I always think back to episode 1, season 1, where he started to want to defect. I still think it might be headed there. He hates what he has to do, he hates the KGB for pressing them with Paige. Hr hates what he's doing to Martha. Defection. That's my guess.
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The Americans - S3 of the KGB spy drama - Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys - Wed on FX
- Thread starter Cornballer
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I always think back to episode 1, season 1, where he started to want to defect. I still think it might be headed there. He hates what he has to do, he hates the KGB for pressing them with Paige. Hr hates what he's doing to Martha. Defection. That's my guess.
That's...weird? I did a multiquote - I must have fucked something up. Eep. Shame I'm much too lazy to fix it. Guess you're just going to have to accept you said that and move on!
dead souls
Member
They deserve to be betrayed. In fact, both of them deserve to be in a jail cell for the rest of their lives.
They're terrible, terrible people and Paige doesn't even know 1% of the heinous shit they've done.
Rug Monkey
Member
Philip could easily be turned ... he kills for Russia, they want him to seduce an underage girl, his wife whores for them, and they want Paige (and by implication, Henry) to follow in their footsteps. He loves his family. Gabriel's reaction "You're a child, Grow up!"
It wouldn't surprise me if eventually he put out feelers with Stan? to turn, to keep Paige and Henry safe.
He's not ready for the cause yet. Give the kid some peace.
But man, what a finale was that. Didn't expect Paige to push the button already. Can't wait for the new season. The final scene with Reagan speeching on TV was so well done.
Him and Elizabeth talk about her. The guy he kills and sets up as a suicide is a computer tech guy who works with Martha, Philip killed him as a fall guy for the bug in Gaad's office. Philip says Martha is processing things, but he hasn't told her about this situation, and Elizabeth says he should tell her before things start to play out. She's not dead.
What? No. He hanged that guy to take the suspicion off Martha. He and Elizabeth talked about it at the end.
metsallica
Member
Wow, really? I thought that moment was absolutely earned this entire season. Her values have been on stark display for months, didn't really think it could've ended any other way.
There is an impressive crop of young actors creeping into my shows. They're normally just background in dramas, but some have been really surprising when asked to step up. Good on, Holly. Similarly well done kudos to casting.
Marvelous season and really surprised to learn about the show's middling ratings. I thought word of mouth was a little hotter on this show. Here's hoping FX gets the full five they were hoping for. Can't wait for season 4.
Please tell your friends aboutthis show FX.
Marvelous season and really surprised to learn about the show's middling ratings. I thought word of mouth was a little hotter on this show. Here's hoping FX gets the full five they were hoping for. Can't wait for season 4.
Please tell your friends about
I think the de-wigging moment was meant to be the climax to the Martha/Phil story for the season, they just did it in the penultimate episode instead of the finale and it rightfully threw some people off.
It's not clear if Elizabeth knows, and I'd guess that's deliberate because of Phillip's state of mind in the finale. That way they can use it as a plot element next season if they want or just move past it for other things.
Amazing.
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
It's a good thing Orphan Black started again otherwise I'd feel so damn empty without this show. Every single week was this super intense event where I was hanging on every word, every scene. It was like the television equivalent of playing Dark Souls. No relaxation here. Just heartache and pain.
Philip talking to Sandy struck me as a way to write her back in when the show can be dropping characters (see: Nina all season) but you know what? If she's in, I want her all the way in for:
- relations between Sandy and Philip
- Phil opening up too much and her realization of Philip's game on Stan
- Stan finding out about their bond
- most explosive and deadly of all, the day Henry finds out
- relations between Sandy and Philip
- Phil opening up too much and her realization of Philip's game on Stan
- Stan finding out about their bond
- most explosive and deadly of all, the day Henry finds out
That was a great finale. So many things happening, that ending was god tier TV. The way the camera focused on Elizabeth's face when Reagan said the Soviets are an evil empire was amazing.
I can't understand why people would hate on Paige. She's been lied to all her life, she's young, of course she's gonna tell someone.
Unleash the Beeman in season 4.
I can't understand why people would hate on Paige. She's been lied to all her life, she's young, of course she's gonna tell someone.
Unleash the Beeman in season 4.
maquiladora
Member
Things we'll probably see touched on next season in one way or another :
- Strategic Defense Initiative
- Able Archer
- Shooting down of Korean Airlines flight 007
Cornballer
Member
A couple complaints from reviewers that liked S3 overall but felt there wasn't enough resolution in the finale:
- Tim Goodman @ THR: Was 'The Americans' Season Finale a Costly Trip-Up?
- Warming Glow: The Americans Continues To Be As Frustrating As It Is Great
This isn't something that really bothers me personally, but I understand Goodman's point that it perhaps alienates some people that are watching the show.
- Tim Goodman @ THR: Was 'The Americans' Season Finale a Costly Trip-Up?
- Warming Glow: The Americans Continues To Be As Frustrating As It Is Great
This isn't something that really bothers me personally, but I understand Goodman's point that it perhaps alienates some people that are watching the show.
dead souls
Member
Critics actually acknowledging that The Americans isn't the best thing that ever aired in the history of the world? Be still my heart.
It's a bit of a weird complaint, especially the way Goodman phrases it. I'd rather the showrunners tell the story how they want to tell it rather than worrying about if the finale is going to entice enough viewers to keep watching. Especially when we already knew a season 4 is happening going into the finale.
And I think the finale paid off a lot of the plot lines from the season, from Elizabeth's mother, the Russian (non)defector, adventures of Stan and Oleg, and of course climaxing Paige's story. The only real missing link was an appearance by Martha, and it's maybe puzzling that they put the climax of that story in the previous episode instead of the finale. I don't know, it was a very fulfilling finale for me. Anything else is obviously a continuing plot thread, part of the slow burn approach that makes The Americans what it is (hello pen bug).
And I think the finale paid off a lot of the plot lines from the season, from Elizabeth's mother, the Russian (non)defector, adventures of Stan and Oleg, and of course climaxing Paige's story. The only real missing link was an appearance by Martha, and it's maybe puzzling that they put the climax of that story in the previous episode instead of the finale. I don't know, it was a very fulfilling finale for me. Anything else is obviously a continuing plot thread, part of the slow burn approach that makes The Americans what it is (hello pen bug).
A Serious Man
Member
Great season, I can't wait for the next one. All of the storylines this season hit high notes and are heading in interesting directions, which is something I can't really say for the previous seasons.
Adam Scott Aukerman
Member
What a doozy of a cliffhanger!
This show just quietly goes from strength to strength. It's a shame more people don't watch it, but fuck 'em, I'm loving it.
This show just quietly goes from strength to strength. It's a shame more people don't watch it, but fuck 'em, I'm loving it.
bob_arctor
Tough_Smooth
Eh, that's actually what I like about the show: it has its own rhythm and timing and the narrative restraint on display makes it more grounded in reality imo. The show reminds me of an ongoing conversation left off in mid-sentence only to be picked up without missing a beat at some later time. I'll get to the end when it comes.
Corpsepyre
Banned
It was a decent to even great season at times, but I have to say I was fairly disappointed by this as well. There were story arcs that just felt like they didn't resolve, or didn't infact resolve. The whole Nina arc was EXTREMELY padded, and plodded towards the end with a whimper. Phillip/Teenage Girl (Can't even remember her name) was like an afterthought after the first few episodes, and Elizabeth's entire arc with that woman and her husband just shouldn't have been there, honestly. Too much padding, very little payoff.
While we did get the BIG revelation, it just felt as if nothing of note happened throughout the season, which is weird because that entire Paige thing was a really big deal.
I'm really hoping they go back to S1/S2 storytelling format. Was more compelling.
While we did get the BIG revelation, it just felt as if nothing of note happened throughout the season, which is weird because that entire Paige thing was a really big deal.
I'm really hoping they go back to S1/S2 storytelling format. Was more compelling.
I agree with you. I guess if I had to pick something that really didn't do much for me, it was the Nina subplot. I don't think this season really offered too much in relation to that (though obviously that situation also gave us more Stan-Oleg stuff, which was great), but I'm patient enough to see where it leads next season.
metalslimer
Member
I really dislike the Nina subplot
dead souls
Member
Unless they're keeping her around to serve some part of the endgame she should have just been cut from the show. You could still have had all the Stan/Oleg stuff without ever seeing her again.
Dominican Power
Member
I don't know why people are upset. Why do all the issues need to be resolved in one season like it's an anthology series? Things have been set in motion to play out next season.
Dominican Power
Member
S3 is the 1st season we're introduced with Gabriel, right? He's only mentioned in season 1?
Right.
Dominican Power
Member
So how many handlers did Elizabeth and Philip have?
evil solrac v3.0
Member
Gabriel would be the third.
Dominican Power
Member
Who the first? Zhukov?
Zhukov wasn't their handler. He was head of Directorate S in Moscow and involved with Elizabeth's training way back in the day.
As far as we know for their handlers, I believe it goes Gabriel -> Claudia -> Kate -> Gabriel
Dominican Power
Member
AngmarsKing701
Member
By the way, that's the second time this spring that a show did the titular self awareness thing. Rick Grimes with his "we are the walking dead" and Paige's "they're not Americans."
Or at least her line made me think of Rick's.
Or at least her line made me think of Rick's.
lazybones18
Banned
!!!
I'm sure all the unresolved story arcs are going to pop up next season. Elizabeth still has to kill that lady's husband for giving her attitude haha. And don't ya wanna see Nina, Oleg and Stan living happily ever after? Come on guys. Plus we still don't know what will happen to Martha. One things for sure, she isn't going to react well about Philip killing her innocent co worker.
EmpressInYellow
Banned
Yeah, chalk me up as another person that doesn't really understand why all those plot threads necessarily need to be resolved in the finale.
I grant that the Martha thing was a little bit weird, and it would have been nice to have some sort of call-back to the Kimmy thing, just to establish that it was still in play, but having all of those things resolve themselves at the same time would throw off the rhythm of the show. It would feel...constructed, inorganic.
I grant that the Martha thing was a little bit weird, and it would have been nice to have some sort of call-back to the Kimmy thing, just to establish that it was still in play, but having all of those things resolve themselves at the same time would throw off the rhythm of the show. It would feel...constructed, inorganic.
Cornballer
Member
Wow, what a finale. I had to digest it slowly because there was a lot of development (unsolved mind) that happened.
- Those 15 mins wasted on those sex-conference feels like a waste, definitely the most disappointing aspect of this episode.
- Stan gaining power over Gadd is really interesting. Now, he may ask for NIna without going rogue.
- I think, Elizabeth's speech about lies and how everyone have their own secret was her downfall, because she was basically asking Paige to go against her Christian roots.
- Philip was the star of the episode. The moment he killed that poor IT man, you knew he about to have a mental breakdown, because, he wasn't even doing it for his country.
- Henry sure stay with Stan a lot. I wonder if there is a connection growing between those two that might actually bring danger to Philip and Elizabeth.
- Where is is Kimberly?
- I am getting tired of Nina sup-plot now. Nothing but going in circles.
-That ending where Paige tell the Pastor everything, I have a feeling it might not be as big as you guys think. Maybe, Phillip will visit The Pastor to discuss Paige's mental fortitude or something.
-Also, great, no, magnificent usage of Regan's speech regarding USSR and them being the ''Evil'' empire. Some lovely shooting and editing right there.
- Needless to say, can't wait for Season 4
- Those 15 mins wasted on those sex-conference feels like a waste, definitely the most disappointing aspect of this episode.
- Stan gaining power over Gadd is really interesting. Now, he may ask for NIna without going rogue.
- I think, Elizabeth's speech about lies and how everyone have their own secret was her downfall, because she was basically asking Paige to go against her Christian roots.
- Philip was the star of the episode. The moment he killed that poor IT man, you knew he about to have a mental breakdown, because, he wasn't even doing it for his country.
- Henry sure stay with Stan a lot. I wonder if there is a connection growing between those two that might actually bring danger to Philip and Elizabeth.
- Where is is Kimberly?
- I am getting tired of Nina sup-plot now. Nothing but going in circles.
-That ending where Paige tell the Pastor everything, I have a feeling it might not be as big as you guys think. Maybe, Phillip will visit The Pastor to discuss Paige's mental fortitude or something.
-Also, great, no, magnificent usage of Regan's speech regarding USSR and them being the ''Evil'' empire. Some lovely shooting and editing right there.
- Needless to say, can't wait for Season 4
Dominican Power
Member
Paige didn't tell Pastor Tim they were spies. I bet Elizabeth and Phil are going to dig some really shady shit on the pastor and show Elizabeth how the real world is.
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