Episode discussion post: "Cardinal"

[jae]

Aired:
5 March 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
9 March 2014 in Israel
22 March 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 202 of The Americans, intended for viewers who are watching the show on the U.S./Canadian schedule. (Feel free to dive in to the discussion if you're reading this later and have already seen subsequent episodes, but please take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season two, episode two.)

Original promo trailers

"Next On: Cardinal" (Watch on YouTube)

"The Americans: Exclusive Scene from Episode 2" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Vulture
From Hitfix
From The AV Club
From The Huffington Post
From IGN
From Think Progress
From SpoilerTV
From Zap2it
From Television Without Pity
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From Filmthrasher
From showratings.tv
From Newsmanone
From Screenrant
From the LA Times
From Geekbinge
From tvrage.com
From Unreality TV (UK)

Comments

[katiac]

Had kind of the same reaction to this one as the first one. There were pieces that I liked. The two spy missions worked and brought some new stuff to the table. Those were both very well done and were not what I was expecting at all. The rezidentura part was good as was the FBI part. There were little moments in scenes I found just great. The episode as a whole felt very fast-paced like the first episode... in some ways it felt like "The Clock" in that respect... except that even in "The Clock" they would slow down at times and give us some smaller moments--the long scene in the bedroom where P/E discuss the kids or them staring at their children while they slept. This one felt more like it was setting up future episodes, but other than the great Philip and Elizabeth part at the end, I missed the emotional connections.

Though it was completely great that they showed them calling time after time and that he knew to come home even when she said he shouldn't just by the tone of her voice. Her "you're home" was just perfectly done.

[georgley]

They have felt a bit separate to me at times so far this season. I wonder how much that is impacted on them not going on missions together so far? Means a lot of the little scenes are partly exposition with them catching each other up on what has been happening.

Elizabeth's reaction to Philip coming home early was perfect. Love the change from the end of the last episode where he had to be with Martha.

[georgley]

It feels like it's been an almost frantic start to the season. Which probably mirrors how Philip and Elizabeth are feeling given she's only been home for a week or so. There have been a few moments that the episodes have slowed down however they seem to have mostly been spy related so far (such as Philip looking around Fred's place). It's probably a necessary evil at this point in any season though.

I do love the little changes that show a new intimacy between Philip and Elizabeth. Her playing with his tie in the travel agency at the beginning, him calling her honey on the phone, the little kiss goodbye.

Love that Philip has noticed that Elizabeth is off her game at the moment (missing the message at the start and not wanting to be away from the kids) and is trying to subtly help her out (suggesting that she get out on the street again to do the drop). It must be so hard for him having to be away from her and the kids to make sure the spy work keeps getting done but he just wouldn't have had time to deal with it. Plus, he's dealing with his own guilt over getting Henry involved.

I liked that Elizabeth was able to hold it together to meet the other deep cover agent and then seemed to fall apart again afterward.

It's easy to see at this point the toll that the Martha marriage is having on them already. Last episode we saw Philip needing to spend the night with Martha and this episode he cancelled on her even when she was sick. I'm interested to see how they explore that this season.

It was good to see them giving the kids a reason why Philip will be away overnight more.

Matthew Rhys is so great as Clark. His subtle facial movements, particularly when Martha mentions leaving counter-intelligence are fantastic.

I know it's only two episodes in but I can't imagine that both Martha and Nina will survive this season.

I found it a bit sad that when Fred asks Philip for Emmet's real name, Philip wouldn't even know.

So, is the KGB going to have Emmet and Leanne's son killed? Is that what they mean by "taking care of him"?

[jae]

Great observations! The tone is definitely frantic--and understandably so.

I liked that Elizabeth was able to hold it together to meet the other deep cover agent and then seemed to fall apart again afterward.

Yesssss. That says so much about how much cope she has left, and how she doses it out.

It was good to see them giving the kids a reason why Philip will be away overnight more.

I missed this! I will catch it on rewatch.

Last episode we saw Philip needing to spend the night with Martha and this episode he cancelled on her even when she was sick.

Right--last time it was Elizabeth who got the short end of the stick, and this time it was Martha. The message being that someone has to.

I know it's only two episodes in but I can't imagine that both Martha and Nina will survive this season.

Really? They both seem pretty integral to me. I think Nina at least is safe--she's doing great work. And the Martha thing has to end at some point, but as Joe Weisberg has said in lots of interviews, these kinds of things lasted for years in real life. Maybe Clark needs to get a job that forces him to travel frequently? Although if Martha does quit her job, I can't imagine he will stick around.

-J

[jae]

This one went by really fast for me for some reason. Like, I looked at the clock thinking it was probably 20 minutes in, and it was nearly 40 minutes in. I'm definitely going to have to rewatch it to get everything--I'll do that this morning before work. I'll probably have more to say about it then, but here are my initial thoughts, anyway.

I found it remarkable just how much of the truth Philip was telling to Emmet's American agent while he was trying to keep from being killed. It wasn't everything, and it wasn't, you know, egregious, it was just enough. Although on Twitter, someone observed that questions about his kids were still off-limits. Also, I felt so sad for the poor agent guy! He was totally in over his head. I wonder how he was as an agent, what he did for Emmet, and how he got recruited.

I am really, really excited about Aimee Carrero's character (the Sandinista posing as a Costa Rican--not an illegal, but a similar twist on spying!): I thought this was a great introduction to her, just a teaser. She's totally going to remind Elizabeth of herself from a few decades back. It's also really interesting to me that the KGB illegals are the ones for someone like her to call when you got into a jam--like, her own country doesn't have enough of that sort of support network. I wonder if that's accurate.

The long bedroom scene between Philip and Elizabeth at the end was so lovely and so sad. They're both scared, but they're still complementing each other really well and helping prop each other up. Also their bedroom continues to be the place of intimacy for them, and not just in the sexual sense. Also, "we'll get used to it, like we've gotten used to everything else" was something that we'd heard before from the previews, but I loved how it fit into the scene, and I still find it to be truly the most Philip line ever.

Man, Martha thinking about leaving her job--that would certainly throw a wrench into things for Philip, wouldn't it? He's doing a good job manipulating her into staying so far, but I don't know how long that's going to take.

Littler things:

I loved that Philip was still obsessing over Henry's role in the mission that went bad. Elizabeth has moved on, but his head is still there, thinking about what he could have done differently.

I totally called "Cardinal" being a code name, from when we found out the episode title. It was totally a lucky guess, of course, at that point but I'm still a bit chuffed. :)

Philip in Emmet and Leanne's place, careful not to touch anything, using the screwdriver--until he got to the Playboy and he picked it up to check it with his mitts all over it. What's up with that?

-J

[lovingboth]

Yes, I noticed the fingers on the Playboy. Why not just wear gloves? Screwdrivers can leave scratch marks.

[alisonx]

I just hope that "they're together now" isn't a sign that the focus is going to be taken off the relationship entirely. I think that's still one of the strongest draws of the show

SAAAME. As much as I dig the multifaceted spy/parallel/character beats of this show, the relationship parts are the ones that get my heart fluttering - whether it's angst or fluff.

I love how different Elizabeth is when you compare last season to the first two episodes of this season. She was the kick-ass competent spy, and now everything has turned on its head and she's so frazzled and shaken but still managed to hold it together for the Costa Rican spy. I love how Keri is playing those moments of paranoia and how much Elizabeth doesn't want to leave her children. Philip is really carrying so much of the emotional and physical burden and still very much guilt-ridden about pulling Henry into it, probably a guilt multiplied ten-fold after having to hear the son's screams.

Though it was completely great that they showed them calling time after time and that he knew to come home even when she said he shouldn't just by the tone of her voice. Her "you're home" was just perfectly done.
YES TO ALL OF THIS :))) The last scene was done really well too, even though we'd seen a bit of it in the trailers. They're just talking and sharing all their worries and hardships with each other and being each other's pillars of strength!!

I really liked the Nina/Stan montage as she's writing her report. That was a real nice (and sad) touch. And poor Martha... She's going to be such a headache for Philip but ... she just wants a nice husband who loves her :( (I totally chuckled at the AV club review "“Clark, I don’t want to be a victim.” Oh, Martha. Martha, Martha, Martha... [GK]").

I am still more engaged on a P/E family level than I am on the FBI/Rezidentura front, which is sad because although I like all the characters, I'm not as invested in the storylines. I'm liking the chemistry between Oleg and Nina.

I spent a fair few moments in the episode racking my brain as to where I've seen 'Fred' before. And I eventually had to pause it and IMDB it. Turns out it was 'Catch that Kid' HA.

[katiac]

SAAAME. As much as I dig the multifaceted spy/parallel/character beats of this show, the relationship parts are the ones that get my heart fluttering - whether it's angst or fluff.

I love how different Elizabeth is when you compare last season to the first two episodes of this season. She was the kick-ass competent spy, and now everything has turned on its head and she's so frazzled and shaken but still managed to hold it together for the Costa Rican spy. I love how Keri is playing those moments of paranoia and how much Elizabeth doesn't want to leave her children. Philip is really carrying so much of the emotional and physical burden and still very much guilt-ridden about pulling Henry into it, probably a guilt multiplied ten-fold after having to hear the son's screams.

YES! And I love all the individual personal stuff I'm seeing too... I just hope in the next episodes they're going to also bring them together more and start having that play off each other. I love so many facets of the show. But it's Philip and Elizabeth's relationship, the marriage story, that I feel is the heart of the show.

YES TO ALL OF THIS :))) The last scene was done really well too, even though we'd seen a bit of it in the trailers. They're just talking and sharing all their worries and hardships with each other and being each other's pillars of strength!!

Yes. And I do love the easiness of it--the little touches. Hands on each other, little kisses, the phone calls, the missing each other... I just need them together having a moment on screen together every now and then :)

[lovingboth]

Ooh, a numbers station :)

I don't remember the earlier one(s).

[sistermagpie]

I think we heard Elizabeth listening to one before.

[lovingboth]

Lovely scene with talking Martha out of going for a better job in a different department.

Lovely look from Stan following the 'doing (marriage) right' comment in the travel agency, and the reactions to the two suggestions.

Prediction: Nina is going to have Oleg killed or otherwise got rid of, one way or another. Either on the suggestion of Arkady or not, the FBI are going to hear about him, and either do him themselves or do something that leads Moscow to think that he's a liability.

Akady keeping the mic open to Dameran while shouting about getting someone able to see the walk-in in person was deliberate.

Oooh, nice shock on touching the case under the floor :) Was there an ad break at that point?

Good deduction about the Airfix - I had noticed that there weren't any completed models around the house, so they either weren't for him or they had some other significance.

Did Nina have permission to talk about the walk-in? Is this what's she's going to use to finger Oleg? She's not seen to mention talking about it when she's typing up her report later.

Why, when so worried about being watched, do Philip & Elizabeth they talk so relatively openly on the home phone?

Prediction2: The gun Martha is talking about getting is going to be used, quite possibly on Philip, before the end of the series.

Isn't Paige little miss junior detective? I still think she's going to tell Elizabeth that Philip is having an affair.

The conversation at the end sums up the themes of the first two episodes very nicely.

[lovingboth]

I've not looked at any of the episode recaps before, but I am slightly embarrassed that I didn't catch that missing the turn off to the cinema and doubling back was the deliberate 'am I being followed?' thing it so obviously was.

[jae]

A few more short thoughts upon second viewing before I dash off to work:

• It's unclear to me why the shooting of Vlad was in the previouslies. Anybody have any thoughts on what memory or emotion that was intended to jog for us?

• Who thinks Paige is going to notice just how much time her mother is spending pacing nervously and staring out windows?

• I loved how when Martha brought up the murders, Philip immediately turned around because he knew he was at risk for breaking character. Such a great touch.

• The bachelor weekend that Stan's friend wanted to book was from March 12-14--just localizing the date a bit better.

• Oleg is totally flirting with Nina, but Nina's having none of it so far. I think he's coming across as totally slimy, but he's definitely going to be a great foil for her.

• Nina's superior "this is your first posting" stuff was a bit over-the-top, though. I mean, sure, she's more experienced and she's been there longer, but this is her first posting too.

• Any thoughts on why Arkady was talking to the walk-in through the door? Obviously it was procedure for them not to be alone in a room together, but why?

• It's interesting that Emmett never let his agent see him or know his American name, even though they were clearly friends. It's more like Philip with Anneliese or Martha without all the duplicity, then, than it is like Elizabeth and Gregory, where there were probably a whole lot of secrets, but no outright lies. I wonder why Emmett made that choice.

• Emmett's agent let on what the mission was--or at least the bits of it he knew about. I love how that story is unfolding slowly, how they're getting further bits of the bigger picture in each episode.

• I enjoyed watching Martha stand up to Clark when he didn't want her to get a gun. It's good to see her not just being a doormat.

• Any thoughts on the bit from the final scene where Philip says: "It'll be tomorrow if they [the Center] want us to go?" Go where?

-J

[alisonx]

First point: I think that was for when they were listening to the tape of Stan/Gaad about covering up Vlad. And nina said something like "Those bastards".

2nd point: I was half convinced in that promo for 2x02, she was gonna walk past the phone and see a pad full of numbers.

last point: If i had to hazard a guess, it would be Emmett and Leanne's home because there was a promo with them in their house looking at their pictures? Otherwise, I haven't got the faintest.

[apolla_savre]

1. I still don't trust Emmett. The level of intimacy with Fred just kept poking my suspicions.

2. I don't really know why Arkady's going to all the lengths to get a code name and stuff for Bruce Dameran, considering Nina told Stan about it. They *know* there's observation on the Rezidentura. Surely they've figured out that by telling Stan about the walk-in, they're giving up this guy. Unless this is the sacrificial piece of information they're going to give him and keep Oleg's stuff to themselves?

3. I still really like Oleg, so I looked into his name: Oleg means "holy, blessed", Igorievich comes from Igor, meaning "warrior", and "Burov" means "drills". I'm not sure they plan for it to mean anything or if they're looking in a different direction for meaning. I'm eager for his role to be expanded, but I'm also kind of worried he's just going to be a red herring.

4. "You'd rather play a game than see Raiders of the Lost Ark? Are you insane?" Tell me about it, Henry!

5. Nina's report. I'd probably hand it back and say, "Too much information." I kind of wonder what's going through her head. She says there's evidence that Stan's relationship to her is deepening, but what about on her side?

6. I loved that Stan showed up with his friends and the exchange about Montreal or the Dude Ranch. Philip's face was just perfect as she talked about European Montreal. You could just read the, "WTF? No. This is a guy getaway to celebrate the end of being single. Sportsmanship!"

7. Oh, Martha, Martha, Martha. I'm almost 67% sure she's not going to get a gun. Philip didn't seem to like it, so he'll probably try to talk her out of it. Maybe he'll suggest self defense classes? I don't think he likes guns, I think he'd prefer not to have them where he sleeps, but he still has one because he needs it.

8. I wonder what Paige thinks her parents are up to? There's no way she thinks they're spies, right?

[soupytwist]

I think Philip's going to try to persuade Martha against the self-defence stuff too, but I think that's looking like a sticking point where Martha's not going to listen to him. My theory has always been basically that Martha is a secret ninja who will kick ass and take names once she's given the right opportunity, and I'm thinking this might be that opportunity. She was definitely not backing down on stuff this episode, at least!

[sistermagpie]

I feel like I don't remember the ep enough at one viewing to make too many comments...but I will anyway. These were the things that stuck out to me the first time, besides just generally loving it.

Like Jae, I was amazed at how quickly it went by.

There were some nice subtle touches about the new distrust between Paige and her parents. She was openly looking at Elizabeth with concern when she suddenly "remembered" something she had to do at work, and was I think concerned about the sudden trip to the movies as well. She seemed to especially pick up on the emotion in Elizabeth's voice when she said "You're home" to Philip. And then when Paige ran away out of guilt/discomfort (no more intimate love scenes between the two of you, please--I know I wanted you back together but TMI!) Philip and Elizabeth I thought both turned to watch her go like they'd noticed her emotional state too. It's not a prime concern yet, but they're noticing.

Nice to have Henry suggest he and Paige helping Mom and Dad at work if things are getting too hard. Never again, Henry!

Speaking of which, I like Philip calling the family "team."

I think Elizabeth's almost relieved to be dealing with the other agent where she's in control and knows just what to do, playing big sister to somebody else freaking out.

I feel like some of Philip's best qualities sometimes go without being noticed as much as Elizabeth's so I have to give a shout out here to his handling of the Fred situation. He barely regains consciousness before he's talking the guy down, getting a bead on everything happening in the scene (he's calling in a distress signal, etc.) and then using things he noticed in the apartment to figure out what makes the guy tick--the models and the money. Talk about Sherlock Holmes deductions. (Which was fitting since Fred apparently had both Sherlock Holmes and John LeCarre on his bookshelf.)

I also looked out for Philip using his trademark repetition during the scene and I seem to remember he did it at least 3x. "Listen to me. Listen to me" being the first I recall. Also "You know who I am. I told you who I am."

Also, I think it's the word "model" that's difficult for Matthew Rhys whether or not it has airplane after it.

I fact, that's a nice parallel to his other manipulation scene with Martha where he gets her to reconsider the new job by appealing to her sense of purpose and encouraging her to value her skills.

But nobody can manipulate everybody all the time, so she's probably getting that gun. A Chekhov .49 no doubt!

Philip also smoothly becomes "the guy" when he gets what Stan's buddy needs for a bachelor weekend. I sometimes get the feeling Elizabeth always first tries to sell everybody on the vacation she would like. ;-)

People have noted that Philip and Elizabeth are so separated lately-not by their choosing. I really like that they're setting up this sort of automatic bonding between spies. There was that reviewer from last week that feared that Philip would be more "bonded" with Martha because he was apart from Elizabeth, but the show actually seems to be setting up a very different type of conflict. Rather than it being a case of who you spend time with, it's all down to who you can be more honest and relaxed with.

There was a real sense, imo, of relief for all these people when they spoke to each other, even if the other person was a stranger (at least once whoever had the gun put it down). And it was all based on this common feeling they could know they shared. Lucia could tell Elizabeth what the guy she was with "thought" knowing who she really was. Fred could ask Philip Emmett's "real" name and get it. Philip could understand departed Emmett by knowing how unusual it was for him to talk about his kids--and Fred could immediately know that the boy with Philip was his son. (Not a big leap, but it was more than knowing it was his son, it was knowing that Philip was what he was and this was his son.)

I think Nina's convo with Oleg is going to have a lot of juicy deep meanings as we go on too. She really was right to be so dismissive of Oleg's claim that she was the first person who wasn't exactly what she seemed. That really said a lot about Oleg, the bored rich kid who thinks he's superior to all the drones in the world because he can't appreciate the complexity of human nature despite how many times he's been abroad.

That probably also fits with Oleg being in the technical side. He probably somewhat represents the kind of spycraft that deals in hard data. This reminds me a bit of one of the LeCarre novels--I think A Perfect Spy. The Cousins (i.e., the Americans) insist there's a mole before the Circus believes it because they're looking at statistics and data.

Henry yet again gets a rambling story to tell while no one else is listening to him. He didn't notice the tension at the table at breakfast last week and doesn't notice his parents unholy distraction on the street this week. No wonder later Henry only hears "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where Paige questions why Mom suddenly wants to go to the movies. And of course, Henry also has that ironic "I care about real life more than a game" when he actually means watching TV. Which somewhat works both ways--the Collins murder was on TV earlier, and that's real life. But he probably means fiction.

[soupytwist]

Philip was INCREDIBLY good at his job to not get killed in that situation!

I definitely read Paige as noticing Elizabeth's jumpiness and weird desire for a movie which then led to her abandoning them at a movie, too.

I love your interpretation of why Elizabeth suggested that holiday, ahaha.

I think there was TOTAL relief about being able to communicate in this episode, for sure. Actually, now you've mentioned it, emotional catharsis coming from honest communication is totally a theme. (One which we've usually seen from the other side as "not being able to be honest SUCKS SO MUCH"; it's nice to get the good pov for once!)

[endeni]

Wow, this show is such a joy! Qualitatively speaking of course 'cause the content itself is pretty grim more often than not. Still, the other shows I'm following right now are Teen Wolf, Supernatural and Agents of Shield (LOL) and nowadays it seems more and more that I do that more because I don't know how to stop and to keep up with the fandom than because I'm drawing some real enjoyment from them... *shakes head*
So thank goodness for The Americans - I'm also eagerly waiting for Once Upon a Time to come back, yay!
Anyway, about the episode... I really enjoyed that moment of female bonding&camaraderie between Elizabeth and the Cuban agent. ♥ So interesting! "Your revolution is beautiful"! And "we're here to help you, call any time". There's still the idealistic Elizabeth we know and love under all the worry of this season. And it's awesome to see her as some kind of mentor figure.
Also, Nina, poor dear, she's getting in deeper and deeper...
Boy, how I love the female characters of this show!
Lastly the script! So beautiful and quotable! "I'm a feminist. I work only for Mother Russia". ^^

[jae]

I loved Elizabeth getting to say something idealistic, too! That sort of thing is so important for her in moments of chaos like this last period. I do think Lucia is going to be a double-edged sword for her, though--she's going to ground her by allowing her to play a mentor role, but she's also going to remind her of her early self and everything she's given up/lost.

Oh, and Lucia is Nicaraguan--a Sandinista. Much more current for 1982 than Cuba. :)

-J

[soupytwist]

I really enjoyed this episode, but I don't feel very coherent, so here are some brief ramblings:

Elizabeth freaking out was done really well - it wasn't overdone or so subtle it felt non-existent, but perfectly in between. It made me really sad for her. I liked the way it was all tied in with them as a FAMILY UNIT, too, not just Elizabeth panicking by herself - the paralleling of the news bulletin about the murder, for instance.

I liked seeing some of how Clark's relationship with Martha is working. (Turning away so he wouldn't break his cover was a brilliant note, ow my heart.) And I thought it was really interesting that the job Martha wants to go for and is discouraged from is in Equal Opportunities. I don't think that's a coincidence at ALL. I love that she's going for self-defence! Yeah Martha! I do hope that a new job would mean a "divorce" and not being found in a dumpster, though. :(

Relatedly, I think we are being primed to link Nina and Martha's stories together, and it was even clearer here. Nina has a shot almost exactly like Martha;s from the premiere, where she's listening but the dudes just go on talking like she's a toaster or something. And Nina literally has a door shut in her face in a way that also made me think of Martha, who in her current job can only get to a certain level. I also linked that to Oleg saying he's a feminist because he only works for Mother Russia. (Which, DAYUM.) I think the note about Nina being the only one who is "not as they seem" is also related to this - especially with Nina's awesome reply that maybe he's wrong about everyone else then.

Oleg also thinks Blondie refers to Debbie Harry, rather than a band, which immediately docks him a million Katie points.

Philip saying "bye team" made me aw. They're a team!

OH GOD THE TERRIBLE TACHE/WIG COMBO, Philip is SEVENTIES PORN REPAIRMAN. Also WEAR GLOVES PHILIP OTHERWISE I WILL CRY and OMG THE ELECTROCUTION. I want to joke about it being a shocker, but it really did shock me! I didn't think Philip would actually die, but I did worry about being shot or otherwise in serious, serious trouble.

Is Stan... fetishising the intel Nina gives him? It weirdly sounded like it. o_O Also, I don't know if real-life people had to put the specific sex acts they performed in the line of duty in their reports, but I feel super bad for Nina that she apparently does. And then GIVES THAT TO HER BOSS. Yikes.

Stan turning up at the travel agency only for it to be about a stag do was also brilliant I think, and I lolled at Elizabeth trying really hard but picking completely the wrong thing to try to sell them, whereas Philip actually IS great at the salesman thing and goes right for the gold.

Son will be "taken care of"... doesn't sound good, and I was really glad (not surprised, but glad) when that was specifically talked about.

Sandinista spy and Elizabeth! Elizabeth was being kind of mentor-y, MOTHERLY even - "call anytime". It felt like she was giving her fellow spy the comfort and assistance that she can't give her kids (because they don't know anything is wrong) and also in a field she feels comfortable with (she knows she can do spy stuff, she is less sure about motherhood).

Philip and Elizabeth need to realise Paige can look stuff up!! It seemed she got an actual answer though - does anyone think she's going to run away or otherwise try to find these people she's heard about but never seen? Also, Paige dashing away so she won't see them get naked again, which made me laugh and laugh.

The final scene just broke my heart in so many ways. The whole thing that their lives are a long series of getting used to terrible things was sold really powerfully - even better in context than previews implied. I also tied it back in my own head to what the writers have said about both Philip and Elizabeth being victims of abuse: this is something they have in common, they are a "we" in this awful situation. Poor everyone.

[jae]

I do think if Philip can (eventually) extricate himself from Martha without killing her, he will--and not just for sentimental reasons. It's actually better for the KGB not to have another body lying around if he can make Martha think he's just left her to run off with another woman or something.

It's so horrifying that the son will be "taken care of." I had assumed that the KGB would keep a hands-off approach and just let him become a ward of the state, but that's even more cold.

And yeah, I love love love Elizabeth with Lucia and can't wait to see more. Man.

-J

[jo_lasalle]

Just a short note, but I thought that moment where Elizabeth congratulates the young agent on her fine revolution was simply wonderful.

The show really doesn't prettify any of the awful things Elizabeth and Philip do in the course of their work, but I love that it also takes their beliefs seriously and doesn't treat them with the smugness of hindsight. The thought that literally went through my head when I saw that scene was, 'they really allow for the nobility of the communist ideal'. I mean, written down it sounds a bit too big a word, but I was just that impressed.

[sistermagpie]

In one of the recaps linked to somebody said something really wonderful about Elizabeth this way. It was talking about how this ep, with the two separated, really showed you how they're both uniquely great spies in their own way in terms of how they relate to people. Philip is interested in people so is very good at going straight to their emotions--that's how he talks to Fred.

Where as Elizabeth "brings people back to themselves" with her demeanor. The Sandanista starts out hysterical and Elizabeth's manner just completely reinvests her and focuses her on the cause because she's so sincerely a symbol of it. The review described her as a human finger down the throat. LOL!

It's interesting, though, that we really don't see Philip or Elizabeth using this stuff on the other. At least not since their fight in the pilot over Timoshev and defection.

[katiac]

As a random note, we finally saw Elizabeth wearing everyday sleepwear! It was so humanizing to see her in not particularly matched, not particularly sexy pjs, just like any other woman who's having a bad day and is home alone.

[georgley]

Yes! I loved that detail. It was nice to see her just wearing comfy pjs.

[soupytwist]

Just reading the links,a nd the AV Club speculates that Martha might be pregnant. Did anyone else think that? Cause I just shrieked with horror!

(I mostly think she was ill just to contrast with last week: last time Philipw as with Martha when he wanted to be with Elizabeth, and this time he left Martha by herself even though she was home ill. But good lord, just the idea.)

[treonb]

She's pregnant because she has the flu? I think people are projecting.

[treonb]

I felt this episode was a lot of continuation, with some new stories opening up for the future. Have they decided to change formats?

Sorry about the order.. my mind is not linear today.

- I wasn't too worried about Philip with that agent. Though I think he's the one who joked once about the show becoming "The American" (?) I'm also pretty sure half the things he was saying (Paul said you didn't do it for the money) he made up on the spot.

- Martha with a gun, talking about not becoming a victim. Ouch. I'd love to see what happens when she realizes who Clark is. And that conversation with Philip suddenly realizing he's about to lose his source. Loved his face.

- Why is everybody eating bacon? and what's with the American flag? There was one flapping across the street from Emmett's agent.

- "Going to do it right this time" - yeah. Loved the "European vacation" flop.

- Why did Nina give Stan enough information to figure that walk-in? I'm guessing it's part of her plan to get back at Stan.

- Henry is constantly whining!

- The radio report about Sharon in the Sinai - I'd like to believe they took a real radio report, but I can't place it in history.

- Loved Elizabeth helping out the new agent. She seemed way flustered, but I guess she had a good excuse of taking drugs?

- Did the workmen actually do anything?

- When Philip and Elizabeth talk before he meets the agent, they seem to be talking in code. I can understand Elizabeth's side, but why is Philip bothering with it?

- Paige's spy work seemed disconnected from anything. Was that postcard on the board for ages? I was sure she was going to find one of the notes with the numbers list her mother's been writing everywhere.

- And.. again the show just cuts off.

[jae]

I felt this episode was a lot of continuation, with some new stories opening up for the future. Have they decided to change formats?

Yeah, I noticed this too. Last season the show wasn't exactly a procedural, either, but there was always SOMETHING tied up by the end of each episode, even if it was for the bad. But this season there's always more left dangling than there is tied up. I like the change, personally (though I thought the old format was fine too). I suspect we'll see shorter arcs over multiple episodes, and one big central arc over the course of the whole season.

The radio report about Sharon in the Sinai - I'd like to believe they took a real radio report, but I can't place it in history.

Ooh, if you do place it, let us know!

-J

[jae]

One additional comment: I just love how they have both Philip and Elizabeth being super-competent when new work-related developments require immediate attention during the very time that they're both so jumpy and fraying enough around the edges that it's noticable. Like, we've got Philip needing to turn away from Martha when she brings up Emmett and Leanne's murders, but thinking just so outstandingly on his feet when he has to get himself out of the jam of the thing with Fred. And Elizabeth is staring out windows and jumping at shadows, but when push comes to shove, she says all the right things with Lucia and knows exactly what to do to help her. It's some nice symmetry, and also very very them.

-J

[treonb]

They are super-competent! But I also liked the times when they aren't, like Elizabeth missing out on the radio message. It adds a lot to their chars.

[quantumreality]

Another thing? I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the VADWP truck! A standard "social engineering" trick is to look like something totally ordinary while doing something nefarious, and what better than to have a water utility truck going into a manhole to fix (allegedly) a pipe?

... when in reality you're probably setting a bug or three on the phone lines.

[lovingboth]

In my case, it was partly not realising that it was a water utility - it was clearly some utility van, but what? - but mostly because it was so obviously a bluff on the part of the writers.

Elizabeth was clearly worried, but without any indication that someone's that on to them, why should we be?

And if they're really worried about phone taps, why use Martha's name on the phonecall later? If it's FBI, someone may go 'Martha? 102? That's what your secretary Martha called in with...'

Fitting commercial

[jae]

Something I didn't notice the first or second times through--a particularly fitting Ford commercial that aired during The Americans in Canada with the following as its spoken narration:

We all spend our lives living in two worlds. The first is our own, filled with its priorities like our family, our friends, our weekends. The parts that keep us going. It's only when we pause long enough that we're reminded of the second world we live in and how much it matters.

-J

Re: Fitting commercial

[quantumreality]

Ha! So appropriate for our characters. :P

I wonder if any of the characters drive Fords. ;)

Smoking cocaine

[lovingboth]

Was that common in the US then?

A book I had at the time talked about how you could - if you wanted to - freebase the stuff, but you probably didn't want to. You wanted to sniff it or inject it or...

Not being a user, I thought it was at least a decade before smoking it as crack became more common.

Re: Smoking cocaine

[jae]

I was in the U.S. for at least a good portion of the 80s, and I remember being warned about it then (I was a teenager). It does seem like the big scares about it were at least a bit later than 1982, though--the latter half of the decade, more. That may be because I wasn't living in a major city at that point, though. Anyone else?

-J

On rewatch

[sistermagpie]

Okay, here comes my rewatch with tons of nitpicky observations...

* The Jennings do serious breakfasts.

* My suburban street growing up never had this much going on in it. Except when the school across the street was just going in or getting out.

* I know Clark's making orange juice from concentrate but that doesn't change that this is a pretty awesome breakfast he's making for his lady here.

* Clark's Clark-accent is making me laugh in this scene. It's like Philip dials his ass to be a couple of notches tighter. And his little mouth gets tighter too.

* Does Clark wear any dental stuff?

* I love Clark's "Good lord" about the Collins family murders.

* I love the ongoing distinction in the Jennings house b/w TV and news. I wonder if that started with Mom and Dad trying to cut down on TV time while obsessively watching the news.

* Nice that the Jennings have a literal picket fence.

* Philip must be positively gob-smacked at Elizabeth saying she didn't get the signal. This is ELIZABETH.

* I love Philip encouraging her to get out on the street a little. But he knows better than to show he thinks she needs encouragement.

* STAN!!! (Best greeting ever.)

* Do it right this time. Yeah. Right.

* If Philip was back in Russia right now he would be killing it on the black market. Born salesman, right Stan?

* I love reading comments from who thought the clock thing was a sign. Like maybe as soon as Stan leaves Phil will ask Elizabeth, "OMG, did the Centre steal that clock from Stan's mother for our office??!!"

*I suspect Oleg dancing would be kind of hilarious but he'd think he was awesome.

* I don't quite follow Elizabeth's line when she comes back from the drop. Philip says if there was someone watching the brush pass they'd have gotten them by now and she says "Why not?" Why not what?

* Elizabeth also makes the decision for Philip to go after Fred. Btw, is Fred Cardinal or Emmett? Or someone else?

* I love Arkady's office. It's like you can't walk into it without looking for a silver samovar.

* Henry's criticism of school is really awesome. He just thinks the teachers should communicate as it undermines both their pursuits of shared goals. It's a metaphor for the whole dang show, you guys!

* I also like that Henry takes an interest in their travel agent business. He'll remember what inclusive packages are. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point Henry actually provides an important piece of info to Paige.

* No coincidence Henry talks about the benefits of communication in an ep where people are communicating in the most inefficient ways possible because of the situation. Like Arkady even has to talk to the walk-in through an intercom.

* I read a comment somewhere from a guy who said he had trouble following the scenes at Fred's because his apartment looked so exactly like his at the same time. The tape holders especially were awesome--those aren't CDs!

* At first I totally didn't get what Philip was doing with the electrical box. The thing he put in has the word volts on it! It must be electrical related, right? Oh wait, spies.

* Still don't catch what Philip says about the bus to Elizabeth. Is he just saying it's better to pick the kids up today?

* Fred's got liquor out on the table-spying is stressful.

* Gloves would really have solved all Philip's problems here. And they'd match his outfit.

* On the bookcase I see Smiley's People and is the other one Tinker Tailor? And then Sherlock Holmes and Richard Bach. Philip gets a ton more info from that shelf than LOL! it's the 80s.

* There are, like, no naked women in that Playboy.

* I love Philip feeling the thing under the shag rug.

* Crap. (The shock happened.)

* I think it's intentionally ambiguous whether Nina's supposed to be telling Stan about the walk-in. She lies about not knowing when the guy showed up.

*Stan just resolutely insists on pronouncing it Ar-CADE-ee. I sympathize because that's the way I pronounced it in my head when reading "The Adolescent" and I really liked it, but even I gave in after hearing a Russian pronounce it correctly, Stan. Btw, how those Russian lessons going?

* Nina's also talking about how the walk in was "in there a long time" when the last we saw he was sitting alone. It'd be cool if the guy was actually unimportant.

* I love how much of helping spies involves just calming them down and assuring them they're doing okay. Fred and Lucia both get that.

* Damn if Philip isn't using a DIFFERENT ACCENT in this scene with Fred! It's not a full out different accent. It's subtle. But listen to how he says CIA etc. He's not totally talking like himself.

*Speaking of which, I know not everybody's seeing my commercials, but this new Fargo show. Apparently it's got Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thorton? I see the Cohen brother-type in both, but isn't it weird to cast a TV show based on a movie known for its Minnesota accents with two actors very much known for working in their very different native accents?

* Elizabeth would have left the kids alone if those street workers didn't freak her out.

* Got the third repetition from Philip in the scene with Fred: "It's okay, Fred. Fred, it's okay."

* I like how the Philip/Fred scene lands on "we're both his friends" rather than the fact they're working together. In fact, it's subtly contrasting to Elizabeth's scene with Lucia, because she stresses them as being bonded through their work. I don't think there's any judgment implied about one being better, btw. They're just the two sides to what they do.

* Philip says Paul "said" that Fred did it for something bigger--that's a little fib in there, right? Trying to imply that Paul had actually told Philip about Fred personally.

* Interesting that he not only tells him Paul's dead, but that he's that murder in the paper. I wonder why he does that.

* Hmm. Fred also asks why Philip told him that. I think Philip really gets that this guy needs signals that he stands out among agents enough to be "in the know" in the way they aren't. He even stresses that Paul wore disguises for Fred's protection (not so Fred didn't get to see him for Emmett's protection).

* Philip seems to relax only when Fred's weeping.

* Got dark really fast there for the Jennings. I mean literally dark. It was daylight when she said they were leaving right that minute.

* Elizabeth's not selling this sudden thing she forgot at the office thing at all well.

* And now *Philip's* bringing *Fred* a glass of water in his own house. Talk about a flip of control. Fred's even sitting while Philip's standing.

* What was his real name? Let's say Emmett. Not his real name, but one one layer peeled back.

* I'm eager to find out if Philip really has a close relationship to Emmett himself that he's drawing on here, rather than just flattering an isolated agent by saying Emmett didn't take to a lot of people like he knows that for sure.

* I mean, there have been hints that we might get flashbacks about how relationships were formed this season, so I wouldn't be surprised if the season gets more into the past of Philip/Elizabeth/Emmett/Leanne, including convos between Philip and Emmett about why they do this. Or why people do this. The other family seems a little older too, so they might have been mentors.

* Mentors with whom they occasionally stage threesomes. Their jobs are weird.

* Fred's talking about Jared left all alone. Of course Fred would be more ignorant than Philip about what might be done for or to Jared, but I feel like the show sees that the orphan they must ignore is a bigger dramatic hook that raises more interesting questions.

*And this is the first time Philip says Jared will be taken care of, but more smoothly, and Fred actually is reassured by it.

*And then makes the connection to Henry. Ouch. But that's why Fred's reassured--he knows he's talking to a dad just like Emmett who'd trust his own kid to be taken care of.

*And then Philip actually gets seriously important info he didn't know he was missing. And he pretty much only gets it because he forms a personal bond with this guy. Way to go, Philip!

* Damn, it's so awesome to contrast that scene with Elizabeth Lucia where Elizabeth's showing how the official protocol is important and sometimes a professional interaction is the most comforting thing. Especially if the professional is Wonder Woman. I mean, Elizabeth.

* I like Gaad's space shuttle crack.

* Lucia must be just overwhelmed at Elizabeth's awesomeness. Who was that capped woman?

* I love how many convos Philip and Elizabeth have had just this season that include "It's a long story...tell you later."

* Cool typewriter, Nina!

* I know Philip would probably have intentionally used two phone booths anyway, but I imagine him making the decision to blow Martha off after leaving the first one.

* I hope he made sure there was some flight that was cancelled that day. Let's not get too sloppy, Clark.

* There's something so creepy having him be Clark out of costume. I guess because with the wig and glasses he "becomes" Clark in some way, but here he's like Philip pretending to be this poor woman's husband.

* Oh, Martha. Nobody *wants* to be a victim.

* Did Paige not get the info on the phone in that scene? She starts to write on her hand but she doesn't have enough time to get a phone number or address. (Or for the operator to even search, actually.)

* I love that Philip tells Elizabeth exactly why he came home: I heard your voice on the phone (and it didn't sound good!)

*I said this before, but I love how Philip never forgets his hand in every scene. The one time I got a shock I spent the whole day obsessed with my tongue. I'd gotten shocked in the finger or something but I guess it came out my tongue so that's where it was numb. So it was like a science experiment.

* I went into a ton of detail on this last P&E scene elsewhere, but just putting in one more word about how it still seems to be about Jared's future life. If he's the Dead Boy Walking, what does it matter that he screamed last week? They have to at least think it's a possibility that he's going to be left alive. Otherwise how dopey are these two? Your working for your children's future assassins!

*Love love love Philip's last confession there. It's not even just about an abstract feeling that they have choices, I don't think. I think it's also an acknowledgement that the work means something to him, that he wanted the info, wanted to get away with it and agreed that Henry made a better cover.

*I think another recapper noted this, that Elizabeth's all about the cause, but she'll freak out over her children being in danger. And Philip is all about family, but he'll use his kid as a cover.

*This is one of the many ways the show benefits from how seriously it takes their convictions. It doesn't ask us to invest in what they are, specifically, but it understands people being motivated to make a difference. The idea's brought up over and over, with Martha, Fred, Lucia and Elizabeth. Even Henry's comment about a game vs. real life kind of echoes it. Philip seems less inspired by it these days, but I think he still is tied to it and understands why he does what he does. And it might get dug into a bit later.

Re: On rewatch

[jae]

Clark's Clark-accent is making me laugh in this scene. It's like Philip dials his ass to be a couple of notches tighter. And his little mouth gets tighter too.

I find his Clark accent remarkably inconsistent this season! It's got to be deliberate, too, and I just love that--it fits the most recent chaos so well. I wonder how that ends up sounding to Martha.

Philip must be positively gob-smacked at Elizabeth saying she didn't get the signal.

Yeah, there's this PAUSE where he's like "wha?" And then he just lets it go. (I love how they can both let things like that go! It's so key to the success of their partnership, even dating from before they were a real couple.

Btw, is Fred Cardinal or Emmett? Or someone else?

I was wondering this, too. Anyone?

And now *Philip's* bringing *Fred* a glass of water in his own house. Talk about a flip of control.

I noticed this, too. He sure won him over fast! I guess when Fred caves, he just totally caves.

-J

[alisonx]

Sorry, this nitpicky question is probably really stupid, but I've been wondering ever since the sneak peaks came out after ep 1, why did Elizabeth just pick up the phone, take a message and not say hi/bye/thanks for the message etc? Like, not even a "thanks, I'll give him the message," to make it more believable - she just hung up. Do these silent telephone convos happen often in the Jennings house?

[treonb]

I thought that was weird too. And Paige didn't seem more suspicious because of it, either.

be his girlfriend

[treonb]

I was thinking about what Elizabeth was saying "be his girlfriend": does she actually follow her own advice? It seems Philip is the one who gets to be 'friends', Elizabeth gets her information through sex. The one time where we know she actually was a girlfriend, she fell in love with her agent.

What am I missing?

Re: be his girlfriend

[jae]

Based on the previews I've seen, I suspect we'll see her using a couple of other techniques this season.

-J

[wendelah1]

Could you remind people not to post spoilers here? I will give this one more try. I love you all but if I see spoilers for episode four in the discussion for three, I'll have to skip the discussions until the end of the season. Episode one was ruined for me (and my son) by the promos for The Americans which were being shown on Justified!

[jae]

Will remind! Thanks.

-J

[shapinglight]

I liked this episode better than the first one (though I liked that just fine). I find Nina a very interesting character. I'm slightly wondering whether she's thinking of becoming a triple agent now. Did the Rezident give her permission to tell Stan about the walk-in?

I keep missing stuff, unfortunately, as there are no subtitles. I also missed how Elizabeth knew to go and help the girl in the alley.

[treonb]

Nina is very interesting. I think she always works in her interest too.. so she was a double agent from the beginning :-)

Depends on how you watch the show, you can download subtitles online. If you need help, I can guide you through it.