theamericans | Episode discussion post: "EST Men"

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Also from another discussion that was a nice moment, someone said they assumed Pastor Tim was giving Paige's crush on the curly haired boy a little nudge by having her help him set up the food. They pointed out that Paige having a boyfriend in the church would also solidify her desire to be there in yet another way.

And I realized that in that moment, it's where Pastor Tim smiles at Elizabeth and she smiles back at him. At first watch it read as sort of ironic, like Pastor Tim's innocently smiling at her like they're on the same team and Elizabeth's smile is fake.

But in a way, Pastor Tim is subtly on Elizabeth's team in terms of being an adult who believes that teenagers ought to be nudged into the place they want to be or should be. His tiny manipulation, innocent as it seems, is also a guy watching stuff going on with Paige, approving of this boy as a partner, and throwing them together to move that forward.

It'll be interesting to see Philip's countermove to this, since his own hopes for Paige are more about choice than any specific road. I know one thing he'll be doing to advance his cause (not mentioning due to spoiler) and it's a nice little monkey wrench sort of thing. Something that could be said to stand for a lot of things, but I think is more just about throwing in static and unapologetic enjoyment of life without needing a purpose.

That's an interesting comparison. I think there's a difference in that Tim's almost certainly not consciously thinking of this as part of a wider agenda. He's just seeing that Paige seems to want something and is trying to give her the opportunity to get it. So he could be more like Philip in that way?

I guess you could argue Elizabeth's hopes are about choice as well, in that she wants to give Paige the option of joining the cause, whereas Philip wants to keep that option from her. I'd say that's as much about him thinking it's a bad option for her as thinking it could limit her choices.

True, I think Tim is only thinking of himself as being a good guy in that scene--it's part of his being a shepherd of these young kids, that he can help them along. But of course it is all part of a wider agenda in that it's a church youth group, which is all about guiding kids in the value of his church.

I think that Philip definitely wants to keep that option from her--they all have ideas about what's best for Paige. But Pastor Tim and Elizabeth are both introducing a big agenda to Paige themselves while Philip's more letting her discover things that she wants. I mean, Philip not moving to get her into the KGB isn't actually removing the choice of being a Socialist/Communist or even a spy from her. It's just not taking steps to encourage her in that direction.

One could argue that his refusing to talk about his own beliefs is unnatural, of course, but he didn't talk about God overtly either and Paige found that all by herself.

I mean, I don't think Tim is doing anything wrong in that scene, or at all in wanting to guide kids in his values. It's not like he's part of a totalitarian system where the kids aren't exposed to other influences or can't get on in life of they don't publicly support his values. Paige could walk away at any time. If Elizabeth just wanted to introduce socialism to her in America, it would be a similar situation, but if she got her into the KGB at sixteen, that would be for life. So basically I think what Tim's doing is ok and what Elizabeth's doing isn't.

Oh, I agree. There's not really any equality between committing someone to a life of treason and danger and joining a church or a youth group.

But I do think there's still an intentional parallel because of the themes of the show. There's a big spectrum of difference between this group and the Soviets, but it's a continuum. There are religions that try to keep kids from being exposed to other influences and make if difficult to get on in life if you don't publicly support their values.

Between Tim and Elizabeth it's two totally different things, but she's not completely wrong in what she sees Pastor Tim doing. She just misses that what she's doing isn't fundamentally different just because it's her belief system.

Yeah I see what you mean. I definitely saw that last season, when Elizabeth was complaining about kids being indoctrinated, but so far this season the church is coming off to me more as something Paige is choosing herself that's actually pretty age-appropriate. It's like her interest in going to college, it's part of her own non-KGB life. But it will be interesting to see where they take it in future episodes.

I think it is that too--as Elizabeth's beliefs are part of her, of course. But I think this is very much the way Philip sees the church, that this is something that interests Paige, and whether or not she sticks with it it's something she's exploring for herself and as long as Pastor Tim isn't preying on her in some really terrible way (which he isn't) he needs to respect her interest and give her the freedom to explore this for herself.

Yep. It seems like quite a Western view, but with Paige's upbringing it makes most sense psychologically too -- she'd probably dig her heels in if she's banned from going but might grow out of it if she isn't. So I think it says more about Philip's personality than just that he's adopted some Western values, but he can also read her better than Elizabeth can.

Yeah, I am also finding it interesting to ponder the whole Elizabeth move-Philip countermove thing while knowing that same one tiny spoiler and thinking about what the other stuff we don't know about might be!

-J

I can see it also reflecting on that storyline that's been mentioned in several articles (not mentioning because spoiler), like if Philip gets ideas or inspiration from that particular source.

Because this ep showed that Philip's only just woken up to how the machinery's been working for a while now. It doesn't seem like he's got a plan at the moment so we might be seeing him figure out where to go. Like at first maybe it's just a case of asserting himself as someone Paige knows is in her corner.

Episode discussion post: "EST Men"

Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

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