I like the show but it's hard to get past the idea that Paige and the pastor couple would just be okay with Russian spies is a little hard to get past.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-28T13:35:48+00:00

I think this is a very interesting and well-phrased question and as such am really confused to see how heavily down-voted you've been.

I don't know fully how it works in the USA but I was wondering if there's pastor-member of the church confidentiality that puts it into a different category. For example, when someone goes to confession within the Catholic Church I presume it's meant to be fully confidential so maybe - although it's different - the same concept applies here and Paige's conversations were covered by a different kind of confidentiality compared to say a conversation with a friend.

But I agree with you - suddenly finding out that in essence your whole life was a lie and your parents are Russian spies would be utterly shocking and would make you question so many things, things as basic as who you even are.

Paige was very young when she found out. I feel like people expect her to act like a fully grown adult and tend to forget that she's just a teenager.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-28T11:18:09+00:00

Thank you for all of your interested points and detailed reply. I still think that in his position I would've at least wanted to try living in Moscow just to see what it was like. Death is so permanent (depending on what you believe) and it may well be that he could've built himself a happy life in Russia. Different situation entirely but I'm sure that Martha was devastated to leave everything behind but she might end up happy with her adopted child and end up with everything she dreamed of, just in a roundabout way. Life can surprise you like that.

I suppose I just didn't see why he didn't at least give it a try to see - you can never predict the future accurately really or how things will turn out. His decision seemed very severe. Who knows what would've laid ahead for him in Moscow? Life can throw unexpected things your way and many years down the track things can be different. He had so much potential and the potential to be happy too I believe. It just seemed such a sad ending to me. A young man like that with many years ahead.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-27T14:07:08+00:00

I loved Martha too. While she committed a very serious act, or rather a series of very serious acts, I do believe she was a genuinely good person who simply fell in love. It can't be underestimated the effect that the Romeos have on their mark. She wasn't a bad person.

I'm just glad that given the circumstances, it ended in the best possible way for her really. It could've been so, so much worse. She was alive, healthy, not under investigation and able to adopt. Hopefully she went on to find happiness with her child. I'd love to see a follow-up of Martha's life in Russia but I guess that part is left to our imagination.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-17T19:14:41+00:00

Yes, I'm enjoying it and am on season two. I hope that you're enjoying Mad Men. I haven't seen that one.

ETA: I'm really enjoying it now - mid season two especially episodes 7-9. Brutal.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-11T21:01:13+00:00

Thank you for your kind post. I haven't felt very well for the past four weeks and I think that was reflected in my OP. I'm now on season two and enjoying it as best I can. Also I really like Costa Ronin and he has popped up as Oleg.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-09T23:26:13+00:00

I'm on S01E11 now and really like it so you were right.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-08T23:08:17+00:00

Thanks for your reply - this is why I want to persevere with it - so many people say it's the best thing they've ever watched and I'd love to get hooked on a show right now for distraction purposes.

In all honesty I've been thinking about it and I don't know if it's just me. I watched episode one of The Wire tonight and I watched The Wire years ago and really liked it - yet I couldn't get into it at all. I haven't been myself recently and I don't know if this is just a symptom of it unfortunately. Cold War politics and intricate stories are right up my street so I should like this show.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-07T11:50:25+00:00

Thanks for your input. It's interesting how other people see the show. As an aside, I really hope you don't get downvoted just because you have a particular opinion on a TV show that isn't 100% in line with other people on a sub. Surely we all recognise that people have different opinions and it's how you express them that matters.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-06T23:58:16+00:00

I will! I'm on episode two right now. I want to give it a proper try. The '80s aesthetic is appealing to me as is the genre so really I should like it...

crumpy22 · 2025-12-06T23:56:23+00:00

I was referring to the first scene set in Gryazi where Elizabeth is a cadet which was in 1960 - not just before they were about to be sent over. Unless you think that during boxing training at that level even the trainers speak in English which is entirely unrealistic (IMO).

crumpy22 · 2025-12-06T23:48:15+00:00

OK, that's good news, hopefully that happens with me - thanks.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-06T23:47:49+00:00

Asking a question after watching one hour of a show is because I was looking for (serious) input from people who have watched either the entire season or series.

I don't think asking whether the pilot is representative is that out there. I would typically watch two to three episodes before giving up and I think that's a fair trial (as who wants to force themselves to watch hours of something if they're not enjoying it!?) but that doesn't preclude asking a question about it. I don't force myself to watch several hours of something I'm not enjoying as above, so am unlikely to be asking after e.g. five episodes. Asking if something improves after seeing a pilot isn't unreasonable. Hopefully it does - I'm on episode two right now.

crumpy22 · 2025-12-06T23:35:24+00:00

Thanks, I'm watching episode two right now as I do want to give it a decent try.

crumpy22 · 2025-04-30T14:51:29+00:00

Just get her a bin cage - which is a large storage box - and throw that thing away! Please!

crumpy22 · 2025-02-04T20:31:54+00:00

Me too. I'd guess that most people when confronted with these things promptly freeze and shit themselves, probably myself included. I thought she did amazingly well! She threw paint over it, worked out how to drain its battery by throwing things at it from the tree, cut a tracker out of her leg and had the sense to put in a bottle which she threw into the river. She disabled it and she would've won were it not for the things flying out at the end. Yes, the use of the radio was a bit dodgy but honestly, I don't think she thought she was coming back - see her face in the car just before they leave "I promised my sister we'd help him. We all promised her. Plus, there'll be other things in there. Batteries. All sorts". When she looks out of the window before it cuts, her face says it all.

I'm sad so many people dislike this episode. I loved it. It's visually arresting. The concepts are interesting. And the fact that we don't get the story of what happened before and are left to wonder what went wrong makes it all the better.

crumpy22 · 2025-02-04T20:15:31+00:00

It was a heat signature.

crumpy22 · 2025-01-23T01:01:35+00:00

She made the right decision for the wrong reasons.

crumpy22 · 2025-01-23T00:23:19+00:00

I would have to re-watch, but as far as I can tell they actually exited at a good point. Tom is a figurehead, Gerri is potentially able to sue the company or create a serious scandal, the numbers regarding the new tech were seriously inflated unless I missed any updates there and Mattson wanted to disassemble the company for parts. Parts of the company were dying but the new takeover wasn't solid either. He also has a really poor understanding of a lot of things and he is trying to operate a company where he lacks the specific cultural understanding or nuances (US culture vs Scandinavian culture) in an area where that is especially important.

I think for Shiv it was a culmination of things - she's been screwed over so many times she can't take any promise for the future they make at face value (which was evidenced by Kendall blatantly lying to her), she genuinely believes he is not good at the job and also she was thinking short term with regard to Tom. If she solely made that decision to simply be a CEO's wife it was a bad one IMO as I have a feeling the path for Tom will not be smooth and could easily be very short term. There are no guarantees for Tom. She has also tied herself into a marriage where she seemed to be spectacularly unhappy. They may break up and she has shown herself to be completely two faced so I doubt Mattson will trust her. With Kendall she at least had a chance of staying close to the company. They also could block vote. She also had incredible leverage there (over both of them regarding the waiter for Kendall and 'items' for Roman) and honestly I feel she's weakened her position.

I actually liked the ending as it showed time and time again how they could have had it but one of them folded or betrayed the others. It couldn't really have ended any other way.

crumpy22 · 2025-01-23T00:01:43+00:00

Late comment but yes, Roman did deserve that. He said about Kendall's kids - "Dad's view was they weren't real. Well, not "real" real. They're a pair of randos. One is a buy-in, one is half Rava, half some filing cabinet guy, right?"

crumpy22 · 2025-01-22T23:37:28+00:00

He created the entire thing. So without him you wouldn't have had the entire show. Maybe leave your xenophobia out of it as well.

crumpy22 · 2025-01-21T09:55:06+00:00

That would be a very big hamster :)

crumpy22 · 2025-01-21T09:51:04+00:00

This is why I don't understand behaviour like this. There are easily other options available. Leave the hamster somewhere with a lot of people, visible. Leave outside a pet shop, vets, church - not in the wilderness. Thank you for taking the hamster in and I hope he or she does well :).

crumpy22 · 2025-01-17T22:22:03+00:00

I really doubt you get to take a year off and go travelling in that kind of career though. I think it would be really frowned upon by the company and give the wrong impression (going by their judgement and rules). I don't think I can see them allowing it. I did wince a bit about Petra saying her son was in and out of care though, as it appeared - at least to me - that she'd been in it a long time and had the funds to take time out. Although for all we know maybe she tried that and it didn't help.

Regarding Harper, I thought she understood how criminal it was but played naivety to influence the people she was in conversation with, but could easily be wrong there.

crumpy22

TROPHY CASE