# New FX Series: The Americans (Starts Jan 30th) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172 "2013-01-24T02:09:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/141 "2013-03-01T16:16:02Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > I assumed he DID detect them. That’s why he went down there in the first place - he knew the FBI was probably aware of the meet so he was drawing them to the waterfront while the real “meet” was happening elsewhere. He didn’t wave or anything, but that doesn’t mean he was unaware of their presence. Indeed. He just… gazed. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/142 "2013-03-01T18:52:16Z")
The biggest plot hole in this otherwise excellent episode, imho, was that when the mole in the Soviet Embassy (Nina?) overheard the comment about where the meet was, and the encryption, the comment also included the actual name of the person being contacted, which she didn’t bother passing along to the FBI. My one real complaint about the show, overall, is that it seems like every last piece of espionage that the Soviets need done in the entire DC area always falls to precisely these two agents only, who fortunately always have all the skills needed to do them. It’s a pretty common TV trope, obviously, but for a show that otherwise seems to strive for a feel of authenticity, it’s a bit of a bother. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/143 "2013-03-01T19:33:23Z")
An excellent suggestion by someone over on the Onion AV Club: We need Stan and Phil to go out line dancing together. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/144 "2013-03-01T21:08:03Z")
Spoiler for 2/27 episode I know it is 20/20 hindsight but it seemed a little sad that scientist had to die when the system he died for was never going to work anyway. Even if he was a traitor, it seemed a waste. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/145 "2013-03-02T00:34:45Z")
Actually, I think that the fact that we know that the Americans will win and the Soviets will lose in the long term is fairly interesting… it makes it a lot easier for me (a generally patriotic American) to at least somewhat cheer for and sympathize with the Soviet characters, knowing that even if they win in the small scale, they’re not actually going to bring down our government, etc. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/146 "2013-03-02T00:41:19Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Indeed. He just… gazed. He gazed sadly and thoughtfully. I assumed it was because he knew that his contact of many years had to be killed, but I’m hoping, to follow up my earlier comment, it’s also because he knows that his hot secretary also has to be killed. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/147 "2013-03-02T02:30:13Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > He gazed sadly and thoughtfully. > > I assumed it was because he knew that his contact of many years had to be killed, but I’m hoping, to follow up my earlier comment, it’s also because he knows that his hot secretary also has to be killed. You know, I figured that too. But now that I’m thinking about it, if that’s how to read it, I don’t really understand his reaction when he got back to the embassy… ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/148 "2013-03-03T02:20:03Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > My older brother started to watch this series, but has stopped. Why? He said he finds it “too scary” - almost like a horror film (which he hates) and it made him queasy just watching that FBI agent going through the car in the neighbor’s garage. At least that is what he told me. I think he is more upset that the KGB are kind of the “heroes” of the series in a weird way, and my staunch conservative Republican brother just finds that too hard to buy into. While they’re the protagonists, the show doesn’t really portray them as heroes so much, and the husband is most easy to empathize with when he’s considering turning himself in to the FBI, and also how he’s clearly tired of stuff him and the wife have to do, etc. He’s still doing it, but you can see somewhere down the road he really might have a heroic moment and flip sides for the sake of his family. At least that’s partly how I can “buy into” things. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/149 "2013-03-03T05:10:21Z")
They did a catch up marathon Friday night, so I saw the episode I missed, ep 2. Now I got the catching of Nina and the plot with the black maid. Whee. > [@TonySinclair](#): > > But to believe that, we also have to believe… > > [spoiler]a) that she never reported him, and > b) that nothing like it ever happened again > > … > > But if he was the only one, then why would she believe him when he claimed it was routine? And why wouldn’t she report it unless she was too shy or timid, neither of which seems to apply to her?[/spoiler] I think it’s a case of him reminding her of something she knew but was avoiding, and he put it in her face. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Agreed, that was my take as well and… > > …I think when Philips quietly said “don’t threaten me” he was about 30 seconds from driving someplace secluded and eliminating her. Crazy Swede quickly shifting gears to her batshit fantasies of their picturesque life with the falling snowflakes probably saved her life ( if didn’t exactly ease Philip’s tension ). Also agreed. Waiting for the other shoe on that one to fall. We have to see her again. > [@AK84](#): > > Good episode I thought and we got to see some of Elizabeths background. > > Did anyone think that Granny Claudia > > [] > started the whole assasination/coup operation of her own accord without directions from Moscow? > [] No, she activated a standing plan in the case of a coup, to cause disruption and try to keep destabilizing the government. She was in contact with Moscow, because they were given instructions to get more information. The assumption of the coup may have been her jumping the gun a bit, but all the Soviets seemed jumpy. Look what was going on in the Resident’s office. > [@wonderlust](#): > > I’m a bit uncomfortable with the show’s attention to the body and sexuality of the 13-year-old daughter. As a parent, I totally get that they’re coming to terms with the maturation of their little girl, but they do have an older daughter, so this isn’t new territory for them. The portrayal of the youngest daughter’s changing figure and the interests of an adult man toward her set off an alarm in me. It’s true that most girls her age don’t realize the effect that their bodies can have on adult men even while their interest is only in boys, but there’s something maybe too voyeuristic about the show’s attention given to this little girl’s sexuality. It’s probably setting up some terrible thing that will occur, but it just feels like too much attention. I think you’re reading too much into it. Clearly they’re setting up the Montagues and Capulets between the two teenagers. The daughter growing up stuff is just examining the stress of family on the web of lies. Mom wants to have a close bond with her daughter, and is struggling with the cultural differences and what her children are being taught about Russia. Dad is thrown by his maturing daughter and the sudden attention she gathers, appropriate and not so appropriate. > [@](#): > > I absolutely loved the country boots dance scene, and the appreciation of the other people in the store. I thought it “showed not told” a lot about Rhys’ infatuation with America. Yes. > [@Raza](#): > > **Feb 27 episode** > Spoilering, though not sure if we need to keep doing it this far into the thread/show. I agree. > [@](#): > > I was very surprised that the Soviet handler/US defense guy meet-up climaxed with > > Elizabeth shooting the American defense guy, in broad daylight, on the street. Logistics/detection aside, they (presumably her superiors) chose to eliminate a person who had been giving them very good information about Star Wars. I mean, the FBI already knew the Soviet guy was a spy, so by observing them together it wouldn’t seem the FBI would gain much new knowledge. As it is, they’ll find the American guy dead on the sidewalk with a bullet hole and a briefcase full of classified info. No, I don’t think the Americans knew that guy was the leak. They were suspicious there was a leak, but they didn’t know the identity. Elizabeth’s part at the beginning was pretending to be US security checking up on him, but she said he’s ready to crack, and if they get to him they’ll have everything. So the Americans can’t know he’s the leak yet. The meet was set in a secluded location, in Washington DC. The murder capital of the US. Um, yeah, broad daylight isn’t particularly an obstacle. So they find this guy dead with the documents, and realize he’s the leak they are seeking. That actually helps, because maybe they don’t realize the leak is much greater than that, the network of half a dozen people. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/150 "2013-03-03T05:29:12Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > …Mom wants to have a close bond with her daughter, and is struggling with the cultural differences and what her children are being taught about Russia…So they find this guy dead with the documents, and realize he’s the leak they are seeking. That actually helps, because maybe they don’t realize the leak is much greater than that, the network of half a dozen people. I like that too. How exactly does Elizabeth plan on raising her children to be socialists without breaking her cover? :dubious: Also anybody else wonder if the Jennings bother voting as part of their cover? I understand why they wouldn’t want to pubically get involved in domestic politics, but I keep imaginine Elizabeth writing in Gus Hall’s name. The FBI only had Dorwin’s KGB code name, not his real name. And why did she just walk away from the mole without taking his suitcase that was presumably full of documents for the Soviets? :smack: It seems like a waste. > [@TonySinclair](#): > > He gazed sadly and thoughtfully. > > I assumed it was because he knew that his contact of many years had to be killed, but I’m hoping, to follow up my earlier comment, it’s also because he knows that his hot secretary also has to be killed. I don’t think they realize that Nina is a mole yet. I liked he really seemed to regret what he had to do. Ditto for Claudia and what happened with the West German. > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Actually, I think that the fact that we know that the Americans will win and the Soviets will lose in the long term is fairly interesting… it makes it a lot easier for me (a generally patriotic American) to at least somewhat cheer for and sympathize with the Soviet characters, knowing that even if they win in the small scale, they’re not actually going to bring down our government, etc. Though it would be interesting if they clearly diverged from real life history ala **Inglourious Basterds**. Just imagine the reaction if last episode even with a news bulletin revealing Reagan _didn’t_ make it out of surgery alive. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/151 "2013-03-03T07:16:07Z")
I will repeat myself. I really hope that Philip turns out to be Armenian, Tajik or some other nationality that had big reasons to dislike the Sovs in this timeframe. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/152 "2013-03-07T04:15:01Z")
Well it wasn’t much of a surprise that the whole thing was a setup to test the Jennings’s loyalty. Does the KGB Rezident actually live in the Soviet Embassy? :dubious: It seemed like his bedroom was practically attached to his office. For that matter where does Nina live? Did the Soviets have a dormitory on their compound, or would she just live in a regular apartment in DC? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/153 "2013-03-07T15:26:50Z")
The KGB has the worst man management on earth. That is one good way to destroy trust. I presume the KGB resident is going to suffer a sudden mayocardial infaction… caused by a 7.62 x 39 to the chest ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/154 "2013-03-07T20:53:07Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > **Feb 27 episode** > I was very surprised that the Soviet handler/US defense guy meet-up climaxed with > > Elizabeth shooting the American defense guy, in broad daylight, on the street. Logistics/detection aside, they (presumably her superiors) chose to eliminate a person who had been giving them very good information about Star Wars. I mean, the FBI already knew the Soviet guy was a spy, so by observing them together it wouldn’t seem the FBI would gain much new knowledge. As it is, they’ll find the American guy dead on the sidewalk with a bullet hole and a briefcase full of classified info. > > My take on this was: > > [spoiler]He was going to meet the [Rezident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_spy), the only person he trusted. The KGB was willing to let him live as long as possible, but once he was on his way to meet the _Rezident_ – and they knew the FBI was tailing him – they could not afford to let the _Rezident_ be caught by the Americans interacting with a spy. Everyone knows the _Rezident_ is a spy, but he can’t actually be caught doing it (for reasons of political embarrassment). > > Besides, the “US defense guy” spy was now known to the FBI; his value is now nil for further good info.[/spoiler] > [@alphaboi867](#): > > Well it wasn’t much of a surprise that the whole thing was a setup to test the Jennings’s loyalty. I was thinking, “They can’t _really_ be in US custody yet, because the US will never release them and the KGB will surely write them off, and then where’s the show?” Even if Nina was captured and they were “exchanged” for her, it’s not like they could resume their activities. I was anxious while watching…partly for the characters, and partly out of concern the show’s writers were about to do something stupid. > [@AK84](#): > > The KGB has the worst man management on earth. That is one good way to destroy trust. I think their real-life reputation isn’t much better. > [@wonderlust](#): > > I’ve only watched the first 2 episodes so far, but really like this show. I was impressed by how much we learned in just the pilot, and how we could sympathize with both sides of the spy war. I’m viewing the show through the lens of my own interpretations, and I am interested in superorganism theory. I started out sympathetic to Phillip and Elizabeth, two individuals trapped in the conflict between gigantic superorganisms (US and USSR) as utterly indifferent to their fate as a human is to the fate of individual red blood cells leaking from a papercut. I am starting to see the FBI agent, his wife, and Nina in the same terms. The lives and happiness of individual humans are supremely vulnerable, expendable commodities in the clash of superorganisms. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/155 "2013-03-07T21:30:17Z")
I loved the Granny beatdown. “Show him your FACE! Tell him that’s my message to him!” So good. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/156 "2013-03-07T21:57:29Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I liked the episode. Despite the ending, which I can forgive/ fanwank. I really hope that they try and bring the Afghanistan War into this. With Nina (and possibly Philip) they have the perfect excuse. The actress who plays Nina is an Afghani Tajik after all. I’ll be damned, I didn’t realize that about the actress. I remember thinking when I saw her she didn’t look remotely Russian. Then again, after being told Abed from Community was Palestinian and Sayeed from Lost and the torturer from Three Kings were Iraqis, not to mention the whole cast of Death and the Maiden and The House of Spirits, I’ve learned to accept casting like that. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/157 "2013-03-07T22:03:35Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > I assumed he DID detect them. That’s why he went down there in the first place - he knew the FBI was probably aware of the meet so he was drawing them to the waterfront while the real “meet” was happening elsewhere. He didn’t wave or anything, but that doesn’t mean he was unaware of their presence. I had two thoughts. The first was your interpretation, while the second was him to act that way on the assumption that he was being followed to draw them away from where the asset was to be killed by Elizabeth. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/158 "2013-03-08T01:18:35Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I loved the Granny beatdown. “Show him your FACE! Tell him that’s my message to him!” Well, it was fun to watch (whenever something like this happens on TV, I always hear, “She’s my mother! She’s my sister!” in my head), but it was a supremely stupid thing for her to do. She basically told her bosses to go fuck themselves. She was already under suspicion, and now she’s just confirmed that she is a loose cannon. Even if Granny is a forgiving soul, somebody in the KGB chain of command is bound to be less so. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/159 "2013-03-08T03:28:45Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I’ll be damned, I didn’t realize that about the actress. > > I remember thinking when I saw her she didn’t look remotely Russian. > > Then again, after being told Abed from Community was Palestinian and Sayeed from Lost and the torturer from Three Kings were Iraqis, not to mention the whole cast of Death and the Maiden and The House of Spirits, I’ve learned to accept casting like that. Well she is not supposed to be Russian. She is supposed to be Soviet. I agree about the others though. Especially Naveed Andrews, who though a great actor has a look that screams Tamil. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172/160 "2013-03-08T03:51:12Z")
I wish to hell I hadn’t seen the little summary blurb on my TiVo before watching this–it said something about the mole hunt undermining the trust in the Jennings’s marriage, which meant that I doubted the entire interrogation scenario from the first scene. I was also trying to rationalize it, knowing that it obviously wasn’t the FBI–but then, we’ve also got the CIA, and turf wars, and… but it basically sucked the drama right out of that entire sequence. That said, my reaction in the middle of this episode was, “This show just keeps getting better.” Which it does. I also liked seeing a little bit of character development with the kids, and fair play to the boy for bashing Mr. Creeper on the head with a beer bottle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-fx-series-the-americans-starts-jan-30th/648172.md?page=9)