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.)

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Paige and Honeytrapping

[quantumreality]

Elizabeth is fooling herself if she thinks Paige isn't already getting ideas and determined to put them into practice. She already had her trial run with Matt Beeman and now she's going for a second try in using her attractiveness to blind her would-be boyfriend to the truth of what she's "into him" for.

I remember wondering last season if Paige wouldn't wake up one day next to a guy realizing she just crossed another line, and if it would even matter anymore to her.

She's already lied, cheated, stolen, and abused people's trust in service to a foreign power. The only thing left on her list is to kill someone.

Re: Paige and Honeytrapping

[sistermagpie]

Elizabeth is fooling herself if she thinks Paige isn't already getting ideas and determined to put them into practice. She already had her trial run with Matt Beeman and now she's going for a second try in using her attractiveness to blind her would-be boyfriend to the truth of what she's "into him" for.

Nobody is actually acting as if this alleged career for Paige in an important job is actually happening. She herself shows no interest in it. All her ambition goes to finding ways to make sex important. She doesn't consider becoming an intern herself, despite that potentially being good for that great future.

Everything about her training says she's a low level drone whose biggest assets are being pretty and young. She's only thinking short term and so is Elizabeth. Plus instead of using her life to be a spy she's obviously trying to just use the spy stuff to give meaning to her life. Elizabeth's very important advice about not calling attention to herself got the usual eye roll.