@Mirabel said:

I think Mary is the best spy of the lot. She is doing it for her husband rather than a cause, but so far she is the quickest on the uptake (accusing Roberts, firing on Simcoe, coming up with the plan of planting false information to give Clinton). I hope Abe realizes what he has got; his wife is much better than Anna.

I think Abe's resigned himself to the fact that his life going forward is going to be with his wife.

But resigned is such a pallid way to be, as if he is doing her a favor by staying with her. I'm hoping he starts to appreciate her!

@Mirabel said: But resigned is such a pallid way to be, as if he is doing her a favor by staying with her. I'm hoping he starts to appreciate her!

In my opinion they've crossed several of the important hurdles standing in the way of a real marriage. First off, there's the new level of trust between them, since Abe let Mary in on his secrets. Then there's Mary's willingness and ability to follow Abe through every challenge, be it spywork or marital issues. When it comes to Abe himself, I think he's come a long way towards the love and respect Mary deserves. He's shared his secrets with her, trusted her to do spywork, cherishing her in a completely different way than in the beginning, when the marriage between them seemed more of a duty. They are generally more loving to each other when they are in the same place.

I think it's also important to understand that Anna is the love of Abe's life, and letting go of her is something that is going to have to happen gradually. As long as they are in this heightened emotional state as a result of the war, I don't think he'll let her go. But after the war, going back to the business of everyday life, the level of feeling can naturally dissipate between Anna and Abe, and grow stronger between Abe and Mary. Especially since Anna has taken the first step away from Abe and towards her own husband.

You are probably right. Frankly, I fail to see what's so great about Anna (but every man seems to want her: Abe, Simcoe, Hewlett, Selah, maybe even Ben) I think Mary is much better.

I was thinking that last episode might have made a decent ending, with the soldiers surrendering at Yorktown.

But we need to know what happens to Abe, Cicero, Townsend, and Arnold (though it may be evident from previews).

@Mirabel said:

You are probably right. Frankly, I fail to see what's so great about Anna (but every man seems to want her: Abe, Simcoe, Hewlett, Selah, maybe even Ben) I think Mary is much better. we need to know what happens to Abe, Cicero, Townsend, and Arnold (though it may be evident from previews).

Difficult to say why so many of the men are attracted to Anna. But I think she deserves credit for being the first of the women to join the cause, since Mary only joined to save her husband.

I am also curious to see what happens to the characters. Arnold's destiny is known, as is Simcoe's. But it would be nice to get som closure as to what happened to Cicero, Abe, and Townsend.

For what it's worth, I know that Abe returned to Setauket, became a magistrate there, and had three children with Mary. (Historically, they did not marry until after the war, but that's a technicality). Much later, after Mary died, Abe remarried (but not to Anna).

Townsend moved back to Oyster Bay and lived with his sister Sally. He never married, but he may have had a son with an unknown woman (also in the Culper ring) whose identity was never known. But that is just a remote possibility; it's more likely the child was really his brother's son.

I think Cicero was a fictional character, rather than a historic person.