Tim’rous beastie

***

Irina is not handling this well 😬

Tanya is handling this about as well as anyone could,m.

Woah — she really just told her she was listening to the recordings 😬

“you have to trust me” — what a line at this juncture 😳

***

They do excel at opening titles, I think this every time.

***

Free Sergei! Our poor boy is too gentle for prison 🥺

The Chief is pissed off. They still have this weird almost-friendship (as far as Lyudmilla can) though..? Like, “must we play these games” is not something he could say to just anyone, is it? And he calls her Lyudmilla… A bit like she lets him get away with being stroppy in episode 1 and then calmly points out the Americans have his Zvezda base plans…

Anyway.

Poor Sergei. He has learned a lesson. Not sure he entirely is alright. But yes, you were an idiot — “you’ve compromised your integrity for me”*THE PARALLELS*, PEOPLE — no wonder he felt so bad about Margo (in addition falling in love with her). 😭😭😭

“life is compromise, Sergei” — the parallel with Von Braun teaching Margo “every system is corrupt”. 🥺

Aaaaaaaaand back to work.

***

The piano soundtrack for Anastasia and Sasha is lovely.

Sasha is a bad liar. How is anything staying secret in that place?

They are really hammering the 9 months thing.

Aw, he called her Stasia. 🥹 It didn’t work, she is (understandably) angry.

***

Does Irina really think they’re not going to put together the ripped wallpaper and the wiped recording…? 😕

Vika’s on to her, at least 😬

***

Sergei’s back 🥹

This still sounds nuts.

Hahahahahaha — wouldn’t be the worst loss 🤣 And Lakshmi’s face.

Gravity assisted flyby manoeuvres in the IAC elevator of yearning connection — no wonder he was excited about Margo’s talk topic…

Rude! Pavel just called our boy Sergei weedy! 😮 Very jocks vs nerds 🤣

***

Ooh, Irina is very Lyudmilla with I’ll keep your incompetence to myself”.

***

Valya really just did “do you know who I am?”

***

Awks — mission failure loss of crew. Wrong direction during burn 😬

Lakshmi is doing pretty well under the circumstances. They’re still dying but it’s not just her.

No one is enjoying this.

Sasha is more polite about it. Woah, he’s going to bat for Anastasia. But the Chief is also right that she’s under too much scrutiny. And also the gulag risk 😬

***

Poor Tanya 😭 Another great soundtrack when she’s looking at their wedding photos.

***

“I just blamed myself” 😭

Irina just has an apartment available? How rich is her family? And getting her out of the country?

“Why’re you helping me?” Great question Tanya. I’d be concerned it was a trap, although she was surprised by the bugs, so maybe she’s too innocent to see the risk? Between a rock and a hard place.

***

Oh no. Vika’s done it. 😬

Woah — Lyudmilla really just called out Irina’s crush.

Vika’s face when Irina gets out of it with her report. Lol, Lyudmilla only gives a crap about protocol when it suits her. Bye Vika. Lyudmilla is really no sparing anyone the truth today. Jesus — “for being an infantile rat” that’s a bit much.

She’s going to blame Valya for finding the bug, presumably. She might actually pull this off. (As plot armour suggests, obviously, but I’m enjoying seeing how.)

***

“The universe brings its own luck” How does he

Aw, Tanya couldn’t abandon him 😭 They’re both doomed.

“If anything goes wrong” — oh, he thinks they’ll extract them. 🥺

Valya pulling a Margo and not saying the thing that explains it all 🤦‍♀️ (ie they know you smuggled music out)

I guess Tanya has chosen Irina after all 😬

Pavel mentioning Venus mission is how Valya’s going to get out, isn’t it? They’ll still find a way to get rid of him even if he’s that famous though.

The Chief is losing it. Poor Sergei trying to work the problem anyway.

Ngl, Pavel getting out-matched after he was rude about a nerd’s musculature was kinda amusing. Admittedly Valya had the element of surprise, but the lesson is brute strength isn’t always the winner, dude.

***

That’s a lovely apartment. Is this where we finally find out about Irina’s family and maybe Zoya’s father?

Family photos, here we go… Give us the information!

Is that supposed to be… Stalin? Or..? Somebody help me out here… (Young Irina is obvious.) ETA: it’s Brezhnev (thanks @isbtwneotsfbous )

***

A dead rat. Talk about foreshadowing 😬😬😬 I guess that makes Raskova the cat…

***

Oh no, don’t make it be a ‘in case I die letter’ — can’t Anastasia have a break?

Stasia 😭 “I’m sorry for leaving” “you deserve better than me” noooooo, Sasha 😭😭😭😭😭

Jfc they actually launched them 😳😳😳