Episode discussion post: "The Deal"

[jae]

Aired:
26 March 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
30 March 2014 in Israel
12 April 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 205 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 two, episode five.)

Original promo trailers

"Next On: The Deal" (Watch on YouTube)

"The Americans: Exclusive Scene from Episode 5" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Grantland
From The New York Times
From Time
From Vulture
From The Washington Post
From Rolling Stone
From The AV Club
From Hitfix
From the Huffington Post
From Collider
From Sound on Sight
From IGN
From Television Without Pity
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From Geekbinge
From showratings.tv
From screenrant.com
From GAMbIT Magazine
From Crave Online
From spoilertv.com
From tv.com
From Unreality Primetime
From Newsmanone

Comments

Powerful storytelling but grim

[wendelah1]

The only people who came out of this unscathed were the Soviet Jews who are being allowed to emigrate, and Oleg. Although, since nearly the same number of Jews had been allowed to emigrate the year before in 1981, I'm not sure if Israel made that great a bargain.

The Jewish scientist was betrayed twice, first by his mother country, and then by his spiritual homeland. I imagine the Soviets will threaten to do the same thing to his wife and son to get him to work for them.

Stan has walked right into the trap set for him. I'm not sure what Oleg wants from him but this isn't looking good for either Stan or Nina. I still hate this guy but he is smart.

Paige is hurting. Elizabeth doesn't get it and Paige as much admitted outright to her mother that her church attendance and bible-reading is a cry for help.

The new handler is a disaster in the making. Claudia by virtue of her experience and position could stand up for them, TRY keep them out of danger, talk Arkady into that abort signal last season. Do Philip and Elizabeth even realize what she did for them?

Martha totally got played.

I don't think there are enough hours in the day to do everything Elizabeth had to do. Kidnap a scientist, run home to supervise homework, head over to Martha's, pick up the files from Virgin Seaman. My head was swimming. And now they get to go to their day jobs.

There was nothing in this episode that gave me any warm fuzzy feelings, but then there rarely is.

Really, really, REALLY depressing episode.

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[jae]

I actually don't think Philip and Elizabeth do realize what Claudia did in the finale--and it's interesting that neither she nor anyone else has thought to tell them. They clearly still don't trust her, though. I'm not sure I agree that this necessarily means the new handler will be bad, though--I don't think Directorate S would employ someone in that role who's totally incompetent. I suppose we'll see.

It's funny, but the grimness is actually a net positive for me most of the time. I actually think there must be something wrong with me on that front, because it's not just this show, but pretty much all of them. (Case in point: you might be aware that The Good Wife had a bombshell of an episode last week, where something very emotionally difficult happened? my reaction to this is to look forward to next week when they're coping with the fallout. Like I said, something wrong with me.)

-J

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[wendelah1]

It's funny, but the grimness is actually a net positive for me most of the time. I actually think there must be something wrong with me on that front, because it's not just this show, but pretty much all of them. (Case in point: you might be aware that The Good Wife had a bombshell of an episode last week, where something very emotionally difficult happened? my reaction to this is to look forward to next week when they're coping with the fallout. Like I said, something wrong with me.)

You're hardly alone in that. Look at Game of Thrones. I don't watch it but they apparently had a bloodbath at the end of the season. I don't think it lost them any viewers. I'd say my reactions are less typical.

You'll love "Breaking Bad." It goes from bad to worse to hell on earth. I quit watching it after the second season finale. I'm afraid I tend to bail on shows that get unreservedly grim. I already quit watching Justified this season. There is a long list of shows I've quit. I'm convinced that if I had been watching The X-Files in real time I'd never have made to the end.

We'll have to see if I make to the end of this season of The Americans.

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[jae]

I actually don't think I will like Breaking Bad very much at all--but that won't be because of the grimness. It will be because from everything I've heard and the six episodes I've seen, there isn't anyone on that show that you're supposed to love. The sad and hard things that happen (or the happy things, for that matter) don't make the kind of emotional impact on me that I'm looking for in a show unless I love the characters.

-J

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[sistermagpie]

Many people love Jesse.

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[quantumreality]

I heart Jesse Pinkman so much.

And while Walter does become something of an antihero over the course of the series, the show at least wraps up with a good series finale ending.

And come on, you know you wanna see Walter tell Bogdan's eyebrows to fuck off. :P

Breaking Bad

[jae]

I will get around to it eventually, I promise. :) It's not on the top of my list, though. I much prefer shows that use their grimness in tandem with my love of the characters to break my heart over what the more conventional anti-hero dramas tend to do, no matter how well made they are.

-J

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[lovingboth]

I don't need to have loveable characters in a drama TV series. I do need them to be interesting.

I am not entirely sure any of the main adult characters in this one are 'loveable'. They are interesting.

Loveable

[jae]

I don't know if they're conventionally 'loveable'? But I do know that I love them. I even love the secondary characters, in fact. It's the rare "prestige drama" sort of show that I can say that about these days.

-J

Re: Loveable

[wendelah1]

I love all of the characters, too. Wait. Except Oleg. Maybe he will grow on me but right now he seems like an arrogant asshole.

Re: Loveable

[jae]

I do find Oleg interesting, but I feel like I don't know him well enough to love him.

-J

Re: Loveable

[katiac]

I don't love him, but then it took me a long time to love Claudia. And Nina too, because at first I worried she was just a pretty face to have on screen who didn't do much of substance. But then they ended up taking their arcs in interesting directions, so I feel like the same could happen with Oleg. He's not a character I feel like I trust or completely "get" but there's something intriguing there that keeps me interested.

Re: Loveable

[jae]

Yeah, and he definitely adds something that the show was missing, too--a side of Soviet culture we weren't seeing even a little. I appreciate that. :)

-J

Re: Loveable

[alisonx]

Wow now you say this and I am thinking of the prestige dramas I know or have heard of, I really think The Americans and The Good Wife are the only ones where I actually love the characters. This is so weird. Although also quite obvious since these are the only two (prestige drama) shows I really /care/ about.... Would you call Orphan Black a prestige drama?

Re: Loveable

[jae]

To be honest, I'm not sure I'd even call The Good Wife a postmodern "prestige drama"--it's pretty episodic, and it's on network television, both of which tend to speak against that label. I'm with you, though, in that it's the only other show currently on the air where I genuinely love the characters.

I don't know that this is even a flaw of other prestige dramas, because I don't think they're trying to make us love their characters. We're just supposed to think they're interesting enough to watch. But I certainly do prefer the viewing experience when I love the characters, and the emotional impact of the hard things that happen is much, much stronger when I'm viewing it from within a character's head rather than at arm's length, at an intellectual distance.

-J

Re: Loveable

[alisonx]

Hmm well a lot of people do love Jesse and are very protective over him. And I'm sure tons of people like/love various Mad Men characters (but probs not Don Draper). And there's a huge love affair over Dany and every Stark and Tyrion Lannister (and Cersei and Jaime etc etc) over on Game of Thrones. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to love Carrie Mathison. But yeah overall I agree, on BB, Dexter, True Detective, HoC etc, I do think their primary objective is not trying to make us fall in love with the characters, or at least it seems the case.

Okay don't shoot me but before this past week of episodes, I decided that this season of The Good Wife in my eyes was unparalleled in quality. Since it's network it's still semi-based on 'case of the week' which can be problematic for a lot of shows but although I get more enjoyment and love and passion from The Americans, I really think this season of The Good Wife is the best quality wise (directing, acting, writing) - but again I reiterate I will revoke this statement depending on the rest of the season which I am equal parts dreading and equal parts foaming-at-the-mouth-in-anticipation.

Off-topic: "Prestige dramas" and The Good Wife

[jae]

I guess my opinion about The Good Wife is that it does incredibly innovative things within the limitations of its genre, and that it pushes those limitations really really hard (mostly by doing interesting long-term things with narrative), but formatwise it's still a much more conventional show than the ones that tend to get labeled "prestige dramas". Critics love The Good Wife, but they tend to call it "one of the best shows on network television," which feels accurate to me.

That said, I do look forward to it a lot more than I do most of the "prestige dramas," so.

-J

Re: Off-topic: "Prestige dramas" and The Good Wife

[sistermagpie]

Yeah, I feel like "prestige drama" doesn't necessarily have to imply better quality or more entertaining, it's just the thing that it is. Something can be prestige drama and fail to do it well, just as a network show can be much better at what it is.

"Prestige Dramas"

[alisonx]

You've probably seen this already but I stumbled across this link again and yeah...chuckles.
http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/13-rules-for-creating-a-prestige-tv-drama.html

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[soupytwist]

I don't think I have this as much as you do, but I had the same feeling about both this episode and the Good Wife! :)

Re: Powerful storytelling but grim

[lindylou]

"I don't think there are enough hours in the day to do everything Elizabeth had to do. Kidnap a scientist, run home to supervise homework, head over to Martha's, pick up the files from Virgin Seaman. My head was swimming. And now they get to go to their day jobs. "

It's almost like that complaint in The Princess Bride from the Prince. *smile* But seriously, I thought that too. Where do they get the energy?