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[jond76]

Really good episode. Starting to tug at that thread and unravel a bit. Rest of the season should be fun.

 

[CoolOff]

I'm really curious if the Nina-story is just keeping her in limbo for a season or if something is actually gonna happen in the latter half. At the moment I can't see what that would be though.

Great episode, but booooooo at no Residentura, I miss Arkady.

 

[-griffy-]

I think this show might be too subtle at times for me.

I have zero idea what has been the deal with the entire south African plotline the entire season.

There really hasn't been much about it, only a few scenes really, so I can see why it could slip past.

Elizabeth was training that one student, Hans, who is South African and anti-apartheid. One day he decided to follow a fellow classmate he was suspicious of. He told Elizabeth about it, so Elizabeth took the info to the Russians who looked into it. Turns out that classmate had in fact been meeting with a pro-apartheid figure (the Reagan administration, thereby the "Americans," are seen as pro-apartheid too), and they were planning to frame some anti-apartheid people (the "Russians" are anti-apartheid).

So Phil and Elizabeth kidnap the pro-apartheid guy and the classmate who was meeting with him.

 

[jay23]

So who was the south African guy Elizabeth met with who was taking about his 4 kids?

Was he in the diner?

 

[Cornballer]

So who was the south African guy Elizabeth met with who was taking about his 4 kids?

Was he in the diner?

He was the bait for Venter. He put together a meeting with Todd at the diner, and they assumed it would flush out Venter, which it did.

 

[jay23]

Thanks I understand it completely now. I read this in the comments of AV club, does a great job of explaining everything.

This is the explanation I wrote below. It took me forever to write, so I'm reposting it:

Hans realized that this guy Todd, who's in his anti-Apartheid student group, was acting suspicious.

Elizabeth and Gabriel figured out that Todd is actually pro-Apartheid, and is having secret meetings with a major pro-Apartheid South African official (whose last name is Venter). Todd and Venter are planning to blow something up, and make it look like the anti-Apartheid students did it, so that Americans will turn against the anti-Apartheid crowd.

The South African guy Elizabeth met with at the docks is named Ncgobo, and he's one of the most important anti-Apartheid figures in the world. The Soviets brought him to DC, and they're using him as bait. He offered to meet Todd in public, in the hope that Venter would show up and try to kill him.

Venter showed up, and he had a South African woman waiting with a getaway car. Elizabeth shot that woman. And then Philip, Elizabeth and Ncgobo teamed up to force Venter and Todd into a van.

 

[Linius]

Hmm, I only didn't got that the South African was his getaway driver. But the rest made sense to me. Incredible scene that was. Another stellar episode.

Also, Emo rock wig is amazing :lol

 

[Zapages]

Just got asked to participate in Neilsen rating thing… Will it help this show? My Father is asking do they pay folks for this or is it just stupid thing to do.

Most of the time, I watch TV shows via the Optimum App or online sites aka ABC, Fox, Hulu, etc.

 

[Cornballer]

- This week's Slate podcast

In this installment about the seventh episode, “Walter Taffet,” Noah Emmerich, who stars as FBI agent Stan Beeman, joins script coordinator Molly Nussbaum and executive producers Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg to discuss the trials and tribulations of a first time director. Plus: Fleetwood Mac and the song that didn’t make it into the episode.

 

[LQX]

Man, I really need a an explanation of that ending. Who was the women she shot in the head? Why did she kill her?

Edit- I think I got answer from reading a page back. Good to know I was not the only one puzzled by that sequence of events.

 

[EmpressInYellow]

Oh my god, that final song choice. This show really does consistently nail the use of music. I just wish they'd do it more often.

 

[Effnine]

I have zero idea what has been the deal with the entire south African plotline the entire season.

I love the show, but I think the way they've handled that specific plotline has been sloppy and very confusing. I wish it weren't even a thing ... I'm thinking it may tie into Paige and her recruitment at some point, but otherwise, it feels forced and unnecessary.

 

[Dominican Power]

I think this show might be too subtle at times for me.

I have zero idea what has been the deal with the entire south African plotline the entire season.

Pay attention

 

[AngmarsKing701]

I love the show, but I think the way they've handled that specific plotline has been sloppy and very confusing. I wish it weren't even a thing ... I'm thinking it may tie into Paige and her recruitment at some point, but otherwise, it feels forced and unnecessary.

Pay attention

Here's the thing. Afghanistan has been the primary driver this season. So when they decide to slip in these scenes about Hans and this SA thing, it feels secondary. I keep wondering why they're fucking with it when they're supposed to be working on infiltrating the CIA to get info about Afghanistan.

 

[Alpende]

Thanks I understand it completely now. I read this in the comments of AV club, does a great job of explaining everything.

Thanks for that. I got some bits and pieces but this clears it up much better.

Good episode, those last 5 minutes were tense.

 

[Norwegian Rudo]

Man, I really need a an explanation of that ending. Who was the women she shot in the head? Why did she kill her?

Her accent was so obviously South African that it made it clear for me that she was part of the plan. Apparently it was also the same woman we saw meeting Venter earlier in the episode.

 

[Blader]

Glad I'm not the only one not sure of who was who in that last scene. :lol Despite that bit of confusion, great episode, though not necessarily the explosion of secrets it was hyped up to be.

 

[Cornballer]

The Onion A|V Club's "For Our Consideration" feature:

- Easy, comrade: The Americans is perfecting the art of the slow burn

In “Walter Taffet,” Philip discovers that Elizabeth has been planting the seeds for Paige’s revelation without consulting him first. When Paige tells him of her walk with her mother to learn of her parents’ “activist” history, Philip’s eyes subtly widen in horror. He storms into the bedroom he shares with his wife and demands to know what Elizabeth is up to. It turns out she’s doing her job by drafting a weekly Paige update for The Centre. In the open adjacent bathroom, Philip rubs his neck in a quiet rage before walking out and asking, “Am I going to come home one day and Paige will just tell me that she knows who we are?” Elizabeth studies him and responds, “I honestly… I don’t know.”

“Walter Taffet” (directed by Beeman himself, Noah Emmerich) is a great case study in how the camerawork and spacing within the Jennings’ most intimate domain creates a specific brand of tension. While at odds with Elizabeth about Paige, Philip is essentially miles away from her, tucked away in the corner of both the set and frame as he paces about the bathroom. Later in the episode, after a failed attempt to spend the night with Martha, an informant, he climbs into bed with Elizabeth, who pulls him close. She apologizes for meddling with Paige behind his back. He responds by telling her about his illegitimate son in Afghanistan. Elizabeth turns around to face him, and the camera pans up from the two as their eyes stare at each other just a few inches apart. When honesty and trust are in play between the Jennings, the tight, literally secret space between them seems impenetrable. When they’re butting heads over their respectively stubborn beliefs, the physical space becomes vast, and their reality seems very fragile. Both are different brands of the same omnipresent pressure they must endure.

Scenes like this are thick with emotion on their own, but how they’re stitched together through seamless editing with the rest of an episode, a season, and the series takes their tension to even greater heights. Earlier in season three, “Open House” finds Elizabeth suffering from pain from a broken tooth sustained in an earlier fight, so Philip takes out his pliers for a little DIY dentist work. What ensues is a sequence performed by Russell and Rhys in almost complete silence—the two lock eyes as Elizabeth braces herself for extreme pain and Philip goes to work, pulling out just a piece at first, then the whole tooth. Intense close-ups throughout the agonizingly slow process make viewers feel as if they’re intruding on something as intimate as sex; frankly, for these two, this is just as much a display of trust and shared understanding as an act of carnal love.

Most shows have periods of calm to balance their more action-packed scenes, but The Americans doesn’t believe in the concept of “downtime.” The aforementioned quiet scenes in both “Open House” and “Walter Taffet” amplify the traditionally strained sequences of violence, not offer a break from them. In the rising action of “Open House,” Philip barrel-rolls out of the couple’s undercover car after they realize they’re being followed, and suddenly a low-speed car chase is on. As the action cuts between Elizabeth driving alone, the FBI and CIA cars tailing her, the FBI office, and the Jennings’ home, the high stakes are conveyed in excruciating fashion until her narrow escape. The Americans then carries this tension directly into the “calmer” scene of impromptu dentistry.

More via the link.

 

[Cornballer]

New episode tonight:

Divestment

Spoiler

Martha and Clark's marriage meets its most challenging test yet; pressure on Philip intensifies; Elizabeth turns to Gabriel with a difficult request; Nina receives a new assignment that reconnects her with her past.

 

[Cornballer]

- 8 Things You Didn't Know About Shooting 'The Americans' in New York City

Quick look at where they've shot particular scenes and what they go through to make the sets period accurate. Some minor spoilers in the middle.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Tonight's episode of @TheAmericans is easily the single greatest hour of television ever produced.

GUYS, be sure to tune in to @TheAmericans tonight!. It's a great one! The ending hit me like a ton of bricks!

Last week's episode earned 1.224 million viewers and a 0.4 A-18-49 rating. #TheAmericansFX

Tonight's episode of The Americans is like a lineup of great bands made up of amazing musicians, all of whom get one solo and fucking nail it.

GET HYPE YOU GUYS

 

[Alpende]

No, no more hype. They've been saying that for a couple episodes so far.

 

[shadyspace]

What are you doing, Alan.

 

[Dan]

The Second Coming of Christ will be made irrelevant as of tonight's broadcast of #TheAmericans!

 

[CoolOff]

Oh ffs Sepinwall.

 

[-griffy-]

Spoiler

(guys those tweets aren't real)

 

[CoolOff]

Spoiler

(guys those tweets aren't real)

 

[shadyspace]

So people are allowed to just tell lies now huh

 

[-griffy-]

So people are allowed to just tell lies now huh

 

[RatskyWatsky]

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

The weekly hyper bowl (I know how to spell hyperbole) of Justified and The American's continues. I'll defend or go to bat for either show. Sometimes though the critics sound like they're fishing for quote recognition in commercials or box covers.

 

[-griffy-]

Nice article by Nussbaum about the show, “The Americans” Is Too Bleak, and That’s Why It’s Great:

“The Americans” is a bleak show that ends each episode with heartbreak. It’s also a thrilling, moving, clever show about human intimacy—possibly the best current drama out there (at least of the ones I’ve been able to keep up with!). Dread is its specialty and also its curse; it’s what makes “The Americans” at once a must-watch and a hard-sell.

 

[Cornballer]

Tonight's episode of @TheAmericans is easily the single greatest hour of television ever produced.

GUYS, be sure to tune in to @TheAmericans tonight!. It's a great one! The ending hit me like a ton of bricks!

Last week's episode earned 1.224 million viewers and a 0.4 A-18-49 rating. #TheAmericansFX

Tonight's episode of The Americans is like a lineup of great bands made up of amazing musicians, all of whom get one solo and fucking nail it.

 

[Cornballer]

- THR: Interview with Alison Wright (Martha) *some minor spoilers*

 

[IronRinn]

Amen to those gifs. I wish critics would just shut up already with this pre-air hype. We get it, the show is good. That's why we are all (too few though we may be) watching it. Not every episode has to be THEGREATESTHOUROFTVINTHEHISTORYOFTV!!!!!!!!!!

And yeah, yeah, I know, just going to ignore it from now on.

 

[-griffy-]

Sepinwal so rocked he loses ability to write articles:

 

[Niraj]

It's always good, but sometimes these people feel like they're part of a GAF gaming hype thread

 

[Cornballer]

The Onion A|V Club's "For Our Consideration" feature:

- Easy, comrade: The Americans is perfecting the art of the slow burnMore via the link.

Any thoughts on this:

Because the series is airing nearly three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, viewers know that Elizabeth and Philip are fighting a losing war. We can even predict with reasonable clarity what the ultimate climax of The Americans will be: when one or both of their identities is compromised. Much like Breaking Bad, an undesirable endgame has more or less been guaranteed for the show’s leads, but we have almost no idea how they’ll get to it. And therein lies the fun.

I don't doubt that they'll be found out at some point towards the end, but are they doomed to an undesireable fate? Can they aim for difficult but manageable, or is that too much to ask for?

Nice article by Nussbaum about the show, “The Americans” Is Too Bleak, and That’s Why It’s Great:

Good read - thanks for posting it.

“The Americans” is a bleak show that ends each episode with heartbreak. It’s also a thrilling, moving, clever show about human intimacy—possibly the best current drama out there (at least of the ones I’ve been able to keep up with!). Dread is its specialty and also its curse; it’s what makes “The Americans” at once a must-watch and a hard-sell. This is a surprising conundrum because, judging by a plot summary, the series sounds like it should be a fun watch for anyone: it stars two attractive actors, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, as married spies with secret lives. By day, they pretend to be mild-mannered travel agents raising kids. By night (and sometimes by day; they have great babysitters), they put on crazy wigs, have sex with other people, participate in complex espionage schemes, and occasionally murder someone. There are memorable “eww” scenes, too, including a brutal sequence of amateur dentistry and another in which a corpse was folded, with alarming realism, into a suitcase. But “The Americans” refuses to do what similar cable shows have done, even some of the good ones: offer a narcotic, adventurous fantasy in which we get to imagine being the smartest person in the room, the only one free to break the rules. Instead, “The Americans” makes the pain linger.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Any thoughts on this:I don't doubt that they'll be found out at some point towards the end, but are they doomed to an undesireable fate? Can they aim for difficult but manageable, or is that too much to ask for?

I have a feeling they are screwed. It's just too much to escape. Between the centre (which may overstep it's boundaries, especially with phillip), to all their false identities, any of which could backfire, to the fact that their job itself is dangerous, to the fact that they have an FBI neighbor who is smarter than he seems.

I do think that they might get found out earlier than some people anticipate though. Who knows.

 

[Dan]

Any thoughts on this:I don't doubt that they'll be found out at some point towards the end, but are they doomed to an undesireable fate? Can they aim for difficult but manageable, or is that too much to ask for?

On the first front, just because the Soviet Union falls, that doesn't mean Philip and Elizabeth fall with it. Philip would obviously be content to give up the cause, so that would benefit him. Elizabeth might have a tough time, but again, her life doesn't end if the USSR falls.

There are so many possibilities to how it goes if down if their identities are revealed. They go on the run, switch sides, return to Russia, etc. All of those might be "undesirable", at least in the short term, but far from fatal and quite possibly adaptable. I wouldn't be surprised if the only real tragedy is that Philip and Elizabeth are permanently separated from the kids.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

L
O

Spoiler

чертов

L

 

[dead souls]

Sepinwal so rocked he loses ability to write articles:

Writing about television is a tough job. The fact that he gets any articles done at all is truly remarkable. He's certainly one of the most important writers of this century, at least so far.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Any thoughts on this:I don't doubt that they'll be found out at some point towards the end, but are they doomed to an undesireable fate? Can they aim for difficult but manageable, or is that too much to ask for?

I would assume that's what the end game plot kind of has to be, but at the same time this show is so willing to let plot take a back seat and/or move plot at a very slow pace, that I'm not sure if I would be shocked if something like that didn't end up being the case.

I mean this is a show that put the question into the viewers head in episode 1, "We have undercover spies living next door to an FBI agent, how long until this status quo blows up?" Two and a half seasons later and that status quo doesn't appear to be coming to an end anytime soon.

 

[IronRinn]

Ideally I think Philip and Elizabeth would defect after being found out. I think what will happen is probably one or both of them will be separated from the kids at least.

I don't know, the show doesn't really seem to deal in happy endings.

 

[-griffy-]

Jeez everything about Taken movies that isn't killing dudes is kind of garbage. And the killing dudes parts aren't even that good either really.

 

[Cornballer]

It is time, comrades.

 

[Niraj]

See you on the other side.

 

[IronRinn]

Here we go.

 

[Cornballer]

Picking right up from last week.

 

[EnlightenedMint]

Oh god I'm scared about tonight's episode.