I think they were both working each other all along, but you're right--by the end Nina definitely has the upper hand.
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.
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."
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.
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timeasmymeasure
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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.