Paige’s big day has arrived; Pastor Tim is baptizing her at
the Reed Street Church. Pastor Tim
describes Paige’s passion for political and social justice. She has participated in demonstrations against
apartheid and nuclear proliferation. (Liberal causes that the parents probably
support too.) The Jennings are seated in
the back, clapping somewhat politely and looking bemused. The congregation applauds as Paige is
submerged and emerges “newly born to Jesus.”
Elizabeth meets Hans, and they continue his observation
training. He tells her he thinks there
maybe a South African terrorist spying on student anti-apartheid demonstrations.
(Apologies for mis-identifying him as
German in a previous post.)
Hans tells Elizabeth that he followed the suspect. She chides Hans and asks him not follow the
suspect again, but she is intrigued by the lead.
Phillip and Paige are hanging some posters in her room, even
though she insists not to need his help. He tells her he’s proud of her for going
through with the baptism, and standing up for her beliefs and not bowing to
peer pressure. She thinks he’s talking
about peer pressure to use drugs or alcohol, but the viewers know he’s talking
about his wife. Phillip asks her to stay
true to herself, stand up her beliefs and be happy.
It seems Stan got up his courage up to call Tori, and
they’re having dinner with the Jennings. Henry, perhaps finding a new older lady to
lust after, asks Tori about how she met Stan. Stan and Phillip try to explain Est, and it sounds
very strange. Tori offers that Est helps
you overcome problems in your life. In
her case, it was a difficult childhood.
Evi begs Nina to eat something. “Why, I have nothing to live
for!” Nina responds. Nina begins to
open up about how she failed and disappointed the men in her life. It’s interesting to see the web she’s weaving
to catch Evi. “How can you love somebody who leaves?” asks Nina. Evi is confident that her boyfriend still
loves her even though he left her to take the blame for his crime.
“I had two lovers, one communist, one capitalist and I loved
them both but they both loved their countries more then me.” Nina theorizes. It’s a sadly accurate statement, even though
the choice to turn in Nina haunts both Oleg and Stan.
At Stan’s house, Tori takes the romantic initiative. Stan stops her mid-unbuckle, confessing that
he is still not over Sandra. He says
he’s never been with anybody but her in the house they shared for twenty years.
(The affair with Nina occurred elsewhere.) The family pictures surrounding the
couch must also hamper the mood. Tori is undaunted and encourages him to be
honest with her and “feel it.” Her Estness is becoming tiresome.
Kimmie lies back in her pink sweater, high. Phillip places headphones on her and
encourages her to listen to Pink Floyd. (Unfortunately, we don’t hear the album
but I bet you its Dark Side of the Moon. Best smoking album ever!) Kimmie wants
to get romantic and suggests a bath for two. Stalling, Phillip suggests she relax in the
bath and he’ll wait. With Kimmie
occupied, Phillip hurriedly lets a woman inside who will place the listening
device in her father’s briefcase.
Elizabeth sneaks a cigarette in the family’s garage only to
be found by Paige. Paige admits that she
knows her mom smokes and wishes she would stop. Elizabeth praises her for being “all grown
up.” Elizabeth says that she’s enjoyed
the time they’ve spent together at church. (LIE) Paige asks her what she thinks about her
church. Elizabeth pauses and says, “They
may have too many potlucks.” Then she
further confesses that it’s not really her thing. Paige asks if she’s ever tried praying?
Elizabeth nods no. Paige explains that
it allows her feel something, a presence and that is helpful. Maybe Elizabeth can relate to the experience
of belief greater then herself, she just believes in the Soviet Union instead
of Jesus.
At Kimmie’s house, Phillip can hear the bathtub draining as
he and the woman struggle to complete their task. He asks for her earrings, which he presents to
Kimmie several minutes later as a “surprise”. (Ew, could they still be warm
from the other lady who wore them moments before?) Phillip struggles when
Kimmie provokes him by dropping her towel. He holds her and then confesses that he can’t
make love to her, even though he wants to.
He explains that he recently started attending church to “figure some
stuff out.” Kimmie is upset and wonders
if he’s breaking up with her. Phillip
assures her she’s “perfect” but he just needs to go slow. It’s heartbreaking how trusting she is of
Phillip a serial liar and murderer among other things.
Evi tells Nina the story of how she met her boyfriend in
Brussels and how they love each other. Nina
baits her, “But he left you and you’re in prison.” Evi insists that their
relationship is different. Nina
continues, “But he lied to you!” Evi
finally confesses, “You do things when you’re in love.” (Oh Evi, goodbye.)
Elizabeth waits for Phillip to return from Kimmie’s. He reports that it went fine and the bug has
been placed. (Notice how he won’t look her in the eye when discussing Kimmie?)
Elizabeth tells him the Centre is interested in the South African spy
information. Phillip withdraws a joint
from his pocket and they laughingly smoke it out the bedroom window. She tells him that Paige is “living in a
fantasy world” and she even suggested that Elizabeth should start praying. Phillip relates how “Jesus came through for
him tonight.” (By giving him an excuse
for celibacy.) Elizabeth is troubled that her daughter puts her faith in Jesus
instead the blind nationalism of her parents.
At the FBI, a robot roams the hallways. Aderholt discusses the change in the
classified document handling with Martha. (Maybe Martha will no longer be
relevant if she can’t produce documents for “Clark”.) Stan learns that a plane crash has killed one
of his friends and former colleagues. Stan
calls Sandra but hangs up with the sound of the answering machine. Whatever
happened between him and Tori isn’t as strong as his feelings of love and
regret about his failed marriage.
In a interrogation room, Nina eats pasta and drinks red wine
like a savage. Its part of her reward for “interrogating” Evi. The scene is sad and disturbing. It seems that Nina has forfeited her soul for
a chance at freedom.
Gabriel and Phillip discuss operations at his home. Gabriel
speaks of Afghanistan and the gathering strength of the Mujahedeen. He asks how Kimmie is doing and the importance
of Phillip forming a meaningful bond with her. Gabriel stresses the necessity of weekly
updates, which translates into weekly dates with Kimmie. In order to persuade Philip further, he
mentions that his former lover and mother to his twenty-year-old son has been
captured in Brazil and returned to the Soviet Union for punishment. (This was
seen last season where they met and she discussed her plans to defect and she told
Phillip about his son.) Gabriel reports that Phillip’s son is fighting in
Afghanistan. He wants Phillip to feel
directly responsible for his son’s safety by continuing this assignment. (It
could be the truth, but it’s awfully convenient!)
Elizabeth is developing pictures in the darkroom. As Phillip enters, she exclaims that the
teenage South African spy likes redheads and is failing biology. Phillip is upset and she can sense it. He cryptically states, “I had a hard meeting
with Gabriel.” He discloses that he’ll
need to do weekly updates with Kimmie.
Stan’s son comes home for a visit. Sandra tells Stan that she was sorry to learn
about the passing of his friend Dave. However,
she is hesitant to commit to attending his funeral. She sees that Stan is upset and encourages him
to “Not keep it all in.” She obviously
knows her ex-husband well.
Elizabeth and Gabriel meet. He praises her recruit Hans for being correct
about the South African agent named Eugene Veter. He states the plan is to attack anti-apartheid
rallies that occur often on college campuses.
Gabriel claims that Reagan is
behind supporting the “most racist government in the world” all in the name of
capitalism. Gabriel is excited to “break
him.” The conversation steers towards
Phillip and Paige. Elizabeth exclaims,
“He knows, and I’m going ahead without him.” (Tell her the truth and train
her.)
Gabriel unexpectedly states, “But you’re not.” Does the
Centre now have other plans for Paige or do they no longer trust the Elizabeth
to tell her the truth?
Elizabeth picks up Paige from school and takes her to a
rough part of town. Paige is nervous,
this is weird, even for her mother.
Evi comments to Nina that she hasn’t slept in a long time
and won’t look her eye. Then men in
uniforms rush into their cell as Evi screams, “What did you do?!” Nina looks vacant as they drag Evi away.
“Jim” meets Kimmie looking hot in his “Member’s-Only”
leather jacket. She gives him the cold
shoulder until he confesses, “I can’t stop thinking about you!” She melts like Antarctic glacier! Kimmie leads him to her bedroom. Phillip borrows some of Paige’s faith and
blends it with the story of his secret son with Irene. He says he now wants to become a better man
and that he “really messed up” in his youth. In a moment of twisted inspiration, he asks
her to pray with him. Kimmie in her
innocence, obliges and adds her own prayer at the end. Phillip seems genuinely moved and says, “That
was amazing.”
Elizabeth’s asks her daughter to get out of the car and
assures her it’s ok. She explains an old
friend used to live in this neighborhood. (Gregory, the musician who was gunned
down for the cause.) She speaks of her experience in the Civil Rights Movement, where
they recruited Gregory. Elizabeth tells
Paige that they are not so different. Elizabeth
says that the tactics they used weren’t always legal, but it was “right for the
greater good.” She hints that she and
Phillip are more then travel agents. She
notes that she sees something in Paige and hopes she knows as mother and
daughter they are “more alike then you think.”
So what did Gabriel mean when he asked Elizabeth to not tell
Paige the truth? It seems that the fecal
matter is about to hit the oscillating device on many levels. Can’t wait for the
next installment Wednesday at 10 on FX.
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