Finally I get to participate because I saved this episode from last spring on my DVR. Unfortunately, I don't think I have any great insights.
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.
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timeasmymeasure
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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!