I've liked all of the episodes this season, but this was the first one that had me wanting to watch it again right then, before sleeping. I even woke up a couple of times throughout the night and debated getting up to post this comment each time. Well played, show.
I'm sure I'll have way more to say after second watching (which will be about 40 minutes from now), but for now:
• Opening with a flashback is new! It worked, I thought, but it'll totally confuse anyone who starts with this episode (who am I kidding--pretty much anyone who starts with this episode is going to be confused). The 60s "ladies' hats" were marvelous.
• We had some debate on Twitter over whether 'awesome' was an 80s-proper word or not. Anyone want to weigh in?
• It was really apparent that they were trying to fill in just bits and pieces of backstory for everyone. For Philip and Elizabeth most obviously, of course, and Emmett and Leanne, but we even got tiny bits on Stan, and on Gaad. This was the Official Backstory Episode.
• The guy in the factory was really, really quick to start suspecting something was up with Elizabeth. Yes, she's off her game, but she's not that off. He's got his own superspy-level senses, I think. *g* But that aside, that was such a chilling scene. It was Elizabeth's first real test for work-readiness: she had to weigh the cost of killing him over the cost of threatening him, and either was hard. The whole thing had shades of Viola, I thought. And the fact that he was a father made the whole thing worse for both of them.
• I did not actually jump up in the air and chortle at Philip's snarky "isn't that how you wanted it" in response to Elizabeth's "we don't have any real friends" line, but I did in my head. *g*
• Stan's second kill (that we know of)! How will that affect him, going forward?
• The Paige-looking-for-the-aunt storyline was telegraphed from miles off, but the reality of it was still somehow way more wonderful than I could have anticipated. I love that she actually got on a bus and got herself there, I love that she met someone on the way (and exchanged phone numbers! to have a phone call later! *g*), and I ADORE that there was a there there, that "aunt Helen" was based in layers of careful planning and that it wasn't just a flimsy cover story that fell apart once Paige checked it out. Right down to the photograph on the wall. That KGB sure knows how to cover its tracks! I am in awe at the intricacy of that.
• Which feeds right into my favourite scene of the episode: Intense!Philip and Paige. Matthew Rhys was masterful in this scene; this is going to turn into be my first "rewatch over and over again" scene of the season, I can already tell. His voice during the "lying will not be tolerated" bit bubbled just a shade over the top, just enough to give Paige cause to question why he was making such a big deal out of it. Holly Taylor held her own during this scene, too: she managed to make Paige come across as not bratty and and yet still not overly intimidated by her father, either. I give so many kudos not just to both actors, but to the director for the chilling success of this one. Just all-around brilliant.
• This is from the same scene, but deserves its own bullet point because it sparked Twitter debate: "I lost my father when I was six." Obviously Philip wouldn't be spontaneously coming up with stuff like that on the fly that's not part of his official cover story, but it still had the ring of truth to it--Misha's truth, not Philip's "truth." So I had to wonder whether this was a case of the KGB embedding a lie within a truth to make it feel more real, and if Philip's official backstory is a version of Misha's own real-life experiences. I suspect this isn't the last we hear of this, either, and that just thrills me. The slow reveals on this show are so awesome when they're this well done.
• Nina to Oleg: "I don't make the rules, I follow them." Jae: "Well...sometimes. Remember how you got into this mess in the first place, girl!"
• Script supvervisor Molly Nussbaum tweeted during the Nina and Oleg scene: "Oh my god, the text of Nina's report here is incredible -- wish it was featured." I implored her to tell us, but she wasn't budging. Wah. ;)
• "Here Comes The Flood" killed me dead. How much do I love how much this show loves Peter Gabriel? God.
• The scene with Elizabeth and Jared at the end was heartbreaking. I'm glad for her sake that she did what she did (also: good for her keeping it together), and it looked like Jared got something out of it as well. I was glad she didn't give him the letter, though; it may have been what his parents wanted, but it certainly wasn't what was best for Jared.
• I was thrown by the fact that Philip didn't seem to know about the letter and that Elizabeth didn't tell him about what she was going to do before she did it. This concerns me a little--she really doesn't need to keep things like that to herself anymore. They're closer now, they can talk! I hope she told him later, at least.
• I missed Lucia this episode! Yes, yes, there was no room for her, but still. Maybe next week.
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timeasmymeasure
First watch: Jae
Date: 2014-03-13 11:55 am (UTC)I'm sure I'll have way more to say after second watching (which will be about 40 minutes from now), but for now:
• Opening with a flashback is new! It worked, I thought, but it'll totally confuse anyone who starts with this episode (who am I kidding--pretty much anyone who starts with this episode is going to be confused). The 60s "ladies' hats" were marvelous.
• We had some debate on Twitter over whether 'awesome' was an 80s-proper word or not. Anyone want to weigh in?
• It was really apparent that they were trying to fill in just bits and pieces of backstory for everyone. For Philip and Elizabeth most obviously, of course, and Emmett and Leanne, but we even got tiny bits on Stan, and on Gaad. This was the Official Backstory Episode.
• The guy in the factory was really, really quick to start suspecting something was up with Elizabeth. Yes, she's off her game, but she's not that off. He's got his own superspy-level senses, I think. *g* But that aside, that was such a chilling scene. It was Elizabeth's first real test for work-readiness: she had to weigh the cost of killing him over the cost of threatening him, and either was hard. The whole thing had shades of Viola, I thought. And the fact that he was a father made the whole thing worse for both of them.
• I did not actually jump up in the air and chortle at Philip's snarky "isn't that how you wanted it" in response to Elizabeth's "we don't have any real friends" line, but I did in my head. *g*
• Stan's second kill (that we know of)! How will that affect him, going forward?
• The Paige-looking-for-the-aunt storyline was telegraphed from miles off, but the reality of it was still somehow way more wonderful than I could have anticipated. I love that she actually got on a bus and got herself there, I love that she met someone on the way (and exchanged phone numbers! to have a phone call later! *g*), and I ADORE that there was a there there, that "aunt Helen" was based in layers of careful planning and that it wasn't just a flimsy cover story that fell apart once Paige checked it out. Right down to the photograph on the wall. That KGB sure knows how to cover its tracks! I am in awe at the intricacy of that.
• Which feeds right into my favourite scene of the episode: Intense!Philip and Paige. Matthew Rhys was masterful in this scene; this is going to turn into be my first "rewatch over and over again" scene of the season, I can already tell. His voice during the "lying will not be tolerated" bit bubbled just a shade over the top, just enough to give Paige cause to question why he was making such a big deal out of it. Holly Taylor held her own during this scene, too: she managed to make Paige come across as not bratty and and yet still not overly intimidated by her father, either. I give so many kudos not just to both actors, but to the director for the chilling success of this one. Just all-around brilliant.
• This is from the same scene, but deserves its own bullet point because it sparked Twitter debate: "I lost my father when I was six." Obviously Philip wouldn't be spontaneously coming up with stuff like that on the fly that's not part of his official cover story, but it still had the ring of truth to it--Misha's truth, not Philip's "truth." So I had to wonder whether this was a case of the KGB embedding a lie within a truth to make it feel more real, and if Philip's official backstory is a version of Misha's own real-life experiences. I suspect this isn't the last we hear of this, either, and that just thrills me. The slow reveals on this show are so awesome when they're this well done.
• Nina to Oleg: "I don't make the rules, I follow them." Jae: "Well...sometimes. Remember how you got into this mess in the first place, girl!"
• Script supvervisor Molly Nussbaum tweeted during the Nina and Oleg scene: "Oh my god, the text of Nina's report here is incredible -- wish it was featured." I implored her to tell us, but she wasn't budging. Wah. ;)
• "Here Comes The Flood" killed me dead. How much do I love how much this show loves Peter Gabriel? God.
• The scene with Elizabeth and Jared at the end was heartbreaking. I'm glad for her sake that she did what she did (also: good for her keeping it together), and it looked like Jared got something out of it as well. I was glad she didn't give him the letter, though; it may have been what his parents wanted, but it certainly wasn't what was best for Jared.
• I was thrown by the fact that Philip didn't seem to know about the letter and that Elizabeth didn't tell him about what she was going to do before she did it. This concerns me a little--she really doesn't need to keep things like that to herself anymore. They're closer now, they can talk! I hope she told him later, at least.
• I missed Lucia this episode! Yes, yes, there was no room for her, but still. Maybe next week.
Okay, off to rewatch! Excitement! :)
-J