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The Americans - S3 of the KGB spy drama - Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys - Wed on FX

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V

Verdre

Unconfirmed Member
Great episode. Loved the tension in the reveal and the real reluctance Elizabeth had when it finally came down to it.
 
J

jay23

Member
Discotheque said:
Thought they were gonna cop out when they sat down with Paige but wow they actually told her

Also I wanna watch tootsie again after seeing it in this episode lol
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This is exactly what I thought, once I saw the Philip head nod I automatically thought they were gonna give her some pre planned story.

This changes everything, I'm so ready to see how it all plays out. Seems like
Gabriel is gonna get involved personally from the previews, his character is perfect for this.
 
G

Grifter

Member
Between the breaking and entering last year, well-hidden porn stash, and (I can only surmise) snooping for Sandra artifacts whilst Stan was down in the basement, Henry's ripe for recruiting today.
 
C

cashman

Banned
Grifter said:
Between the breaking and entering last year, well-hidden porn stash, and (I can only surmise) snooping for Sandra artifacts whilst Stan was down in the basement, Henry's ripe for recruiting today.
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Don't forget about Season 1, when he saved Paige from being raped by that creep.
 
R

ReturnOfTheRAT

Member
They didn't play with the idea of Henry snooping around at Beeman's house. They could have, but...

Lol, who cares about pervy Henry, the real deal is the coming out to Paige scene. Episode 10 of season 3 and that's out of the way. Good on the show for doing it now. Now that she knows things have changed drastically. How safe is their secret with her? What exactly did her full message to Pastor Tim convey? Will sometimes oblivious Stan pick up that she's under some kind of duress and question her about it? Philip and Elizabeth have to walk on egg shells around her moving forward.

This is a wonderful development.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
What an episode, and pulling that with three full episodes remaining in the season. So many plots are still coming to a head, and the Paige revelation is now out there complicating everything even more.

Elizabeth's reaction to walking in for the end of Henry's Eddie Murphy impression was phenomenally funny. "Who are you? What are you doing? Oh fuck it, I can't be bothered to deal with this nonsense right now."
 
uniform

uniform

Member
Good episode and good acting from Paige. It will be interesting to see how the young actress does now that her character will likely have a lot more time on screen.

I was hoping for more mail robot. Like possibly escalating the conflict between it and Agent Gaad. Oh well, there's 3 more episodes.
 
E

EmpressInYellow

Banned
Oh my god, that scene.

Credit to Holly Taylor - she absolutely sold that scene. It's a tough scene and a totally vital one, but she nailed it.

The overbearing tension, the anxiety, the sense of...dread and doom mixed with relief at finally coming clean...it all felt very genuine (almost uncomfortably so, in fact).

It actually reminds me a lot of my own coming out experience (and those of some people I know). Sure, there were no federal crimes involved in those situations, but the basic dynamics are fairly similar: the desire to unburden yourself mixed with the fear of the consequences, the knowledge that once you say this you can't un-say it, the fear of rejection and uncertainty about what that rejection might mean for your future, the sense that everything will now be divided into two categories: "before" and "after" this conversation...

Yeah. It hit kind of close to home, despite the subject matter.
 
Corpsepyre

Corpsepyre

Banned
HUGE episode. I was critical of the previous episodes, even with shit hitting the fan and yet feeling as if nothing of note happened, but this episode changed that! The reveal was handled expertly. Can't wait to see how this ends.
 
L

LaunchpadMcQ

Banned
Goddamn, what an episode. I was watching the episode with my parents (we watch shows together since they've been living with me for a few months due to circumstances) and my mom kept saying how sleepy she was; when Paige confronted her parents, it was like we all got hit with a shot of adrenaline and were suddenly at the edges of our seats.

I look back on it though, and I just can't help but think that was the best sequence of events that could have occurred. As tense as it was, there was no huge conflict or explosion between the characters just for the sake of it; it was all based in the internal conflict of Paige. I try to put myself in her shoes and I don't even know what someone would (or could) do in that situation. Her parents dragged her into this life before she even knew about it, and now she's expected to support them or work for them or even just be alright with it? How do you reconcile that everything you've learned up until now goes against what your parents are doing? Can you just renounce them and separate yourself from the whole thing? This is one of the deepest conflicts I've seen on a television series, and there's no concrete answer to any of these questions. It's really something I hadn't considered until now that it's out in the open, but it's always been in the background of the show; I have to give this series all the credit for crafting such a remarkable conflict.

On that note, holy shit the acting in these scenes. I always thought Paige/Holly Taylor was kind of annoying (well, I'm probably not alone in that), but things have certainly changed in this season. She's developed into a fine young actress and really delivered on the ambiguity necessary to convey Paige's turmoil. Russel and Rhys, as always, pitch-goddamn-perfect. They're the most underrated lead actors on television.

I hope the Pastor gets what he deserves, though. He's been pitting Paige against her family for so long now, albeit in what I'd consider more subtle ways; he deserves to get got already.

uniform said:
I was hoping for more mail robot. Like possibly escalating the conflict between it and Agent Gaad. Oh well, there's 3 more episodes.
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Remember, this series is a slow-burn. Expect the conflict to come to a head midway through season 5, after the mail-bot sleeps with Gaad's wife and Gaad sets mail-bot's wife, printer-bot, on fire.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- EW: The Americans bosses on Paige's reaction, her future, and the show's endgame
This was such a huge moment, and it seems unmatched on the show so far. You guys don’t seem to really rely on big moments. What’s the balance you try to strike between taking big narrative chances versus staying the course for a slow-burn?

WEISBERG: It’s funny. There’s no question, we’re a slow-burn show. I’m not sure we’re even burning. By the time we started season 2, I don’t think we were really in much of a philosophic or dramatic discussion anymore about the payoff of all of this. We’re just telling the story at the pace the story goes. This Paige moment came at the time when we wanted it to organically pop up, and we’re going to continue to follow it. We’re not in a hurry one way or another to take the next beat in that story.

FIELDS: We don’t think or discuss much the idea of that kind of structure or those kinds of choices, slow-burn versus propulsion. We do follow the story. I think when good drama is really working, it takes on an inevitable quality, not a predictable quality, where you’re just following where the characters are going.

Does that explain why this Paige reveal happens several episodes ahead of the season finale?

WEISBERG: I think you’re exactly right. It’s just not the style of the show to drop this at the season finale and therefore urge everybody to come back. That would be something that people who wanted big ratings would do. [Laughs]

FIELDS: I’ll tell you another benefit of it. To pitch to a small choir, the benefit of doing it this way is that if you’re trying to get to something, you’d be more likely to end up with Philip and Elizabeth sitting her down to tell her, whereas if you’re leaving it open to when it’s going to come up organically, you’re more likely to surprise yourself with Paige waiting for them and asking them. You don’t have an idea fixed in your head.
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You were just renewed for season 4, and FX has mentioned at least five seasons. Does your endgame take you beyond season 5?

FIELDS: [FX President] John Landgraf, at the last TCA, was asked about the future of the show, and I believe the quote was, he said he sees this as at least a five-season show. And right now, Joe and I talk about an end a lot because it helps guide us towards what the current seasons are, but I don’t think we’re in any sort of endgame at this point. There’s a really long and interesting story to explore here. We hope we’ll be able to keep telling it.
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L

Linius

Member
God damn, that scene with the reveal was incredibly tense and well executed. I feel like they reached a new series high with this episode.

By the way, this show is on the Dutch Netflix (first season). And according to Netflix most of their users don't restrict themselves to just Netflix content from their own region. Though obviously it would be easier if they just put it up in the US as well.
 
I

IronRinn

Member
You were just renewed for season 4, and FX has mentioned at least five seasons. Does your endgame take you beyond season 5?

FIELDS: [FX President] John Landgraf, at the last TCA, was asked about the future of the show, and I believe the quote was, he said he sees this as at least a five-season show. And right now, Joe and I talk about an end a lot because it helps guide us towards what the current seasons are, but I don’t think we’re in any sort of endgame at this point. There’s a really long and interesting story to explore here. We hope we’ll be able to keep telling it.
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Honestly, to me, this kind of borders on delusional. Chalk it up to my limited understanding of cable television ratings, but I would think these guys see the end in sight. Show can't live on the good will of Landgraf forever, can it?

Edit: You know, as much as I love this show, the whole interview they talk about writing in that obnoxious, semi-mystical way that many writers do. You're writing these characters, guys. They're not real. You're not "following them". Christ.
 
L

LaunchpadMcQ

Banned
IronRinn said:
Honestly, to me, this kind of borders on delusional. Chalk it up to my limited understanding of cable television ratings, but I would think these guys see the end in sight. Show can't live on the good will of Landgraf forever, can it?
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I think I'm reading that differently. Fields seems to be referring to the series being envisioned by the FX president as a five-season show, and that it might be too early for that to be an endgame.
 
G

-griffy-

Banned
IronRinn said:
Honestly, to me, this kind of borders on delusional. Chalk it up to my limited understanding of cable television ratings, but I would think these guys see the end in sight. Show can't live on the good will of Landgraf forever, can it?
Click to expand...

It reads to me like Landgraff is committed to 5 seasons with the current ratings situation the show is in. Hence "at least a five season show." If the show starts to get better ratings then more seasons aren't off the table. The J's have talked about an ending, but aren't in endgame mode because they have a 4th season confirmed and a 5th season seemingly a given. Unless they are told "this is your last season" they probably won't be in endgame mode until they've told the full story they want to.
 
I

IronRinn

Member
LaunchpadMcQ said:
I think I'm reading that differently. Fields seems to be referring to the series being envisioned by the FX president as a five-season show, and that it might be too early for that to be an endgame.
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-griffy- said:
It reads to me like Landgraff is committed to 5 seasons with the current ratings situation the show is in. Hence "at least a five season show." If the shows starts to get better ratings then more seasons aren't off the table. The J's have talked about an ending, but aren't in endgame mode because they have a 4th season confirmed and a 5th season seemingly a given. Until they are told "this is your last season" they probably won't be in endgame mode until they've told the full story they want to.
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I gotcha. I was reading it more as "we have at least five seasons but hopefully ten" or something like that. It seemed like they were banking on having more than five, is what I mean.
 
J

jerry113

Banned
Best episode of the season.

You could really hear a pin drop. I like how this show doesn't gloss over the aftermath of a confrontation like that. Instead, they showed Paige''s initial reaction to the news, what happened that night, the morning after, and finally later in the night when Beeman showed up. No music or background soundtrack at all for the last 12+ minutes of the show.

Just Paige silently trying to process it all.

I feel like most other shows would've used the revelation scene as a cheap end-of-episode cliffhanger.
 
T

TripOpt55

Member
Wow! From the moment Paige starts questioning her parents to the end was just perfect. The reveal to asking them to speak Russian to her staring at Beeman... just wow! What an incredible episode. Can't wait to see where this all goes next.
 
J

jett

D-Member
Show droppin' bombs.

And man they should've dubbed over Henry. And what the shit is wrong with that kid anyway.
 
F

Fantastical

Death Prophet
WOW! I can't believe they did it before the finale. What an incredible episode. Paige's actress was great, and Keri and Matthew were phenomenal as always. Particularly Keri... it was heartbreaking watching her confess and then try to console Paige.

And yes, I said "holy shit" when Phillip nodded. I really thought they were going to chicken out at the last minute and make up some other excuse, but I'm so glad they didn't. Also, it sounds like shit is about to hit the fan with Martha.

And I'm a bit slow - so the defector is in fact working with the Russians? Is this the first time this has been confirmed or have I just not been paying attention?

RatskyWatsky said:
I was so happy when she asked them to do that. It would have been the first thing that I asked my parents if they told me they were Russian spies.
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Yep, that was my immediate thought too. It would be such a mindfuck to see your parents, who you've known all your life, speak in another language you've never heard them speak in so fluently.
 
E

EmpressInYellow

Banned
Fantastical said:
And I'm a bit slow - so the defector is in fact working with the Russians? Is this the first time this has been confirmed or have I just not been paying attention?
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Nope, this is the first time.

Stan, as depressing as his life is, is a pretty sharp guy. Sure, his suspicion of Zinaida might've been at least 50% wishful thinking, but it turns out he was right!


Also, given the conversation with Paige later in the episode, the early conversation Phillip has with Pastor Tim (where Phillip breaks out his death-stare for the camera) takes on extra meaning. Obviously, Paige had already spoken to him about her concerns prior to that conversation, and Pastor Tim was trying to manipulate/nudge Phillip towards opening up to Paige when the conversation finally happened.
 
R

Real Hero

Member
If I could force everyone to watch this I would. It's criminal it's so overlooked. Any other show would have had that reveal be an over the top end of an episode cliffhanger.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- The Americans Declassified - The Cinematic Look (youtube)
The look always serves the story. Go behind the scenes to meet the man responsible for the cinematic feel of The Americans.
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Related:
- Creative Planet Network: Cold War Cinematography: Concealing and Revealing on FX’s Spy Drama 'The Americans '
Rutkowski sums up the show’s approach to conveying the underlying theme of deception and volatility that permeates The Americans: “We shoot through things—a doorway or a group of objects—and place the character inside a frame within a frame. We also like to leave people low in frame and put a lot of headroom in the shot that helps show their environment and represent their state of mind. The show revolves around two regimes that are distrustful of each other and have enormously powerful weaponry, and a marriage between two distrustful people who share a life and family. And we want to convey the sense that the bottom could drop out at any minute.”
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Much more via the link.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Matt Zoller Seitz for NY Mag: ‘Stingers’ Is One of the Finest Episodes of The Americans Yet
Kondracki’s filmmaking — altogether the finest piece of episodic direction I’ve seen this year — hones all these notions visually, but subtly, through cinematographer Richard Rutkowski’s '70s-drama-style Rembrandt lighting (the kitchen scene went full Godfather — appropriately, given that both that film series and this TV show are about criminal households trying to pass as “normal”) and very slow tracking shots and zooms. The latter make it seem as though the episode itself is cognizant of just how much misery these characters are in; at certain points it feels as if the camera is trying to approach them all as cautiously as possible, so as not to cause more pain.

The intimate scope, unhurried pace, and hushed tone of Kondracki’s direction felt extreme even by The Americans’ standards, but like the script itself, it ultimately came to seem like a deepening or refinement of tendencies that were always there. In that sense, “Stinger” might bear the same relation to The Americans as “The Suitcase” does to Mad Men. It is at once characteristic and uncharacteristic of everything this series does well; watching it, you felt as though the writers, filmmakers, and actors were digging deeper than they had before, refining their themes and their voice in tandem. However long the show lasts, whenever fans make lists of the best single episodes, this one will be on it. I doubt it was a coincidence that FX announced the fourth-season renewal of this acclaimed but low-rated series on the eve of this chapter’s airing. I like to imagine network executives debating whether to fund one more year, then watching “Stingers” and thinking, “Well, after this, how could we not?”
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P

postcyberpunk

Banned
Grifter said:
Between the breaking and entering last year, well-hidden porn stash, and (I can only surmise) snooping for Sandra artifacts whilst Stan was down in the basement, Henry's ripe for recruiting today.
Click to expand...

ReturnOfTheRAT said:
They didn't play with the idea of Henry snooping around at Beeman's house. They could have, but...
Click to expand...

Shit, I totally didn't think of that...

Directing for this ep was superb. My wife had to tell me to shut up about it while we watched.
 
S

scabro

Member
It was so brilliant having Paige be the one who snaps and starts demanding answers. Just great writing. So happy it got renewed.
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
jerry113 said:
Best episode of the season.

You could really hear a pin drop. I like how this show doesn't gloss over the aftermath of a confrontation like that. Instead, they showed Paige''s initial reaction to the news, what happened that night, the morning after, and finally later in the night when Beeman showed up. No music or background soundtrack at all for the last 12+ minutes of the show.

Just Paige silently trying to process it all.

I feel like most other shows would've used the revelation scene as a cheap end-of-episode cliffhanger.
Click to expand...
This is really spot on and exactly how my wife and I felt.

Really amazing scene + follow-on. The nod was like "oh shit oh shit it's happening."
 
K

KarmaCow

Member
The last scene where she sees Beeman and it clicks, seeing her parents, seeing her own life in such a different light was really well done.
 
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