Question of the week #9

[treonb]

In the pilot, Philip proposes that he and Elizabeth defect to the United States with their family. Nina, too, toys with the idea of defecting to escape persecution for her crimes. We never see inside their heads, though, so it's hard to know what exactly they're thinking over the course of the season.

This week's question: What do you think is going on with that--how do you think the Russian characters' (those two or any others') thoughts on defection change over time?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

Comments

[jae]

Yeah, I agree on all points here. The money was a motivator for Philip, but only because he was reacting as a parent who wants to provide for his kids.

As for Nina, I agree too--I think we don't have enough show-evidence about what her internal ideologies look like to be able to answer this question with any certainty. I look forward to learning more about her on this front as we get to season two. (Still, speculating about it in the meantime is great fun. *g*)

-J

[treonb]

Regarding Nina, I think she would have gone for defection at first, if the FBI would have moved on it. But as far as they were concerned, she was only valuable in her current position, so it wasn't even an issue.

I don't buy the devotion to the motherland. I think she turned double-agent because, besides this being the smartest move on her part, she loved Vlad, and she realized Stan was the one who killed him. So she's right now working out of self-interest and revenge.

[quantumreality]

Hmm - never really thought of the revenge angle vis-a-vis Nina, but it strikes me that she could be putting herself in a position where she could call on KGB resources, no questions asked, and absolutely nail Stan to the wall when the time comes.