First I just wanted to say that I got the impression from a previous promo that we were going to see some other characters and scenes that didn't end up in this episode. But I may have been mistaken, so I will ignore that.
I think for me, Noah Emmerich made the deepest impression this episode and he literally brought me to tears with that phone call from the phone booth after his interception with Oleg. I also liked that Sandra still would not go back to him, which otherwise would have been the solution an ordinary US show. I ask myself whether he lied to Oleg about loving Nina just to try to get out of the situation. What do you think? Does he really love Sandra or is that just out of old habit? Of course, it is possible he loves them both.
Paige's comments about her parents' love life are subtle, but hit a nerve with Elizabeth. In season 1 she wouldn't have been so quick to defend Philip...
Now I know that Gillian Alexy is a trained ballet dancer, but she is not that bendy! Joking aside, that scene was rather gruesome. I wonder if they completely disposed of her body or if it will appear in a future episode. Did they deliberately leave her rings on for easier identification?
The introduction of the Zenaida character was interesting in all its somewhat overbearing symbolism. The chocolate, to show how deprived Russians were of luxurious items like that. Her apparent awe of finally being free, but Stan's comment that it most definitely wasn't over just because of that. Gaad's off-hand comment about "what's-her-name" and to keep her alive can only mean that she will be killed.
I'm intrigued by the tooth issue. That was one of the first things they said to look for after the attack on Gaad and his companion agent. Since it's not going away I'm guessing it will be a thing that Stan may pick up on eventually.
I did think it was a little odd for Philip to offer Elizabeth the option of going home to see her mother. Or to get her mother to the US? It was like a parallel to the Zenaida story. How many people were actually willing to travel back to the USSR, regardless of how patriotic they were? After all, the West offered a lot more choices and luxuries.
Nina in prison was grim. The introduction of "Belgian Evie" was nothing but suspicious. Well, ok, maybe also a little sad, if it was true. But I'm thinking that Nina is skilled enough to know not to trust anyone. Interestingly, she did trust Oleg's father. And I wonder why he came to see her after all...
So, the end, what to make of it? That exaggerated slow-motion sitting up in the chair that Matthew Rhys did was a little bit of over-acting soap opera-ish, I thought. I get that he now finally (?) understands how deeply Elizabeth believes turning Paige into a KGB agent is potentially a good thing. Presumably, the newspaper reading scene was to show that Elizabeth is grooming her into being interested about politics. At the same time, when Elizabeth went to see Gabriel again, I got the feeling she was saying to him it might not be so easy with the trust issue, since Paige is a teenager in the US, ie much freer in her thinking that E had ever been. And Paige isn't necessarily going to think of the USSR as her country, the way Elizabeth did when she was called.
General episode review
I think for me, Noah Emmerich made the deepest impression this episode and he literally brought me to tears with that phone call from the phone booth after his interception with Oleg. I also liked that Sandra still would not go back to him, which otherwise would have been the solution an ordinary US show. I ask myself whether he lied to Oleg about loving Nina just to try to get out of the situation. What do you think? Does he really love Sandra or is that just out of old habit? Of course, it is possible he loves them both.
Paige's comments about her parents' love life are subtle, but hit a nerve with Elizabeth. In season 1 she wouldn't have been so quick to defend Philip...
Now I know that Gillian Alexy is a trained ballet dancer, but she is not that bendy! Joking aside, that scene was rather gruesome. I wonder if they completely disposed of her body or if it will appear in a future episode. Did they deliberately leave her rings on for easier identification?
The introduction of the Zenaida character was interesting in all its somewhat overbearing symbolism. The chocolate, to show how deprived Russians were of luxurious items like that. Her apparent awe of finally being free, but Stan's comment that it most definitely wasn't over just because of that. Gaad's off-hand comment about "what's-her-name" and to keep her alive can only mean that she will be killed.
I'm intrigued by the tooth issue. That was one of the first things they said to look for after the attack on Gaad and his companion agent. Since it's not going away I'm guessing it will be a thing that Stan may pick up on eventually.
I did think it was a little odd for Philip to offer Elizabeth the option of going home to see her mother. Or to get her mother to the US? It was like a parallel to the Zenaida story. How many people were actually willing to travel back to the USSR, regardless of how patriotic they were? After all, the West offered a lot more choices and luxuries.
Nina in prison was grim. The introduction of "Belgian Evie" was nothing but suspicious. Well, ok, maybe also a little sad, if it was true. But I'm thinking that Nina is skilled enough to know not to trust anyone. Interestingly, she did trust Oleg's father. And I wonder why he came to see her after all...
So, the end, what to make of it? That exaggerated slow-motion sitting up in the chair that Matthew Rhys did was a little bit of over-acting soap opera-ish, I thought. I get that he now finally (?) understands how deeply Elizabeth believes turning Paige into a KGB agent is potentially a good thing. Presumably, the newspaper reading scene was to show that Elizabeth is grooming her into being interested about politics. At the same time, when Elizabeth went to see Gabriel again, I got the feeling she was saying to him it might not be so easy with the trust issue, since Paige is a teenager in the US, ie much freer in her thinking that E had ever been. And Paige isn't necessarily going to think of the USSR as her country, the way Elizabeth did when she was called.