jae: (theamericansgecko)
[personal profile] jae posting in [community profile] theamericans
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





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

Re: Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

Date: 2015-02-02 10:04 pm (UTC)
cadma: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cadma
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.

Re: Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

Date: 2015-02-02 11:39 pm (UTC)
sistermagpie: Classic magpie (Default)
From: [personal profile] sistermagpie
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.

Re: Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

Date: 2015-02-05 09:05 pm (UTC)
cadma: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cadma
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.

Re: Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

Date: 2015-02-05 09:33 pm (UTC)
sistermagpie: Classic magpie (Default)
From: [personal profile] sistermagpie
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.

Re: Pastor Tim the Matchmaker

Date: 2015-02-08 06:32 pm (UTC)
cadma: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cadma
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.

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