The name of this episode refers to a strategic area in Afghanistan
where the war and its losses weigh heavy on the Soviets at this time. Phillip’s involvement with Kimmie is
ultimately to gain information to help them turn around the situation in the
war. The question looms, are his actions with an underage teenage worth it if
it saves the lives of Phillip’s comrades in Afghanistan?
The episode commences with Martha and “Clark” visiting a
facility to look for foster children. The
set up is uncomfortably akin to visiting an animal shelter to look for a new
pet. Martha eyes a girl about age seven
and fantasizes about forming a family. Phillip is leery, probably thinking,
more children, more problems!
Michelle the Northrop factory worker and Elizabeth are
meeting in the park and discussing her separation from her unemployed husband. Elizabeth explains that her mother recently
vacated a home about fifty miles away to live in a retirement home. (Of course
that’s a lie, Elizabeth’s mother is in the Soviet Union dying of cancer.)
Elizabeth suggests that Michelle occupy the house and take her kids to make a
clean break with her abusive spouse. Michelle
happily accepts.
Oleg is seen running in the park when he is approached by
Stan. Stan is desperate to help save
Nina from her execution. Stan explains
that he believes that the recent defector Zianda may be “one of yours.” He asks Oleg to help him get the evidence to
prove that and their respective governments may be willing to perform a
prisoner exchange. Oleg departs, uncommitted
to the plan.
Yusef is meet by “Scott” in an empty warehouse. Yusef is about to return to Afghanistan and
wants to leave his dealings with the Soviets behind. Phillip urges him that he is “not done yet”
and that he needs to help “make peace.” Yusef
describes the religious fundamentalists who are seizing power and that they
don’t want peace. This group will later be known as the Taliban who were formed
from the U.S. backed Mujahedeen.
Phillip views the news before bed and hears the reports of
heavy fighting and Soviet causalities in Afghanistan including in the Salang
Tunnel. Elizabeth enters and they
discuss the Martha and Kimmie plans. Phillip states that he could almost consider
the foster child Martha desires if it would “keep her on track.” She asks him about Kimmie and Phillip just
looks away and says, “She’s very young.”
The Jennings host Stan for dinner. Henry asks, “How is Mrs. Beeman?” Silence
follows. Henry was busted by Paige
having cut out a picture of Mrs. Beeman in a bikini. Paige talks about buying a new dress for herself
to wear at the baptism. Phillip offers to take her dress shopping. Elizabeth’s palpable disapproval is wordless
but resonant.
Phillip as “Jim” arrives at an outdoor party to meet Kimmie.
The song “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls
plays in the background. A quick meeting
between Kimmie and some high school jocks reveals that she is still in high
school herself. (Not a freshman at Georgetown like she claimed, I knew it!)
Phillip is visibly shaken and wants to leave. Kimmie implores him that “Age is
just a number!” Phillip knows better and
sees what a strange couple they make. But,
he offers to see her in private at her house another night. Phillip is struggling with this distaste for
engaging a fifteen-year-old girl, with his desire to stop the loss of lives
halfway around the world.
Elizabeth visits Michelle in her new house and brings her a
housewarming gift. (The house looks
familiar, maybe it’s the same house Paige ran away to visit her “aunt” last
season.) Michelle shares that she misses
her children not her husband. Michelle
mentions there is a Northrop plant nearby and she’s planning to request a
transfer. (So that explains Elizabeth’s plan, she needs someone inside the
plant to give them the information on the Stealth program.)
Oleg approaches Tatiana at the embassy working late. He
urges her to drink with him in an effort to break the ice. She is all business
and refuses to toast in English as they share a shot of whiskey. Tatiana asks
Oleg when he is returning to Moscow. He shares that he’s not leaving. They
dance around formalities but it’s clear Oleg is trying to see what she knows
about Zianda. He asks if she could be “one of theirs”. Tatiana neither confirms
or denies it, instead encourages him to “write a memo” regarding this
“theoretical” idea of having a defector work for them and thereby gain access
to high level U.S. government officials.
Phillip takes Paige dress shopping. He selects a few ugly
dresses then finds one that’s quite virginal which Paige seems to appreciate. Unlike her mother, Phillip generously offers
to pay for the dress. This will probably be a source of contention later.
Stan and Phillip have a beer at his place and discuss the
woman he met at Est. Tori called him! Stan is surprised and conflicted about whether
he should date her. Phillip suggests he go for it. An occupied Stan is a less effective
adversary. Stan complains that he has a
tense relationship with his only son. Phillip
suggests having one on one time with him as a way to counteract the influence
of the other parent. (Obviously a technique he is using with Paige.)
Elizabeth walks past an unseen man working under a car. She was seen walking by the same house earlier
in the episode. She releases the jack,
which causes the car to fall and crush his skull. Wordlessly, she has killed
Michelle’s husband Maurice.
At home, Elizabeth does her best Lady Macbeth routine as she
scrubs the world’s ugliest poop brown bathtub.
Phillip walks in and she chides him for buying Paige’s baptism dress.
Then she wants the details on what he’s doing with Kimmie. Phillip divulges that she is only fifteen. Elizabeth uses her as an example of what not
to do when you’re a parent of teenager. “She has no clue what her father does
and look how she turned out!” It seems a
bit harsh, Kimmie seems like an average American teen rebelling and searching
for her self. Elizabeth wants Paige to
be a good Soviet teenager.
Oleg and Stan meet again. Oleg reports that he can’t find
evidence to prove that Zianda is working with the Soviets. Disgusted, he tells Stan, “You’re still in
love with her!” Stan acknowledges this
but notes that Oleg is also still in love with her. Stan suggests that Zianda is their only route
to free Nina. Will they manufacture the
proof they need? The men hate each other
but may need to work together…
Michelle and Elizabeth meet at her new house. Michelle has secured her transfer to the
Northrop plant fifteen minutes away. Elizabeth
has been showing off new expensive items to Michelle. She confesses that she “met a guy” and he pays
her to do surveys about her job in the defense industry. Elizabeth suggests that Michelle could earn
some easy money this way too! (Ah-ha!)
Gabriel and Phillip meet. Gabriel gives him an update about the Centre’s
operation in Nicaragua. He recalls that Elizabeth was close to her recruit
Lucia who was Nicaraguan and died in front of her at the hands of the Navy Seal
last season. Gabriel recalls that Elizabeth took Lucia’s death hard, and that
she takes many things hard. (My memory is that she made a calculated decision
to save herself.) He gives Phillip some Afghan weed for his date with Kimmie. He counsels Phillip about the delicate balance
required when personal and operative lives intersect. He praises Phillip for having a conscious but
cautions that it can also be dangerous.
Phillip appears on Kimmie’s doorstep wearing cowboy boots. She remarks that the boots are “almost cute.” He offers her the marijuana they smoke
outside. Kimmie tells him about the
garden that they had when her mother was alive. She complains about her stepmother and her
father. She states that her father is so
secretive that she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he had another family
elsewhere.
As the night wears on and the marijuana kicks in, they head
back into the kitchen for Jiffy Pop and rocky road ice cream. Phillip begins a playful food fight with the
popcorn. It’s difficult to see him work
to gain her trust. A little later,
Kimmie is almost asleep as they watch TV together. Phillip seizes the opportunity to leave her
and snoop around her father’s things. He identifies and measures a briefcase.
As he returns to her, she sees her parents returning and Phillip flees quickly
out the backdoor.
Elizabeth is waiting up for Phillip. She asks him how it
went and he coldly explains about the briefcase in which he will place a bug
the next time he visits. She looks at him and asks, “Are you stoned?” He
replies, “I’m okay.” (Clearly that’s a lie)
As the couple go to bed Phillip asks Elizabeth if she
remembers “learning how to do this.” There
is a flashback to Phillip entering cold rooms to sleep with different people,
first an attractive woman, then an old woman then finally an old man. He mentions that they told him that you had
to find a way to “make it real for our selves.”
Elizabeth asks how he feels about Kimmie. Phillip says he feels bad for her then asks,
“Should I sleep with her?” Elizabeth replies, “I don’t know.” as she touches
his face.
Then she asks, “Do you have to make it real with me?”
“Sometimes, not now.”
Then they look at each other in silence and then kiss.
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