Emma Jones

tired: escape the country

wired: escape terrestrial gravity

Realising what Valya’s plan when he called Pavel back, I have to respect the hustle. To be honest I thought the Venera mission would be scuppered before it could launch so this is an interesting development. It does make more sense how they’ve confirmed it’ll be a manned flyby with the equipment going to the surface but even so Ifans is amazing at being quite unhinged about it because it’s their only shot and if they get caught they’ll be sent to the gulag, said with the conviction of a man who has already been there.

Now we are almost certainly getting Lenya’s birth, juxtaposed with Sasha’s death. That in turn would be a neat reversal of FAM s1 finale, Ed grieving Shane as the capsule is burning around him is such a powerful image I wouldn’t begrudge the showrunners wanting to replicate that. If indeed they do.

But Anastasia ending on bad terms being left with the love letter, Valya’s a dead man either way and Chadha is the poor unfortunate who gave her life for science. They’re drama to be had there.

Speaking of recently incarcerated, Sergei I just wanted to give him a big hug in the scene after he got out.

Anna Maxwell-Martin is similarly incredible, which was to expected after Line of Duty but the menace in her interrogations is chilling.

I remember now that I first Agnes O’Casey in Ridley Road, which was spy-adjacent, and Irina slowly getting ice in her veins to save Tanya is great.

I’ve finally had a chance to watch this episode. I was busy, so it wasn’t out of apathy like For All Mankind, because I loved this episode. I’ve been loving this show for the most part.

I was a little confused at the opening. I’ve started reading Hurricane Room, which is the latest James Bond novel. It’s obviously not only a spy thriller, but this one is set in Russia, so I was wondering whether the spy at the beginning was MI6, before I remembered us Brits were playing the Soviets.

But when it comes to Bond, there is a hint of Rosa Klebb and Tatiana about Lyudmilla and Irina, although Irina is the one providing the toxic yuri. ‘Black tea, that should’ve told me something’: had we not already known Irina was evil, that would’ve been the final confirmation.

Probably a stretch to say Anastasia in her undies is like Red Grant sunning his glistening skin by the pool. I wasn’t angling for eye candy going into this show, but I’ll take it.

No, I mean Englert is amazing at showing Anastasia’s sadness with a haunting look, and her resorting to drink and engaging in this reckless hedonism is both tragic, and you want her to grab any happiness where she can.

Which obviously leads to her hate/love relationship with Sasha. Interesting, have we just seen the origin of baby Lenya? The mission to Venus being nine months feels especially intentional in that regard.

If exploring the fame of the space race is something I wanted the show to explore, then the guilt of failure is also something I’ve put on Ellen in my fic writing as a neat parallel to Bush Sr., so having Nastya’s other half take that up was great to see.

What was also great to see was the arrival of Priya Kansara, whom I absolutely loved in Polite Society. I must give it a rewatch. And this is a real trial by fire for Lakshmi from the jump: her certain death on Venus… sorry, our certain death on Venus.

And little baby boy Sergei: not the last time he’ll see a prison cell, but it certainly adds richness to his telling Margo that his leash may be long, but it is still around his neck.

I think spending the episode thinking, ‘that is just a spring, isn’t it?’, making me second-guess myself, and then Irina’s fascination with French perfume being the reason she figures it out is a really clever reveal.