The Midges

This week we move forward on the bug hunt. Alexei continues to disparage the USSR and his wife gets really angry. When they speak Russian, we find out that Alexei moved them suddenly. They had no idea he was going to defect and they one day were forced to up and leave everything behind. Alexei had a much different upbringing that his wife so he’s stuffed with way more anger about their home than she and their son are.

With an eye being kept on Alexei and Tuan working with Pasha, we’re moved on to the greater threat. The bug that Elizabeth handed off to Gabriel has come back with some results. It’s a midge that’s found in Australia and by the sound of it, it’s basically a locust. These things can chew through crops. The now focused concern is this: the US government effort is to decimate the food supply to cause a famine in the USSR. Now the question is, are they going to send the bugs over or just larva infested supplies? There are too many ways this attack could be kicked off so they have to find exactly how it’s going to happen for a chance to stop it. A lead takes Philip and Elizabeth to Oklahoma.

Before they leave, they decide to tell Paige about what they’re doing and Paige seems to be sympathetic to the cause. She has her questions but the answers look like they go over well. She doesn’t want anyone to starve. Paige also goes on a date with Will and she uses the thumb and forefinger technique they taught her when Matt asks her what’s bothering her. She pulls off a good lie and tells Elizabeth that she felt gross doing it. Elizabeth does her best to calm her down and keep her straight (it looked pretty successful to me).

In the USSR, Oleg is going about his business. He starts his investigation on where the money is going when merchants buy their food and he’s stonewalled. When he walks out the camera stays on a woman browsing the sparsely stocked shelves. It’s Martha! After that shocker, the US agent finds Oleg walking home and Oleg tells him to take a hike. Oleg didn’t go to the first meeting and the agent passes him a package, along with saying “I’m sorry.” With that unnerving line, Oleg opens the package at home and finds another map with a meeting marked and a cassette tape that’s audio proof that he’s a traitor to the USSR.

We keep rolling with the spies when we join Stan and his partner Dennis approach two men and push them for information about a company they work for. Both men don’t say a word and simply walk away.

Finally, Elizabeth and Philip break into an Oklahoma lab. Looking into the midges, shipping information grabbed the attention of home base so they have to find out what’s going there. While looking around, they see a whole lot of bugs, but not much else. Then an employee comes in…really bad timing for him. They turn on the heat to interrogate him and get some interesting info. This lab has a contract to breed this specific bug, a wheat eater, and send them out. 30,000 to 40,000 have been sent out and he insinuates that that amount isn’t much. And the company they are sending the bugs to? The same one Stan and Dennis are asking about. Since this guy has seen their faces, he’s gotta go.

Great escalation to the show with some really surprising moments. Things are being weaved together, seeing Martha was nuts (I hope that wasn’t a one off) and Mischa, Philip’s son is inching his way closer to his father. It’s going to be crazy when everyone starts running into each other.

Should we tell Paige about this?

Best show on TV.

XXXVI

Add another great episode to the stack. For me, this one was all about Max, who had all of my favorite scenes.

Max has stayed behind with Anne, to work on the plan with Grandma Guthrie and tend to Anne. As much as Max tries, Anne wants nothing to do with her. She’s made great headway with Grandma though as she’s come around completely to Max. Walking down a major port, Grandma picks Max’s brain a bit more and likes what she hears. She opens up to Max admitting that she had always wished she would be doing this with her granddaughter, Eleanor. But under the circumstances, doing this with Max, who reminds her of her younger self, can work just as well. They go to a tavern where Grandma wants Max to meet someone. They look down at a man in the crowd and Grandma tells her about this man. From a well off family, a good guy too, but not very ambitious. She wants Max to marry this man. A guy much like her husband who would be the face of the new Nassau but with the woman next to him actually controlling him. His family would be elated he’d be married so they’d get their support and Max should be able to easily control him. As for consummating the relationship, there is a brothel on Nassau if that’s any concern. Max is left speechless with such an arrangement.

Max has been through a long gauntlet. Slavery, going through everything with Eleanor and taking her place and then losing everything. She has a new perspective on life and her priorities have changed. She tells Anne what Grandma wants her to do and she said no. Anne is shocked that Max would give up an opportunity to have it all. Max says I wouldn’t have it all. She breaks down and apologizes to Anne for what she’s done. With how things went down between them, I wasn’t sure if this was ever going to happen. In an amazing speech, Max admits that “having” Nassau wouldn’t mean anything without Anne. Doing what Grandma wants would eliminate any chance she has of getting back together with Anna. Max doesn’t want to own things anymore. She’s picked love. Now Anne is left speechless.

On to the boys. Bones is all in with Rogers, showing him a journal from the late Avery (who Flint killed over some money) that has the directions to Skeleton Island.  A place off the grid that very people know the way to, where trades and deals can happen in the utmost secret. Bones says, lead Silver and Flint there where you will have the edge.

Flint reassures Silver that their plan to rescue max will work. But on the way to Nassau, they run into Rogers. Bones is onboard (not in custody) with Madi and Rogers starts executing pirates and slaves. As Rogers gets closer to Madi, Silver panics. “Your plan failed. We’re moving on to my plan.” Silver orders the treasure to be brought up to the deck and Flint is stunned when he sees it. They show Rogers what they have and Rogers stops the slaughter. Rogers leads the way to Skeleton Island with Silver eager to follow.

Silver and Flint have it out. Silver is putting his foot down, taking all control from Flint. Just like Max, Silver has picked love over all else. Silver takes on Flint directly, shooting down his plan and making him say that he has his full support in using the cash to get Madi back. Flint says he does.

Hands rightfully doesn’t believe Flint and warns Silver that he can’t trust him. He’s crazy to do so. Stubborn Silver remains loyal to Flint and tells Hands to leave it be. So what happens? Flint doesn’t waste any time to stab Silver in the back. In recruiting help (one guy) Flint basically says that Silver is soft and his judgment is clouded by Madi. Flint is furious that Silver brought the cash and simply won’t let Silver do what he wants. While stealing the treasure, Hands catches him. I thought it would pop off right there, but Hands recognizes the position he’s in. He either gets killed or Flint does. If he kills Flint, Silver won’t believe him and will kill him. Either way, Hands loses. He must let Silver see with his own eyes what a piece of trash Flint is. Hands lets him go.

So it’s come to this, one final act of treachery. Silver watches Flint and his sidekick drag the treasure onto the shore of Skelton Island. It is on. The line has finally been crossed. Silver goes onto Rogers’ boat and tells him what Silver did. He assures him that he’s going to get the cash back, he just needs some time. He’s put his six best men (one being Hands) to track Flint and get the cash. Bones is standing next to Silver and when he hears this, his eyes light up. “There was another order. Wasn’t there?” Flint is now marked for death by everyone. Bones can barely contain his joy.

On the sides, Anne plans on rejoining Jack. Despite being hurt very badly, sitting around isn’t something she does very well. While Jack has orders to kill Flint as well, he has no idea where he’s gone off too. Wether luck or fate, Mrs. Hudson (Eleanore’s hand maiden) goes to talk to the new (old) madam of the Nassau brothel, Mrs. Mapleton. There she passes off the info of where Rogers is leading Flint. And that info gets passed to Jack. Now he just has to get there.

The stage has been set, we now know where the last stand of the show is going to happen. Now the question is, how many people are going to make it off alive?

There was some brilliant direction on display in the scene where Grandma is showing Max her potential husband. It’s very dark where they are talking, so much of the background is black. Grandma and Max are the only people in the frame and they pop in contrast to the negative space around them. Max is standing closest to the camera, on the right side of the frame, facing to the left. We see only the left side of her body, a perfect portrait. Grandma is standing just to the left of Max, maybe a step behind her. She’s positioned off of center, not directly at the camera, but at an angle to the right side of the frame. With how it’s lit, we can only see the right side of her face, the left is in complete shadow. The blocking and lighting makes this brilliant visual that’s almost like a relief. A character split in half, the present on the right and future on the left, looking at each other. Max can see what will happen to her if she says yes.

There’s only two left.