Episode discussion post: "Tchaikovsky"

[jae]

Aired:
4 April 2018 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 602 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 six, episode two.)

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Comments

Philip and Paige

[lovingboth]

If Paige does know, which is likely although Philip was never as much as part of her training as Elizabeth was, then what does she think about it?

Here she is, risking her freedom - and if it's not clear that it's also risking her life too after this episode, it never will be - for an abstract notion and there he is stopping helping defend his motherland, the country of his birth.

If he's prepared to do that, why wouldn't he be prepared to betray them?

(One of the options for the 'what happens in the end' poll: Philip attempts to save Paige and/or Elizabeth from something by turning, and probably fails to do so...)

Re: Philip and Paige

[sistermagpie]

I admit, I'm sort of partial to a story where Paige gets Philip in trouble in a way reminiscent of kids informing on their parents in the USSR. Because she'd be so focused on promoting herself as the good soldier she "finds Philip's lack of faith disturbing" and tells Claudia about it possibly without understanding the consequences. Naturally she would consider herself the more committed soldier already even without having much done anything.

She'd be following in Mom's footsteps to a point there. But that might get complicated because Philip isn't really betraying them, he's working for Russia too.

Re: Philip and Paige

[quantumreality]

I'm wondering what it might look like from Paige's POV if she gets arrested. Would she even have a trial? Or would she just be "disappeared" for a months-long interrogation followed by summary execution?

There are some illuminating symmetries to Nina's situation here, too, I think.