Now in America, Mischa calls the number his mother gave him, and gives a coded message meant to set up a meeting with Philip. Gabriel and Claudia discuss this, with Claudia warning Gabriel they can't afford the consequences of what would happen if they did meet. Gabriel ends up showing up at the place Mischa thinks he's meeting his father at, and tells Mischa he can't ever meet Philip, though he assures Mischa he'll be taken care of.
Elizabeth and Philip continue to see Strobert and Deirdre. While Deirdre offers to show Philip software that will help with his cover job (bookkeeping), Strobert tells Elizabeth about his work, which he says is testing wheat that can withstand insects and other forms of contamination, which would end world hunger if it could be produced. Both Elizabeth and Philip realize that contrary to what the Centre thought, Strobert and the people he work for are actually trying to help the Soviet Union, not poison them like they originally presumed. This leads Philip to say they can't ever kill another innocent person again, which Elizabeth agrees to, though Philip realizes it won't be easy.
Aderholt and Stan continue to approach Russians who are in the city and not the Rezidentura, but they still aren't meeting with any success. Wolfe tells them it's okay, because it keeps the KGB busy, but Stan doesn't like it.
Elsewhere, Paige starts to act distant towards Matthew because she doesn't know how to act around him anymore, Philip becomes suspicious about Renee, and follows her after her date with Stan, Oleg and Rusian meet with someone dealing with contraband food, Oleg's father tries to set him up on a date (which Oleg declines), and Oleg also goes to the meeting place where he expects to see Stan's agent, but no one shows up.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: Elizabeth and Philip go to see Henry's math teacher, expecting to hear Henry is having trouble (especially since he spends all of his time at home playing on the computer). Instead, the teacher gushes about how well Henry is doing in class, and he wants Henry to be moved to a more advanced class.
- Deep Cover Agent: Philip becomes suspicious Renee is one of these, as an attempt by the KGB to place Stan in a Honey Trap.
- Dramatic Irony: Philip attends an EST meeting about parental relationships at the same time Mischa, his son, is trying to find him.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Stan feels what he and Aderholt are doing, in approaching Russians outside the Rezidentura, can only be this, despite Wolfe's assurances otherwise.
- Flashback: While having sex with Deirdre, Philip again flashes back to his childhood.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Philip is like this when Elizabeth tells him Strobert is working to help the Soviet Union, and the person he killed was completely innocent.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: Philip tells Elizabeth he can no longer kill someone if they're an innocent.
- Shout-Out: Stan and Renee invite Elizabeth and Philip to see Romancing the Stone with them.
- The Rolling Stones' "Slave" plays over the scene where Philip and Tuan are playing football on the street.
- Terminology Title: "Lotus 1-2-3
" was a software program developed by IBM for spreadsheets. Also serves as a Double-Meaning Title, as the "Lotus" is a sexual position discussed in the Kama Sutra (although the sex Philip and Deirdre have is perfunctory, unlike the passionate sex "Clark" and Martha had using guidance from the book.
