surangaf

do not be misled by the low rating and "yawn" of the other review posted up to now. in fact i am reviewing the episode partly because of that review. i fail to understand how anyone who has seen the previous 4 seasons, and other episodes of this season, can find this episode and season boring.

this specific episode has at least two directly contrasted, beautifully crafted and acted, scenes, with great emotional impact, that would, in addition, make any intelligent person think about lots of things, both in and out of the series.

this TV show is great precisely because of its willingness to develop and explore complex characterizations and motivations. it also explores values that guide people and societies. nobody is perfect or simple. there are multiple motives for actions within each character. different characters may engage in same or similar actions, due to very different or similar motives, even though they may or may not have much in common. from the first, series took its time to do all that, instead of rushing things.

show demands a lot from viewers. it explains some things, hints at others, and for others it lets viewers completely on their own. it is willing to let viewers feel uncomfortable and uneasy. it certainly won't give easy solutions, or in some cases any solution at all.

there was and are some enjoyable action sequences, though less after the first two seasons. but anyone sticking with the series would know by now that action sequences are only a secondary pleasure here.

in reply to other review, i would say paige was there from the first, and her far from perfect, whining self, is part of the fabric of this series, and she is more integral to its unique tone,than any of the rather interchangeable spying missions.

I write this mainly because only other review of this episode here, up to now, seem to be gratuitously wrong headed in its criticism.

While it is true that this series has the usual unbelievable plot elements that plague spy stories, TV series, and movies (time and place compression, with way too much violence and excitement, when in real world spying is a tedious boring job with not much violent action), what makes it special here is the way all of that is put together and presented, interesting and complex characters, and their interaction, especially as a family.

Secondly, other reviewer is wrong on specific points he/she makes.

For instance, children do not question about the car because they use other cars in addition to their family car. Viewer would have noticed this if he/she saw the Pilot episode when they used the family car to hide the captured defector and used a different car meanwhile, giving a false explanation to children.

In another example, while there is no doubt she is trying to manipulate the sailer (based on his character as briefed to her), an attentive viewer would have noticed that Elisabeth's rape account is not all fake (she was raped in the exact same way by a different person, see Pilot) and she is affected by what she recounts. That may explain her half success in the effort, than her 'magical' abilities.

In judging a series like this, one must take the genre at their own terms and then examine what the creators are doing with them. They are doing great in this series.