Episode discussion post: "The Great Patriotic War"

[jae]

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

This is a discussion post for episode 605 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 five.)

Original promo trailer

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Comments

[shapinglight]

Did anyone else think that after killing Gennady and Sofia, when Elizabeth stood for a moment in the corridor outside the room where little Ilya was watching TV, she was trying to decide whether or not she should kill him too?

That was a very chilling moment in an episode full of them.

After the murders

[sistermagpie]

Oh yeah, she considered it.

Weirdly, she was not covered in blood despite those two bloody murders. Maybe bring a gun with a silence next time?

[saraqael]

I think if Ilya had been awake, I think she would have killed him immediately. Since he was asleep, I interpret that scene in a couple of ways: she was standing there wondering if she should kill him, but she was also in a bit of shock and regret because she knew how traumatic it was going to be for the child when he woke up. Even at her most extreme, I don't think that Elizabeth would want to cause this sort of visceral trauma to a child if she could avoid it.

[lovingboth]

This is why I wondered if it was her who called the police - it minimises the horror for her, because she has (slightly) less on her conscience.

And it ensures the FBI can't cover it up = the message gets out.

[sistermagpie]

I don't think she'd ever have called the police. It would tip them off that a woman did the killing, for one. Besides which there's no reason to do that since the FBI should be right there.

[lovingboth]

"I heard screaming in another apartment. No, I don't want to be involved..."

The FBI are hanging around outside the building. They could (and probably should) cover up that two of the people they're supposed to be protecting have just been slaughtered.

[sistermagpie]

"I heard screaming in another apartment. No, I don't want to be involved..."

Pretty sure she'd still be considered the suspected killer there even if she told them she wasn't.

After the murders

[treonb]

That scene threw me back to cases of terrorists knifing off families at home, and then going after the little kids. I was sure she was going to finish him off. Even though she didn't, she definitely considered it.

Re: After the murders

[shapinglight]

Yeah, that's what I thought was going to happen too. I don't think I would've been able to watch if it had.

Re: After the murders

[treonb]

I guess it was a step too far for the show. In any case, I usually watch her murders through my fingers. Her most recent ones are extremely bloody

Re: After the murders

[sistermagpie]

Weirdly, she didn't get any blood on her with this one despite all the stabbing in the neck!