Episode discussion post: "Dimebag"
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theamericansAired:
18 February 2015 in the U.S. and Canada
This is a discussion post for episode 304 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 four.)
Original promo trailer
Episode recaps
From The Atlantic
From Hitfix
From Slate
From Slant
From Geeks of Doom
From Mstarz
From the International Business Times
From Movie News Guide
From The Work Print
18 February 2015 in the U.S. and Canada
This is a discussion post for episode 304 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 four.)
Original promo trailer
Episode recaps
From The Atlantic
From Hitfix
From Slate
From Slant
From Geeks of Doom
From Mstarz
From the International Business Times
From Movie News Guide
From The Work Print
QR's Weekly Rambliew
Date: 2015-02-19 08:08 am (UTC)- PFFFFFFFFF XD "Pastor Tim and his wife". P&E must have been all like, "WAT" in their heads as they nodded and said, "mmkay! ^_^ "
- Back to the shitty KGB prison. Looks like they want Nina to be the old hand drawing in the newbie to get info from them.
- "Who wears the pants in that family?" Owwww. Sick burn, Elizabeth.
- OMFG that ad is so absurdly sexual it's hard to believe it got onto daytime TV in that era.
- EST. :O Stanboy, time to shit or get off the pot. Note his body language, by the way.
- That cutaway to the attractive woman (Tori) in the audience who'd been EST-ing before Stan suggests a new 'ship will begin sailing.
- Staaaaaan. She's hitting on you like you wouldn't believe. Take her out for a beer at least.
- Philip must feel like the world's biggest creep right about now.
- Hmm. Northrop's been coming up, looks like Elizabeth is gonna start working her asset.
- Studious Henry is studious :P But is naturally a bit confused about being inquisitioned regarding Paige's activities.
- Srs Stan is Srs and on the ball! :D Gaad is not quite convinced re: Zinaida though.
- Nina's still a pretty good spy and can think on her feet. Drawing out the newbie (Evi) is going to take some time though.
- Wonder why the husband (Maurice) is suspicious of Elizabeth. Sixth sense?
- Poor Lisa :(
- Not sure how much of what Nina says is 100% true as far as the subjective content goes, but it seems close to the events portrayed in the series.
- Looks like Zinaida is either sneaking off or reporting in to someone.
- Hm! Philip seems to have been accidentally introduced to teenage fads and so won good points in Paige's book :)
- The hard-driving Elizabeth returns! Philip is very unhappay.
- Owwwwwwwww poor Stan :O
- Nina. :| Even if it's not totally authentic, the human contact is probably welcome for her anyhow.
- Religious stuff crops up at birthday dinner. I can only imagine how this is gonna play out, especially the whole "want to be baptized" thingo.
- It's over, Stan. But you did tell Sandra the truth, so half credit there.
- Paige set up us the bomb!
- In all seriousness, y'know, this kind of adversarial thinking-the-worst-of-your-kids bullshit is something I occasionally got when I was growing up and it was just 100% guaranteed to alienate me from my parents, at least for a while. If P&E want to go down that road, forget trying to get Paige around to even thinking about being a spy for them. She's at the age where group-social interactions are very common and are held in higher esteem than familial interactions; this is why peer pressure is common among teenagers, and why friends teens choose for themselves can sometimes trump family.
- So, looks like for better or for worse, Philip has Kimberley as a possible asset to use to get at the CIA.
EDIT:
I've noticed Philip is continuing to really lend verisimilitude to his various "roles" even when he finds them personally distasteful, and I wonder how much extra research he does or if he just wings it. For example, does he actually speak Swedish or not?
Also, thank god this is one episode without some kind of horrific body mutilation scene.
Swedish pet peeve
Date: 2015-02-19 12:13 pm (UTC)ETA: Of course, if they had ever needed some Swedish on the show I would have been more than happy to give private tuition...hehehe.
Re: Swedish pet peeve
From:Re: Swedish pet peeve
From:no subject
Date: 2015-02-19 08:39 am (UTC)You know, in the midst of some heavy angst in all plot lines, it amuses the hell out of me that Stan continues to go to the EST meetings with Philipp in order to win back Sandra, despite regarding EST as rubbish. Btw, Stan, if/when the inevitable day comes you find out the truth about Philip, I hope you remember this. True friendship means going to EST meetings with your pal, even when he tries to shove the "standing up in front of everyone and baring your soul" gig over to you. (Philip's expression when Stan tried that one was priceless. Fat chance, Stan. I mean, he could fake it of course, since that's his job, but I don't think Philip is going to ever do that type of soul striptease for real.)
As for the non-comic relief rest of the episode. "What are you ready to do?" is an ongoing question to all the characters. Nina in Russia gets told she might get a lighter sentence if she spies on her cellmate (btw: neat reversal of expectations re: the "sympathetic cellmate is a plant" trope), and while she has good reason to be sceptical of this - trying to redeem herself in the eyes of the KGB didn't work out the last time -, she still goes through with this. Which, if you think about it, makes sense. Short of a death sentence, things couldn't get any worse for Nina, and Evi is a stranger. Of course she's going to do it. But because the female KGB agents on this show tend to be method actors, when the lie about a husband doesn't work on Evi, Nina resorts to the truth about her backstory and has that long delayed cry. Which is and isn't sincere - using real feelings as a tool - and that's why it works on Evi. (Who btw isn't just a harmless student, either, or at least not stupid; the way she reacted to Nina's first "I have a husband who doesn't come, and btw, tell me all about your boyfriend" approach was pretty telling.)
Philip does have scruples regarding using Kimberly - "We've never used someone this young before" (which is true; all the other people we've seen P & E seduce go from mid 20s to 50s and 60s in their age range) - and for squick levels, the teenage girl parallels to Paige aren't lost on him. But he goes through (so far, at least) with Operation Kimberley anyway, and, a pragmatist to the core, even uses the insight into the female teenage mind he gets from Kimberley re: music she likes to get Paige a present that impresses the hell out of her. (And in case we miss the disturbing for Philip and the audience overlap between professional and private, he gets to listen to the album twice, once with Paige and with Kimberley at the end.)
(Speaking of disturbing, I take it that advertisment Philip watches on tv actually was used in the 80s? Good lord.)
This also becomes part of something of a parental competition, since Elizabeth sees the present as something excluding her and Philip immediately parallels it with her going to church with Paige as a way to get closer (and asses) and excluding him, leading to Elizabeth's brewing-for-several episodes outburst "this is happening, with or without you". But that certainty blows up in her face big time when it turns out Paige cunningly arranged the birthday dinner with Pastor Tim & wife in order to set both her parents up so they don't have a choice but to agree to her being baptized in Paster Tim's church. You get the impression this is the first time it dawns to both Elizabeth and Philip that the question with Paige isn't so much "to KGB or not to KGB?" but the fact that Paige's idea of what her life will was was never less likely to include any spying, full stop.
Mind you, that awkward dinner was also black comedy, because as divided as they are about Paige, you could feel the Paster Tim loathing from both Elizabeth and Philip painting the walls practically. And their maximum unimpressedness for his anti Vietnam demonstration at age 20.
Other continuing plot lines: Stan suspects Zinaida of being a double and tries to prove it, but so far with no luck. (Though why he thought there might still be something in the toilet hours after that dinner closed is anyone's gess. If Zinaida left a message there, it would be picked up shortly afterwards, surely?) (For what it's worth, I think Stan is right, because of the absolute lack of interest in Zinaida our resident Russians have displayed, in stark contrast to how they responded to Anton Baklanov or the Polish dissident in seasons past.) He also makes his belated confession about Nina to Sandra, which I thought was a touching and raw scene, both because he included the fact he loved Nina, and because Sandra didn't respond with a forgiving hug but walked back into her house majorly upset, which contributed to how real it felt.
EST and awkward dinner time
Date: 2015-02-19 09:55 am (UTC)Mean Stan! Coward Stan! ;-)
But going to these meetings together only fuels my little shipping brain and soon it will end in a slashy fic, trust me - LOL!
I forgot to mention a wonderful and classic use of cinematography in the awkward dinner scene: in the silence that follows Paige's reveal we see a shot of everyone from the outside of the house, through the windows. Elizabeth is separated from the rest by the partition between the windows. Beautifully shot!
Re: EST and awkward dinner time
From:Elizabeth at dinner
From:Re: Elizabeth at dinner
From:Henry being left out
From:Re: Henry vs Paige
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From:Re: Henry vs Paige
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2015-02-19 03:42 pm (UTC) - ExpandRe: Henry vs Paige
From:a little bit all over the place
Date: 2015-02-19 09:47 am (UTC)Most poignantly, for me, was the use of Yazoo's record "Upstairs at Eric's". (I know they were called Yazz in the US, so when Kimberly first mentioned what she was listening to I didn't quite catch it and thought she meant jazz.)
Philip is really being pushed towards another one of those explosions. There's just this rage bubbling under the surface and it came out a little bit in the scene with Elizabeth, when she finally (FINALLY!) confessed to her game with Paige. That was a bit of a revelation for everyone and I now understand what Keri has been talking about in interviews regarding reconciling herself to her character's development.
Anyway. The record provided a good excuse for Philip to try and get closer to Paige, something he keeps failing at spectacularly. It's funny how he manages to coerce all his assets into giving him information, but at home he's invisible.
I also found it very interesting was how things have changed in regards to an awareness of older men grooming younger girls. The TV commercial would have been so incredibly politically incorrect these days with its line "Innocence is sexier than you think". Of course, it served as a very telling reference to both Martha's insistence on having children ("baby soft"!) as well as Kimberly's preference for men as opposed to boys.
Other things:
Stan falling apart at EST. (And hello, Philip, trying to act match-maker!) Then becoming increasingly paranoid about Zinaida. On the other hand, he's often right in those work-related matters, so I'm not going to disregard that one so easily. But I must admit I am a little tired of how he keeps going back to Sandra, even though this last confession was finally the truth she had been waiting for. I just think that it's time for him to let her go. He can't keep on living on memories of what they had. She has changed far too much.
Nina also confessing. But with her it's harder to tell if she's doing it to manipulate Evi, given the option she was given by Oleg's father. How true was the nightmare she had? And she's never been married, has she?
I don't really have much to say about Elizabeth at this time.
Re: a little bit all over the place
Date: 2015-02-19 03:17 pm (UTC)Re: Stan going back to Sandra
Date: 2015-02-19 06:17 pm (UTC)drugs and alcohol
Date: 2015-02-19 09:50 am (UTC)How can P and E allow themselves to drink and smoke weed while they're working? Wouldn't that both be dangerous and lower their guards? Physical coordination is affected by both and your thinking is clouded.
Just found that a bit odd, considering the last scene with Philip and Kimberly, but also throughout the series when they've been drinking with people they're trying to work for information.
Re: drugs and alcohol
Date: 2015-02-19 09:59 am (UTC)Re: drugs and alcohol
From:Re: drugs and alcohol
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From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2015-02-19 02:47 pm (UTC) - ExpandRe: drugs and alcohol
From:Re: drugs and alcohol
Date: 2015-02-19 11:25 am (UTC)Drugs might be another thing. I don't think they've seen them take drugs on mission till this ep (and if I remember well, Lucia took same heavy drugs with Carl). It'd definitely have more effect but maybe it's something they've been trained at to improve their tolerance to certain degree.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-19 09:51 am (UTC)"What are you crazy? You're single."
"No. I'm not."
Awww! <3
Ohh full on war over Paige going on here. (I'm definitely on Team Phillip in this.) I'm certainly judging Elizabeth here a bit. Because, yes, parents want things for their children. And SAFETY is usually a top priority. Apparently not for Elizabeth though.
Speaking of Paige. She really is into this church thing. And I have to wonder...I don't think we ever did see her with friends, even in earlier seasons and I wonder if maybe she turned to church to begin with because she was lonely - no real connection with her parents, no friends...and here she felt accepted. I guess.
I also wonder at Elizabeth's repulsion with God and religion. I wonder at it a bit because even though religion was so not a thing in the USSR, my grandparents are both very religious, my mom is kind of religious and my dad is more meh, but he is far from anti-religion. I'm sure there were lots of atheists in the USSR but the way Elizabeth says "at least she will know who she is" I sometimes thing there is some kind of writers' assumption that Soviet identity is linked with atheism in a fundamental way when I really don't see that in any of my family/family's acquaintances.
On a tangential note: Elizabeth is wrong. They could totally still pretend to be aggressive atheists without revealing their spy identities to Paige. But, of course, Elizabeth is just looking for an excuse.
Stan's scenes were heartbreaking as (lately) is usual. Wonder if he's really on to something with Zinaida. I have to say that usually I'm not very attached to closed-off characters like Stan, but there something about him...You can just tell that he's not so distant because he's cold but just because, for whatever reason, he doesn't really know how to properly express emotions without things blowing up.
Atheism and religion
Date: 2015-02-19 11:41 am (UTC)Coming from an ex-Soviet country, I find that position particularly strange. Of course, atheism was the official position of the state/party, to the degree that churches and other places of worship were turned into atheism museums but there was still quite a large number of relatively religious people, though the practise itself was mostly kept secret. Though, considering P&E are KGB agents, they're more likely to follow the official position on the matter.
And I guess I can see where Elizabeth's coming from. She relies quite heavily on the "duty" mentality, something she seems to have done from the very early days of her life and it essentially means putting the needs of the community before the needs of an individual. And in Paige's case the church essentially offers the very same thing, so Elizabeth can't help but want to turn that sentiment into the right direction.
Re: Atheism and religion
From:Re: 'at least she'll know who she is'
Date: 2015-02-19 05:56 pm (UTC)I think that there's more going on here than Elizabeth being a Soviet zealot and thinking that Paige also should be a Soviet zealot. I think that what Elizabeth really wants is for Paige to see her as she sees herself: as a champion for equality and social justice for all humanity, fighting to save people from the tyranny of capitalism. Elizabeth wants Paige to be so proud of her that Paige will want to follow in her footsteps.
To Elizabeth, the big fight for the future of human happiness is between communism and capitalism. She's just as indoctrinated in her cause as Father Tim is in his cause. She can't accept the fact that her American capitalist daughter has chosen religion as her means of bringing about social change.
Although I think that Elizabeth is 100% wrong about trying to recruit Paige to the KGB, last night's episode was the first time that I actually felt sorry for her. She was horrified that Paige wanted to 'wash herself clean of her previous life' (essentially her aimless capitalist lifestyle and family) and devote herself to Christian activism as a means of bringing about social change. Paige's choice is diametrically opposed to Elizabeth's own choice. Elizabeth may never get the chance to reveal the truth about herself to her own daughter now. That's a tragedy.
Re: 'at least she'll know who she is'/Elizabeth as an immigrant
From:Re: 'at least she'll know who she is'
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From:Thoughts on this week
Date: 2015-02-19 02:41 pm (UTC)Stuff I really liked:
The music montage of Stan investigating the bathroom was great like all the musical sections on the show. Does anyone know the name of the song?
It's cool that Kimmy and Paige are actually really different from each other apart from being teenage girls who like popular teen music. They both want to seem more grown-up but for Kimmy that's about sneaking into nightclubs and for Paige having dinner parties with adults and doing chores while her parents are out. I guess they have both fixed on an adult outside their family ("Jim"/Tim, ironic rhyme there) as a model but the choice of model says something about what they see as desirable.
Also, did anyone catch what Kimmy said her dad did? She apparently doesn't know he's CIA.
Re: Thoughts on this week
Date: 2015-02-19 02:49 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts on this week
From:Yazoo
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From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2015-02-19 03:43 pm (UTC) - ExpandRe: Yaz vs Yazoo
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Date: 2015-02-19 09:59 pm (UTC)The Better Business Bureau
Re: Thoughts on this week
From:Re: Thoughts on this week
From:Confessions! Role-Playing Galore! Funny-Bones!
Date: 2015-02-19 03:18 pm (UTC)--The Colonel: When P is disguised as Clark and reveals to Martha that he's divorced and explains how he and his wife didn't know how to love to each other.
--Comrades: When P, disguised as Clark, laments to Martha about how the stresses of his job get to him sometimes.
--Martial Eagle: When E, disguised as Michelle, talks to Lisa (AA pal) about her gratitude for P and kind of confesses that she wasn't too kind to P in the past.
What's interesting about this episode is that that we now see some of the supporting characters reveal truths through role-playing:
--Nina in prison: Nina partially reveals her ordeal in the past two seasons to Evi, in an attempt to coax Evi into confessing guilt. Interestingly, once again, we see the Soviets using Nina to gather info. Last season, the Rezidentura used her to gather info from Stan and now this season, the Soviets are using her to garner info from Evi. At this point, Nina should be a master manipulator!
--Stan at the EST meeting: His "BS" comment probably reveals how he feels about the EST seminars. I'm not entirely sure if Stan was just playing around but there was probably some catharsis/purging of anger for him.
Also, speaking of purging, we see a "Coming Clean" motif: Stan "comes clean" to Sandra about the depth of his affair and Paige wants to "become clean" for Jesus Christ.
Lastly, I think this episode may be one of the funniest episodes in the entire series. Peter Ackerman wrote last night's episode and also wrote last season's "New Car," which I thought was pretty hilarious. I don't know if the writer placed acting directions in the script or if the comical scenes were a collaboration between the writer, actors, and director. Nonetheless, here are some comical moments that stick out to me:
--When Paige tells P&E that she wants to invite Pastor Time and his wife for dinner and then abruptly says "Good Night" and slams the door in front of P&E's face, while P&E look stunned and confused
--Love's Baby Soft Commercial: the person who came up with the idea to use this commerical is a genius! Man, I couldn't stop laughing at how outdated that commercial looks--and how "on the nose" it was for Philip's current moral dilemma!
--EST Seminar: When Stan tries to throw Philip under the bus by getting him to go up in front of the class; also the looks on Stan's and Philip's face while Callie Thorne's character throws a fit in front of the class.
--Elizabeth's quip that questioned whether Paige had any friends her own age.
--Henry is still going on and on about his friend Lewis--I believe he was the kid who had an apple stuck in his mouth
Re: Confessions! Role-Playing Galore! Funny-Bones!
Date: 2015-02-19 03:22 pm (UTC)You know, one thing I do wonder is how much of her spy training kicked in once she realized Evi wasn't going to open up over the husband/boyfriend thing.
Also, is it just me or did Evi give off a possible bisexual vibe? I know f/f contact can be a lot more intimate and culturally accepted without in the least being rooted in same-sex attraction, but I still wonder.
Re: Nina & Evi
From:Possible bisexual vibe
From:Re: Possible bisexual vibe
From:Re: Evi/Nina
From:Re: Funny-Bones!
Date: 2015-02-19 09:45 pm (UTC)I missed that in the previous eps this season.
While watching thoughts
Date: 2015-02-19 03:29 pm (UTC)I like the glasses! Presumably it's the baby-sitter in the trio buying drugs.
Ooh, qualms. Partly - obviously, despite not being spoken - it's because she's not far off Paige's age. Ha at the explained absence of Henry and at Paige's guest list.
Back in the USSR... Ha, she's the one being asked to do the 'getting them to talk' bit. Why would Nina not say yes?
Ha at the guest list irritating Elizabeth but not Philip. And at the 'who wears the pants in that family?' comment about Martha and Clark - while it's more of a partnership now that it has been, Elizabeth would say she's in charge.
Urgh at the TV ad.
Are they still going to that group?! This is Stan being Stan, from the moment he's called on. That he's right about the group is demonstrated by the response to his comment. Ha at him being cruised by Tori, and again his response to Philip is Stan.
This is possibly the slimiest thing Philip's been seen to do.
But here's Henry. Odd. Was the original line a 'he has school friends, Paige doesn't' comment from the writers?
This thought from Stan would be better if it hadn't been part-spoilered by the 'previously'.
"We had a good marriage".
I want to withdraw the 'possibly' from the earlier comment about Philip!
Pointedly taking her bag to the toilet? I like the waitress's honesty.
I like the parental power struggle... that becomes more explicit in the bedroom. It's a sign of how extremely angry Philip is that he leaves the room.
We've already had a comment about a dead drop in this episode, now we have someone looking for one. And not finding it, which is what a lot of series would have done.
How to drop the temperature around the table with a simple comment. Ha ha ha at the 'is this something you've been discussing?' question, with all its implications. Look at the way that Elizabeth is visibly divided from and separate to the rest in the final shot.
Another 'Stan being clumsy Stan' moment. If they get back together, I'm going to feel very insulted.
"At least she'll know who she is". No, she won't. She'll discover who you are.
Philip doesn't look at all happy at being called for a date, does he? Ha at the look on his face at the very end too!
Is it just me, or is this a much more visually very dark episode than usual?
Re: While watching thoughts
Date: 2015-02-19 03:57 pm (UTC)What's funny is it's hard to imagine that Elizabeth wasn't much the same way. She's always seemed to value relationships with authority figures over peers (remember her first meeting with Philip where he immediately went to shake her hand and seemed to see her as the important person in the room as his new partner while she looked vaguely annoyed by him and kept her eyes on Zhukov--now she's back to that with Gabriel). Paige mentions her "friends at school" talking about Upstairs at Eric's and has mentioned some friends before--plus she presumably knows kids at the youth group. But she actually really does seem to mostly be friends with Pastor Tim and his wife.
I have to admit watching it that as someone in Paige's class (like I would have been) it's hard for me to imagine being friends with her, even if I presumably would have gotten along with her fine in school. Henry, were he the older one, is totally somebody I would have been more likely to be friends with.
Sistermagpie first watch: Dimebag
Date: 2015-02-19 03:37 pm (UTC)Nina's opening attempts to get stuff out of Evi were pretty clumsy, but there's something wonderful about Nina getting a purpose again. She's been lost, and looking for little ways to do her thing (like telling Oleg's dad she wasn't lying with him) but she must be truly relieved to get something she feels like might help her. She's such a natural spy you can almost see her starting to get herself back together once she's got someone to lie to and manipulate. We're pulling for you, Nina!
Not that I think Evi is buying it all. She seems like she isn't an innocent either. This might be an interesting battle of wills going on in this cell.
I said on Twitter that something I love about this show is how I feel like I can root for both sides. When Stan went back to that diner I was cheering for him. Zinaida might be his win this season--he needs one. It was actually a little silly that Zinaida felt like she needed to buy a Milky Way and take a bite before eating a sandwich.
But Stan's quickly becoming a joke at Arthur's house with his periodic visits, showing up at the front door asking to speak to Sandra to tell her something he learned in EST. He needs to speak to someone and right now Sandra is the only person he can think of. I suspect he may wind up switching to Philip, though, just because that seems like a dramatic way for that to go. It's a way to make them closer.
Interesting seeing Philip's "Are you crazy? You're single!" line, because I wonder about the motivation. Does he think it's better for him as a friend or an agent to go out with other women? Does he think this is just what Philip Jennings would say? Maybe this is why I feel like Stan will start confiding more in him rather than Sandra, because Philip's part of his present life and looking to the future.
Note that Elizabeth is telling--what's her name? Her AA sponsor--that she's separated now. I'm not sure that was part of her story before when she was telling her about wanting to be there for her husband. Maybe it was--it would make sense. Anyway, it's funny how practically everything Elizabeth says to her feels like it's rooted in some reality, just mixing up the time line. She's talking about S1 now. Philip's back in Motel Doghouse.
Really interesting introduction of the husband, there, who got the sponsor into AA and is now off the wagon. Can't help but look for parallels there somehow too, but I don't know how. Is Elizabeth the Maurice in this situation or the wife? Given her attitude elsewhere I'm leaning more towards Maurice.
For instance, loved Elizabeth's line about "who wears the pants" in Martha's house. As usual it's a line with so many weird layers to it you can't even unpack it. She's appealing to traditional gender roles and therefore Philip's manhood, even while having zero tolerance for that kind of behavior from him at home, and in fact openly ignoring and steamrolling him. Does she just think American women are more docile?
More importantly, she's ignoring the important point that Philip made with his "You don't know her--I could go over there tomorrow and find a kid sitting there." Controlling people is not like pulling puppet strings. It's more like herding cats. Martha has her own personality that's only gotten stronger during her marriage. She's not just meekly grateful for Clark's presence. Elizabeth's feeling that Clark can just tell her what she will and will not have--or will and will not WANT--relates to her feelings about Paige. She thinks telling Paige "who she "really" is will somehow derail her from who she actually is. And it might, but probably not in the way she thinks. Philip is right to see this as more like blowing things up than fixing them.
Not only is Philip buying an album as a gesture like Elizabeth at church, he's trying to pump Henry for info and thus bringing his own version of spying into the house. But he's off his game, getting caught by Paige. I think part of that is that even that doesn't come easily for Philip. He really doesn't like doing this sort of thing with the kids. He goes all out with Kimmy and says all the right things, but I think he's trying to spy/not spy at home. What he potentially does get right is in looking to other kids for understanding.
That said, can't help but sympathize with both Jennings at that dinner. I love how Pastor Tim's written to be so effortlessly a little condescending and full of himself, as if he spends all his time with teenagers who completely want to buy everything he's selling or else they wouldn't be there. Listening to him talk about him questioning himself about whether he'd die or kill for anything (like Jesus--though when you're immortal you can't really choose to die, Tim) for Philip and Elizabeth must be like Bruce Wayne listening to some guy tell hero stories about the time he thought he saw a prowler while on duty for his neighborhood watch and calling the police (it turned out to be a raccoon).
I wonder if Philip is going to find a way to get out of actually having sex with Kimmy. (It's almost like she knows how squicky it is by insisting on that name.) Because I'm not sure this story is simply a straightforward situation where Philip slices another piece off his soul and his credibility just when he needs it most with Paige. They could do some weirdly interesting things with him working stuff out with her through the Jim persona--don't ask me how.
That's the thing with Philip--he's not a method actor, exactly, as was said above. He doesn't automatically use his real life to be convincing. But in a way it can be more interesting to watch someone work something out by playing what's essentially their shadow self (I think that's what Jung would call it). Jim is everything Philip hates in the world, but damn if he doesn't know how to play it convincingly. And no, I suspect it's not a coincidence that he named this one something that rhymes with Tim.
Oh, also going back to the "who wears the pants" line, another echo there when Paige asks for Pastor Tim...and his wife. There's a slight echo of the Jennings in the way these two work as a team in the baptism ambush, but it seems like Mrs. Tim is very much the supporting player here. The youth group is Pastor Tim's kingdom. His wife doesn't have all the answers and doesn't tell stories about herself at the dinner.
I found the direction in the "This is happening" scene to be a little stagy, tbh. The script has Philip leaving the room and stopping by Paige's room, seeing her dancing to "Don't Go." Him walking out slowly and looking back almost seemed like the two of them knew they were on TV or a western, with Philip standing perfectly in the hall and looking back and Elizabeth looking after him.
I liked that Philip and Elizabeth, while still at odds at the end, are still clearly a team. Their positions are so interesting because they're not just opposites. Philip *does* understand Elizabeth's hurt and anger at this Pastor Tim stuff. It's more like she wants to fight it and he not only doesn't think it's right to fight it but possibly considers this some kind of deserved penance in his life. Not just protecting Paige from his world, but having her reject him for a "better" father.
"Are you crazy? You're single!"
Date: 2015-02-19 03:55 pm (UTC)Whether he went for it or not, that comment of Philip's increases Stan's unhappiness in a way that he cannot blame Philip for.
Mrs Tim
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From:Re: Sistermagpie first watch: Dimebag
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2015-02-19 05:42 pm (UTC) - ExpandRe: Pastor Tim's a little full of himself
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Date: 2015-02-19 06:29 pm (UTC)Also, watching them film the scene with the Yaz album was really fun. They'd freeze at the end of the scene and Matthew Rhys would usually make some joke. Like one time he said nervously, after Elizabeth agreed to steaks, "Or tacos. Tacos is fine too" (and then turning to Paige and whispering), "You don't have to join the KGB if you don't want to!"
Re: Philip's Reading Material
Date: 2015-02-19 08:16 pm (UTC)-J
Re: Philip's Reading Material
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Date: 2015-02-19 07:29 pm (UTC)I love Elzabeth's hippie getup! Especially the hair.
I love how Philip talking about why he has a problem going after the babysitter girl segues seamlessly into Paige calling - we don't need to be told explicitly that he's thinking of his daughter, how babysitter girl isn't much older, because the direction and cinematography tell us that anyway. Beautifully done.
"Pastor Tim and his wife?" is such a WHUUUT moment for the Jennings'. Oh BLESS. And Paige's perky face and then shutting the door on them really should have made them smell a set-up! Paige is so very much their kid.
Nina becoming the plant is AMAZING and exactly the sort of shift the show does so well. I loved the creepiness of that scene where she's asked: the way they used the phrase "the truth" it so clearly communicated that they had already decided exactly what the truth was. If Nina makes shit up, they will run with that and they won't care if it's not based on reality. Chilling.
The EST lady crying... I wasn't sure if she was meant to seem a bit dodgy or if the actress just wasn't quite selling it (for me anyway)? And then Stan got called on, and I just yelled OH SHIT at the screen. Stan's gonna EST! And oh man, did he ever. And then the lady turned out to be into Stan. I also loved that it clearly is about being friends, in their own weird way. Philip clearly thought Stan should go for a drink. (Philip's noooope face when Stan tried to pull him in instead was also beautiful.)
The moment before Philip goes and talks to Kimberley, the second when you can just SEE him desperately not wanting to and then going for it anyway, is fucking masterful. Well done, Matthew Rhys.
Henry: SOMETHING is building there. The "where's Henry"/"staying over" thing, the bit where Philip's helping with homework and asking Henry to tell him about Paige.. .what that says to me is, something is brewing. Exactly what, I dunno.
It could be a Paige-and-Elizabeth v Henry-and-Philip thing, somehow, maybe, though? The fight about Paige is big, and I can't see any way it's NOT going to affect Henry. Also, Philip's dork moments this week were very Henry related, tying him and Henry together - the flash card joke, and "Henry and I can hide in the closet!" Philip has always been a dad-joke kinda dad (which I love, they make me laugh and I find it really endearing because it seems so much a real expression of Philip's fatherhood) and I don't think it's an accident that the dad-bonding this week was with Henry.
Paige is seriously going to mess up any plans either of them make on her behalf, yo. Girl has SKILLS. I think there's a lot of truth to the comment above that Elizabeth wants Paige to see her as a hero, a fighter for good, instead of some pastor who tells frankly rubbish stories about himself. But she doesn't seem to get that Paige might not think that even if she knew everything. :(
Stan being suspicious made me happy, because yes he should be! Even if Zinaida's on the level, being suspicious should absolutely be a default in that sort of situation. I wasn't sure if we were meant to think there was some sort of device in the ceiling of the toilet, though? Stan didn't seem to think he'd found anything, but there was definitely an arial or something that looks like a radio clearly visible in the foreground just before he crashes down. What the hell is that? Am I missing something? Or did Stan look right by something he shouldn't have?
I am so worried for Nina. This is a dangerous situation she's getting into, even though it DOES seem to be better psychologically for her than just sitting. :( And I wondered too if the face-touching meant the cellmate might be having some sexual feelings for Nina.
The music this episode was BRILLIANT (even though I was confused cause I didn't know Yazoo were ever known as anything else!) and really hit the themes of the ep on the head while not being 'cliche' choices. HOW do they always manage that?! Amazing.
Philip at the end is seriously the most miserable. Poor guy does NOT want to be doing this.
Philip and Henry in Dimebag
Date: 2015-02-19 07:56 pm (UTC)I think also Philip takes comfort in Henry because he's not the one looking at him suspiciously. He's still a real kid so they can just talk about flashcards and Henry's friends.
Also, one of those things that could just be business but follow a clear pattern, I note that Henry and Philip are both usually shown doing some little quasi-educational thing or practicing some skill. Here Philip is helping him learn with flashcards and earlier he's learning about computers. Plus it echoes the Gregory scene with Philip where you talk while you play or study something, or play a game about studying.
I suspect Philip's taught him a lot of things, actually, like hockey etc. I'd love to see the two of them working on a computer soon.
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Date: 2015-02-19 09:28 pm (UTC)- I didn't get Stan's bathroom search. I thought there was something up in the ceiling. Was there?
- I never heard of Yazoo. Don't know how I missed them.
- Those were serious steaks.
- "You want a ringing endorsement, or you want to know how the burgers are?" - Stan wants to know the truth :-)
- If Stan wants Philip to continue coming with him to EST, trying to drag him into the spotlight is not the way to go. Though I think Stan may be finished with EST by now.
ETA:
- The promo has Evi telling Nina "I know what you're trying to do" - and that didn't happen in the show. Grrr.
Re: The bathroom ceiling
Date: 2015-02-20 06:54 pm (UTC)Re: The bathroom ceiling
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