Line #61 Characters/TheAmericansTheIllegalsProgram


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3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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6	[[foldercontrol]]
7
8	!The Illegals Program
9
10	!!Handlers
11
12	[[folder:Gabriel]]
13	!!Gabriel/[[spoiler:Semyon Andreivich]]
14	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabriel_6.jpg]]
15	->'''Played By:''' Creator/FrankLangella
16
17	Gabriel is the Jennings' handler before Claudia who is again given the role in season 3.
18	----
19	* AffablyEvil: Quite possibly the most polite, good natured person in the program, who's willing to look out for his agents, but when there's no alternative, he'll go through with the worst option.
20	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gabriel is a kindly and grandfatherly old man, but he's also a veteran spy and just as dedicated to doing what must be done for the motherland as anyone else in the KGB.
21	* BrokenPedestal: Phillip once loved the man, but no longer trusts him when he [[spoiler:wants to involve Paige in the Illegals program]].
22	* HeelRealization: In his final exchange with Philip, he tells him that Phillip was right to keep Paige from being involved in the KGB; previously, Gabriel had been one of the staunchest advocates of involving her.
23	* PetTheDog: An offscreen example where it's revealed that [[spoiler: he's setup Martha being able to adopt an orphan, both fulfilling a dream of her's and clearly trying to make amends for his organization ruining her life]].
24	* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: He retires from the KGB and returns to the USSR near the end of Season 5.]]
25	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Tries very hard to be this, but Phillip no longer sees him as such. See BrokenPedestal. All things considered though, he comes across as far more reasonable than Claudia ever was.
26	* TheStoic: Always presents himself in a calm and collected manner, even when the people he's interacting with don't.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Claudia]]
30	!!Claudia
31	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ta_102_121213_092_full_6177.jpg]]
32	[[caption-width-right:350:''"I know you better than you know yourself. And you don't know me at all."'']]
33	->'''Played By:''' Creator/MargoMartindale
34
35	-->''"Have you been following the sad progress of this country’s Equal Rights Amendment? Honestly, it makes me chuckle. These women here need to learn what you and I have known forever -- you can’t wait for the laws to give you your rights. You have to take them, claim them every second of every day of every year."''
36
37	Claudia is the new KGB handler and contact for Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings, who generally get their orders through contact with Claudia. Unlike their previous handler, the Jennings do not trust her and have a combative relationship with her from the beginning. Claudia seems particularly ruthless in her approach to pulling the strings around Phillip and Elizabeth's missions, and Elizabeth occasionally goes over Claudia's head, breaking the chain of command to make sure Moscow is giving the orders that Claudia is handing down.
38
39	Claudia does, however, have Phillip and Elizabeth's best interests at heart -- despite her very cold and intentionally distant methods. It is clear that Claudia has been doing this a long time and rarely saves time for emotion and feelings.
40	----
41	* AmbiguouslyEvil: Elizabeth and Phillip are initially as suspicious of her as the audience; she's a little smug, a little detached, and for much of Season 1 it's unclear what her true goals and motivations are. Eventually, the ambiguity is dropped and she's revealed to be a ruthless but genuinely dedicated handler who cares deeply about the agents under her supervision.
42	* ColdBloodedTorture: She has Elizabeth and Phillip subjected to this under orders.
43	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: She might be a ruthless KGB officer, but she did love Zhukov and was hurt by his death. She also cares more about the Jennings than she lets on.
44	* TheHandler: To Phillip, Elizabeth, and likely others.
45	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Claudia comes across as smug and ruthless, but she's really only doing her job and is deeply loyal to her agents; she even asks her direct superior to cancel a mission for their benefit, something a KGB officer is very rarely inclined to do.
46	%%* KnightTemplar
47	* LaserGuidedKarma: In a nice bit of instant justice, Elizabeth snaps and almost drowns Claudia in the basin she was going to dunk Elizabeth in.
48	%%* MouthOfSauron
49	* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: She recounts her trials in Russia and how she survived them.
50	* NeverMessWithGranny: She's not to be trifled with in spite of being an older woman.
51	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: She receives one from Elizabeth.
52	* OldSoldier: She is a veteran of the Battle of Stalingrad.
53	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She might appear to be a hardass, but it's revealed that she's forced to issue directions she does not agree with. She's really on the Jennings' side, and defends them to Arkady's face.
54	* SecondEpisodeIntroduction: She appears in the second episode, replacing Philip and Elizabeth's previous handler from the pilot.
55	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: With Elizabeth and Phillip. They have a tense relationship that's more pronounced on their side. Later, after she helps the Jennings escape an FBI trap in Season 1 finale, they have a much better relationship.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Kate]]
59	!!Kate
60	->'''Played By:''' Creator/WrennSchmidt
61
62	The Jennings' new handler in season 2.
63	----
64	* HiddenDepths: She is responsible for [[spoiler:seducing at least one of the Illegals' children into becoming a KGB agent]].
65	* SuckSessor: The Jennings don't respect her much, perceiving her to be less competent than Claudia.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Zhukov]]
69	!!General Viktor Zhukov
70	->'''Played By:''' Creator/OlekKrupa
71
72	Victor Zhukov is a General in the KGB's First Chief Directorate. He is a mentor and father figure to Elizabeth. He is also the man who arranged her marriage to Philip.
73	----
74	* CoolOldGuy: Zhukov seems to be a genuinely nice person.
75	* MentorOccupationalHazard: He is assassinated by the CIA in retaliation for the deaths of four FBI agents and a scientist by a renegade faction of the KGB.
76	* OldFlame: In "Covert War", Claudia reveals that she used to be romantically involved with Zhukov.
77	* ParentalSubstitute: He seems to genuinely care about Elizabeth and think of her as a daughter. In turn, Elizabeth looks at him like a father.
78	* PetTheDog: A literal example. One scene has Zhukov telling Elizabeth about how much he loves his pet dog.
79	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
80	* TheSpymaster: As a General in the KGB's First Directorate, his job is to give orders to KGB agents in the field and oversee operations.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	!!Deep Cover Agents
84
85	[[folder:Emmett]]
86	!!Emmett Connors
87	->'''Played By:''' Creator/JeremyDavidson
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Leanne]]
91	!!Leanne Connors
92	->'''Played By:''' Creator/NatalieGold
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:William]]
96	!!William Crandall/[[spoiler:Vitaly Sorokin]]
97	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/william_3.jpg]]
98	->'''Played By:''' Creator/DylanBaker
99
100	A spy within the American biological warfare program.
101	----
102	* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: The KGB complains about him having little to show for his long tenure in America as a spy.
103	* CrucifiedHeroShot: Gets one after [[spoiler: stabbing himself in the palm with the vial containing the Lassa virus sample.]]
104	* DeadpanSnarker: ''Always'' mouthing off and making sarcastic comments.
105	* DoctorJerk: He doesn't have the best bedside manner.
106	* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:He infected himself with the Lassa virus to try and prevent it from getting passed on to Russia, but after his death, the Centre simply arranged for a sample to be taken of his skin and used that to extract the virus, which they then weaponized. And as a final kick, they named the sample "Variant Vitaly", after his original Russian name.]]
107	* FakeAmerican: He's one in-universe like Philip and Elizabeth. The KGB set him up with the stolen identity of a dead child from Kentucky.
108	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He infects himself with the Lassa Virus rather than allow himself to be captured (or allow it to get to Russia where he feared it would get loose under their inferior storage environment.)]]
109	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: All the vaccinations he's had to get for his job have left him immune to a variety of exotic diseases, but have also left him deathly allergic to common things, like butter.
110	* KnightInSourArmor: Working for the Soviets has cost him his wife and his health, and he resents the hell out of Gabriel's orders, but he still carries them out.
111	* NonActionGuy: He's a part of the illegals program, but his role is just to work a legitimate job at a government lab and report back to the KGB. He doesn't participate in assassinations, seductions, and physical combat like Philip and Elizabeth do.
112	* ProperlyParanoid: He is extremely cautious about everything. Of course, given the very dangerous nature of his work, this is understandable.
113	* Retirony: Right before Gabriel plans to finally send him home to Russia, he [[spoiler: infects himself with the Lassa virus to prevent both his capture and the virus falling into the wrong hands. He dies a few days later in a hospital's biocontainment unit.]]
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Tuan]]
117	!!Tuan Eckert
118	->'''Played By:''' Creator/IvanMok
119
120	A teenage operative from Vietnam who has become Phillip and Elizabeth's contact in the Midwest, posing as their adopted son.
121	----
122	* DarkAndTroubledPast: He lost almost his whole biological family during the Vietnam War, and since reaching the US, has been bounced around between families in the Illegals program.
123	* PrinciplesZealot: He berates Elizabeth and Philip for having "petty bourgeois" attitudes after [[spoiler:they save Pascha from his suicide attempt.]]
124	* ToxicFriendInfluence: He deliberately gives Pasha bad advice on fitting in [[spoiler:because he's pushing the poor kid into a suicide attempt in order to pressure his parents into returning to Russia.]]
125	* TroubledButCute: Beneath his handsome face and apparent easygoing nature, he is a very angry, bitter kid.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:"Harvest"/Dan Murton]]
129	!!"Harvest"
130	->'''Played By:''' Creator/JonathanKellsPhillips
131
132	A KGB illegal living and working in Chicago.
133	----
134	* AmbiguouslyGay: His identity is revealed to the FBI by a male Altheon engineer he was having an affair with, and unlike Philip and Elizabeth he does not operate with a partner.
135	* CovertGroupWithMundaneFront: He runs an accounting business.
136	* DrivenToSuicide: He receives a critical wound in a shootout with the FBI, and opts to take his cyanide pill since he knows about Dead Hand and can't be arrested.
137	* DaddyIssues: He really despises his father, for reasons not expanded upon.
138	* FaceDeathWithDignity: After being shot and critically wounded in a gunfight with FBI agents, he reveals the location of the Altheon sensors, says how much he loves his mother, curses his father, and expresses his lack of regrets before taking his cyanide pill and dying.
139	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Shoots and kills two armed FBI agents from a moving car.
140	* SmallRoleBigImpact: He's introduced in one episode and killed off in the next, but the unsuccessful operation to exfiltrate him [[spoiler: is one of the things leading Stan to investigate Philip and Elizabeth.]]

Context Characters / TheAmericansTheIllegalsProgram