Episode discussion post: "Baggage"

[jae]

Aired:
4 February 2015 in the U.S. and Canada

This is a discussion post for episode 302 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 two.)

Original promo trailer

"The Americans 3x02 Promo "Baggage" / This Season on The Americans" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Hitfix
From The AV Club
From The Atlantic
From the LA Times
From Slant Magazine
From IGN
From TV.com
From Sound on Sight
From Geeks of Doom
From TVEquals
From examiner.com
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From the International Business Times
From Uproxx
From MovieNewsGuide
From MStarz
From Starpulse
From Romance at Random
From SpoilerTV

Comments

Really random thoughts right after watching...

[alley_skywalker]

Did Zinaida come the entire way from Russia to the US in a BOX?!? That's like a 10-hour flight. Jesus Christ. *shudders* (Why was she gagged, though?)

I wonder what's up with the Belgium girl. (I don't think you can legally hold aliens...I mean for a while, but only until they get deported? Hah. Just realized I've never thought about this.

Stan breaks my heart. He does that a lot lately. The scene with Oleg was intense.

(Side note: they keep not subbing the tapes. Nothing super important on this one. (Although the tidbit about Gabrielle bringing Elizabeth's mom "good meet" and tea -- I don't remember if she said herbal or Chamomile - was interesting.)

Ooh now we know who Oleg's daddy is.

(side note: strange translation of one of Nina's lines. In English it's subbed as "tell him I wasn't pretending with him" but in Russian she says "tell him that I never betrayed him." That's a pretty big difference in meaning. I think the one they meant was the English version, but I don't understand why it's miss-translated. The word for "pretending" in Russian would fit here just fine.)

Zenaida and foreign citizens

[theplatonicnonyeah]

Did Zinaida come the entire way from Russia to the US in a BOX?!? That's like a 10-hour flight. Jesus Christ. *shudders* (Why was she gagged, though?)
She wasn't gagged. She had a breathing mask on, because in the baggage area of a plane there is no oxygen.

I wonder what's up with the Belgium girl. (I don't think you can legally hold aliens...I mean for a while, but only until they get deported? Hah. Just realized I've never thought about this.
They've definitely held foreign citizens. It was probably fairly easy to have someone just disappear, especially if it was in fact a real Western spy. No Western country would ask about a person like that, because then they would risk exposing both the spy and their own politics.

Re: Zenaida and foreign citizens

[lovingboth]

There's no heating either, but she's not wrapped up - not even gloves.

Re: Zenaida and foreign citizens

[theplatonicnonyeah]

Continuity error?
I was also wondering about her toilet facilities...which brought back memories from season 2. Ooops.

Re: Zenaida and foreign citizens

[sistermagpie]

She may have had a couple of different places she was during the trip, I suppose. She might not have spent the whole time in that box?

Re: Zenaida and foreign citizens

[lovingboth]

It was sealed with tape as well as nails. She was in the box.

For the toilet stuff - it's only ten hours... most people can hang on for that long. Otherwise, a simple plastic box with a lid would do.

Re: Zenaida and foreign citizens

[quantumreality]

Well, for a number two, yeah. Not so much a number one, I think.

Nina's lines in Russian

[treonb]

That's really interesting, thanks!