Yeah, I know what you mean. Particularly because the media's picked it up as something they write about all the time when it should just be an invisible thing.

Yeah, on one hand I want to say well, some women would. But we've seen all of 2 scenes of them together alone and both times she's asking about his job. Although the fact that she's more obviously aggressive about it than Brenda or Gus might point to her being a civilian!

I think we know as well as we could. What else could have happened to him?

Not the same camp.

I think as far as P&E are concerned it doesn't matter. They had an assignment that was basically positive (getting a special plant for the motherland) and they did it. It's not a weapon, not a disease. It's something that's supposed to feed people. They have good reason to feel good about it even if the plant's…

See, this is what makes me think more negatively about Paige. I think, and have always thought she's very important to the story and logically has a central place.. But when it goes overboard into "she's the most important character" (or overpraising Holly Taylor as an actress) that just makes me think how terrible it…

Iirc it was actual sentences so not, like, hello how are you. But only a handful at most. He was telling Irena he got into some leadership program but would only be away a year etc. I remember MR saying he practiced with his Russian publicist. He asked if he was saying it right. She said that's exactly how to say…

Why would it be weird for him to be on the show and not be related to Philip? The connection to Stan has always been central to Stan's story and his story in Russia reflects both the spy story in the US (food supply problems) and the themes (this generation trying to understand the previous one).

I think it's just about one generation of Soviets asking the previous one about their history and understanding them as people. Oleg is trying to learn about his mother the way Philip has learned about his father and tried to learn about his father-figure, Gabriel. All of this is also about facing the truth of their…

Even if there were a few diplomat kids in Paige's school (which is not in DC), they would not create a pocket AU where Yaz was that mainstream in 1982.

My point was more a character type issue than a sexist one. It's sexist only in that this type of behavior (the teaching stuff, not the non-exclusive dating stuff) is more acceptable in a man than as a woman in society. But my point wasn't that he wasn't being sexist, but that I didn't believe for a second that all…

Claudia was the one who first passed on the order to do it but Gabriel was the one brought in to push it along when they were dragging their feet. It was Gabriel with whom Elizabeth shared all the little steps forward and Gabriel with whom Philip fought over the whole idea.

I could swear I did actually read that they went to Moscow and filmed Oleg walking down several streets making sure to get landmarks in the background. So not all the scenes are shot there, but there is some actual footage.

Elizabeth did demand another handler, but the new handler was Kate. Gabriel came back because the Jennings were dragging their feet about telling Paige so they figured they needed Gabriel. Which makes his parting shot to Philip all the more ironic. He literally got pulled out of retirement to move this along.

I can't believe IA—or any US agency—would be asking one of its agents to sleep with an FBI guy for any of this.

No, it was him iirc. His voice sounded a little different, maybe, because he maybe spoke more in his natural register, the way he does when he uses his real accent.

Just FYI, Gabriel wasn't a prison guard. Imo, Philip and Oleg don't need to be half-brothers for it to develop. The point, imo, is that this is a whole generation of idealistic Soviets who were kept ignorant of the horrors of their history. Philip and Oleg being related would just be pointless, unbelievable…

He didn't, really. He told Paige the truth because she demanded it with the threat of it destroying their relationship. He's not recruiting her now on purpose, just trying to keep her from blowing their cover.

Also I've always assumed that it's her relationship with Philip, which for a long time wasn't interrupted by any honeytraps, that's made sex more enjoyable for her with sources. Her body's more automatically open to pleasure now. At least that's been my theory.

Yeah, exactly. So Gabriel's too chicken-shit to put himself on the line the way Philip has? He's just going to stand behind him and let him fight for Paige alone since he's already on the shit list?