Episode discussion post: "EST Men"

[jae]

Aired:
28 January 2015 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 301 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 three, episode one.)

Original promo trailer

"The Americans Season 3 First Promo (HD) NEW FOOTAGE" (Watch on YouTube)

"The Americans Season 3 Full Promo (HD) NEW FOOTAGE" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps (including some early-season generalities)

From Grantland
From Vox 1 and 2
From Vulture
From Hitfix
From the Washington Post
From TIME
From the New York Times
From Slate
From Hollywood Reporter
From Slant
From Salon
From the Washington Post
From the New Republic
From Yahoo 1 and 2
From the AV Club
From the Atlantic
From the Boston Globe
From Entertainment Weekly
From TV Guide
From Spoiler TV
From theworkprint.com
From IndieWire 1 and 2
From Slant
From Variety
From thedailynews.com
From Geeks of Doom
From Starpulse
From TV Equals
From Screenrant
From We Got This Covered

Comments

[jo_lasalle]

I'm surprising myself by saying that the motorcycle action piece was my favourite part of the episode. It was both really cool action, and not OTT action movie stuff, but totally believable. (And I feared for Gaad. I am weirdly fond of Gaad.)

(Though I was a little surprised that, given Elizabeth knew the CIA operative had changed her mind and people were looking for her, she just kept walking. I don't really know much about the spy profession, but wouldn't it have made sense to dive into an alley or try to get into a house instead of walking continously?)

Frank Langella seems cast to type and yet this was the first time I liked him in that type of role. :-) Go figure!

I can't make up my mind about whether the Afghanistan video parallel is too on the nose for me, or just evilly clever commentary.

I thought the choice of showing Elizabeth listening to the tape without subtitles was very clever. I don't know how obvious this would be to a North American ear, but I clearly heard the 'doctor' in all the Russian I didn't understand, and together with the realisation on Elizabeth's face I knew what was up before she talked to Philip -- it was a very elegant way to play that scene, IMO.

The crack about the 'American housewife' doing the dishes annoyed me, though. I sincerely doubt that Russian women were not the ones stuck with the dishes even when they weren't housewives. (If anything, I'd assume American women got out of doing dishes earlier because dishwasher...)

Something is definitely going to happen with Martha and her gun this season...

[lovingboth]

The comparison to me is between Philip killing the Afghans in the restaurant - car right next to the restaurant and quickly away - and Elizabeth in this one, knowing something is very wrong, and going... where exactly? What was her exit strategy? Any car she has is some way away from the bar.

I'm going for evilly clever commentary.

Exit strategy

[treonb]

I don't understand why she continued walking, knowing that the FBI might be cruising the streets.

Re: Exit strategy

[jae]

Maybe she felt that any hiding place would have been too obvious/dangerous, and her best bet was to get home? If they hadn't found her, they would have kept searching.

-J

Re: Exit strategy

[lovingboth]

If, for some reason, she is too far away from her disposable car (why??) I would be amazed if she didn't have the skills to quickly break into and steal another one.

Thinking about it, I'm also rather surprised that she'd be sent to an important 1:1 meeting with someone significant from the CIA - who knows Elizabeth is a spy - without any backup being around.

Re: Exit strategy

[jae]

That's exactly the sort of work illegals did (do), though. They work the same people for years, usually alone. Nobody's pulling those strings from above, either, so there's nobody to "send" them--they just go, of their own accord.

-J

Re: Exit strategy

[lovingboth]

Yes, we've seen them with lots of sources on their own. But when they've been dealing with someone like this, especially when they know that they're enemies of the state, it's often together or with other backup.

She doesn't think Elizabeth is another US agency, does she?

Re: Exit strategy

[quantumreality]

I think she might've had some vague idea Elizabeth was from another country's agency. France's DGSE was famous for being very French in the way it tended to do its own thing sometimes.

Re: Exit strategy

[treonb]

Yes, but the way she says 'screw the CIA', and then regrets it all - she knows she's handed the information to a KGB agent, and the FBI knows it too.

Charlotte and "Screw the CIA"

[jae]

Yeah, the FBI is clearly aware exactly what this spy was (probably more than Charlotte herself), given how they pulled out all the stops.

I wonder what happened to her?

-J

Gaad

[jae]

I was occasionally indifferent to Gaad and occasionally antagonistic to him, but ever since that episode last season where we saw the inside of his home with his wife and the shrine that was never given any further explanation, I have LOVED him, and thought a great deal about what he must be like in his off-hours.

-J

Re: Gaad

[theplatonicnonyeah]

Yes, I must admit I never had much sympathy for him.
But that shrine did give an insight into why he appears to closed-up.

Doing the dishes innuendo

[theplatonicnonyeah]

The crack about the 'American housewife' doing the dishes annoyed me, though. I sincerely doubt that Russian women were not the ones stuck with the dishes even when they weren't housewives. (If anything, I'd assume American women got out of doing dishes earlier because dishwasher...)

I actually interpreted the whole exchange as Gabriel hinting rather broadly that he wanted to talk with Philip alone, plus he then added that there was something for Elizabeth in the kitchen drawer, so it made sense for her to go out there. The Jennings' have a dishwasher, btw. Although, sometimes they're seen doing the dishes by hand also. A little inconsistent.