Although prohibited from telling anyone, Elizabeth surreptitiously managed to consult with her mother about her decision, who unhesitatingly told her that she must do her duty for her motherland.
In 1962, Elizabeth and fellow KGB agent "Phillip Jennings" (Mischa) were assigned to each other to pose as husband and wife in America.
At the time of Timoshev's kidnapping, counter-intelligence FBI agent Stan Beeman moves next door, causing Philip to suggest defecting themselves.
Despite a marriage arranged by the KGB, Elizabeth tells Philip that she is beginning to feel love for him for the first time in their 16-year relationship and they try to become a real married couple.
However, Philip is hurt upon discovering Elizabeth had an ongoing affair with Gregory Thomas (Derek Luke), a Black militant.
When the KGB begin to suspect a mole in their midst, they send operatives posing as FBI agents to kidnap and torture Elizabeth and Philip in order to test their loyalty.
Philip accidentally murders Stan's partner, Agent Chris Amador, during a botched operation, which causes Gregory to fall under the suspicion of the FBI regarding his involvement in the killing.
Unwilling to go along with the KGB's plan to send him out of the country, Gregory spends a final night with Elizabeth and then commits suicide by cop to deflect attention from her.
However, the celebration is cut short, as she and Philip must go meet the Connors, another spy couple, but promise a "birthday weekend" at an amusement park.
The Connors surprise Philip by involving him (and, unwittingly, Henry) in a supposedly safe mission during their visit, handing him a key to their hotel room to rendezvous when the operation is complete.
Elizabeth's reactions are mixed; on the one hand, she is pleased with Paige's growing awareness, but remains uncomfortable with its religious overtones.
In the season finale, Elizabeth is shocked to learn of the Center's plans to create a second generation of illegals composed of the U.S.-born children of KGB operatives indoctrinated and trained to infiltrate the American security agencies.
The Connors' son, Jared, was the first to be contacted, with disastrous results—when his parents strenuously objected to his involvement in their espionage work, he killed them and his sister to protect his mission.
Both of the Jennings are horrified at first, but Elizabeth begins to warm to the idea, reasoning that Paige needs a cause to devote her life to and that she should know her parents' true identities and, by extension, her own.
Former Felicity star Russell spoke about the decision to work on another television series: "I thought the pilot script was just so interesting.