The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

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Episode 11 of 13

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

http://tvline.com/2016/05/25/the-ame...ate-finale-fx/

The Americans renewed for 2 more seasons. Season 6 will be the final season.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

:thumbsup:

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

The best series almost always have ending dates driven by the show, not by the ratings. As always I point to The Sopranos as an excellent show that stayed too long at the fair.

As for the this episode, though the weakest this season, it still had many wonderful things like the "family's" visit to the "father."

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

When Paige sees how easy it was for her mom to kill a man, I'm assuming she won't think that was beginner's luck.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

Clever way to get to Don. I just figured it would be straight blackmail.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

For a fairly low-key episode, this one was chock full of major incident. Paige witnessing her mom in action is a big deal for sure, but Stan and Aderholt getting put on the trail of the mail robot was also key. However, what I think might end up being the biggest development is Pastor Tim meeting Stan. That dinner scene was great and the tension generated by a bunch of people engaged in mindless chit-chat was off-the-charts. Loved it. Also, major kudos (again) to Kerri Russell. She's taken Elizabeth to a whole other level this year.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

It will make Paige realize her parents are trained killers and have been lying to her this entire time about the nature of their work.

Remember, Paige likes to share everything with Pastor Tim. She's going to fall apart under the pressure of this knowledge. I now think she will be the crack that eventually gets her parents arrested.

While The Americans has been an excellent show and a great ride to this point, another two seasons is pushing it. I really wish they had given it one more season, unless they surprise us by putting Elizabeth and Philip on the run for an entire season.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

They won't get arrested. That's against the whole series.

Not sure if Paige has ever believed in her parents either. And now she knows she can't trust pastor Tim either. She's a teenager, perfectly written and acted teenager. The Pastor Tim disappearance, and everything that happened during that period, is really important.

I'm kind of perplexed about Elizabeth, not sure what to think. Philip has always been Philip. Elizabeth has always been cold as ice. The last episodes, I know that some scenes she's acting, she's trying to work Pastor Tim. But in some other is like I'm seeing a change on her. She's not the old Elizabeth anymore. I mean she didn't want to do her last assignment, that was for real.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I wonder if they don't go in a different direction with Paige and maybe she starts to embrace everything after seeing what her mom did to those robbers. I think at first she will be in shock and maybe horror that her mom is a stone cold killer, but after that she begins to change?

I think they definetly need to have Henry find out somehow next season, as there are only so many times he is in his bedroom listening to the walkman. He is a clueless, naive kid (just like I was as a teenager), and I think if he found out he might think it was cool in the wrong way. "Hey my parents are spies, this is like a James Bond movie!"

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

Man, I felt sorry for Don in the office scene. He didn't do anything to get torn up like that, and his marriage is getting destroyed as well. Young-Hee thinks everyone is abandoning her, and she'll never know why.

Elizabeth was great in the pregnancy scene, but I agree that Keri is showing that it's starting to take a toll on her.

Best season of the series by far for me.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

The actor and actress they cast to play Don and Young Hee are very likeable and that's what makes those scenes more sad. You feel for them the same way Elizabeth is as she knows she is ruining their marriage.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I think the show has made it fairly clear that Paige doesn't want much to do with Pastor Tim at this point and won't be running to him with secrets anytime soon. Maybe the shock of seeing her mom kill will change that, but as it is, her parents pretty much had to force her to stay involved at the church.

I think that's the beauty of Russell's performance. She's clearly working Pastor Tim on one level, but at the same time genuinely seeking his advice. I figured this was the direction things were going for Elizabeth when Young-Hee was introduced and it's been interesting to watch. Even then, I still get the sense that she is ultimately committed to the cause, unlike Philip, who I think would give anything to make it all go away at this point. It makes me think that in the end Elizabeth will be the one who has to make some sort of sacrifice in order for her family to get away and live their life.

In light of the stuff with Matthew, I get the sense that Paige was already starting to buy into whatever it is she thinks her parents are doing. I'm not so sure how Elizabeth killing that dude will change things, but I could definitely see her going either way with it.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

So what made them assume Don would take them to his office to talk to them, and not either go to a different room/area, stay in the lobby, or go just outside? Seems like a heck of hunch.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I didn't bring it up, but I agree, that whole thing seemed a bit ridiculous. Not just the shakedown at his office either, but the whole operation including the faked affair. I explain it away by telling myself that Elizabeth had been more or less psych profiling Don the entire time and that the KGB then devised their scheme based on that profile. In other words, based on his personality, they created a scenario where they knew he'd play right into their hands. It wouldn't have worked if it was a different guy.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

yeah, that whole operation just never really made much sense how they were going to go from step 1 to step 3, profit.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

He's at work. He won't leave his office that easily. He won't talk with them in the lobby of course. My first thought was, why can he go outside, to the parking lot, and talk to them? But he doesn't want to make a scene. I guess the parking lot is too busy too. So the safest place is his office. Like rocket said, Elizabeth, the KGB, have the full profile.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I tend to agree but hope the writers can come up with some interesting twists to justify keeping a good show on. Don't want to see it dragged out to the point of decline, but hard to complain when other good shows get axed without any resolution.

I wouldn't have been surprised to see them end it this year with all of the "noose-tightening" developments:

Paige's discovery of her parents' true identities.
Ditto with Pastor Tim & Alice.
Phillip's increasing discomfort & disallusionment with the mission.
Elizabeth's development of a conscience.
Stan's gathering of more data.


Not sure how two more seasons can carry much more unless some major twists happen (recruitment of Paige...unlikely, family tries to disappear...unlikely, etc.). I hope they have a series arc planned out & aren't just going to keep going with more "close-call" scenarios as we've seen over the past (getting shot, having secret exposed, being exposed to virus, etc.). They do seem to be wrapping up plots that were lagging (Martha, Nina) and aren't afraid to kill off others such as Gad.

As long as they keep the show moving forward without getting ridiculous, we'll keep watching all those wig changes.

Btw...did anyone else think Keri Russell looked really bad as a blonde when dealing with Don & Patty? Her coloring just didn't match, and it made her look sickly pale. Maybe it was all the eye shadow that made her eyes look sunken or something, but it wasn't her best look.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I can see them getting two more good years out of the show. Personally, I would like to see the show end in 1989/the wall coming down.

Re: The Americans (S4E11) -- "Dinner for Seven" -- 5/25/16
 

I was trying to figure out where they are now, I think it's summer 84 since they're 7+ months after The Day After airs and Stan's kind is hanging around. Gorbachev took control of the party 3/85, Chernobyl 4/86, the nuclear summits took place 11/85-11/87, 2/88 they pulled out of Afghanistan, then there was a string of events with the USSR losing control over the bloc. The show started in the 81-82 NHL season so it's been less than 3 years in 4 seasons even with a 7 month jump so I think maybe they'll end the narrative in 87 with the nuclear treaty and maybe a flash forward.