Episode discussion post: "Cardinal"

[jae]

Aired:
5 March 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
9 March 2014 in Israel
22 March 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 202 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 if you're reading this later and have already seen subsequent episodes, but please take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season two, episode two.)

Original promo trailers

"Next On: Cardinal" (Watch on YouTube)

"The Americans: Exclusive Scene from Episode 2" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Vulture
From Hitfix
From The AV Club
From The Huffington Post
From IGN
From Think Progress
From SpoilerTV
From Zap2it
From Television Without Pity
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From Filmthrasher
From showratings.tv
From Newsmanone
From Screenrant
From the LA Times
From Geekbinge
From tvrage.com
From Unreality TV (UK)

Comments

[treonb]

I felt this episode was a lot of continuation, with some new stories opening up for the future. Have they decided to change formats?

Sorry about the order.. my mind is not linear today.

- I wasn't too worried about Philip with that agent. Though I think he's the one who joked once about the show becoming "The American" (?) I'm also pretty sure half the things he was saying (Paul said you didn't do it for the money) he made up on the spot.

- Martha with a gun, talking about not becoming a victim. Ouch. I'd love to see what happens when she realizes who Clark is. And that conversation with Philip suddenly realizing he's about to lose his source. Loved his face.

- Why is everybody eating bacon? and what's with the American flag? There was one flapping across the street from Emmett's agent.

- "Going to do it right this time" - yeah. Loved the "European vacation" flop.

- Why did Nina give Stan enough information to figure that walk-in? I'm guessing it's part of her plan to get back at Stan.

- Henry is constantly whining!

- The radio report about Sharon in the Sinai - I'd like to believe they took a real radio report, but I can't place it in history.

- Loved Elizabeth helping out the new agent. She seemed way flustered, but I guess she had a good excuse of taking drugs?

- Did the workmen actually do anything?

- When Philip and Elizabeth talk before he meets the agent, they seem to be talking in code. I can understand Elizabeth's side, but why is Philip bothering with it?

- Paige's spy work seemed disconnected from anything. Was that postcard on the board for ages? I was sure she was going to find one of the notes with the numbers list her mother's been writing everywhere.

- And.. again the show just cuts off.

[jae]

I felt this episode was a lot of continuation, with some new stories opening up for the future. Have they decided to change formats?

Yeah, I noticed this too. Last season the show wasn't exactly a procedural, either, but there was always SOMETHING tied up by the end of each episode, even if it was for the bad. But this season there's always more left dangling than there is tied up. I like the change, personally (though I thought the old format was fine too). I suspect we'll see shorter arcs over multiple episodes, and one big central arc over the course of the whole season.

The radio report about Sharon in the Sinai - I'd like to believe they took a real radio report, but I can't place it in history.

Ooh, if you do place it, let us know!

-J

[treonb]

Ooh, if you do place it, let us know!

Hee! Well, that was my way of saying they either made that up or I'm embarrassingly clueless. But let's say it this way, Sharon became Defense Minister in August 1981, so it must be after. Following the 1979 peace agreement, Israel withdrew in stages from the Sinai, ending in April 1982. In June 1982, the Lebanon War started, and then I really don't see why Sharon would threaten Egypt with anything. But I don't see why he'd risk the peace agreement before that either.

[theplatonicnonyeah]

I think it was when Israel withdrew completely from the area after the Egypt/Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.

[treonb]

Oh, oh, oh - Sadat was assassinated October 1981. If there was any point when tensions were high, that was it.

[sistermagpie]

I'm also pretty sure half the things he was saying (Paul said you didn't do it for the money) he made up on the spot.

Definitely--but he was making it up based on things he'd seen in the apartment, like the pile of money--probably the books too.

- When Philip and Elizabeth talk before he meets the agent, they seem to be talking in code. I can understand Elizabeth's side, but why is Philip bothering with it?

Maybe they think the phone could be bugged? It did throw me when he suddenly said something odd, but I can't remember what it was.

- Paige's spy work seemed disconnected from anything. Was that postcard on the board for ages? I was sure she was going to find one of the notes with the numbers list her mother's been writing everywhere.

You mean disconnected from the rest of the story of the ep or the spywork? I think the postcard would have come from Elizabeth during her stay with her great aunt, so Paige was using the address to try to contact the woman herself.

- Why did Nina give Stan enough information to figure that walk-in? I'm guessing it's part of her plan to get back at Stan.

I think we're meant to maybe not know the game on this. Is Nina telling Stan things she hasn't been approved to tell? Maybe. But I don't think she's yet got reason to think her goals and Arkady's are that different. (Though it would be funny to think it's now Nina who wants to bring the bad guys to justice instead of just bleeding them dry of info!)

Some people suggested she was playing both sides, but that seems like a completely silly thing for her to do given her past actions and current situation.