#also i'm aware that the place where karli is hiding out and zemo's apartment are two different places

[bottombaron]

taking screenshots for an episode 4 'breakdown' thing but it's taking just sooo long and I'm distracted with too many thoughts that I'm probably just going to trickle them out in separate posts

so here's one illuminating something I didn't catch before regarding Zemo's Riga apartment: it's suggested that Zemo hadn't been in the area since he was young. i'm assuming very young since he didn't understand the politics at the time and Zemo strikes me as the type to understand things like that at a very early age.

therefore it's logical to assume that the Riga apartment is an old family vacation home that was used for trips that involved a lot of business/political talk (always safe to assume Hydra here because when is it not?) and not a place Zemo had ever visited in adulthood.

which then brings up even more interesting points:

if Zemo hadn't been to the Riga apartment since childhood how did he know about the escape route under the bath tube? he must have been shown by someone when he was a kid, right? a parent maybe? did it have to be used before?

the Riga apartment being an old Zemo Family Estate totally changes how it reflects Zemo personally. it's now not a place he chose or furnished himself. it's again a part of his mask. the wealth and glamor doesn't speak to Zemo's true tastes or comforts or things he would have in his own home (necessarily). again, we know very little about who he truly is.

also there's a sort of sad nostalgia when you go back to a place you used to as a kid. did Zemo feel anything sentimental being back in a place that he used to spend time with his parent(s)? does it bring back fond memories of not knowing 'the politics' at the time? i'd like to know marvel, thnx.

him rummaging around in the cupboards looking for Turkish Delights is cast in a different light too. he literally doesn't know where they are! he's like a kid looking for sweets. making it even more sense that he finds them in some sort of vase, almost as if an adult was trying to hide them from a little thief. Zemo too, probably loved Turkish Delights as a kid and it was a struggle to keep them away from him.

furthermore, Zemo now jump-scaring Karli and cutting off her exit from the funeral makes so much more sense. instead of him just appearing out of nowhere without reason, it would be logical to assume that he knows the area like she would; as a kid he probably traversed all over the complex and would know exactly where she would run to get away.

anyway, it might have just been me that didn't catch this the first time but thought i'd share if anyone thought it was interesting or didn't notice it like I did. this is also why you should never invite me over to watch something because i'll unnecessarily deconstruct every little bit lol