That's a good point. I'd forgotten about that. I'm sure having the mother used as punishment or leverage just adds to Oleg's many, pre-existing issues with his father, although I think his problems with dear old dad go back much further than this latest news.

I completely agree, he doesn't, not one bit. What's interesting to me, though, is why? Do the roots of it go back to the favouritism with the brother and the perceived mistreatment or dismissiveness towards his mother? Or has he always disliked his father and, if so, is it because of some character trait or because of…

But would the Vietnamese angle really be *that* much more effective than any other adopted orphan presenting himself as a sympathetic outsider to Pasha? It could just as easily been a supposedly "American" orphan. So long as the approach was right and Pasha felt they were both rejected outsiders at school, the contact…

Philby really kept up the facade and the bravado of his supposed joy at being in Moscow until his very last interview, if I recall correctly, but even then, I think one had to read between the lines. I don't think he could ever truly admit the reality of his situation and his miserableness, even to himself. It serves…

I interpreted it as apologizing for the cold or dismissive treatment of Oleg's mother, and that's partially why the father spent so much time elaborating on how the mother had changed after her time in the camp, how he'd lost the woman he loved, how he tried to make the marriage work even after it had died by having…

Thanks. I spend way too much time trying to figure out Tuan's spy career and background. The other foreigners whom Elizabeth and Philip have worked with have all been recruited and run directly by the Center, regardless of whether they're South African or South American. I keep trying to figure out how this VN/KGB…

In my head, I've always hoped that Martha could come back via a prisoner/spy exchange and that she could get amnesty for giving the FBI or CIA information on KGB operations. Among the many problems with that scenario, however, is that Martha really doesn't know anything about anything. Plus, by the time the Soviet…

I thought the lighting was so well done in that scene. All icy blues EXCEPT for the apple that gleamed as red as the poisoned apple in Snow White. For Dimitri, the effect of that apple-eating scene will probably be just as deadly….

The conversation with Oleg's father keeps playing in my head. Will it tip Oleg over in terms of his anger at the regime, or is it a red herring and merely one more additional layer of depth to life in Soviet Russia? Does it merely play into the Fathers-and-Sons theme going on, or is it something more? I think they…

I thought the same. For one thing, she didn't have to share her space with other families.

At the beginning of the episode, I thought that Elizabeth might get Tuan the dog he requested to counteract his loneliness. At the end of the episode, I feared he might get a bullet in the head. Ah, The Americans, a model of unexpected parenting choices and surprises….

I mentioned Kimmy just last week in the comments, but I never thought we'd see her again so soon. It blew me away to have her pop up. How sad that she's still so ignored that she can have a sleazy older man in her house late at night and no-one notices. Oh well, at least her dad gets her crab cakes once a year… :/

The old-school spy craft with the walkie-talkies was very cool. Two clicks for "on the move," four for "he's stopping." I also liked the realistic parallels between the KGB's plans to turn Stan, and the FBI/CIA plans to get Oleg, both running simultaneously. Poor Oleg is a dead duck, though, isn't he?

MARTHAAAAAA!!! Kimmy!! Tuan, Henry, and even the return of Gaad and Nina by reference…! I can't *handle* the gloriousness of this episode. Except for Arkady, they threw in all my old favourites or forgotten about people. I practically yelped by the time we got sad, forlorn Martha cooking onions in clothes and an…

An upvote for the "no happy endings for anyone except Henry."

I was thinking about how Phillip tailors his role or his character's image to suit his mark. Everything he must have read about Deirdre clearly suggested that the boring, nerdy accountant type would appeal to her when the irony is, if he'd approached her in his Kimmy role and outfit, she'd probably have chased him…

I said the exact same thing up above in response to Beema. Great minds think alike! By my count, this was the 3rd time that he'd subtly pled with them to stay longer. I can't recall how young he was when his parents died, but I think his damaged psyche desperately wants a protective parental figure or two, even if the…

I loved both of them, but especially Skors. I think the last time I had or saw one was about 6 or 7 years ago, but I haven't seen a Whatchamacallit in… eons. Decades, maybe. Let us know if you actually find one. And if it lives up to the memories.

"BIG SEX GUY" was a hilarious comment by Yvgenia (sp?). Her English may be broken, but she certainly got straight to the gist of that type of guy.

Tuan really is ice cold. But what also struck me was his insistence, yet again, that Phillip and Elizabeth stay longer and hang about more. Yes, he has a definite point in the fact that they're rather absent as parents, even for a pilot and flight attendant, but he says this same thing at the end of many meetings in…