Yeah, much as it turned my stomach to see or think of Vasili getting it on with or getting blown by Nina, I did feel bad for the guy.  And did you see that look she gave him when he was being hauled off?  ICE cold.

What started to tip me off was when Stan told Nina to take pictures of classified docs, ANY classified docs, and she said something like "even if I could, I'd never be able to get them out of here," and he said "don't worry, you won't have to."  That smelled of setting someone else up.

Agree with pretty much everything everyone's said here: I was totally disoriented at the beginning, checked to make sure this wasn't a two-hour finale and I'd missed the first hour, felt like I was watching "Iron Chef" for the rest of the episode, and, as I glanced at the clock with 7 minutes to go, realized that…

Add me to the pro-Ruben minority.  I think he's a good foil for Lydia, and I like that he provides a different perspective on things like family and parenting without judging her.  He seems pretty supportive of her, actually.

So I missed what was going on with Dewey and the "road runner" in the first place - what were they going after him for?

Oh Nina, this is not going to end well…But I do love how this show pulls your sympathies this way and that.  As you guys say, it just underscores one of the show's central themes: "loyalty" is a complicated thing.

I like the orphan idea, too, because it would further explain why he's so much more attracted to the kind of life they're having in the U.S.  Everything he didn't have growing up (and unlike Elizabeth, he didn't have any adult role models to inspire him or hold up any ideals for him to follow).

She looks like a cross between ScarJo and the British actress who played the lead on "Call the Midwife."  (um, if anyone here watched that series besides me…)

I hear you on all of this.  What's especially sad to me about Lydia is that I actually liked that the show was unafraid of showing how little she enjoys being a mother without making her seem unsympathetic (at least, to me; but then, I'm not a mother).  It seems like most people have a knee-jerk impulse to condemn…

The moment Ben & Sammy answered the call to the birthday kid's house it was clear what had happened…but man, that was still a gut-punch.

Mashti Malone's!  Best ice cream in L.A.

Aw, Sheldon.  Can't say I'm surprised, though.  He always felt a little greener, a little rougher around the edges than the other two, but more than that, not yet fully formed as a chef.  Whereas both Kristen and Brooke are pretty much fully formed: they know who they are as chefs and are capable of executing that…

Great recap tonight.  This show just keeps getting better and better.

What accent?  He does good American, even if he's a Brit.

I didn't have a problem suspending disbelief about Philip and Elizabeth's role in the Soviet post-shooting response, but like you, I struggled with the scenes in Stan's home.  In general, I've been somewhat skeptical that someone in Stan's position would talk so openly about his work.  Unless he's playing a deeper…

If Juliette's really kicking Glenn to the curb, maybe I'll stop mixing up him and Rayna's manager (agent?) - honestly, those two guys look alike, except one has more hair than the other.

Well, at least they let the baby live…

Indeed.  So well shot, and I loves me some old-school spying tension.  Kind of a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy feel.

Mustachios was less annoying this episode, but I'm still glad he's gone.  (I guess he could still come back from LCK, but I'm not putting long odds on him, given everyone he's up against.)  Besides, Brooke was clearly the strongest of the three, and I heart Sheldon, so I'm happy these two are advancing.

Yeah, I remember giving the first couple of episodes of season 1 a try and thinking it had potential but not really being impressed enough to pick it up.  Somehow I found my way back to it late in season 2, and noticed a definite bump up in quality…and it's only gotten better since then.