# 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:** 3
**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 16, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/41 "2014-03-16T23:29:21Z")
Yeah, that 69 scene was highly unexpected for basic cable. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/42 "2014-03-17T03:59:32Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Where Soviet diplomats allowed to take their families with them on foreign postings like Western diplomats? Yes, according to the true spy book _Farewell_ (the subject of the book was in both France and Canada, ostensibly as a trade mission honcho but actually as a spy, and had his wife and son with him; 1970s). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/43 "2014-03-17T05:26:11Z")
The risk of defection has to be weighed against the costs of making diplomats stay sans families. Even today, in many countries which are non family postings, like say the Afghanistan or Iraq, diplomats are limited to shorter tours etc. Against increasing the risks of defection, you have to calculate the loss of personnel due to wishing to be with family more, the fact that such a career would be less attractive to brighter graduates due to the fact that family life would be more difficult than its a no brainer. I do wonder about the letter and Aunt Helen. WHat was ELizabeth thinking. If she showed him the letter, than the game was up, they give the FBI a priceless lead into destroying their network. The only thing that makes sense is that Aunt Helen is (or one of her jobs at least) is to provide an exfiltration route for the kids if and when things get south. That the letter was supposed to be shown to the kids only after they were safely back in the Union. Which raises the question that Elizabeth’s motives? Was she testing the waters to see whether or not an exfiltration was even possible/desirable. Or did she have a “fuck the risks” moment and want to show it, before catching herself? [QUOTE=alphaboi867] Yeah, that 69 scene was highly unexpected for basic cable. [/QUOTE] I really wish they had used “summer of 69” as the background music. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/44 "2014-03-17T05:52:27Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I think it’s more for the rather graphic, though non-nude, depictions of sex acts. No, I’m not objecting to the warning, I’m objecting to the creepy, obscene-phone-caller-ish voice. Like I said, _Justified_, which has more profanity and nudity, manages to deliver the same warning in a less creepy voice. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/45 "2014-03-19T19:53:43Z")
According to the website an old friend “Claudia” is back tonight. I love that character she’s so unexpectedly badass. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/46 "2014-03-20T05:58:18Z")
LOL. “Don’t ‘honey’ me!” ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/47 "2014-03-20T06:45:57Z")
My DVR cut off the very end of tonight’s episode. I saw poor Martha talking to an answering machine, saying that she was filling out a job application, and was going to put his name down under marital status. Was that the last thing that happened? Also, why did she have a cassette tape in her eyeglasses, or something? That was very confusing, I couldn’t figure it out at all. Was that something that he had given her earlier for bugging her boss’s office? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/48 "2014-03-20T14:59:52Z")
Ooh, I just got to watch the ending, and I missed an entire very interesting action scene. Who were those two? The way they were dressed and the way they were a man and a woman made me think they were another couple kind of like Phillip and Elizabeth. My WAG is that they’re Israelis in deep cover? ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/49 "2014-03-20T19:18:34Z")
I think Phillip was made by the Russian Jew Prof, he deliberately made that phone call so Phillip would see and hear it to his, so called “mistress” and it was a definite set up. Yeah, I think those two are most likely Israelis with a Mousad/CIA bent. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/50 "2014-03-20T22:18:16Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > I think Phillip was made by the Russian Jew Prof You’re nuts. He didn’t look suspicious at all, reading his newspaper in a parked car. ---
**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 20, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/51 "2014-03-20T22:31:33Z")
Any one else think Arkady didn’t really told the Centre about Nina’s betrayal and her file’s clean? Also did I mishear something, or is one of their target’s supposed to be gay? I And Elizabeth freaking out & going straight into quoting Marx at Paige’s going to church was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/52 "2014-03-20T22:38:45Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Any one else think Arkady didn’t really told the Centre about Nina’s betrayal and her file’s clean? Also did I mishear something, or is one of their target’s supposed to be gay? I And Elizabeth freaking out & going straight into quoting Marx at Paige’s going to church was pretty funny. Yeah, that was a nice reversal of a normal American family being horrified to learn their kid is dabbling in atheism. Reminded me of the old Munsters series, where they always worried about how odd Marilyn (the only normal person in the family) was. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/53 "2014-03-20T22:56:56Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > You’re nuts. He didn’t look suspicious at all, reading his newspaper in a parked car. 😃 The scene where Philip’s image is reflected in the pay phone chrome I think is a pretty strong hint. Not to mention the awkward hallway trail before that, turning back suddenly to study a wall - Philip was made to appear clumsy, I’m guessing deliberately so by the writers. He was made and they were set up. Which I rather like if that is indeed the case. Even super-spies are liable to commit the occasional mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/54 "2014-03-21T01:51:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Any one else think Arkady didn’t really told the Centre about Nina’s betrayal and her file’s clean? Also did I mishear something, or is one of their target’s supposed to be gay? I And Elizabeth freaking out & going straight into quoting Marx at Paige’s going to church was pretty funny. About Arkady and Nina, he did tell Moscow about her betrayal. I thought it was documented along with the terms of her posting as an agent to get what info she could from Stan. ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/55 "2014-03-21T01:55:24Z")
So who killed Emmet and Leanne ? ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/56 "2014-03-21T02:28:03Z")
Possibly this homosexual former SEAL that Elizabeth is seducing the young short haired classical music loving sailor for intel on. I’m betting on that being a red herring, just because it’d be too much of a straight line from Claudia’s first guess to the ultimate target, but it’s far too early in the storyline to actually say much more. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/57 "2014-03-21T18:49:35Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 😃 > > The scene where Philip’s image is reflected in the pay phone chrome I think is a pretty strong hint. Not to mention the awkward hallway trail before that, turning back suddenly to study a wall - Philip was made to appear clumsy, I’m guessing deliberately so by the writers. He was made and they were set up. > > Which I rather like if that is indeed the case. Even super-spies are liable to commit the occasional mistake. Well yeah, and that unadbashedly pro American lecture about Freedom was enough to get Phillip interested in the Prof and his family. It’s very plausible Claudia’s intel of the Prof having a mistress was misinformation, deliberately planted to smoke out Philip and Elizabeth. Otherwise where the heck did that couple come from, and how come the mistress was so good at getting away with the car? Pretty funny to think at the beginning of the episode Phillip wanted a new car, now they need one. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/58 "2014-03-21T20:49:50Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Also, why did she have a cassette tape in her eyeglasses, or something? That was very confusing, I couldn’t figure it out at all. Was that something that he had given her earlier for bugging her boss’s office? I didn’t see where this was answered. I have no memory of that recording device or what it’s to be used for. Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/59 "2014-03-21T20:55:31Z")
So what would the Jennings do now? I wonder if they removed all identifying papers and changed plates, but engine and chassis number could still get them busted anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123/60 "2014-03-23T16:13:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I didn’t see where this was answered. I have no memory of that recording device or what it’s to be used for. Anybody? I’m confused too…but didn’t he convince her to bug John Boy? Maybe she pulled the bug and doesn’t want him to know. Or maybe I’m total misremembering. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-2/682123.md?page=4)