So all this plot stuff happened and yet I'm mostly excited about finding out where Philip is from. LOL!
But like I said above, I think they must be gearing up for the whole conflict next season, which might mean we need to get more backstory for both the Jennings. Also Paige, btw. At this point everyone's talking about Paige being recruited as if it's just a case of them doing it or not, but Paige has her own personality and beliefs that will no doubt make her far more difficult to control.
It's a nice conflicted set up, actually, in that Elizabeth is the one that wants to tell her the truth now (which she wants) and give her something big to believe in (which she wants) but Philip is the one committed to keeping her free to choose who she wants to be instead of being molded to someone else's agenda--something Paige wants but probably can't see that Philip is actually championing. That's why he's more okay with the church.
Back to the Jennings, I love that convo in the beginning, particularly how Elizabeth turns to Philip obviously expecting him to share something about his childhood like a normal person and it takes him an inordinately long time to accept that he's going to even do it. "Mischa, would you like to share something about yourself with the class?"
But then their stories are so different. Elizabeth's is about duty and has no villain. She doesn't blame the illness for existing or anyone else for not helping her. It's in response to Paige's complaints and giving her parents a bad time--Elizabeth WISHED she could have given her mother a bad time at 14 but her mother was too busy POSSIBLY DYING for her to do so!
Philip's story picks up a similar theme--presumably he chose a memory understanding he should do so. In his story his fellow Soviets aren't just not helping him but actively attacking him, and they're bigger and stronger! But he must get the milk back to his family. It's really a great story for what will come later, that Philip's telling a story where he's simply trying to survive and feed his family even at 9.
As Katiac and I were saying on twitter, it's both a reversal of their pilot convo and yet not. Back then Philip wanted to tell the kids the truth and E was slapping him and reminding him they "swore" not to. Now she wants to tell them and he's horrified and saying they "swore" not to--but their priorities are the same. Philip was willing to tell to make them free to live the lives they wanted in their own country. Elizabeth is willing to tell them to bond with them in the Cause.
When you think about it, it's definitely the area of the relationship they need to pursue now. Until now their philosophical differences have mostly been focused on Elizabeth "forgiving" Philip for not being enough of a true believer, worrying about his enjoyment of the US etc. They've never done it from the other pov where Philip is the one backing off from her fanaticism. This is going to be new for them--maybe especially for Elizabeth.
ETA: Forgot to say, when I was imagining what the conflict was going to be, this is the only one I came up with-but I didn't think the show would go there with Elizabeth. But when imagining it the one thing I imagined was Philip at some point telling Elizabeth that he wasn't Gregory--the guy who proudly told him that he and Elizabeth would happily sacrifice their families for the cause ("You don't have a family, do you, Gregory?"). That was planted right there, and then it was clear that Elizabeth wasn't quite on the same page. But now they're going to have to argue about it straight on.
Sistermagpie's thoughts on first watch - Echo
But like I said above, I think they must be gearing up for the whole conflict next season, which might mean we need to get more backstory for both the Jennings. Also Paige, btw. At this point everyone's talking about Paige being recruited as if it's just a case of them doing it or not, but Paige has her own personality and beliefs that will no doubt make her far more difficult to control.
It's a nice conflicted set up, actually, in that Elizabeth is the one that wants to tell her the truth now (which she wants) and give her something big to believe in (which she wants) but Philip is the one committed to keeping her free to choose who she wants to be instead of being molded to someone else's agenda--something Paige wants but probably can't see that Philip is actually championing. That's why he's more okay with the church.
Back to the Jennings, I love that convo in the beginning, particularly how Elizabeth turns to Philip obviously expecting him to share something about his childhood like a normal person and it takes him an inordinately long time to accept that he's going to even do it. "Mischa, would you like to share something about yourself with the class?"
But then their stories are so different. Elizabeth's is about duty and has no villain. She doesn't blame the illness for existing or anyone else for not helping her. It's in response to Paige's complaints and giving her parents a bad time--Elizabeth WISHED she could have given her mother a bad time at 14 but her mother was too busy POSSIBLY DYING for her to do so!
Philip's story picks up a similar theme--presumably he chose a memory understanding he should do so. In his story his fellow Soviets aren't just not helping him but actively attacking him, and they're bigger and stronger! But he must get the milk back to his family. It's really a great story for what will come later, that Philip's telling a story where he's simply trying to survive and feed his family even at 9.
As Katiac and I were saying on twitter, it's both a reversal of their pilot convo and yet not. Back then Philip wanted to tell the kids the truth and E was slapping him and reminding him they "swore" not to. Now she wants to tell them and he's horrified and saying they "swore" not to--but their priorities are the same. Philip was willing to tell to make them free to live the lives they wanted in their own country. Elizabeth is willing to tell them to bond with them in the Cause.
When you think about it, it's definitely the area of the relationship they need to pursue now. Until now their philosophical differences have mostly been focused on Elizabeth "forgiving" Philip for not being enough of a true believer, worrying about his enjoyment of the US etc. They've never done it from the other pov where Philip is the one backing off from her fanaticism. This is going to be new for them--maybe especially for Elizabeth.
ETA: Forgot to say, when I was imagining what the conflict was going to be, this is the only one I came up with-but I didn't think the show would go there with Elizabeth. But when imagining it the one thing I imagined was Philip at some point telling Elizabeth that he wasn't Gregory--the guy who proudly told him that he and Elizabeth would happily sacrifice their families for the cause ("You don't have a family, do you, Gregory?"). That was planted right there, and then it was clear that Elizabeth wasn't quite on the same page. But now they're going to have to argue about it straight on.