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

A few things: Oleg/Stan, Paige/Elizabeth, Claudia, Andre

[maidenjedi]

So much to unpack, and only an episode left - my nails are down to the quick, y'all.

Oleg - Of all times for him to get caught! And his patriotism is awe-inspiring, frankly. The scene with him and Stan in the cell was really affecting. An American, even with Stan's experience, can't quite wrap his mind around an internal enemy, and even if he could, he can't be concerned with the politics. The funny thing is, if the roles were reversed, I think Oleg would help Stan - because their motivations are so very different.

More on Stan - Hard to know where to begin, but I felt a bit bad for him that Aderholt didn't really take his suspicions seriously. And also that he was clearly struggling mightily with the idea that Philip has lied to him - the scene at the travel agency was painfully awkward, but also, Stan has his own fellow-feeling for Philip reinforced in some ways, at least to my eyes. Everything else I'm thinking is speculation for what comes next, so I'll save it.

Paige/Elizabeth - It took this long for Paige to really absorb the fact that her mother never stopped lying to her? Really? I'm glad she finally called Elizabeth out on it, and not at all surprised that Elizabeth, in spite of all her moral crises in these last two episodes, tried to keep up the facade a little longer.

Claudia - I don't think she's going to leave. A huge part of me wonders whether she won't tip off the Center, putting E/P/P between them and the FBI. I just can't imagine her last act on the show is going to be calmly and defiantly eating a Russian meal. Or maybe it is, and we don't get to find out if she makes it out (where she will also, presumably, find that the suspicions against her faction in the party are not given credence, because Elizabeth's message doesn't reach them).

Andre - Wow, dude, wow. I find it hard to believe he's so naive that he didn't realize what was happening, and I wonder if he was trying to ensure that he wouldn't be the only one who went down, by having that meeting in so public a place (or really at all, when he knew the "American authorities" were circling).

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