Episode discussion post: "The Summit"

[jae]

Aired:
16 May 2018 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 608 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 eight.)

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Comments

[shapinglight]

It had honestly never occurred to me that Philip's suit-buying was connected (in his head) to his impending funeral. It certainly explains an otherwise puzzling scene, given that Philip had previously told Stavos the firm was in trouble.

Absolutely wonderful episode in every way. The scene of Erica's death left me in tears. So tough to watch. I agree that it started (or helped on, the conversation with Philip started it) a process in Elizabeth that then progressed through the picture burning scene - very, very significant that at first she stuffed it in her locker then changed her mind - which then led to her sparing the intern (I think his trembling lower lip that did it) and ultimately Nestorenko.

I have no idea now how this is going to end. None. I just know I don't want Elizabeth to swallow that cyanide pill.

[saraqael]

That Philip was picking out a suit to be buried in was my instant reaction to that scene. Stan suspects them of something, their cover story business is failing, and Elizabeth is on a suicide mission. Most important, he knows that he'll die to protect her from whatever she's caught up in. Because she's who she is, she see her mission finished to the bitter end and then swallow her cyanide like a good solider, and he'll die to save her from that fate because he loves her.

Philip's funeral suit

[sistermagpie]

Plus he'd just told her he was spying on her for shadowy forces, Soviet or no. He couldn't rule out that he would be killed by them.

Not that I think it was just a case of him practically assuming he would die. But he'd just risked ending everything so it seems like he'd feel like that in general.

The movie he rented seemed to point to that even more than the suit to me!

Re: Philip's funeral suit

[saraqael]

Well, now I've just read a Vulture article in which the J's said it was all just 'retail therapy' because Philip's become so Americanized, and Americans react to stress by buying things. LOL. I'm still going with funeral suit.

http://www.vulture.com/2018/05/heres-the-story-behind-that-russian-movie-on-the-americans.html

Re: Philip's funeral suit

[sistermagpie]

Yes, I heard that and sorry, they're just wrong. I know it sounds silly to say writers are wrong about what they wrote, but come on. "Americans" do not react to stress by buying things. Some do, some don't. You can't just show someone buying something when stressed in the US and expect it to be understood as retail therapy. Obviously, since I haven't seen a single person in the American audience who even thought of it!

Characters who do retail therapy either have a habit of it or it's established that's what they're doing in some way. Having Philip getting fitted for a suit while looking grim-faced can't read as retail therapy any more than Philip stuffing his face at a diner would have read as stress eating just because Americans do that. (That probably would have read as a last meal.)

That's especially true when the scene's surrounded by Philip trying to talk to his son who he's let down, Philip begging forgiveness of someone he wronged and Philip deciding to just rent a Russian movie to watch at home...dude, it's a funeral suit.

Honestly, I think when they saw so many people spontaneously interpret it as Philip buying a funeral suit they should have just taken credit for it instead of admitting they wrote what was essentially shallow "stress" filler and a joke only they got.

Also Elizabeth's still got a far more extensive designer wardrobe than her husband.

Showrunners/Writers and Interview Questions

[quantumreality]

That's another thing - when writers or showrunners will deliberately give out misleading information to obscure future plot points, or give absurdly pat answers to questions. That's an insult to the audience's intelligence. As well, I think in some cases (not wanting to stir a huge meta-pot of debate, though) this kind of misdirection has profound ethical implications.

It won't kill anybody if they ask for an interview to be embargoed until Day X, or if they say, "Unfortunately, at this time answering that question could unintentionally spoil major plot points in upcoming episodes, so we'll decline to answer."

That would be way more respectful of the audience's intelligence.

Re: Philip's funeral suit

[jae]

They might literally be wrong. They don't have main writing credit on that episode (plus, you'd have to ask Katie Irish what her intentions were on the designs of the suit). They're the big bosses, but they don't know the intentions of absolutely everyone involved in the show at all times.

I'm personally not convinced that Philip would care what his corpse wore after his death, though.

-J

Re: Philip's funeral suit

[sistermagpie]

Oh, I don't think anybody considered it, like, a fashion issue. More just a way of acting rather than just being acted upon. There's a dignity in preparation, no matter what preparing is going on. (And as Betty Draper knows, that is something that's going to have to be decided by somebody!)

Also, in my mind even if this interpretation is correct I don't think Philip would have literally thought of himself as doing it. Just like I don't think he'd have literally been thinking, "Well, I'm going to die so I'll break the rules watch a Russian movie in my living room. I'll never see the place again in person." But it's obviously a huge thing to do.

That reminds me something from another ep that I don't know if i ever mentioned, but it's when Philip is with Tuan and he's thinking of his father and the song "Cranes" is playing. I originally assumed the song was from the 40s so it was one he'd associate with childhood. It's a song about WWII. But I only recently discovered the song's from the late 60s--so after Philip left. He probably wouldn't even ever have heard it. Yet they used it--the only Russian song ever--for him. A song about soldiers dying on a foreign battlefield and never going home.

Re: Philip's funeral suit

[quantumreality]

IA that it was a funeral suit. It's double-breasted, and looks *way* too fancy on Philip. In fact it looked almost too big on him and I wonder if that was deliberate - to show how he's been trying to fit into the capitalist ideal of a small business owner, and failing at his blending-in.