What an amazing episode. Going to let it kind of sink in before I say anything about the really intense developments; but on a shallow note: Keri Russell was really rocking that businesswoman’s look. I don’t usually jump on the “Keri Russell is the hottest thing ever” bandwagon, but she impressed me there.
I’ve just started reading your blog about this latest episode and for some reason, I can’t help but get the feeling it just no longer has much joy in it any more. By that, I mean that your previous blogs all made me feel like you were very happy to be writing them. But this current one doesn’t seem to feel that same way to me and I’m wondering if that may be due to the material in the episode or perhaps I’m misreading your mood?
I had never before heard the word “cut” used to mean “drunk” and I had to look it up in dictionary.com. But it does indeed mean “drunk”. Learn something new every episode. Good for you.
Re: Gabriel. I don’t think he does much of anything for reasons not related to the spy business. My guess is that he’s worried about the condition of his two most important spies and he’s testing the waters to see if he can still depend on them both. Actually, it’s wrong for me to phrase it that way given that we are the viewers or the audience. I suppose that I should instead say, “the show runners are trying to project his attitude is that he’s worried about …”.
You wrote, “How did Paige know they are Russians – no one said they were Russian?”
At that time, if someone told me they were from the USSR, I would have figured that meant Russia. I couldn’t have imagined it would have meant any other country. They did say “USSR” before Paige asked them to speak Russian, didn’t they? I can always go back and check.
I was very surprised to learn this epi was written by the two show runners. It just seemed so very different from any other epi. So much calmer and deliberate in its pacing.
Many are into the Paige storyline, some into the “Martha/Clark” storyline.
Me, I like the Stan/Oleg/Nina triangle. Here you have two sworn enemies working together to save the woman they both love, both knowing only one can have her.
It’s a tragic storyline since only one of those men can wind up with Nina. I would bet dollars to donuts that it would be Oleg. But only for the short term.
Nina is far too savvy to hitch her star to any one man’s wagon. And I’m certain that she would never hitch herself to Stan because Oleg is just certain to go higher places much faster than is Stan. And overall, I would think Nina would want to hitch her star to someone who was going real far and real fast. Nina wants the best out of life and she deserves to get that any way she can. Nina is one hot little momma and she deserves to go places real quick. No doubt about that. Nina is a true delight and that’s for sure!
Good old Nina - What a babe! The phrase. When thinking about her, the phrase “rocket powered” comes to mind. She is certainly rocket powered and that phrase fits her to a “T”.
OMG! I sure did not intend to imply that Nina is “old”. She is right on out at the front of the pack. What a “she-wolf”!
Oh my! I need more time to properly describe Nina and she sure does deserve that, I would love to have more time to describe Nina. She is just the perfect example of some phrases from the 80’s … such as … “a real go-getter” … a real head of the pack … and there are so many more that come to mind. It really breaks me up that I don’t have more time to describe her.
Tell us how you really feel, Charley!
Seriously, I think that if Stan “breaks” the defector, figures out that Martha is the “mole”, he might be in line for Gadd’s job.
Thank you for reminding me of Stan’s dream. I had forgotten about it. Now it all makes sense.
Excellent connection. I remember that dream as well. We could easily see Martha in a lot of trouble during the next couple of episodes. I’m wondering just when she will pull out her gun and start blasting. Surely her FBI friends have taught her that you never pull out a gun if you are not going to use.
If you pull it out, you must then follow through and pull the trigger. If you fail to pull the trigger, you just won’t get a second chance.
I don’t remember a “Martha” dream. I just remember the one where the late Vlad was doing his wife.
Hi Charlie, this is brilliant feedback. You’re right, yesterday was an energy sapping day. I hope to edit and cheer up the blog post later today! 
When Stan returned from his interview with Taffett and asked about Martha’s whereabouts, he was told she was out due to some unexpected issue (family emergency? or the other agent wasn’t sure). I hope this is addressed early in the next episode. And I wonder if Stan will mention to Phil that he has concerns about someone in his office not being loyal.
What was up with the older lady at the compound in USSR when Nina was schmoozing the scientist? Glaring at Nina, sidling away…not sure it will amount to anything, but it was quite noticeable.
There were many undercurrents in this episode: the dialogue of the soap opera Paige was watching when her parents returned from work, Phillip sharpening the knives while Paige listened to Stan talk (as someone mentioned earlier), others that escape me now.
MsJinx, all three of your paragraphs there are loaded up with really trenchant observations. That would be interesting if they managed to link together Phil, Stan, and Martha in a way that didn’t seem contrived. And you’re right about that older lady: I noticed it at the time and forgot about it until now. The knife-sharpening was really something, but I don’t remember–what was the soap opera dialogue about?
BTW, this week’s podcast from the Americans showrunners is especially interesting. They talk about this as being the most important episode of the show’s run so far, and have a really fascinating discussion with the episode’s editor. Apparently they had five hours of footage for him to edit, just from the one scene where Paige learns the truth–apparently this is an extraordinarily large amount for a scene of that length, with only three actors. They also rehearsed that scene a week ahead of time, something they’ve never done before. And his discussion of how he edited the final scene (with Stan there and Paige kind of freaking out) is really interesting too: apparently he put in one music cue, then another on top of it, and a *backwards *music cue on top of that. The use of a slight amount of slow motion as well was something they don’t ordinarily do, but it had a powerful effect.
In the background of that dream sequence, Martha was seen doing something fishy: taking classified documents from the mail robot, I think. The idea was that it was not what he was consciously focusing on, but somewhere in his subconscious, he knows she’s up to something.
Re Nina: I though the supervisor was just making her presence felt because it’s her job to make sure beardy guy keeps keyboarding. She wouldn’t know Nina is a plant (not literally).
Hey MsJinx - welcome to our madness! This is what someone transcribed from the tv on the tv:
Fwiw, I though the dream seq was a manifestation of Stan’s subconscious bubbling up. It might tie into that brief exchange he had with Martha when she was edgy at the filing cabinet and he was leaving for the Memorial in Chicago. Either way, he’s onto her.
Charlie Wayne-Sheen, you don’t have to read it again but I wanted you to know I have cheered up the blog post. It’s almost okay now, maybe.If anyone else wants to take a look you’re welcome … and I do appreciate any kind of feedback - someone last week said it was better than the Vanity Fair ecap Only one person though …
https://clevertelly.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/s3e10-stingers/
I found the episode a bit heavy-handed, I must say. The American flag decoration in Paige’s room, Philip sharpening his knives menacingly, the dialogue on the TV show, all seemed a bit too obvious for a show that can be quite subtle.
OTOH, Henry’s quoting of Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood was simultaneously cringe-inducing and clever.
Well done to them. The way that they handled the reveal, comes up suddenly and without warning, the audience was as unprepared as the characters!
In a show that works on meaningful glances just outdid itself with the Paige-Beeman one; she just points out how absurd it is that her parents are spies and their best friend is the someone whose job it is to find spies.
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I was gripped when they were telling Paige they were Soviet spies. But then the silence from her, after, was frustrating. Then she calls her pastor and decides not to say anything, but it doesn’t mean she won’t in the future. I’m thinking her pastor is gonna see the business end of Phillip’s black gloves again. And this time, it’ll be for reals.
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I think the good pastor is going to get put down soon.
Thanks, UPJ! I recalled it was something to do with lying, and illegal activity, and threats. I thought it must be meaningful, since it was allowed to go on for so long.
Paige has been left with a lot of responsibility for her brother while P&E are out so much, and is watchful of him even when they are home (reminding him to go down for meals, etc). My thoughts of what might have been going through her head when she saw them with Stan is that Stan is a good man, and her parents could be using him, or at the very least snickering about how they are spies right under an FBI agent’s nose. I think with her moral code, she may find that even more reprehensible than she would the spying - but it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the other unsavory activities they carry out (and she may not even imagine there are sexual situations), as others have mentioned. It just occurred to me that Stan could be a substitute parental figure for both kids, and there could be a situation where he protects them.
To be honest, folks, I have to slightly disagree with some and say that I think Pastor Tim is pretty safe. Paige trusts him more than anyone right now. If he dies right after she has just found out her parents are spies, she’s liable to put two and two together, and that might destroy whatever relationship Paige may still have with P and E.
The only thing that might change that is Tim makes a move on Paige…then all bets are off. I agree with those who say Tim comes across as a little creepy…he seems to take an awful lot of interests in Paige’s life doesn’t he?
BTW…I believe Stan’s dream did feature Martha lifting classified documents.
There was a fire in my neighborhood yesterday and the power was off until now. I’m feeling kind of frazzled by that power outage and I’ve been trying to find out in which episode that dream ocurred.
If anyone can tell me, I’d sure appreciate it.
Pastor Tim is really creepy, agreed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is eventually found to be a 60s Weather Underground type of person hiding in plain sight. He seems unfooled by Phillip and unafraid of him, which is a bit contradictory. He knows Phillip doesn’t like him at all, he knows Phillip isn’t who he seems to be (which Paige confirmed for him), yet he obviously doesn’t see Phillip as a highly trained and experienced murderer.
Stan is damaged goods emotionally. Very damaged. It is why he had the affair with Nina, why he can’t communicate with his estranged wife and why he doesn’t even know where his son lives and plays with the boy next door. He is smart and capable and he has subconsciously picked up on the defector and Martha. He picked up on P & E in the opening episodes but discarded it as an absurd coincidence. It was an absurd coincidence, but again, true. Gaad may be the double “aa” team for competence, but the “B” man is unerring in his instincts, truly botching only the impulse killing of the young man.
Phillip trusts Paige with his life. Elizabeth doesn’t. She turns out to be a lot more brittle than the impossibly tough cookie she thinks she is. Phillip gives just the facts. Elizabeth tries to justify them. Elizabeth is working Paige with all the skill she has. And it won’t be enough. As someone above noted, Paige is scary smart. And as we saw with the baptism thing, she can be quite manipulative.
Gabriel can try to “control” Phillip all he wants, but Phillip is the one working Gabriel, not the other way around.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Martha went home early to kill herself.
Wow! I never imagined any such thing. But now that I think about it, that could very well happen. What a brilliant insight on your part!
But I wonder about the opening credits to the show and how she is listed as one of the stars of this show.
After all, this isn’t “Game of Thrones” and TV shows made in Hollywood don’t do that sort of thing. At least not very often.
But if you are right, I will be amazed and I will remain in awe of you for the rest of this show’s run.
Whether you are right or wrong. I bow to you for posting that. I think it took an amazing amount of courage for you to post that.
I applaud your amazing courage.
I’m being serious, BTW. I’m not trying to be sarcastic or anything like that.
Charlie:
IIRC, Stan’s dream was in the final episode of Season Two…might have been near the end of the episode, in fact.