It’s not one specific thing that I can put my finger on, but this whole episode just gave me a feeling of dread and unease. I thought for sure something really bad was going to happen before the hour was over. Since it didn’t, I’m gonna guess that something big happens next week. Plus, the last two weeks seemed to be…

“We know how to keep secrets.” As she’s taking to an FBI agent...

I immediately thought of the honey pots, which Elizabeth glossed over when Paige had inquired. That truth will have to come out, too. “No, Paige, we don’t just kill, we have to have sex with people, too, and I’ve done it more times than I can count. And so has your father.”

Interesting scene at the beginning where Paige is getting contradictory messages from her parents: Philip is framed in warm, lighted tones, while Elizabeth has almost-black bookshelves behind her, showing just how different the two have become. Where once they could be at least close to the same level, they are now…

Did she expect Paige to be a sexless spy? I know it must be extremely difficult to bring your daughter into a career where she needs to fuck for the cause, which is one of the many reasons I wouldn’t train my daughter for this career. But what was the long term plan around the sex and violence?

So what exactly happened in the airport bathroom?

Another thing I liked was Elizabeth lecturing Paige on seeing the world in black-and-white terms. It’s pretty ironic coming from her, considering how rigidly committed to the cause she is.

I thought it was decent. I think the episode fell victim to what lots of serialized tv falls victim to these days-the episode was pure set up. It didn’t have a compelling story to tell in its own right. However, almost all of the set-up was stuff that I’m intrigued to see unfold. Still, table-setting episodes can…

I dunno- it’s been kind of hinted at, or at least guessed at by me, that he’s actually a pretty great sales person, in part because he had to learn how to “sell” himself when he was a spy. He’s also always been portrayed as being naturally personable, charming, and warm when he’s not being cold-blooded killer…

Is that Nielsen ratings? I started watching the show on Prime as the seasons became available, so I’m not a conventional viewer, it will always be niche but I think it may have a bigger audience, at least in the long run!

Yes, exactly. Philip’s not a “capitalist” he’s just disillusioned at serving the communist state.

I agree that his drifting away from spying was solely because he couldn’t handle violence anymore and his involvement with the KGB was more of a victim of circumstances sort of thing. However, the flashbacks to his previous life and his love of Americana, especially the focus on how poor he used to be, seems to…

I agree. I don’t see Phillip as really ideologically driven one way or the other. His moral compass seems to focus on the micro level of caring about his family and just trying to do the right thing in his personal life, rather than the macro of supporting a super power that he thinks will make the whole world a…

I’ve been wondering if Phillip, via a struggling business, would become disenchanted with the Americana he’s so obviously fond of at this point (line dancing, kid in private school, private business). For the past few seasons the show has leaned hard into Elizabeth being a true believer and Phillip not so much, but…

Funny to see her as the hard line communist even at this point in the story, immediately dismissive of the artistic impulse. Western decadence.

Yes! Alyssa Monks. They tweeted this out late March.

I think that was the most graphic depiction I’ve ever seen of someone getting splattered by someone else’s brains being blown out. You’ll always see a spray of blood and maybe a little bit of gray matter. But Elizabeth looked like she was covered in huge chunks of brain and skull.

The art they chose is so perfect. That incredibly disorienting, unclear portraits (mostly comprised of women) almost duplicated/tessellated in each portrait? Definitely mirrors Elizabeth’s life of spying and disguises. Also it’s all black/white/grey which she mentions to Paige later that their job isn’t so black and…

Have we gotten any info about the Russian employees at the travel agency? I don’t recall Stan ever raising an eyebrow, and I think he’s also been a customer of theirs.