Episode discussion post: "Jennings, Elizabeth"

[jae]

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

This is a discussion post for episode 609 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 nine.)

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Comments

Elizabeth's message

[lovingboth]

What makes you think it doesn't reach its intended recipients?

"I also contacted Gorbachev's people. I told them everything you were planning" suggests it already has.

Re: Elizabeth's message

[saraqael]

Elizabeth's message to Oleg was intercepted by the FBI when they picked up Oleg. He hadn't had a chance to decode or forward it, so the message didn't reach it's intended recipients.

Re: Elizabeth's message

[lovingboth]

Ahhh - for some reason I was still thinking the idea was that Philip would get a 'meet me' message to Oleg for her. I'd forgotten that was ruled out.

Presumably there is some form of signal to say 'got it' and - assuming the pair are still anywhere near Washington, its absence will be noted.

Re: Elizabeth's message

[saraqael]

I doubt they're going to stick around DC long enough to find out if Oleg left Philip a follow-up message. Their cover has been completely blown (or would be as soon as the Bureau nabbed Father Andrei). Any shelter and assistance they might have gotten from the Center is also blown, so they've got to get out of the area and vanish as quickly as they can and then figure out their next steps. Gorbachev's fate, the summit, the Center, Oleg... all irrelevant to them now.

Re: Elizabeth's message

[maidenjedi]

I didn't get the impression she reached out, or would have known how to reach out, to anyone but Oleg through Philip, and unless more time had passed and Philip had another way of tipping off "Gorbachev's people," I feel pretty certain the message doesn't get there (except through the comparatively subtle way of the murder of that one agent who was after Nesterenko; I'm sure someone could take that as a warning and would, but they would not necessarily know all the players).

Re: Elizabeth's message

[sistermagpie]

We know it didn't. Her message was in Oleg 's pocket and now it's with Stan. Elizabeth doesn't know that.

Re: Elizabeth's message

[(Anonymous)]

It was intercepted by the FBI