theamericans | Promo discussion: Episode 2x03

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treonb posting in

This post is intended to allow discussion of the upcoming episode, as reflected in the promos.

Please keep the comments spoiler free from anything not mentioned in these promos.

Also, if you happen across any more clips, please drop a note in the comments and I'll update this post.

"Next On: The Walk In" (Watch on YouTube)

"The Americans: Exclusive Scene from Episode 3" (Watch on YouTube)

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From:

katiac

That's one of the most intriguing parts of it, I think. And I don't think they would EVER want to tell them that part, or any part, for that matter, but then Elizabeth has a problem with flat-out lying. Yes, she lies to the kids all the time when necessary (I was with Aunt Helen) but more often finds a way to indirectly not lie. But if they ever got to the point with the kids that they were telling them the truth, I wonder if they could put two and two together and then P/E would soften the answer into, like you said, a we immediately loved you so much version of it but not really lie either.

Really almost worse than the "we had you under orders" bit is the "we had you to reduce suspicion on us even though you were in constant danger of your lives being disrupted/destroyed if we were captured," which is so awful I don't even think P/E consciously think about it much if ever, even if they're aware that was the purpose. Even if Paige and Henry eventually were able to understand what their parents went through, how they were young when recruited, brainwashed, etc, they'd be a lot older before they'd have any sort of sense of perspective in the world, and it's also, I think, harder to look at your 40 year old parents and imagine how they could've ever done that.

From:

sistermagpie

Yeah, it's kind of a fascinating place, really. Becauase the kids would be looking at it from a kid's perspective, which is all about themselves. So it's all about how could they do that to them, not care about them at all. But if Philip and Elizabeth were to try to explain it it's like...they were kids themselves, but they were more like young adults. Old enough to take on the job, old enough to be married, but not experienced enough to really know what it meant. So it was just abstract. But once the baby was real, everything changed.

Not that Elizabeth would ever talk like this to her kids, but I have a moment of horrible laughter at imagining her doing her usual "let me explain how hard this was for ME" reaction to confrontation where she explains to Paige and Henry how she's being saddled with a baby that she didn't want and she's worried is going to distract her from work, plus the kid will be American which is just horrifying to her. They should sympathize with how terrible that was...for her!" (And then Philip gags her.)

From:

katiac

they were kids themselves, but they were more like young adults. Old enough to take on the job, old enough to be married, but not experienced enough to really know what it meant. So it was just abstract. But once the baby was real, everything changed.

Yes, this exactly.

Not that Elizabeth would ever talk like this to her kids, but I have a moment of horrible laughter at imagining her doing her usual "let me explain how hard this was for ME" reaction to confrontation where she explains to Paige and Henry how she's being saddled with a baby that she didn't want and she's worried is going to distract her from work, plus the kid will be American which is just horrifying to her. They should sympathize with how terrible that was...for her!" (And then Philip gags her.)

That's so awful and somehow perfectly Elizabeth to think about. I mean, have we ever seen her have any sort of reaction that's not just telling the other person how she's feeling about whatever?