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The Americans - S4 of the KGB spy drama - Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys - Wed on FX

P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Also William watching the movie alone in that tiny room and then saying it's too big a decision to make alone. More reminders of how important it is that Phillip and Elizabeth have eachother. Poor William has no one. Doesn't even get a break!
 
M

Mindlog

Member
Well that was an excellent episode and WHAT THE HELL!>!?
Why would you show me that? >:\

Man if I had been blindsided by the next episode it would have been quite special.
 
I

IronRinn

Member
That might be the first time they didn't quite cut the conversations well enough to make them seem apocalyptic, but still, some crazy shit.

Man, I just feel so fucking bad for Young-Hee and Elizabeth!
 
M

Mindlog

Member
Spotlight: Critic's Notebook: How the Television Academy Can Save Itself By Nominating 'The Americans' from The Hollywood Reporter.

Now the door is open. Time to step through for the Television Academy and take that next, necessary step: You need to nominate The Americans on FX for best drama.

There is no gray area here. There is no mystery. There are no secondary options. One of the nominees for best drama must be The Americans, unconditionally. Without it, opportunity is lost.

And here's why: The Americans is currently in its fourth season. It has five episodes left, starting tonight. Through its first three seasons, The Americans was clearly and without question one of the best dramas on television. It was never Emmy nominated for best drama, nor were its leads, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, for best actors. You blew that. Badly.

But it's not too late to make amends — and, in fact, it would be disastrous if you didn't. Because right now, The Americans is the best drama on television. Not one of the best. The best.
Click to expand...
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
I remember watching the Day After Tomorrow as a kid and freaking out for weeks. Its crazy to think what a pivotal moment it was for the 80s and its not really a thing kids who have grown up in the past 10 years really think about.

I discovered I have a new fetish, getting roofie'd by Keri Russell. But yeah, that was heartbreaking at the end when she just says she is going to miss her friend :( damn
 
M

Mashing

Member
This episode nearly character assassinated Elizabeth for me. How could she do something that reprehensible? Ugh. She should have walked away from the operation with her dignity.
 
D

Disgraced

Member
Fucking wow. Putting Annelise in a suitcase and this episode are like two of the most fucked up things I've ever seen on TV lol. But the great part is how understated and thoughtful the brutality is.

They're both pretty similar threads at the end too in what they mean for Phil & Liz. Of course there's the parallel between Martha & Young Hee as well.
 
N

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
That was so depressing. It was inevitable, but that might be the worst part of it. At least there were some light moments with Paige driving. Even then, letting her drive the Camaro is just a temporary bandage for her deep sadness, so I guess it's not really that light :/ I liked the montage of everyone watching the movie. Nice touch with Oleg mentioning that true story about the false alarm on the nuclear missiles, really lets you know how precarious things really were.

Major Tom reminded me of Deutschland 83, which many of you would probably enjoy watching if you haven't already.


Oh and the preview @_@
 
I

IvanJ

Banned
I remember back when the Day After was a huge thing.
It even got released in theaters here in Croatia, it was that big of a moment. Made people think about stuff more seriously (and then Chernobyl happens soon after).

Liked the episode, sets things up nicely for the final episodes.

I think pastor Tim is not coming back from Ethiopia.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Paige's face while driving is classic.

It's spiteful, but I kinda feel like Elizabeth deserves this experience, after continuously devaluing the emotional toll it took for Phillip to use and ultimately hurt Martha over the years.

How long until we get to meet Stan's new boss?

Cornballer said:
Nice use of Major Tom.
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Kinda weird hearing it here after Deutschland 83 used it for its title sequence.
 
Ristifer

Ristifer

Member
Such a tough episode to watch. But we've seen this kind of thing from Elizabeth before. The real shocker is her telling Philip that she's going to miss someone. I think we all knew that's how she was feeling, but it never felt like she would actually say something to that effect. Philip going right to Elizabeth after she said she had a headache at the end was classic Philip. He knew something was up. But the pain on Elizabeth's face during the entirety of this episode brought everything to a new light for her character.

I kind of figured we were heading in that direction with Tatiana and Oleg. I think she's playing him, but I think she also has some genuine feelings for him. A bit of a mirror to what Elizabeth has to do with her mission, with them both caring for who they're dealing with.

Loved the disguises this week. The back and forth between Philip and William was great, with Philip asking him if he trusts the Americans, even though he would likely pull the plug on this whole operation if he could.

Another really good episode. Only 4 left now... damn. This season feels like it's just flying by.
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
-Pyromaniac- said:
Amen. This is the top drama easily. Only better call Saul comes close.
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I would actually put Black Sails in the conversation, especially after this past season. Just some amazing performances.

But yes, The Americans is horribly overlooked for awards. The writing, pacing, acting... all are done so well here... so much is done with silence on this show (the knowing looks are just incredible). In fact, in some sense, the sex scene with Oleg and Tatiana accentuated that. Tatiana was so restrained, so quiet, while Oleg was more "American" in his enjoyment.
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
Cornballer said:
A couple tidbits from Reddit:

Full version of The Day After in case anyone's looking for some light Thursday viewing:
- The Day After (1983) - Classic Movie Channel

More information on the nuclear false alarm incident from 1983:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov
Click to expand...

Holy shit. Stanislav Petrov is a hero to all humanity. September 9 (his birthday) should be a worldwide holiday. I was completely unaware of this and wasn't sure it was even true.

I mean... holy fuck. I was 16, living outside of Pittsburgh. I'd be ash if it wasn't for this dude.
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
I knew some messed up stuff had to happen when I noticed so many posts.

Random thoughts:

  • I can't put with words how eerie it was to see people getting shocked by The Day After just like I did back in the day. Sure, they were actors, but everything felt genuine to the point of being a bit upsetting. That picture gave so many nightmares to so many people for so many years. It's still kind of messed up, stock footage/crummy FX and everything.
  • Oleg and Tatiana's relationship continues to be one of the most intriguing in this show.
  • Elizabeth. Oh, Elizabeth. So many other shows would have tried to make that scene somewhat titillating to ease up the tension. Not the Americans. It felt every bit as uncomfortable, nasty and cruel as it should have.
  • Pastor Tim (and his wife?) going on a trip to Africa (which at the time was rife with Soviet agents raising all kinds of hell to counter Americans, British and French doing the exact same thing) should be incredibly convenient for Philip and Elizabeth if they need to get rid of him/them.
  • Surprise doggie had me like what?
  • Philip comforting Elizabeth at the end of the episode did it for me. Forget about Game of Thrones; The Americans is the most fucked up show on TV.

Sectorseven said:
I'm a little confused, why is the Korean guy important to them?
Click to expand...
I don't know, but the family makes frequent trips to South Korea at a time when the country was a right wing dictatorship.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
Ristifer said:
Such a tough episode to watch. But we've seen this kind of thing from Elizabeth before. .
Click to expand...

I think what made this different than before is that she seemed to genuinely seek out companionship at times from Young-Hee. It wasn't purely business. I'm not sure why it makes it better, but when Elizabeth and Philip just use people for their country the entire time, it feels different. That felt like she sold a piece of herself and actively ruined her friends life.

Philip got too close to Martha as well, but when that happened he tried every way possible to protect her including pushing back against the center.
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
The show has already stablished Elizabeth as being a true believer and somebody more willing to do awful shit for the motherland than Philip, who is considerably more compasionate as evidenced by his relationship with Martha and his initial desire to hide the most dangerous pathogens from the Centre.

She may feel like shit for a while, but them's the breaks.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
Funky Papa said:
The show has already established Elizabeth as being a true believer and somebody more willing to do awful shit for the motherland than Philip, who is considerably more compassionate.

She may feel like shit for a while, but them's the breaks.
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Ohh it's been that way since the first episode. She's never sought out true companionship from a target before though. That day she went movie hopping after she got upset at Philip really sealed the deal and I feel like this is the first time we've seen how far she's willing to go.

Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
IronRinn said:
This will be interesting. (Also, does Slate keep changing where they host this thing?)
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I had trouble finding an online link this morning even though it popped up in my podcast app much earlier. I'm curious to hear what Landgraf has to say about the show and if there are any hints as to whether they'll do one or two more seasons (since those have seemingly been the options on the table)
IronRinn said:
I just figured that Don works at the same facility William does, but has Level 4 access.
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Didn't they explicitly say that last night or was it just implied?
 
D

Disgraced

Member
Cornballer said:
Didn't they explicitly say that last night or was it just implied?
Click to expand...
During the previously on Philip tells William they're working on getting him access while it cuts to Elizabeth meeting Young Hee in the grocery store.

*And Phil consoles Liz telling her there's another way in knowing she's developed feelings for Young Hee.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Disgraced said:
During the previously on Philip tells William they're working on getting him access while it cuts to Elizabeth meeting Young Hee in the grocery store.

*And Phil consoles Liz telling her there's another way in knowing she's developed feelings for Young Hee.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I thought it was pretty clear from what I saw.
 
G

-griffy-

Banned
Disgraced said:
During the previously on Philip tells William they're working on getting him access while it cuts to Elizabeth meeting Young Hee in the grocery store.

*And Phil consoles Liz telling her there's another way in knowing she's developed feelings for Young Hee.
Click to expand...

I recall the same thing in the episode itself, pretty much. William asking how they are going to get access, Philip saying they are getting close CUT TO: Elizabeth at their place, her telling stare penetrating through Don's skull as he leaves the room.
 
Ristifer

Ristifer

Member
Fenderputty said:
I think what made this different than before is that she seemed to genuinely seek out companionship at times from Young-Hee. It wasn't purely business. I'm not sure why it makes it better, but when Elizabeth and Philip just use people for their country the entire time, it feels different. That felt like she sold a piece of herself and actively ruined her friends life.

Philip got too close to Martha as well, but when that happened he tried every way possible to protect her including pushing back against the center.
Click to expand...
It's reminiscent of her "relationship" with Gregory in Season 1. Obviously, Gregory knew who Elizabeth was, but she still went to him for comfort, support, and "fun times".

I wonder if Elizabeth is a bit pissed at herself for letting it happen again, knowing how vulnerable she was when things came to a boil with Gregory. I know she appreciates Young-Hee's companionship and sees her as a helpful outlet, but getting attached is not something that has ended well for Elizabeth.

It makes the argument between Philip and Elizabeth all the more relevant in the previous episode, with Martha, Irena, and Gregory all brought up in a confrontation that showed how attached they can become to agents. And here we are, one episode later, and Elizabeth is saying she's going to miss Young-Hee. The way they do this show is brilliant.
 
F

Fenderputty

Banned
Ristifer said:
It's reminiscent of her "relationship" with Gregory in Season 1. Obviously, Gregory knew who Elizabeth was, but she still went to him for comfort, support, and "fun times".

I wonder if Elizabeth is a bit pissed at herself for letting it happen again, knowing how vulnerable she was when things came to a boil with Gregory. I know she appreciates Young-Hee's companionship and sees her as a helpful outlet, but getting attached is not something that has ended well for Elizabeth.

It makes the argument between Philip and Elizabeth all the more relevant in the previous episode, with Martha, Irena, and Gregory all brought up in a confrontation that showed how attached they can become to agents. And here we are, one episode later, and Elizabeth is saying she's going to miss Young-Hee. The way they do this show is brilliant.
Click to expand...


I thought about Gregory, but IIRC she handled Gregory in a similar fashion to how Philip handles Martha. She wanted him to go to Russia and be safe. She didn't actively try and ruin his life.

I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I felt like last night wast the coldest she's ever been.
 
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