Baggage

Viewers be warned. There is probably one of the most gruesome depictions of the disposal of a dead body that I have ever seen or heard. We had to mute the tv as well as look away. We are not overly squeamish and have watched numerous shows and movies with lots of violence and gore, but this was on another level. It was completely gratuitous. You get the idea of what they are going to have to do with the body, but they literally went step by step, body part by body part and it was totally unnecessary. Just my opinion, but wanted to give others the heads up that they may want to fast forward or mute their tv's when both Elizabeth and Phillip are in the hotel room together with a suitcase.

The Jennings deal with the aftermath of the climax to episode one whilst Stan continues to suffer the impact of his relationship with Nina.

This is strong episode as it follows up on events from the previous series and continues to look at the mindset of both Phillip and Elizabeth regarding Paige.

I think the previous reviewer missed the point of the gruesome scene involving a dead body. As opposed to gratuitous, it's a brutal depiction of what can become of people recruited into the world of espionage and the cold reality of the things spies do in the name of 'duty'. Quite a powerful and emotive image for parents to deal with in the context of their own children.

For me the situation with Paige is complicated. How can Phillip carry out acts of espionage with such dedication and in the same breath deceive his children about his identity and say it's not the right life for one of them? I am a father of two daughters and understand the protective instincts, but it could be argued that Paige has a right to decide for herself what she wants out of life. Also, if the life of a spy is so wrong for her, perhaps he needs to consider walking away from it.

From another perspective I think what the Centre is looking to recruit Paige for is not the same as her parents. For me, Paige is an American and they are grooming her to commit treason, whereas her parents were born and raised Soviet citizens recruited to serve their country by infiltrating and foreign enemy. There are some scenes of Elizabeth reflecting on her past life with her mother and linking them to her feelings about Paige, but for me she is so indoctrinated that, in this episode, she is unable to see things from what her daughter's perspective might potentially be.

All of this conflict is the most fascinating aspect of the show's third season and it's been simmering relatively quietly so far. I'm guessing the real intrigue will come later if/when Paige finds out the truth or if/when Elizabeth or The Centre try to force the issue past Phillip.

Stan, Nina and Oleg also have some great scenes and it's good to see the writers have not pushed them to one side.

As ever the cinematography and editing are strong. The above mentioned 'grisly' scene both looks and sounds very real.

All performances are excellent as always, with Noah Emmerich standing out in this one.