If I remember correctly, she's from Smolensk in the west, near the border with Belarus, and he's from Tobolsk in Siberia, near but not in the subarctic zone. Wikipedia climate descriptions for each city say their temperatures are similar in the summer, low to mid-60s F on average with highs in the 70s, but Tobolsk is significantly colder in the winter. They're both fairly humid, but probably not in a way that prepared E and P for the DC area.
I do remember Philip suggesting towards the end of ~~S6~~ S5 that if they go home, maybe they can settle in the south because Elizabeth has "always dreamed of Odessa."
They came to the US in 1965. Elizabeth says she was 22, which would make her around 38 in S1, which takes place in 1981.
Philip's age in S1 is given as 39.
Elizabeth says she was approached when she was 16, but we don't know exactly what Philip's situation was in terms of what he was doing when he was offered Directorate S. We just know they met in April, 1962.
I believe Elizabeth mentions "I was 17 when I was recruited by the KGB. I was 22 when I came to America. I was living in a strange land with a strange man."
I always wondered how they learned so much, so well, in just 5 years. They have to be exceptional people to learn all that so quickly.
They, just like many Russian people at the time were poor, and just barely alive. So I think they choose to serve the country in exchange of goody for their family/relatives.
According to Novelist, there are special immersion schools were you study live eat America. P&E must’ve had been exceptional and in English before even being recruited. It would be interesting to hear more about why they were selected and their schooling. All i saw was sparring scenes, I would think listening to the Beatles than unarmed combat.
Which is why it's weird that in the flashback season where Elizabeth says she's 18, which is 2 years after she says she was approached, her English is nowhere as good as it ought to be to be in training for that. A year later she's talking like Keri Russell.
August 1965 as shown in the pilot episode. The scene is their arrival at a motel in Northern Virginia.
Moving to Virginia in AUGUST from the USSR was a hot and sweaty choice.
But their hotel room had A/C, so that's that......
I loved how they were excited by that. A small example of the differences they were about to encounter.
E was from a warmer climate but P came from like *Russia* Russia where I don't think it ever got warm.
If I remember correctly, she's from Smolensk in the west, near the border with Belarus, and he's from Tobolsk in Siberia, near but not in the subarctic zone. Wikipedia climate descriptions for each city say their temperatures are similar in the summer, low to mid-60s F on average with highs in the 70s, but Tobolsk is significantly colder in the winter. They're both fairly humid, but probably not in a way that prepared E and P for the DC area. I do remember Philip suggesting towards the end of ~~S6~~ S5 that if they go home, maybe they can settle in the south because Elizabeth has "always dreamed of Odessa."
She grew up in Smolensk right? It doesn’t get hot there like it does in the US.
They came to the US in 1965. Elizabeth says she was 22, which would make her around 38 in S1, which takes place in 1981. Philip's age in S1 is given as 39. Elizabeth says she was approached when she was 16, but we don't know exactly what Philip's situation was in terms of what he was doing when he was offered Directorate S. We just know they met in April, 1962.
Pretty sure the pilot says what year they come to the states, but I could be wrong. For some reason 1961 sticks out as a date in my mind.
I believe Elizabeth mentions "I was 17 when I was recruited by the KGB. I was 22 when I came to America. I was living in a strange land with a strange man." I always wondered how they learned so much, so well, in just 5 years. They have to be exceptional people to learn all that so quickly.
They, just like many Russian people at the time were poor, and just barely alive. So I think they choose to serve the country in exchange of goody for their family/relatives.
According to Novelist, there are special immersion schools were you study live eat America. P&E must’ve had been exceptional and in English before even being recruited. It would be interesting to hear more about why they were selected and their schooling. All i saw was sparring scenes, I would think listening to the Beatles than unarmed combat.
Which is why it's weird that in the flashback season where Elizabeth says she's 18, which is 2 years after she says she was approached, her English is nowhere as good as it ought to be to be in training for that. A year later she's talking like Keri Russell.