It must be so devastating for them and I really hope Evgenia doesn't beat herself up too much for tonight - it happens, and this was a valuable learning experience for them.
That being said, I hope one of their big takeaways is that they should skate programs to their strength (classic Russian style,) and experiment in non-Olympic years or only in the short. Watching them in the short and the long - it almost felt like two teams, and you can visibly tell that Vladimir was way more comfortable with Rachmaninoff. Evgenia gets some flack for not being "expressive," but I think she is beautifully expressive! Just in a more understated way that doesn't fit Candyman, I mean she was a superstar in the short. Their Ordinary People ex. is gorgeous and you can see how comfortable and expressive she is in that, which overall just feels like a better aesthetic for the team.
They had a wonderful Olympics, by most people's standards, and I know while they didn't meet their own very high standards, I hope and imagine that they are going to come out of this stronger, and with a better sense of what suits them and where'd they like to go program-wise, in the future. She's still 23, and him 25! They have time, and then next for years will do them wonders leading up to Beijing, where they'd probably be better than ever. Just wanted to get that off my chest before I sleep