Episode discussion post: "Echo"

[jae]

Aired:
21 May 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
25 May 2014 in Israel
7 June 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 213 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 thirteen.)

Original promo trailer

"The Americans Season 2 Episode 13 Promo - Echo [HD] The Americans 2x13 Promo" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Grantland
From Time
From the Washington Post
From Rolling Stone
From the AV Club
From Hitfix
From IGN
From the Huffington Post: Karen Fratti, Maureen Ryan
From Vulture
From Variety
From the Tampa Bay Times
From Sound on Sight
From Collider
From Paste Magazine
From Gawker
From the Cloture Club
From tv.com
From tvrage.com
From Headline Planet
From spoilertv.com (in French)
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From GAMbIT Magazine
From showratings.tv
From Comments Enabled
From Boob Tube Dude
From Unreality Primetime (UK)

Comments

Re: Things I have problems believing

[sistermagpie]

I don't think Larrick would need proof. He's a Navy Seal who's telling them what these people are and what they've done to him, and why would he lie? They would at least check it out and if they do that they find out they're not who they say they are. I mean, when you've got someone turning in actual Russian Illegals surely you're going to check them out.

The sexism argument seems a bit bizarre to me. Women can get jobs at places with important information-Martha's only a secretary and she's the best source she's got. That said, they're going to go after Henry too, obviously. Just when he's older.

Re: Things I have problems believing

[lovingboth]

Because he's left a string of bodies, including the woman in the cabin who presumably doesn't have a great deal of 'I'm a KGB agent' stuff lying around there. Then he's kidnapped two perfectly innocent - as far as the police are concerned - travel agents. With a friend in the FBI. Who know everything about him spying for the KGB. He's done this illegally (impersonating a police officer is the least of it) and without telling anyone like the FBI about what he now says he knows.

If Philip and Elizabeth don't actually get off, alive they can do all sorts of things they couldn't do if they are dead. How long could the police/FBI hold them for without a lawyer, just on the evidence of what he says, for example?

I'm now wondering what was he going to do with Jared. Let him go? That trunk's too big for three. Whether or not he saw Jared with Kate, he's now in a very suspicious location talking as a friend to a KGB spy. Take him to the police? What's he going to say?

Re: Things I have problems believing

[sistermagpie]

The Illegals program is barely known to people outside inner circles. If a Navy SEAL comes up and says he's been blackmailed into spying for the Soviet Union--including giving them access to a secret Contra training camp--and these are the agents who were doing it and btw they're friends of that couple that got murdered who were also Illegals why on earth wouldn't the CIA check them out? Who cares if he's done this illegally? He's not taking them to the police, he's taking them to the CIA or counterintelligence who don't have to look for to discover the holes in their backstories. Or to search their house and find spy stuff. When you get Soviet Illegals you deal with the Redizentura and say hey, we got two of your people here, let's deal, you don't put them on trial to check. We know the people who work in Counterintelligence. None of these people would hesitate for a second to check out Larrick's story and suspect P&E.

Re: Things I have problems believing

[lovingboth]

Well, it should be the FBI rather than the CIA, but of course they would check it out.

However he knows that they are still dangerous while alive. At some point, they will be able to talk to someone on their side, like a lawyer, for example, who can then go off and act accordingly. Even before that, when Jared and Elizabeth don't show up at the rendezvous, the disappearance of two more agents and the death of another will lead to a very rapid cleansing of any physical evidence.

And them being exchanged is precisely what he doesn't want.

Re: Things I have problems believing

[sistermagpie]

How can they talk to a lawyer on their side when they're tied up in a trunk? He'd just take them to the best people to handle this and not care about evidence etc.

Re: Things I have problems believing

[lovingboth]

Obviously not while they're in the car, but whenever they arrive at the police / FBI, the clock is going to start in terms of things like time in detention without being charged, the right to an attorney etc.

Re: Things I have problems believing

[sistermagpie]

From what I've seen of Gaad I don't think it would be a problem. When they get them to the station leave them there until you quickly check on whether their social security numbers belong to dead people--which they both would. Call Arkady and tell him you've got his agents. I don't think any of this stuff is going by any rule of law. He's not taking them to the police he's taking them counterintelligence spy catchers.

The trunk is too small for three..

[lovingboth]

.. not too big. Oops.

I'm still wondering why he didn't think Jared was in any way dangerous, despite who he was associating with.

Re: The trunk is too small for three..

[(Anonymous)]

If at least one of them is dead, the trunk is big enough for three. That's what '80's cars were like. Larrick never intended it to be comfortable.

Nor did Larrick ever expect to confront a teenage KGB agent. He took Elizabeth's gun and tucked in into his belt, but he had no idea that Jared would be packing a gun.

Philip still had his spy instincts in tact when he grabbed the gun from Larrick's belt and finished the job.

Sexism

[lovingboth]

They can, and she is, but look at the gender balance in the FBI room. There are lot more men there, and this is 1982. Does the FBI do affirmative action in regard to gender imbalance? If it does, I doubt it started under Reagan.

The sooner they start with Henry, the better.

Re: Sexism

[jae]

They didn't recruit kids that young in real life, though. They seem to have waited until they were older teenagers.

-J

Re: Things I have problems believing

[alisonx]

Paige being a female doesn't mean she wouldn't be a good agent, but I agree that the idea of Paige the teenager being a KGB spy is not something I can imagine??? no matter how much she wants to find a cause. But Larrick wanting to turn P/E in rather than killing seems like story fudging to me.

If he wants to inflict pain - go after their kids.
If he wants to enact revenge and continue the warpath he's been on, shoot them on sight.
After killing George and Kate to get to them, why does he think going to the police is the better option than offing them? Of course, unless this is the redeeming trait before Larrick dies - then it works well.