Aside from the general shock that alleged Russian covert agents were lurking in American suburbs, one of the more notable aspects of the case is the reaction it generated in circles high and low.

Pundits quoted cartoon characters Boris and Natasha. Bloggers suggested the spies get their own reality show. Redheaded Anna Chapman — a Manhattan socialite charged as an unregistered agent of a foreign government — was glorified in the tabloids, and almost no coverage escaped without at least one reference to a movie, book or Mad magazine.

Never it seems has the spy business been taken so lightly. It is a situation experts say is understandable, given that the suspects seemed to pose little threat to national security, at least based on the evidence prosecutors have released so far.