A brutal illustration of why Phillip didn’t want to do a transfer with one of his kids in tow.
Yeah, I got that. They clearly intended to show a possible consequence of involving his son the way he did.
I haven’t finished watching tonight’s episode yet, but has anyone else recognized those sweet computer terminals on the desks at the Rezidentura? DEC VT-100’s, baby! Back in college, those were the sought-after ones in the terminal rooms.
I actually had a bunch of those (along with a VAX) in my basement for a few years in the late 90s/early 00s. I picked them up, fully functional, for $200 at a GSA auction.
Date: The date is January 28, 1982. Residentura Chief mentions date in a report. They also mention Israel and the Sinai in a news report.
Package: The package contains a key to some technical breakthrough. Stealth propellers like in the Red October?
Current threats:
*The mystery actors that murdered the family. Not Americans. Rival state which also wants this technology. Still going with French/Israeli.
*Stan (FBI neighbor) is shadowing the walk-in. Also note the report Nina types up does not mention leaking the walk-in. Assuming she reports it orally to Arkady, I would think he knows enough of the dots to see the threat. He seems to be competent and I believe is aware of the existence of the deep cover families.
*Paige’s investigation? It was the number for some (cover?) name in a postcard. At first I was worried she would leave suspicious traces for the FBI, but anyone that contacts them would have a cover reason for contacting them (relative, client, etc.)
Episode title is Cardinal. What does this mean? Cardinal means prime, important. Ordinals. Counting numbers? As in the numbers stations and the codes received? I don’t see a reference to the Catholic position so I can only think it’s something with the numbers. Wait! Cardinal of Kremlin? SDI, Reagan, Star Wars? Maybe it’s just Tom Clancy references. Apparently the novel involves a high-level agent the CIA placed in the Kremlin. There are many references of leaks in the episode - the faucet drips while Stan waits for Nina in their safehouse. Stan’s FBI buddy has a “highly-successful plumbing business”.
Man, they do the story well. Every episode feels too short.
What’s up with Nina essentially giving up the Walk In at the embassy? Was she directed to do so by the Russian embassy? Or is she playing both sides?
That’s funny, the computer at my college back in the early-mid 80’s was a VAX.
As to Nina giving up the walk-in I can’t imagine she’d do that on her own, not after she was essentially forgiven once already when she came clean for being the mole in the Rezidentura.
I’m fairly certain she was under orders to give up the walk-in. It’s along the line of the discussion last episode, they’re willing to give up real intelligence to the FBI to keep her credible if they don’t feel the intelligence is that important. While we didn’t see it, it’s almost certain that Arkady decided to burn the walk-in and told her to report it.
Ah, thanks. That would make sense. Of course, whenever she’s on screen I lose everything but the power of sight…yowza.
You and me both, buddy. ;-)
Seeing what the walk in got up to, it’s not surprising that burning him was an attractive option. He wasn’t stable.
I didn’t quite get who “Aunt Helen” was, and why Phillip basically told Paige that her identity was that of a girl 8 years dead. That left me a bit mystified.
“Visiting Aunt Helen because she’s sick” was the excuse that Phillip and Elizabeth gave their kids for why Elizabeth was away from home, when she was recovering from the gunshot wound at the end of last season. In this episode, when Paige met Aunt Helen, Helen pretended to be senile (so Paige would believe she was sick) and pretended that she thought Paige was her daughter, who had actually died 8 years ago. Philip uses this to call Paige out on her lies while also (presumably) helping to ease her suspicions.
Whether Aunt Helen actually had a daughter or not, I’m guessing probably not.
Ah, thanks for the explanation. I should pay closer attention.
Wow, last night’s episode was excellent. Stan is starting to figure things out and ol’ Phil is having a crisis of conscience.
Nice contrast with their son who breaks into the neighbors house to play their video games in the earlier episode, that culminated in this one. You could see that halfway through having the talk with his son about right and wrong, Philip stops thinking about their son’s videogame breaki-in and thinking about his own actions instead.
The assassination attempt on Reagan was a big part of Season 1 - that was in March 1981. So the Iranian revolution has already happened, and the Shah is out (and dead of cancer.)
I think the first ep is set right around the election of RR in 1980, or maybe around the time of his inauguration.
I like what they have done with Oleg Burov as a character. He is clearly much more intelligent than he lets on, and is content with people thinking he’s just some slacker with family connections so they let their guard down.
This show is so good!
Always a kick to hear the actor’s native accent: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=311276121&m=311276122