24 06:06 pm (UTC)Agreed, and I thought about this in a new light after reading wendelah's post. He's essentially giving the kids to Elizabeth, imo, more than making a true considered decision that the kids would be better with her. He's basically telling her that he believes in her and she shouldn't sell herself short as a parent, knowing that he's going to sacrifice himself. (Or at least thinks he knows he's going to sacrifice himself.)
I do love how easy it is to believe that Philip would trust Stan with the kids.
Elizabeth speaking Russian is easily one of my favorite moments in the series. I'll never forget how to say "Come home" in Russian now. (Though apparently she's literally saying something more like "Come back to us.")
no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 09:09 am (UTC)I don't know.. they have an agent who's trusted by the FBI. That's quite an asset. A dangerous asset that should be handled carefully, but still an asset.
Philip putting Elizabeth in danger at the very time that he's trying to secretly manipulate things to keep her out of danger
What I love about this is that we know all along. It was heartbreaking.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-27 03:37 pm (UTC)That's true, of course. And the Powers that Be in the Soviet Union (not just in the KGB, but the party and the government) were so paranoid and knee-jerk about so many things, but maybe the KGB highers-up just...decided not to pass this one on. ;)
What I love about this is that we know all along. It was heartbreaking.
I know, right? I love it because it's not just about the suspense and the action that way, so you're not just worried "is she going to be caught???" but you're also realizing what the way it went down means for the two of them.
-J
no subject
Date: 2013-11-26 09:54 am (UTC)Not much to add to everything that's been said above - except that even on rewatch, the FBI ambush scenes were tense. And I couldn't help thinking how things would have been different nowadays, with cellphones and GPS and all the other gadgets. Especially when the FBI were scrambling to stop the spy car.
Loved the ending. I had to rewatch that part again :-)
Philip and Stan
Date: 2015-04-07 02:45 pm (UTC)At the beginning of the car chase, Philip first drives forward where we see Stan standing there with a gun and we see him stop and stare for a few seconds, then he decides to reverse into the (luckily for him poorly executed) car block. This hesitation seemed to me about him sparing Stan because of their friendship, taking the riskier option, and hesitating just long enough that might have led to Elisabeth being shot. I thought in that moment, the friendship with Stan really affected his judgement.
Re: Philip and Stan
Date: 2015-04-07 05:41 pm (UTC)Interesting point. Well, Stan is standing there with a gun. I'm not sure Philip had many choices at that moment.