Jae (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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theamericans2014-03-31 11:26 am
jae) wrote in theamericans2014-03-31 11:26 am
Week six linkspam
A Forbes interview with the David Madden, president of Fox Television Studios, about an executive's look at producing The Americans.
A Vulture interview with Alison Wright (Martha) on Martha's chances of survival and other matters.
An Esquire interview with South African actor Cliff Simon, who played Yossi-the-Mossad-agent in "The Deal" (episode 205).
A Shape interview with Avital Zeisler, the self-defense expert who trained Keri Russell (Elizabeth) how to fight using something that could pass as systema.
TV Guide's piece "Underneath the Wigs," based on an interview with hair and makeup artist Peg Schierholz.
A Greencastle Echo-Pilot interview with makeup artist Lori Hicks.
An FX-produced mini-documentary takes a look at the KGB Rezidentura and what it took to build the set.
The official description has been released for episode 210.
Columnist Blake Rutherford from Arkansas Business makes a comparison between the show's political stories and the real-life politics of today.
There are some new spoilers from TV Guide's Ask Ausiello column.
The fashion blog Into the Gloss has a piece on how to replicate Elizabeth's early 80s look.
The Americans is now airing in Israel, with each episode airing the Sunday after it aired in the U.S. and Canada.
And there are two new 8tracks.com fanmixes for the show: Sorry I Didn't Kill You and Party At Ground Zero.
A Vulture interview with Alison Wright (Martha) on Martha's chances of survival and other matters.
An Esquire interview with South African actor Cliff Simon, who played Yossi-the-Mossad-agent in "The Deal" (episode 205).
A Shape interview with Avital Zeisler, the self-defense expert who trained Keri Russell (Elizabeth) how to fight using something that could pass as systema.
TV Guide's piece "Underneath the Wigs," based on an interview with hair and makeup artist Peg Schierholz.
A Greencastle Echo-Pilot interview with makeup artist Lori Hicks.
An FX-produced mini-documentary takes a look at the KGB Rezidentura and what it took to build the set.
The official description has been released for episode 210.
Columnist Blake Rutherford from Arkansas Business makes a comparison between the show's political stories and the real-life politics of today.
There are some new spoilers from TV Guide's Ask Ausiello column.
The fashion blog Into the Gloss has a piece on how to replicate Elizabeth's early 80s look.
The Americans is now airing in Israel, with each episode airing the Sunday after it aired in the U.S. and Canada.
And there are two new 8tracks.com fanmixes for the show: Sorry I Didn't Kill You and Party At Ground Zero.
no subject
There are some unique features of American culture that can only really be appreciated as an American
Right, but I don't think a few years of intense training and then living in the US for 5,10,15 years can give you what growing up in that environment will give you. There will always be that one little thing you didn't think of, or didn't pick up yet. You'll still be different. Add to that the regional differences, in language and attitude.
If I were trying to build a cover, I'd therefore go with somebody who's not American, so any slip will be easily attributed to 'well, she's not from here'.
The illegal option means you put in all that effort and put your people through hell, when they can still slip up and still be caught. There might be less of a chance of that, but there's also less of a chance that when things get hairy, you'll pull them out in time. Because losing an illegal would be much more of a loss than a regular spy.
They do have an advantage of being there, and building long term contacts, but when we're talking about an ideological war like US vs. USSR, why not use a local who supports your cause?
no subject
For what it's worth, the real-life illegals programme did/does use this tactic (not for everyone, but for many of them). The "German" illegals recently arrested after having been in Germany since the 80s had Austrian cover identities, for example. And often they would train illegals in two foreign languages, and one would be their cover identity's language, and one would be the language of the country they were going to be sent to.
-J