Episode discussion post: "The Walk In"

[jae]

Aired:
12 March 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
16 March 2014 in Israel
29 March 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 203 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 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 two, episode three.)

Original promo trailers

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

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

Episode recaps

From the Washington Post
From Vulture
From Hitfix
From the AV Club
From the Huffington Post
From IGN
From Collider
From Television Without Pity
From Sound on Sight
From tv.com
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From the Houston Chronicle
From spoilertv.com
From showratings.tv
From The Cloture Club

More to come once they're available!

Comments

Re: 'Aunt Helen knew who was coming'

[sistermagpie]

I'm not clear where there was staggeringly good acting. She could have gotten a heads up from someone we didn't see since Philip specifically said Paige and Henry would be followed by unseen people, but in terms of acting, Helen didn't really need to know who was coming. She would recognize Paige because she'd have been briefed on who she's supposed to be. If she couldn't immediately switch into Aunt Helen mode when confronted with one of the people whose Great Great Aunt she's supposed to be, she wouldn't be a very good spy.

Re: 'Aunt Helen knew who was coming'

[treonb]

I think what made me say that was the fact that the door was open, as if she knew there was nothing incriminating in the house and anybody could come snooping around. It wouldn't have looked at all suspicious if the door would have been locked and Paige would have met Aunt Helen at the door.

How far does the acting go? If an FBI agent would have shown up, would he have noticed anything suspicious? Do the neighbors also think they have a demented old lady living next door? I suppose if she lives a normal life and just believes her 'dead daughter' will show up some day it wouldn't require too much, but how much of her life is lived differently just on the off chance that one of the Jennings kids might show up one day?

As for the dead daughter, I didn't get the point of that story. What if Henry would have shown up? Does she also think she has a son who died?

Re: 'Aunt Helen knew who was coming'

[sistermagpie]

I think if Henry showed up (unlikely at 11, but if he did) she'd just react to him the way Aunt Helen would. The Aunt Helen character presumably has her own backstory that the woman would play at all times. She wouldn't have to always mistake the kid for her own kid, she would just have to do something to indicate that she was a little senile to put off Henry expecting to have a detailed conversation about things.

The door being open was strange and unnecessary, but I'm not sure if that wasn't an oversight on Aunt Helen's part/dramatic set up on the showrunner's part to make it more fun that Paige simply meeting the woman at the door. I don't think her life has to be lived particularly differently at all. They just make sure that whatever she's doing can jibe with whatever they need for the story. Like she's probably living out in the boondocks for a reason, so she has few neighbors who really know her.