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

[shapinglight]

Couldn't get to watch the episode in my usual way (hope that won't be the case next week) but have finally managed it.

Feeling desperately sad for Oleg. It wouldn't entirely surprise me if the scene in the cell with Stan is the last we see of him.

I feel sad for Elizabeth too. She's made her choice, and though I think she made the right choice, and it's had the consequence of cutting her adrift from all her support systems, save for Philip. She must feel horribly alone.

I'm not much good at speculating, but I suspect this isn't going to end well for a lot of characters, and I can't stop thinking about that cyanide pill.

[saraqael]

If that scene of Oleg in the cell is the last we ever see of him, I will cry. He deserves a much better fate. Though I suppose it could be worse. Oleg could arrange to get the espionage charges dropped and he could go home to discover that his family has been arrested and then he's arrested there. Better an American jail than a Russian jail.

And yeah...they still haven't disposed of the cyanide pill so that's still in play.

[shapinglight]

Better an American jail than a Russian jail.

Yes, plus he'd have a chance of being released during the Yeltsin era and possibly escaping with his family to the West.

And possibly dying of polonium/novichok poisoning at a later date, but let's look on the bright side.

Someone is going to take that cyanide pill. I'm pretty sure of it.

[lovingboth]

Oleg is not going to do anything like twenty years. Arresting the son of a top Soviet minister during an important summit? The State Dept are going to want to say something and even if convicted* he'd be swapped for someone held by the Soviets.

* I'm still not sure why he doesn't decrypt the message to something innocuous, like predictions of the best hockey games to bet on. It's not like the FBI have anything else on him.

[shapinglight]

I'm still not sure why he doesn't decrypt the message to something innocuous, like predictions of the best hockey games to bet on. It's not like the FBI have anything else on him.

Surely they flat out wouldn't believe him?