The Americans [FX - Spoilers]

jack presley

The Black Oil wrote: »

Trouble ahoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxh9p40gsU

At least Martha's still alive for now.

The Black Oil

Can't wait!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljQ3Ud0HkfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAzWQpdzjQo

The Black Oil

den87 wrote: »

Anyone know when/if they are releasing season 3 on DVD over here? Searched around for it but cant find any info.

Joel Fields, one of the writers/showrunners tweeted a link to the US season 3 DVD release on Monday. It's available on Amazon.com, so hopefully the UK site won't be far behind.

den87

The Black Oil wrote: »

Joel Fields, one of the writers/showrunners tweeted a link to the US season 3 DVD release on Monday. It's available on Amazon.com, so hopefully the UK site won't be far behind.

Thanks man, found it through other means and started it last night.

DMcL1971

I'm re-watching all three seasons at the moment.

The Black Oil

Slate.com seem a little down on season 4. I've heard positive things elsewhere, so pinch of salt taken, methinks.

Pastor Tim has no hair. :eek:

https://twitter.com/KellyAuCoin77/status/706618573653934082

Wonder what it'd be like to watch this with a live audience, eh?

https://twitter.com/sashaedgarov/status/706298196989976576

DMcL1971

I just finished watching episode 401. A great start to the season. There was so much going on both new and old.

More of Philips back story.
Great acting from Alison Wright as Martha, last season it looked like she was about to get bumped off but it certainly seems like she is not done yet.
I still don't know if Pastor Tim is going to survive for long though.
Things are hotting up between Tori and Stan.
The new spy, William, is listed in the main title sequence so it seems like he will be important and staying around for a while.
I still can't tell whether Nina is playing Anton or being genuine and who is this husband she mentioned?
I'm looking forward to seeing how much Henry has changed.
Philip is still fighting his conscious.
Stan getting the wrong end of the stick about Philip and Sandra may cause some permanent damage to Stan and Philips friendship.
Bugging the church.
Tatiana, what is seventh floor and department twelve?
Hans is back even though he didn't have any lines this week.

Kilkenny14

It was a strong start to the season. Philip's fear when Stan shook him as he held the vial was well played.

Dylan Baker is a great actor to have involved, his character will have a big role.

No sign of mail robot so far, but its early days.

iguana

Kilkenny14 wrote: »

It was a strong start to the season. Philip's fear when Stan shook him as he held the vial was well played.

It was almost a good thing Philip was holding a vial of deadly bacteria. It meant that he was genuinely scared in that situation. Just like a travel agent would be if his FBI officer neighbour attacked him. Without the vial to protect and with the mood Philip was in, he might have fought back and then he'd have had no choice but to kill Stan. Though at least with Stan dead Martha would be safe. Stan knows damn well now that she's the mole in the FBI and he's just trying to figure out how best to use his knowledge to catch not just her, but her handler.

I'm so looking forward to seeing how the Paige and Pastor Tim story will play out. Obviously in the next episode or so, Elizabeth is going to get a chance to sit down and listen to her tape of Pastor Tim's office. She'll hear him and Paige discussing everything and then she and Philip are going to have to come up with a very smart way to shut that down. Because if Tim has a mysterious fatal accident, Paige will figure out what happened and will never be able to forgive her parents.

Over all I'm left with the feeling that this show has changed completely and there will never be any going back to the 'norm' for these characters. In the previous seasons big changes happened but played themselves out and things eventually settled back to how they were. Elizabeth reported on Philip behind his back, Philip slept with Irina, Philip moved out, Elizabeth got shot, P&E fought but eventually settled back into their partnership. But this time around, even though they don't really know it, there is a chasm a mile wide between them. Philip is falling apart and Elizabeth can kind of see it and is concerned but doesn't have the emotional awareness to see how bad things are nor the capability to help him. Similarly with Nina, when I saw she was still a recurring character in S3, I was always wondering how she would be brought back to America. But now I suspect that won't be happening for her. Everything has fractured and the only future for the lives of these characters is the realisation that it can't be fixed.

expectationlost

so mom is listening to the church calls but hasn't got to her daughters yet?

surely after telling her that you'd monitor her calls

are the Russians not listening to the spy family's calls?

The Black Oil

Good opener. Very much an episode of reminders.

Alison Wright, again. Everyone is a little paralysed here at some level. Heck, even Arkady is shut out. Paige's 'Is it dangerous?' in reference to Philip's late night trip, then a few scenes later we're discussing bio weapons. Great how they held off on meeting Dylan Baker's character until late on.

You just know we need a scene involving Henry and his cologne. :pac:

pickarooney

I wonder will they out Tim as a kiddy fiddler rather than kill him off.

Shane St.

Delighted this is back

The Black Oil

AV Club linked to this handy 1983 guide from the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/FX/1983-the-most-dangerous-year/

jack presley

Interesting to have both The Americans and Deutschland 83 in the same period with the Able Archer stuff

Chain Smoker

Just as a reminder for anyone who's interested, the people behind the Americans do a podcast after each episode in a manner similar to the Breaking Bad ones

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/03/17/keri_russell_and_matthew_rhys_discuss_the_season_4_premiere_of_the_americans.html

DMcL1971

Chain Smoker wrote: »

Just as a reminder for anyone who's interested, the people behind the Americans do a podcast after each episode in a manner similar to the Breaking Bad ones

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/03/17/keri_russell_and_matthew_rhys_discuss_the_season_4_premiere_of_the_americans.html

I have listened to a few different podcasts about The Americans and this one is by far the best.

Arghus

A few minutes into Episode One. Everyone looking like they've the weight of the world on their shoulders:

It's good to have you back Americans!

DMcL1971

Well nothings going right for anyone this week.

They can't get rid of the Glanders.
William hates his job.
Oleg loses his brother.
Elizabeth loses her Mum.
Airport security has a bad day.
That Russian pilot may have an unfortunate accident.
Henry is not going to get the girl (or rather woman) of his dreams.

The sequence at the cabin with Paige was a shocker. I can't wait to find out what will happen to Pastor Tim.

I'm a bit confused about what happened with Nina's husband did he sell her out by handing in the note? Did she know that he would do it? Has the weight of the guilt of everything Nina has done finally gotten to her? Has she given up? Is this all part of some master plan that she is hatching.

A great episode, it seems like everything is unravelling for every character. Stan is the only one who seems remotely happy, he actually smiled this week. He may have fallen out with Philip but at least he is still good mates with Henry. Philip was looking physically dishevelled throughout the episode. Having to kill another person with his bare hands is weighing heavily on him.

I know I have said it before but this is the best show on TV.

DMcL1971

For anyone who was wondering who that was in the cabin it was

Nikolai Timoshev he was the guy in the pilot episode that Philip and Elizabeth kidnapped and kept in their trunk. He was a KGB Colonel who had raped Elizabeth while she was still in training.

The Black Oil

4.02 - Good episode, definitely some subtext going on, methinks. I like how they picked up straight from last week. A sigh of relief from Philip once he saw the sample was OK. In the meeting with Gabriel you could see the revulsion at the fact there's biological stuff that's worse. Er, how long before can see an example? :eek:

Death by Tainted Love is bound to mess up your wig! I really liked the little heater thing in the cabin and the emotional stuff this week.

Some quality humour too. Stan and Henry, Elizabeth's line with the boyfriend reference and I did lol at Gabriel's computer life skills remark. If only they knew...

iguana

This show rarely raises so much as a half chuckle from me but William turning tail and running when Philip said they'd touched Gabriel got a full on belly laugh.

pickarooney

Yung hee was hilarious as well.

Howard the Duck

iguana wrote: »

This show rarely raises so much as a half chuckle from me but William turning tail and running when Philip said they'd touched Gabriel got a full on belly laugh.

He's a very funny character i hope he hangs around, his sarcasm is great. Is Episode 4 out yet?

pickarooney

Awww, Christ that's hard. It was inevitable but damn, poor Nina

The Black Oil

iguana wrote: »

This show rarely raises so much as a half chuckle from me but William turning tail and running when Philip said they'd touched Gabriel got a full on belly laugh.

Hah, yes, It was a little 'hey, let's have a foot chase, briefly.' Not to mention the pepper dance.

Enjoyed 4.03. They were straight into the pitch with Pastor Tim. Curious where things go with Stan and Martha - am about to watch 4.04. A friendly face at the FBI...er, good luck with that one. Gaad was not happy. Also, who calls their dog Muffin? :pac:

We're all Americans now...and 'I still don't know what you guys do' became all too clear at the end. At least Henry has his games.

pickarooney

Heh, lucky I decided to use a spoiler I guess.

The Black Oil

Bloody hell, when the Russians say 'shortly', they don't hang about.

ellejay

pickarooney wrote: »

Awww, Christ that's hard. It was inevitable but damn, poor Nina

I haven't seen any of season 4 yet but
Question re spoiler:

Does Nina die?

The Black Oil

4.04

Henry and Stan swapping notes, again! :pac: Quite a lonely episode, Martha wary of leaving voice messages. I wonder if there'll be another worry scene with Clark. Just that little food crunch scene in the restaurant, man. The long wait. Difficulties memories for all. Philip had his beating/bullying one earlier, now it's Elizabeth's turn.

Some nice levity with the 'vital part of training', quip in the bowling alley. Burning down the house - 'what's new?' Well, quite.

extra gravy

My first thought was that Oleg's father sent Nina to her death to save Oleg being seen as connected to a traitor. Can see Oleg finding out and returning to America...don't think we've seen the last of him.

jack presley

This might be a stupid question and I might have missed the answer in the earlier episodes but does

Martha just think that 'Clark' is married and that's what he told her when he came clean to her?

DMcL1971

It hasn't been confirmed what Clark has told Martha or even if he has told her any kind of story or has told her the truth. She now just accepts that she is still spying on the FBI and that Clark had been lying to her. She seems to have just put it behind her and is trying to carry on without understanding exactly why she is doing it. I think she has put Clarke's dishonesty behind her and just wants to continue on with their relationship.

Also remember that Philip admitted to her that he killed Gene in order to cover for her. So she definitely must comprehend that he is not just someone from internal affairs. Also she is guilty of treason and is an accessory after the fact to Gene's murder. There is no turning back for her now.

SimonTemplar

I knew immediately that Nina's dream was a dream because it was lit like a Spielberg movie and The Americans just isn't shot like that. I also notices an extra playing a guard giving her a look of approval and admiration, which obviously never happened in reality. I do feel very sorry for her - a fundamentally good person caught up in an ugly world. The scene were she was so delighted to be promoted to her own office seems so long ago.

From a narrative point of view, I really appreciate that the writers had the wisdom and courage to kill off one of their main characters who, let's be honest, was running out of material quickly. Other shows, such as The Good Wife, have really struggled to make their secondary characters relevant, and The Americans have avoided that trap with Nina.

Sugar Free

Damn, the Russian idea of 'shortly' is a far smaller space of time than the Irish one!

Preset No.3

WHAT THE F**K!?!?

Jaysus I didn't see that coming!!!!!!!

Howard the Duck

Great ending to an episode, the last 5 minutes or so very good.

squonk

That was one of the most shocking and bleak ends to any episode of TV I've seen of late. It's worse when Oleg was plotting to get help for her 5 minutes earlier. The final minute was just awful.

Chain Smoker

Man, I dunno, I like the show a hell of a lot but with that I just went "well yeah, that had to happen, they couldn't have had that thing dragging on any longer"

SimonTemplar

Chain Smoker wrote: »

Man, I dunno, I like the show a hell of a lot but with that I just went "well yeah, that had to happen, they couldn't have had that thing dragging on any longer"

For me, it wasn't what they did, it was how they did it - especially when you take preceding scenes into account

with the father finally agreeing to help

. I expected

the execution to take place in the next episode after her appeal was denied, not the very next second

:eek:

DMcL1971

In the Slate TV Podcast about the show the writers explained a little about this.

Apparently the idea that executions happened that fast was true. It was considered to be the most humane way, rather than have the convicted person know that they were sentenced to death and have to suffer for a long time on death row. It was considered better for them to be told and then immediately executed in order to get it over with.

Preset No.3

Thats 2 words that I thought I would never hear in a sentence.

Soviets and Humane!!!

iguana

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Thats 2 words that I thought I would never hear in a sentence.

Soviets and Humane!!!

Well compare a quick shot to the head to forcing a tyre over your head and arms, dousing you in petrol and setting you alight. Nina's death was positively delightful compared to Eugene Venters.

Preset No.3

iguana wrote: »

Well compare a quick shot to the head to forcing a tyre over your head and arms, dousing you in petrol and setting you alight. Nina's death was positively delightful compared to Eugene Venters.

But at least you get out and about! :eek:

The Black Oil

Someone at AV Club linked to this. Have a listen. :pac:

http://alexanderlozada.com/iasip/?IlN0YW4gQnJlYWtzIEludG8gTWFydGhhJ3MgQXBhcnRtZW50Ig==

DMcL1971

The Black Oil wrote: »

Someone at AV Club linked to this. Have a listen. :pac:

http://alexanderlozada.com/iasip/?IlN0YW4gQnJlYWtzIEludG8gTWFydGhhJ3MgQXBhcnRtZW50Ig==

What is that supposed to be?

The Black Oil

Light-hearted take, presumably.

NTC

DMcL1971 wrote: »

For anyone who was wondering who that was in the cabin it was

Nikolai Timoshev he was the guy in the pilot episode that Philip and Elizabeth kidnapped and kept in their trunk. He was a KGB Colonel who had raped Elizabeth while she was still in training.

I was thinking that's who he was. Thanks.

Arghus

I was feeling like they were running out of road with Nina as a character; If it was MY Communist Totalitarian system she would have been dispatched to an unmarked grave a long time before now - honestly, how many more chances could she get? That's probably what shocked me more about her fate, rather than the manner it was carried out in. "Jesus. Did I just see that happen now? Just like that?". She was the little fifth columnist who just - improbably - kept on surviving, so to see her run out of road so completely and suddenly was pretty damn gob -stopping.

That's how to end an episode.

My vicarious twitching paranoia has begun to go off the charts this year. I have more stress than enjoyment during each installment. My internal monolouge goes a bit like this - What's the virus? Who's it for? What's that they're been given? Is it the antidote?... OR ANOTHER DISEASE? Why is he making tea? Is there poison in the tea? How they know that there isn't something in the bowling ball?...

Preset No.3

DMcL1971 wrote: »

In the Slate TV Podcast

Signed up for this and think its great!