Episode discussion post: "Crossbreed"

[jae]

Aired:
11 April 2017 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 506 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 even if you're coming in late--and you should also feel free to start a new thread if it seems too daunting to read through what's already been posted first. If you're reading this at a point where you've already seen subsequent episodes, though, please take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season five, episode six.)

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Comments

[sistermagpie]

A very interesting episode anyway, though I found it rather disjointed at times, and the scene at the psychiatrist's office confused me. Why did Elizabeth break in there, or did I just misunderstand the scene?

Elizabeth "sooted" the key--put soot on it. Then she used the key in the door. That marked the key so that she could make a copy of it later.

I think at this point they might just think it's better for them to keep Mischa Jr. in a regular life at home for Philip.

[shapinglight]

Elizabeth "sooted" the key--put soot on it. Then she used the key in the door. That marked the key so that she could make a copy of it later.

Yes, but why? Is the psychiatrist connected somehow to their latest operation, because if so I missed in what way?

As for Mischa Jnr, you could well be right, but even if the character never re-appears in the show, I still think his brief presence in the US has to be used in some way to up the emotional ante for the Jenningses, so I am anticipating Gabriel either blurting out about what happened, or (more likely) accidentally letting it slip before he leaves to go home.

The Shrink and the Key

[sistermagpie]

Yes, but why? Is the psychiatrist connected somehow to their latest operation, because if so I missed in what way?

Oh! Sorry, yes, it seemed from the show that he's connected somehow. All we heard was that Elizabeth said I think Gabriel had given her the name of the psychiatrist, and she was looking at his files while she was in the office and then later told Philip what kind of security he had in there. So we don't know exactly how he fits in, but there's something.

I'd love it if Gabriel arranged for at least one tape exchange between him and Philip.

Re: The Shrink and the Key

[shapinglight]

Ah, okay. Obviously, the psychiatrist is part of an operation we as yet know nothing about. Thanks.

I think I must have missed some dialogue (the soundtrack on the episode was extremely noisy for me in some points - as if the background traffic sounds had somehow taken over). I couldn't think why Elizabeth was there. I even toyed with the idea that she was so worried about Philip that she'd broken into the psychiatrist's office just to talk about Philip by proxy.

What the heck was Elizabeth doing spying on a psychiatrist?

[jae]

Yes, but why? Is the psychiatrist connected somehow to their latest operation, because if so I missed in what way?

I think the writers are doing that thing they did last season, where they had Philip and Elizabeth doing all kinds of mission-related things that we didn't understand fully (or in some cases at all) until it all came together at the end of the season. So we weren't meant to understand yet, we were just meant to register that this is what is happening.

-J