I've said this elsewhere, but they didn't set up any transport for that woman. With Martha they've arranged things to get her out.

Oh, I understood her point in context. It was just that one way of talking about it I thought was silly, saying that he also lied about the infidelity because he's a Russian man/husband, as if an American man wouldn't have had the same impulse. Elizabeth in that scene was point blank asking for the truth whether or…

And I've honestly seen no indication that the KGB is as committed to murdering people who aren't immediately valuable on the show. We've had characters in the KGB flat-out state that they are loyal to their agents and care about them. Gregory was offered exfiltration to Moscow for his past deeds. (He would probably…

I just don't get why I should read against explicit scenes where people at the Rezidentura have discussed flying her to Russia via Cuba and then Czechoslovakia if the point is to kill her in the US.

Exactly, he wasn't. Also because it would be a completely stupid test if he even had any reason to be "testing" his neighbor to see if he was Russian. It was just Stan sharing the caviar he stole with his only friend.

I think that in itself is typical of all marriages too, though.

You must not have seen any clips from The Wine Show!

I agree about Martha's chances of managing to adapt to the USSR. I honestly can't imagine her lasting long and I don't think the USSR will be particularly torn up about it if she doesn't. I just don't see why we wouldn't take at face value scenes that we have of the KGB offering to or making plans to get non-Kim…

That doesn't mean the Soviets would have a problem with Martha being displayed as a defector within the USSR, though. She doesn't have to get up onstage and tell the details of the Illegals program, obviously. Her walking around Moscow is not the same as her whole situation being broadcast to everyone in the US. They…

They acknowledged those were two different things, though. Tatiana was arranging transport for the rat, Oleg for Martha. They were preparing to transport Martha too—we saw them discussing it.

I know—there's plenty of times when he looks at her softly or with affection, but I can't think of a single time when Philip was shown to be remotely happy to be with Martha, or enjoying himself. There was never even a scene where he seemed to be looking forward to losing himself in sex with her.

So who are the employees of the Rezidentura putting on this show of arranging for her transport for if there's no reason to keep her alive and get her to the USSR? Why get her to the USSR in order to kill her instead of just killing her here? And why on earth try to infect a woman with this rat rather than just the…

Right, I agree. I just don't think that says anything about whether or not the marriage is real.

Elizabeth didn't seem to get home late that night.

Yeah, I think Oleg's been very very curious about her from the moment she got there. But then, he was also curious about Nina.

I was just going to bring that up—the caviar I mean.

She's been passing tons of classified info to the KGB for years. Pretty sure that's the thing that gets you the treatment, not whether or not you're trained as an agent.

I thought that line was kind of silly implying that it's a Russian thing for a husband to lie to his wife about sleeping with somebody else. Is Mad Men about Soviets?

I don't think it ever feels unreal. I've heard the sex she initiated being referred to as manipulation but I don't really see any evidence of that beyond Elizabeth wanting Philip to be in love with her. That's totally the kind of control a romantic partner would want to exert. This arranged marriage has been pretty…

p.s. Should note that if they were going to kill her it would have been easier to do it by now, like in the safe house. Not arrange a plane trip for it.