# The Americans: How many people have the Jennings murdered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067 "2017-04-08T18:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/1 "2017-04-08T18:53:45Z")
How many people have Phil and Elizabeth murdered in the course of the past four and a half seasons? An awful lot of course, but does anybody out there own full-season DVDs or have episodes DVR-ed who might be able to tally up their body count? I became curious because of the current story arc (SPOILERS!) which show Philip being particularly bothered by their latest victim – a hapless lab tech who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and whom the Jennings mistakenly believed was working on an insidious plot against the Soviet Union, but actually wasn’t. Of course, his current guilt complex is also the result of years of accumulated doubts about his work. And it is in keeping with his character, but I couldn’t help thinking “You didn’t seem too bothered by the guy on the bus you killed last year to the strains of “Tainted Love”, or Martha’s toy-collecting co-worker whom you killed in a vain effort to throw suspicion off of Martha.” And then I got to thinking, how many people have each of them killed? Anybody know or can ballpark by more than, say, “lots”? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/2 "2017-04-08T19:04:57Z")
Note to Moderators: I realize a little too late that I didn’t add (spoilers) to the thread title, which I probably should have; if somebody could fix that, I’d be grateful. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/3 "2017-04-08T19:11:18Z")
The defector who’d raped Elizabeth in Moscow. Stan’s buddy at the FBI. The guy who worked at the defense plant, while he was under his car. The security guard on the airport bus. The guy who happened to be in the computer lab at the wrong time. Gene, the FBI computer guy. The black woman who was going to rat on Elizabeth. The South African guy who was infected with Lassa fever (though that was more of a mercy killing). The South African official (execution-style) and his female bodyguard. The young government official, in his apartment (though that was done by one of their handlers after Elizabeth let him go). The guy in the bug lab. The CIA officer (I think he was) at the country retreat (though that was more of an old-style shootout). Quite a score, though I’ve probably forgotten some. It’s probably more impressive when you realize they’ve been in the US for some 20 years. What happens to a spy if a murder can be pinned on them once they’re caught? Are they subject to due process of law like anyone else on the territory of the United States? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/4 "2017-04-08T19:15:47Z")
I’m not counting the mugger who was going to rape Elizabeth and Paige. I’d’ve done the same thing in their position. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/5 "2017-04-08T19:24:25Z")
Rent-a-cop in his car. (Not the airport guy.)-E Waiter, after telling him it was all right.-P I think that a Soviet spy tied to a murder would be charged federally with espionage and probably traded eventually for American spy held in the Soviet Union. Although given that Phillip killed an FBI guy he’d be in for a rough road if that ever came out. Of course, he could blame Gregory since that’s who the feds already think did it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/6 "2017-04-08T20:51:07Z")
I dunno how many Phil and Liz have killed, but Ken put a lot of people in jeopardy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/7 "2017-04-08T21:04:30Z")
Wasn’t there also at least one guy in a hotel room, an Arab or Iranian diplomat, someone like that? They had to break his bones to get him to fit in a suitcase, as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/8 "2017-04-08T21:07:07Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I dunno how many Phil and Liz have killed, but Ken put a lot of people in jeopardy. I’ll take “Witty TV References” for $2000, Alex. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/9 "2017-04-08T21:16:38Z")
I’m trying to remember what happened to the guy who caught them snooping at the defense plant when they were trying to steal Stealth technology. Did they kill him too, or was it his lucky day? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/10 "2017-04-08T21:24:16Z")
Didn’t Phillip also kill a woman at the maintenance and repair center when he went to retrieve the recorder from the FBI robot? Spent the whole night talking to her, I think. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/11 "2017-04-08T21:39:33Z")
Elizabeth killed a guy in the swimming pool to get a promotion for their source. Their source killed the woman who was Phillip’s Swedish contact, hers was the body that they had to break up to get into the suitcase. That one isn’t on them. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/12 "2017-04-08T21:57:40Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Elizabeth killed a guy in the swimming pool to get a promotion for their source. Their source killed the woman who was Phillip’s Swedish contact, hers was the body that they had to break up to get into the suitcase. That one isn’t on them. … And the source was the Middle Eastern guy, right? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/13 "2017-04-08T23:49:05Z")
I think at least one major difference for Phillip here is that this wasn’t just an innocent person who unfortunately got in the way of Important Business for the Motherland, it was an innocent person who got in the way of something that turned out to NOT be Important Business for the Motherland. And, furthermore, something that at least in theory P&E themselves might have already deduced was not a big deal. He, at least in the past, has made his peace with the idea that the work they are doing is very important and sometimes they’ll have to kill innocent people to do it. But he’s not as comfortable with that as he used to be, and certainly not with killing people for reasons that turn out to be mistakes to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/14 "2017-04-08T23:49:35Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > … And the source was the Middle Eastern guy, right? Afghanistan. He was from Afghanistan. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/15 "2017-04-09T00:02:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Didn’t Phillip also kill a woman at the maintenance and repair center when he went to retrieve the recorder from the FBI robot? Spent the whole night talking to her, I think. That was Elizabeth. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/16 "2017-04-09T04:07:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m trying to remember what happened to the guy who caught them snooping at the defense plant when they were trying to steal Stealth technology. Did they kill him too, or was it his lucky day? IIRC, it was his lucky day. Elizabeth grabbed an oversized tool and intimidated him into talking, but they let him live another day. Elizabeth did in the old lady at the computer shop (when they were bugging the Mail Robot). Technically, Elizabeth allowed her to off herself, but…well, that we can count. There was also the security guy they abducted and tied up when they broke into the military base. They were going to let him live, but he died of exposure (they left him out in the cold for too long). Again, not technically murder, but…definitely their fault. I wouldn’t count the muggers/would-be rapists that threatened Elizabeth and Paige either. ---
**Author:** ![TYphoonSignal8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TYphoonSignal8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TYphoonSignal8)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/17 "2017-04-10T02:58:07Z")
Sorry, only seen a few episodes (really enjoyed it though). With that in mind, what about the big guy who was being repulsive to their daughter in that shop? Very first episode? Phil dressed up in disguise in long hair and glasses, and went to the guy’s house. It looked like Phil killed him. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-how-many-people-have-the-jennings-murdered/784067/18 "2017-04-10T05:12:11Z")
No, he just beat the crap out of that guy and warned him off trolling jailbait.