Episode discussion post: "COMINT"

[jae]

Aired:
27 February 2013 in the U.S. and Canada
24 June 2013 in Australia
27 June 2013 in Ireland
29 June 2013 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode #5 of The Americans, intended for viewers who are watching the show on the Australian/Irish/UK schedule. Please do dive in even if you've seen subsequent episodes, but take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season one, episode five.

FX's original promo trailer:

FX's official three-minute recap:

FX's official "Go Undercover" replay with commentary from the actors and producers:

New reviews/recaps:
From The Guardian (UK)
From Unreality Primetime (UK)
From Digital Spy (UK)


Reviews/recaps from first airing:
From Think Progress
From The AV Club
From Vulture
From Hitfix
From Collider
From Television Without Pity
From We Might Just Love TV More Than You
From jessenigma at dreamwidth
From jae at dreamwidth

Comments

[jae]

Hmm, COMINT. When I watched this, I remember thinking on the one hand that the episode wasn't as good as the two that preceded it (mostly because it seemed kind of in there to set up future storylines), and on the other hand just generally frustrating because of Philip's behaviour. I didn't hate him for it the way some fans did--it's clearly a flaw that comes from something pretty deep in his psychological makeup, if what he did in the pilot with the guy who came on to Paige is any indication--but I sure was annoyed right along with Elizabeth that he seemed to think that starting a romantic relationship with his pretend wife meant he suddenly had to protect her.

-J

[treonb]

In the pilot he also killed Timochev and completely changed his plans, just because he realized how much Timochev had hurt Elizabeth. And that is what got them (back?) together - so obviously Elizabeth enjoys it at times.

Though that part is the focus of the 'up next' clip, I personally most enjoyed the cat-and-mouse part of the story, and Philip worrying about Elizabeth being caught by the FBI (that donut line was so sweet..).

[jae]

Hmm, I actually don't think Elizabeth enjoys Philip's misguided chivalry thing at all. I think she read Philip killing Timochev in the pilot as an "I get it now, and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you/take you seriously earlier" sort of gesture, not an "I'm protecting you from this big bad man" sort of gesture. Because of course she could have killed him herself only moments before, right? She didn't need Philip's protection, but she did need his validation--and that is what brought them together.

It's pretty clear that Philip probably actually meant both of those gestures simultaneously, though.

But ahem, that's not really about COMINT, is it? Sorry. ;)

I honestly don't remember the cat-and-mouse part of the story--I'm pretty sure I haven't rewatched this one at all, and if I have, it was only once. Something to look forward to for the group rewatch this fall!

-J

[jae]

It's actually not Philip's perspective we view differently, it's Elizabeth's. I agree that Philip has a very strong sense of wanting to protect the people he loves. I think this comes from a very deep-seated part of him (almost certainly rooted in his past as Misha), and it's not a rational thing, but I certainly agree that it ultimately boils down to that.

I don't, however, think Elizabeth likes this trait at all when it's turned on her, and I don't think her dislike for it is based in "she wants to be a partner, not treated like the little woman" (I mean, I do think those things are true for her, but I don't think that's why Philip's knee-jerk protectiveness bothers her). Instead I tend to think that for her, this is another thing that boils down to control and autonomy. When Philip sees the marks on her back in COMINT and says he's "going to deal with it," he's taking her control of the situation and her autonomy in deciding how she's going to deal with it away from her, and he's doing it in an arena where she's got proven competence and ability (i.e. her work). This is why she responds, angrily, "If I wanted to deal with him, you don't think he'd be dealt with?" Philip clearly can't help his reaction--it's an irrational response that he has when it comes to anyone he loves being hurt--but I see this as a very, very bad mismatch of their particular neuroses, and one of the major things that they're going to have to figure out how to deal with if they want to move forward with a relationship.

As for my take on Elizabeth's positive reaction to the Timoshev murder, like I said elsewhere in this discussion, I don't think that's evidence that she actually really does like this trait of his. I think she reacted positively because she had spent the whole episode up until that point saying that she wanted to deal with the situation in one particular way, and he kept reacting by saying she was wrong, that they shouldn't do that, etc. Then he found out what was behind it and immediately responded by doing the thing she'd been wanting to do all along. So her positive reaction wasn't a matter of "he did this to protect me, oh, isn't that great" but a matter of "he gets why that was important to me, and now that he gets it he's willing to do this thing he felt strongly about not doing." She said "do what you want with him," and Philip chose to do exactly what she'd been wanting to do all along. That is a huge validation of her autonomy. She could have killed Timoshev herself only moments before, so she didn't need Philip's protection--she needed his validation. And she got it.

-J

[jae]

I definitely think the rape is quite possibly the origin of this response of hers, but the rape was only the beginning. Her control and autonomy have been taken away from her by the KGB in a hundred different additional ways since then.

-J

[jae]

Yes to all of that--their neuroses are a toxic match in more ways than just the one I originally was referring to.

One more way tangentially related to one of the ways you mention above: Elizabeth's got that hot button around honesty and being able to trust her partner, and Philip is...well, better at lying and manipulating than he is at anything else in the world, and he does it like breathing.

-J

[treonb]

Then he found out what was behind it and immediately responded by doing the thing she'd been wanting to do all along. So her positive reaction wasn't a matter of "he did this to protect me, oh, isn't that great" but a matter of "he gets why that was important to me, and now that he gets it he's willing to do this thing he felt strongly about not doing."

The way I see it, Elizabeth wanted revenge, and Philip took it away from her by doing it himself. So, yes, it wasn't an issue of protection, and Philip showed he cared, but I do see it as more of a 'you touched my woman, prepare to die' kind of thing (and frankly, I think that storywise they had no choice, because they had to bring those two together *somehow*).

He does the same for his daughter. And so later, when he wants revenge on the guy who beat up his wife, he's doing the exact same thing he did in the Pilot. He's not saying that Elizabeth can't handle the guy and he's not really protecting her, because most chances are she's not going to see him again anyway. He just wants revenge.

[jae]

The way I see it, Elizabeth wanted revenge, and Philip took it away from her by doing it himself.

Oh, it can totally be read that way, but SHE certainly didn't see it that way, given her reaction.

I think generally, his obsessively protective trait is a toxic thing between them, but that one time it worked for them because it also meant him simultaneously acknowledging that what she'd suffered was worth killing Timoshev over.

He just wants revenge.

That's what it looks like from inside of his head, but it's not how it looks to HER.

-J

[jae]

I don't see it the same way, but what you describe here is absolutely consistent with canon.

-J

[jae]

Tangential re "and all the residual hurt it's caused their family for 15 years": Can you imagine what that was like for Philip? Suddenly reevaluating all sorts of things that have happeend over the past fifteen years in light of that (and emerging from it simultaneously enraged, ashamed, sad, etc.).

-J

[jae]

Yeah, I really, really have to watch this one again--you and Treon are reminding me of all sorts of things that are hazy for me by now. I think I've actually only seen it once! We're going to do a group rewatch after the first season finishes its run in the UK/Australia/Ireland, so I'll see it then for sure.

-J

[treonb]

I'm looking forward to the rewatch, since there's quite a few points that are brought up in discussions that I hadn't noticed at the time and would have to remember to watch out for.

[jae]

YES! That's why I enjoy having these kinds of discussions after a first viewing so much. I love sharing the nuances we each see and don't see, and exploring together what they all might imply. I look forward to doing that with you during season two!

-J

[jae]

May I ask where else you've been having these conversations? Because Treon and I looked and looked and finally decided to make our own space (which you see before you!). I'd love to find another place to have these kinds of conversations.

This is as good a place as any to say thank you for all of the discussion comments you've been leaving today! I'm having a bunch of stresses in my real life right now, and I was just thinking yesterday that all I really wanted was to have a discussion about my beloved show, and voilà, here you were with all this the very next day. :)

-J

Nina in this Episode

[quantumreality]

So yeah, revisiting some v old eps as this series winds down!

And what's really interesting is the flinty looks Nina gives Stan and Vasili this episode. She's stuck doing one man's bidding to deceiving another man into giving up his secrets, and neither man has her best interests at heart - they just want what she can give them; for Vasili, sexual satisfaction and for Stan, vital intelligence.

I really liked Annet's acting this ep!