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

Re: Replacing family

[sistermagpie]

Wow, this sent me down a whole new rabbithole wondering exactly how Philip sees it. Because I see what you meant about love for Russia over love for his wife because by spying on her he's lying to her. But that also makes me wonder if he equates love for his wife with allowing her to do something that he saw as hurting the country? Especially since it kind of seems as if he's already losing her by not being engaged in spying at all.

I almost feel like she'd be more relieved at Philip being involved because at least he's not just living that ideologically uninformed life. It would certainly give her an excuse to talk to him!

Re: Replacing family

[saraqael]

Of course, Philip's first instinct was to tell Elizabeth, not to lie to her or to spy on her. I'm sure he thought that if he could only warn her that she was mixed up in something very bad, that she would see reason and then together they'd figure out what to do. And by 'see reason' I don't mean she'd defect or suddenly decide to join him and work with Oleg. I mean she would recognize that being contacted outside of the normal Directorate S channels was a clue that something was very, very wrong with her assignment and she should go over Claudia's head to get confirmation that her task was authorized.

Right now, she's too exhausted and too vested in doing a good job for her to hear anything he has to say. That doesn't mean that Philip will just give up and turn on her though. I think he'll keep tabs on her for her own good as well as for the good of Russia. (And she'll try to push him away for exactly the same reason.)