dex14

Couldn't fit the whole title in the thread name.

mnementh

I like that the marital tension from season 1 has returned. Elizabeth should've been more cold-blooded all along, especially with Paige.

davidh777

Is the sketch artist terrible, or did Stan just never take a close look at the face?

DWilson

A lot of meaty character interactions going on in this episode, -there seemed to be an effort to put two actors in a room and put them up against each other, -and the development near the end of the episode was an intriguing surprise. A lot of nice, small moments.

The inclusion of the "David Copperfield" special (with clips) was clever (and next week incorporates the TV-movie "The Day After").

Thrush

I like that Elizabeth finally took the kid gloves off with Paige.

mcnabb

I remember watching that David Copperfield special as I was in 4th grade. I can't remember our reactions whether we were in awe or thought it was ridiculous.

This was a great Episode about escaping the pressures in life and the seminar Elizabeth was at made sense. We strive to get out of the pressures in our lives and then when we do, we finally realize how much they drive us.

Poor Paige, she is just a prisoner at this point.

hdtv00

I thought if I were Paige I'd be thinking ...hmm can't you just go ahead and kill em hell with it. Beats going to bible study and church....

buckeyes8604

I love the time jump. There's been so much going on seemingly non-stop (how much time has the show actually covered since the beginning, 3-4 months?) I think it's a great time for a reset.

Great scene with Elizabeth setting Paige straight and reminding her she's the reason the whole Pastor Tim problem exists in the first place.

Surprised the Martha story was resolved so fast, I don't see why that couldn't have been the end of the last episode.

dwells

That was a fantastic hour of TV. This show has elevated itself to greatness this year, if it wasn't already there. To me, this is the best season yet, even better than season 1.

And if there is any justice this show will win multiple emmys- Keri Russell was incredible this episode.

PhantomStranger

I was greatly surprised that Martha seemingly made it out alive. I am not a big fan of time jumps within a season. I'm not sure I am going to completely buy what I think they plan to do with Paige. She'll get to a point where she almost begs her parents to kill Pastor Tim.

People were mostly blown away at Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear. I remember a lot of chatter about it. It was a simpler time. Today it would be widely mocked on social media.

Decker

Most card tricks are harder to figure out than that stunt. Yikes. Every time I'm in the MGM Grand and I see the list of awards David Copperfield has won, the "15 Emmy Awards" or whatever the number was stops me cold. How was that ever possible? And how has this show only won one?

Alan Sepinwall thinks this was the best episode of The Americans ever:

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-wat...t-episode-ever

rocket1312

Keri Russell absolutely crushed this episode. The look on her face when Philip says he wants to play hockey, the way she slowly turns on Philip over the course of their EST discussion, the rage she unleashes on Paige... I could go on. I guess Russell has her Emmy reel for this year.

I've been saying for a couple of weeks that the walls were closing in on the Jennings so fast, that the end had to be near. Other than dragging the story out at a glacial pace, I couldn't imagine how the show could go on another season and a half. Two and half more, which Fields and Weisberg have mentioned as a possibility, seemed completely insane. But I guess after this week we have our answer. The time jump. In the moment I was a bit taken aback that they would do something like that in the middle of the season. But then The Americans has never really been slave to the typical structure of a television season. The story sort of plays out at its own pace regardless of season breaks and finales and what have you. This episode was the perfect example of that . Not only did we have the mid-season time jump, but we had the Martha plot (arguably the shows biggest subplot) wrapped up in the cold open. This aspect of the show can be a bit frustrating at times (when last season's finale didn't even mention Martha despite Philip un-wigging for her in the previous episode, I almost lost my mind), but by defying our expectations of how tv should be structured, we're never quite sure what could happen next. It can be pretty thrilling.

One tiny nitpick: During the cold open, the peanut butter jar that Martha was mourning was so obviously a modern, plastic peanut butter jar, that I can't believe it made it to air. There's obviously going to be a certain level of anachronism with any period show like this. It's just too difficult for there not to be. But come on. Someone had to have noticed. When something like that is the focal point of a scene, just spend the extra time/money to get it right. I was also fairly dubious of the seemingly plastic popcorn container Young-hee had at the movie theater, but I can't say with absolute certainty that it was out of place. For the record, the only other instance of this sort of thing I can recall jumping out at me like this was when they used a modern, contoured mustard bottle back in season 1. I think the set department needs to get a better food guy.

uteotw

I'm going to miss Agent Gaad (Stan's boss). I would think at some point Paige would snap. Teenagers can be like that. The opening was awesome, the way they didn't ruin it with words. And Martha's "Don't be alone" was stark: She's leaving everything she ever knew never to return, and her parting words are concern for "Clark." Super all around.

Josh-da-man

RoyalTea

I can't believe it's been 15 years since the last David Copperfield TV special.

davidh777

I watched the last two episodes back to back and agree that the personal interactions have been really intense, like when Phillip tells her that he's never coming to Russia. It's no wonder that Keri Russell is going through difficult times after all that went down.

I may be wrong, but it feels like Martha's story is not over.

Decker

Seeing as they just brought back Lisa (who I had all but forgotten about), it seems likely that we'll see Martha again. And I bet she won't be happy.


I do think it's cool that they still haven't clued us in on what Elizabeth is doing with Young Hee. Long time to keep us in suspense and assume it'll have a rewarding payoff

mcnabb

I have to rewatch the Episode but I could have sworn that Elizabeth mentions something about her to Phillip? It was just one quick exchange?

davidh777

Maybe not for Young Hee.

Red Dog

I love that too.

Raul3

I marathoned almost the entire season today. The season has been great so far. Glad to see that everyone agrees, I've always been a big fan of the show.

And my man crush on Matthew Rhys just keeps getting bigger.

I'm scared of Elizabeth again too.

Decker

Great article on the last two episodes and why they're among the show's best ever.

http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/ameri...ever-been.html

coli

Just watched the episode again and Elizabeth's speech to Paige is one of the better scenes from the 4 seasons. Not only does Keri Russell have the veins popping out in her head, the actress who plays Paige holds her own too. She could have been a typical whiny teenager in almost every show, but she pulls it off where you feel for her being trapped, yet she feels guilty for putting everyone in this position.

MikahC

We did a binge of this season starting this past Friday evening. We're caught up and as pleased as usual. I do miss Nina, but this show is just so good. The whole situation with Martha was heartbreaking. Although Philip isn't in love with her, he obviously cares more about her than he perhaps even let on to himself. And that aside, he's a killer one second and a person who wants to be a decent human being the next. Elizabeth continues to be the practical one of the duo, though she does care for (love?) Philip in her own way. Their continued struggle to balance their personal relationship with their professional one continues to be fascinating.

"She's an agent!"
"She's a human being!"

I agree the intense conversation between Elizabeth and Paige was good stuff. It was also cringe-inducing. Paige isn't just a kid anymore, and all parents aren't the Bradys all the time, but that was pretty far away from nurturing.

coli

Interesting article about a real life family just like The Jennings in 'The Americans.' :

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...tim-alex-foley