# The Americans, Season 2. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123 "2014-02-24T17:51:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/261 "2014-05-09T02:26:38Z")
I think the CIA is behind the hotel room killings. Maybe it’s retribution for the bureaucrat Elizabeth killed in Season 1. Kate’s last message implies that whoever killed the rest of the family is coming after Jared. This rules out Jared and the KGB being the killers. And if the FBI and P&E don’t know what’s going on, who else could it be? ---
**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:** [May 9, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/262 "2014-05-09T03:25:56Z")
The Swedes? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/263 "2014-05-09T06:06:07Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I think the CIA is behind the hotel room killings. Maybe it’s retribution for the bureaucrat Elizabeth killed in Season 1. > > Kate’s last message implies that whoever killed the rest of the family is coming after Jared. This rules out Jared and the KGB being the killers. And if the FBI and P&E don’t know what’s going on, who else could it be? You may be well be correct. But, I think there may be other possibilities as well. Kate may have figured out (or Jared may have told her) that Jared knows P&E are KGB. He may also have figured out some other things and that makes him very dangerous to the KGB. She may have figured out Jared needs to be taken out of the USA for that reason or other reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/264 "2014-05-09T06:08:23Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > If we absolutely must abide by the conservation of characters law, then my guess for who killed the family in the hotel room is Claudia. (The previous handler played by Margo Martindale.) > > I know she was all gung-ho about finding the “real” killer, but I’m thinking that could have been an act to get Philip & Elizaebth to take out that guy she fingered. That guy has certainly proved to be dangerous to their cause this episode, that’s for sure, so it’s no stretch to guess why she wanted him gone. > > Jared has never met, or even heard about, Philip and Elizabeth. This was made clear by the interactions at the fair, but even without that, we know he’s never seen them before because Elizabeth talks to him face to face as a person who isn’t Elizabeth. What would Claudia’s motive have been? Also, I’m pretty sure that Jared did see P&E at the fair. I will check that episode again to make certain. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/265 "2014-05-09T06:45:05Z")
In S02E01, P&E and their kids (Paige & Henry) go to an amusement park where Emmet & LeAnne and their kids (Jared & Amelia) are present. We never see the couples actually introduce their kids to each other, but the families walk right past each other. In addition, we never see Jared actually see or intereact with P&E, but that could have easily happened without the audience seeing it. Jared did walk right past P&E however, so if he had a keen sense of observation, he might have remembered them. It is much more likely however, that Jared did have some interaction with P&E off camera, or he did see P&E or he saw his parents have some interaction with them off camera. P.S. What is this Conservation of Characters Law? It’s a Roger Ebert axiom: “any main character whose purpose is not readily apparent must be more important than he or she seems”. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/266 "2014-05-09T09:03:29Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Sorry, I am one episode behind, but I wanted to comment on this scene. > > I’m not sure if it is just bad writing or lack of technical knowledge, but what Larrick did does not make sense. After the “operator” fried the panel, Larrick digs around, finds a dial tone, then uses the service handset to make a call. He \*\*dialed \*\*the number. Where did he get the number? There’s no magic phone circuit that connects to Kate’s phone. If he had the number, he could have dialed from any phone (remember, no caller ID). (Bonus complaint: it sounded like he entered the numbers, then the handset rapid-fire dialed. Service handset didn’t work that way-it’s just a phone with clipleads and a rugged case.) > > What would frying the panel do? There’s no computer in there, no advanced circuitry. The whole setup is just a bunch of phone lines. The important part of the switchboard operation is the phone numbers and the calling protocols. A notebook with all that info is what is valuable. Yeah, that whole bit seems sloppy and not well thought out. He needed to go to the phone company to find the location of one number, but then after connecting that line to Kate, he just had no problem finding her house. It occurs to me that they could have made the whole thing seem more credible if Kate had called in and Larrick used a kind of caller ID to identify her number, then is shown going back to the phone company (even just a one second shot of him smiling awkwardly at the lady again). > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > While I thoroughly enjoyed last night’s episode, I don’t think it makes ANY sense for P&E to go investigate Kate’s house. If Kate has really “gone silent”, far and away the most likely explanation is that she has been caught by the FBI or something of that sort. If so, then going to her house is just 100% walking into a trap. Clearly the KGB will want to investigate, but sending your most valuable deep-cover secret assets in in person seems suicidal, and is one of those things that only makes sense in a TV show. Right. Or even if it’s Larrick! Kate did her job by keeping all info about P and E secret; the last thing they want to do is go there and give him a chance to make the place a trap. I suppose unlike Kate they are more experienced and have the advantage of numbers, but still. I don’t believe that they can 100 percent spot if Larrick alone is casing the joint. In general, the past couple eps and this one especially have disappointed me on the seams showing of the increasingly creaky spycraft. > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Jared did walk right past P&E however, so if he had a keen sense of observation, he might have remembered them. It is much more likely however, that Jared did have some interaction with P&E off camera, or he did see P&E or he saw his parents have some interaction with them off camera. No. They definitely did not. They were painstaking about not being seen talking to the other family. And they had indicated they wanted to get a “peek” at the kids (whom they probably had seen up close when they were very young, like baby/toddler stage). Think how strange it would look to Jared and his sister if he noticed the old family friends Philip and Elizabeth at the fair, but his parents didn’t go up to them and talk openly. It’s clear that the two couples only spent time together when the kids (at least once older than toddlerhood, as I say) were not present. Also, that picture of Elizabeth that they are shopping around just doesn’t look a whole lot like her IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/267 "2014-05-09T12:27:59Z")
The more I think about it, the more I suspect that Jared knows his parents were KGB. That’s why Kate had lunch with him without a disguise. She’s his handler. That’s also why Kate didn’t tell P&E that she was meeting with him. Besides the toilet roll note, has Kate ever mentioned Jared? What if Emmet and LeAnne were double agents? Puts a new twist on things. Then Jared or Kate might have killed them. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/268 "2014-05-09T13:30:00Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Side question. The actor who played the cancer guy. This is the second thing I’ve seen him in recently where he plays a guy with cancer. Is the real guy OK? As far as I know, yeah. He’s been in [a lot of stuff](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0411964/?ref_=nv_sr_2). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/269 "2014-05-09T14:51:31Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > The more I think about it, the more I suspect that Jared knows his parents were KGB. That’s why Kate had lunch with him without a disguise. She’s his handler. That’s also why Kate didn’t tell P&E that she was meeting with him. Besides the toilet roll note, has Kate ever mentioned Jared? > > What if Emmet and LeAnne were double agents? Puts a new twist on things. Then Jared or Kate might have killed them. Excellent point - Kate meeting with Jared without a disguise. That opens other interesting questions. Did he contact her? Or did she contact him? Jared presents himself as a rather shy kind of kid. If things were as they seem with Jared, how would Kate get him to meet her at the restaurant? There are plenty more questions that flow out of that. It will be interesting to see if Jared figures into next week’s episode. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/270 "2014-05-09T18:36:06Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Jared did walk right past P&E however, so if he had a keen sense of observation, he might have remembered them. It is much more likely however, that Jared did have some interaction with P&E off camera, or he did see P&E or he saw his parents have some interaction with them off camera. Everything in this paragraph strains plausibility to the breaking point. That’s just not how tv shows work. Important character relations are never handled solely off-screen. But more importantly, if you believe the highly implausible theory that Jared knows P&E because he had a relationship with them off-screen – which, as pointed out, what they show **on** screen specifically tells the story that no such relationship exists – then you have to explain how it is that Elizabeth thinks she can put on a wig and go talk to a person who actually knows her while pretending to be Not Elizabeth. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/271 "2014-05-09T20:22:49Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Everything in this paragraph strains plausibility to the breaking point. That’s just not how tv shows work. Important character relations are never handled solely off-screen. > > But more importantly, if you believe the highly implausible theory that Jared knows P&E because he had a relationship with them off-screen – which, as pointed out, what they show **on** screen specifically tells the story that no such relationship exists – then you have to explain how it is that Elizabeth thinks she can put on a wig and go talk to a person who actually knows her while pretending to be Not Elizabeth. I’m not certain to whom you are referring when you say “Elizabeth thinks she can put on a wig and go talk to a person who actually knows her while pretending to be Not Elizabeth.” I get that you do not believe that most anyone will believe that someone they know is someone else just because that person is wearing a wig. If that is true, then I certainly agree with you on that score. If you are referring to a meeting that Elizabeth had, can you please tell me with whom she had that meeting and what the circumstances were? Thank you. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/272 "2014-05-09T20:47:55Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’m not certain to whom you are referring when you say “Elizabeth thinks she can put on a wig and go talk to a person who actually knows her while pretending to be Not Elizabeth.” Jared. Elizabeth has gone to meet Jared multiple times wearing a wig, posing as someone who isn’t Elizabeth. There is simply no way that Jared has ever met Elizabeth and Philip. (Beyond infant/toddler age.) If he had, Elizabeth wouldn’t throw on a wig and pretend to be someone else to go talk to him. That would be comically implausible. In much the same way that Philip would never toss on his Clark outfit and go talk to Stan as Clark. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/273 "2014-05-09T21:04:30Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Jared. Elizabeth has gone to meet Jared multiple times wearing a wig, posing as someone who isn’t Elizabeth. There is simply no way that Jared has ever met Elizabeth and Philip. (Beyond infant/toddler age.) If he had, Elizabeth wouldn’t throw on a wig and pretend to be someone else to go talk to him. That would be comically implausible. > > In much the same way that Philip would never toss on his Clark outfit and go talk to Stan as Clark. Oh Right. You know, I only recall one such meeting. She wanted to find out if his mother had ever told him anything about the letter that she left in the care of Elizabeth. I will have to go back and check my recaps to see when else E met with him. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/274 "2014-05-09T21:24:54Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Oh Right. You know, I only recall one such meeting. She wanted to find out if his mother had ever told him anything about the letter that she left in the care of Elizabeth. > > I will have to go back and check my recaps to see when else E met with him. > Thank you. Yesterday. She went over after Beemins talked to him. She wanted to know what Beemins asked. It was right after that that she saw him meet with Kate. (I watch too much L&O:CI. I expected Kate and Jarod to start making out, maybe hop on a bus and go to Canada) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/275 "2014-05-09T21:38:35Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Jared. Elizabeth has gone to meet Jared multiple times wearing a wig, posing as someone who isn’t Elizabeth. There is simply no way that Jared has ever met Elizabeth and Philip. (Beyond infant/toddler age.) If he had, Elizabeth wouldn’t throw on a wig and pretend to be someone else to go talk to him. That would be comically implausible. > > In much the same way that Philip would never toss on his Clark outfit and go talk to Stan as Clark. Yes. I have to fully agree with that. However, there are a few things bothering me. I have all the recaps for all the episodes of this show in text format (from [Cloture.com](http://Cloture.com)). I did not remember E every going to visit J. So, I checked through all the recaps and only found the name “Jared” twice. In S2E03 and S2E11. E3 was “The Walk In” and E11 was “Stealth”. I am very sorry the rest of this is so long. But it includes excerpts from the recaps of those episodes (there are only two) in which Elizabeth goes to visit Jared in disguise. Here are the links to the recaps for S2 E3 & E11 > **[Welcome clotureclub.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.clotureclub.com/2014/03/the-americans-recap-season-2-episode-3-the-walk-in)** > > Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting,... > **[Welcome clotureclub.com - BlueHost.com](http://www.clotureclub.com/2014/05/americans-stealth-season-2-episode-11)** > > Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting,... The following are the pertinent excerpts from E3 “The Walk In”. It’s about the letter that Leigh Anne left with E for her son Jared. S2E03 The Walk In First off, there is a flashback from 1966. The episode begins in 1966 Silver Spring, Maryland, around the start of Phillip and Elizabeth’s marriage. Elizabeth meets Leigh Anne (the female agent who was killed in the season opener) and her young son Jared (the lone survivor) at a park. The two women begin to talk about life and the fact Elizabeth doesn’t know if she wants to have kids. Because starting a “family” is a huge part of the sleeper cell agents’ mission, Leigh Anne tells Elizabeth not to mention her reservations about kids to anyone at The Center. As we quickly find out, Elizabeth and Leigh Anne aren’t at the park for fun; they are actually on a mission, using their location to monitor a man that lives in the area. Before the women carry out their objective, however, Leigh Anne asks Elizabeth to do her a favor. THE LETTER Remember that favor Leigh Anne asked Elizabeth to do for her in the first flashback? Now we find out that it involved Elizabeth giving a letter to Leigh Anne and Emmet’s children in case anything ever happened to them. This letter will tell Jared who his parents really were. ## To fulfill the long-held promise to her friend, Elizabeth drops Phillip off at the train station for him to get back to DC for the kids while she goes to give the letter to Jared on her own. Posing as a child advocate, Elizabeth visits Jared at his new home; a family that he babysat for took him in. Sidenote: the fact that Phillip and Elizabeth don’t have any friends or family that would take their kids if something happens to them created another major source of stress this episode. After all, the kids certainly can’t go to the Beemans. My Comments Personally, I always thought that E burned the letter for fear it may have contained some info stating that P&E were KGB. I don’t recall if she read the letter before burning it. But she really should have done that. Don’t you think? Next, I was bothered by the Cloture recapper saying, “the kids certainly can’t go to the Beemans”. At first thought, I would have to agree with that. But … who should the kids go with if tragedy strikes P&E? Why not let the kids go to the Beemans? The main reason that P&H should not go with the Beemans is that P&E do not agree with the Beemans’ lifestyle and preference for Capitalism and Democracy over Communism. In every other way however, the Beemans would ensure the kids have an excellent future. If P&E had some good friends who would encourage their kids to follow Communism and at the same time, provide a good life for them, then naturally I would think they would want their kids to go with them. But they DO NOT have any good friends - especially not any Communist-leaning friends. So, what is the alternative to the Beemans? Send the kids to Russia? That would be a horror for the kids. But who else could they leave them with? Paige is close to the age where she would probably be OK on her own or with just a short stay at some American foster home. This certainly is a major puzzle. That’s for sure! ## I see the possibility of a future episode (or maybe even an entire season) devoted to the issue of who will take the kids in the event terrible disaster befalls P&E? (Maybe - it’s just a maybe) The next time Jared’s name comes up is in E11 “Stealth”. The following are the pertinent excerpts from the recap. It’s about the letter that Leigh Anne left with E for her son Jared. JUST JARED Thanks to the bug in Gad’s office, Phillip and Elizabeth know that the FBI is onto Emmet and Leigh Anne. The audio makes them aware that Stan went to meet with Jared and ask him about his parents. To find out what they talked about, Elizabeth also wants to meet with Jared; of course, she will don her sexy child protection officer disguise. Little does she know, Stan showed Jared the sketch of that exact disguise and asked him if he had seen that woman. Phillip doesn’t like Elizabeth’s idea; after all, what if Jared is under surveillance and Elizabeth is walking into a trap? Elizabeth assures Phillip she will be able to tell if there is a trap and demands to go. As it turns out, Elizabeth is feeling guilty about not giving Jared his mother’s letter, which told him about his parents’ true occupation and loyalties. Elizabeth is scared he will find out the truth about his parents from the Americans and there is nothing worse than that. ## Elizabeth goes to Jared’s house and gets him to talk about his experience with the FBI agent. Uh, does Jared have guardians anymore? What happened to that nice family that was looking after him? Anyway, he informs Elizabeth that he was asked a ton of questions by the FBI agent and was also asked to look at sketches. He says he didn’t recognize anyone but was told to call the FBI if anything strange happened :wink wink: Elizabeth leaves the house but follows Jared to see what he’s up to next. He goes to a diner where he meets none other than their handler Kate! Does Jared know what’s going on? Is he a member of the KGB? Also, why isn’t Kate in disguise? My Comments - Here is the remainder of the recap in case you are interested. RIP KATE Larrick is a one-man wrecking ball and tonight’s casualty is the Jennings’ handler, Kate. Last week, we saw Larrick kill George, the KGB’s phone operator, and acquire the contact information for Kate. After coming home from meeting Jared, Kate can tell something is wrong. She goes into the bathroom, unravels a roll of toilet paper (more on this in a second), and gets her gun. Even with a gun, however, she is no match for Larrick and is immediately assaulted when she comes out of the bathroom. In true Dexter form, Larrick ties Kate to the ceiling fan and talks to her about her crimes. He decodes a few messages that come through on the radio, which mostly consist of the KGB asking why the phone operator isn’t responding. When he tries to get information out of her about her fellow agents, however, she refuses to speak and Larrick breaks her neck. Does this mean Claudia will be coming back?! Hey, I’m trying to look on the bright side here! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/276 "2014-05-10T00:31:09Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > \ > Also, that picture of Elizabeth that they are shopping around just doesn’t look a whole lot like her IMO. I agree with most of what you say. However there is one thing with which I have difficulty. Some people have said they didn’t think Jared recognized the photo shown to him by Stan Beeman as Elizabeth. I just reviewed that episode and very carefully examined the photo Beeman showed to Jared as well as his reaction. Then I examined the scene were Elizabeth went to see Jared (I think it was just a day or two after Beeman went to see him in story days) and I have to say the picture that Stan showed Jared was “extremely close” to the way she actually looked when she visited Jared. Same glasses. Same wig. It was extremely close. But more important - Jared’s reaction when Elizabeth asked him about Stan and the picture. I’m pretty sure he knew the picture was Elizabeth. Highly sure of that. If any of you want to review that part of the show, it’s S02E11 and it’s about 10 to 15 minutes into the episode. I never studied psychology. But if any of you know much about it, when E went to visit J, the director focused on some red fruit that J was holding. I think it was a tomato or apple. He kept rolling it around. But the director focused on it several times. Very strange. If you watch this scene, see what you think about this object. Seems to me, there had to be some reason for this intense focus on this object. I’ve never seen that before in this show. Would any of you have any idea what the director was trying to accomplish? What was he trying to imply by the way J was holding and playing with this object? It kind of reminded me of Captain Queeg and The Caine Mutiny. Remember Phillip Francis Queeg and his rolling balls? Similar. I think this is a real interesting clue and I’ll be very interested to go back once this season is over and see if there was any meaning to J rolling around this object. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/277 "2014-05-10T00:37:52Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Jared. Elizabeth has gone to meet Jared multiple times wearing a wig, posing as someone who isn’t Elizabeth. There is simply no way that Jared has ever met Elizabeth and Philip. (Beyond infant/toddler age.) If he had, Elizabeth wouldn’t throw on a wig and pretend to be someone else to go talk to him. That would be comically implausible. > > In much the same way that Philip would never toss on his Clark outfit and go talk to Stan as Clark. See my above post. After Stan showed Jared the hand drawn picture of Elizabeth, E went to visit J (seems like just a day or two later). I studied the picture very carefully and it looked extremely like Elizabeth looked when she went to visit Jared. Same glasses. Same wig. From J’s reaction to Elizabeth, I am pretty sure he recognized Elizabeth as the same lady in the picture. I’m not saying that means anything more. I’d guess it does. But I don’t know what. But I’m very, very sure that Jared knows the FBI are interested in Elizabeth. Check out that scene for yourself and see what you think. (when Elizabeth goes to visit Jared for the 3rd time - when they talk about the FBI showing him pictures). The first time E went to visit J was shortly after J’s parents were murdered in Episode 3. The 2nd time and 3rd time were both in Episode 11. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/278 "2014-05-10T03:54:28Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I studied the picture very carefully and it looked extremely like Elizabeth looked when she went to visit Jared. Same glasses. Same wig. The wig she wears when meeting with Jared is very different from the on depicted in the sketch. > [@](#): > > But I’m very, very sure that Jared knows the FBI are interested in Elizabeth. He might think that the FBI is interested in the woman who comes to visit him (and asks him about the FBI visit,) but he has no awareness of the “Elizabeth” identity. That’s my point. Upthread you were convincing yourself that Jared knows Philip and Elizabeth as friends of his parents. He does not. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/279 "2014-05-10T04:07:05Z")
Both the codebreaking scenes in this last episode bothered me. First, how would Larrick intuitively know how to use a Soviet one-use pad to decode a radioed message—that’s probably in Cyrillic anyway? And how could the message on the toilet paper roll be done in a complex code? Seems much more likely that the illegals would have some simple substitution cipher they could fall back on for short notes to each other, but Elizabeth did seem to be laboriously decoding it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/280 "2014-05-10T10:41:15Z")
I made an error above. E only went to visit Jared twice. Once in E3 and once in E11. Stan went to visit him in E10. Sorry for any inconvenience. As far as the wig E wore when she visited Jared, I believe it is highly similar to the wig depicted in the drawings. The glasses were also identical. I guess I disagree with Ellis Dee about the wig. But I still believe the hand-drawn picture that Stan showed Jared (in E10) looked very much like the lady that came to visit Jared (in E11) and I’d be interested if anyone else cared to check that out. Ellis Dee is entirely correct however in that Jared has no awareness of the “Elizabeth” identity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123.md?page=15)