# The Americans Season 4 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496 "2016-01-28T15:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/241 "2016-05-05T15:24:45Z")
Maybe, but Elizabeth always sees the dark side of America, while the others are watching Reagan, she laughs at his clownish rouged cheeks; when others talk about America’s prosperity, she points out its racism and inner-city poverty. And because she hasn’t lived inside the Soviet Union in decades, she can hold an idealized version of it in her head. I’d love to see the show deal with her reaction to Chernobyl (1986, three year’s from last night’s episode, or the dissolution of the entire system). I predict that we might see a Michael Corleone type ending for her, where she sacrifices everything, including family for the business. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/242 "2016-05-05T19:55:36Z")
Interesting [interview](http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/q-and-a/a44588/alison-wright-the-americans-interview/) with Alison Wright (Martha). I too was amazed at how calm Martha was getting on the plane. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/243 "2016-05-05T22:36:54Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Biological warfare research is still useful for counter-agents. They could develop a vaccine if they kept current on our potential weaponization. Seems like perfectly legit spy stuff. Absolutely. What I was commenting on was the possibility of the rat-disease never making it to the offices of the Soviet bio-warfare unit–given that actual history doesn’t record outbreaks of a plague of that type (and given that the show doesn’t seem to seek to depart from the historical record–it’s not set in a parallel universe, as I mentioned in the earlier post). But, yes: in the show, the rat _could_ have made it, and the Soviets might have simply worked on a vaccine (as you say) and kept the pathogen on ice. > [@SaharaTea](#): > > Interesting [interview](http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/q-and-a/a44588/alison-wright-the-americans-interview/) with Alison Wright (Martha). I too was amazed at how calm Martha was getting on the plane. For anyone who gets a chance to see the currently-being-shown HBO movie _Confirmation_ (about the 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearings for Clarence Thomas): Alison Wright shows her acting chops by inhabiting a _completely_ different sort of character as the nominee’s wife, Virginia. ---
**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 6, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/244 "2016-05-06T03:34:40Z")
The time jump confused me at first; for a split second I thought _Elizabeth_ was pregnant before I realized it was Pastor & Mrs Tim. > [@madmonk28](#): > > I like that she saw through EST’s BS to recognize that they are just trying to sell you a bunch of crap. Elizabeth has always sees America cynically, but not necessarily inaccurately. True. Also it was pretty hilarious to see Elizabeth ordering Paige to go weekly Bible study, Sunday services, and basically spend all her free time at “that Goddamn church”. 🙂 ---
**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 6, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/245 "2016-05-06T04:50:30Z")
I looked up explanations for that David Copperfield trick online after seeing this episode. I’m not really satisfied with the explanation of a rotating stage. It doesn’t seem to fit with the YouTube clip I watched of the actual show. Anyone have any insights? ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/246 "2016-05-06T08:34:43Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The time jump confused me at first; for a split second I thought _Elizabeth_ was pregnant before I realized it was Pastor & Mrs Tim. > > True. Also it was pretty hilarious to see Elizabeth ordering Paige to go weekly Bible study, Sunday services, and basically spend all her free time at “that Goddamn church”. 🙂 The irony is of course Kerri is quite noticeably pregnant and they’re trying every way known to man to distract us. E was on good form; emasculating her husband over EST, bitch slapping her daughter into 1984 and bottling Lisa to death. An average day you’d say. The good news is Kimi is back, which will likely be quite _challenging_ … ---
**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 6, 2016, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/247 "2016-05-06T08:39:14Z")
I don’t think Kimmi is “back”: this is just a reminder that she was always there in the background. I wouldn’t necessarily expect her to appear on screen the rest of the season, although I wouldn’t rule it out either. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/248 "2016-05-06T08:46:16Z")
Oh okay. I don’t check the credits for future episodes and would rather not know one way or the other. ---
**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 6, 2016, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/249 "2016-05-06T10:22:43Z")
Same here. ---
**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 6, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/250 "2016-05-06T10:32:38Z")
Man that pregnancy coat was super distracting. Most of Elizabeth’s scenes, in fact, I was overly distracted by the ways they were trying to hide her pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/251 "2016-05-06T11:10:23Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I looked up explanations for that David Copperfield trick online after seeing this episode. I’m not really satisfied with the explanation of a rotating stage. It doesn’t seem to fit with the YouTube clip I watched of the actual show. Anyone have any insights? How does this explanation not work for you, exactly? ---
**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 6, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/252 "2016-05-06T11:19:30Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > How does this explanation not work for you, exactly? Okay, [here’s the video,](https://youtu.be/qXQqrXljnm8?t=422) right as he’s raising the curtain. It’s only up for about 23 seconds before it comes down again. Is he really going to spin that seated audience that quickly? (Or are they in on it, in which case he might as well have saved the money and just used a camera trick?) And why wouldn’t the statue appear through the scaffolding at left and right (depending on which way he turned it)? ---
**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 6, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/253 "2016-05-06T11:43:55Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Okay, [here’s the video,](https://youtu.be/qXQqrXljnm8?t=422) right as he’s raising the curtain. It’s only up for about 23 seconds before it comes down again. Is he really going to spin that seated audience that quickly? (Or are they in on it, in which case he might as well have saved the money and just used a camera trick?) And why wouldn’t the statue appear through the scaffolding at left and right (depending on which way he turned it)? Yes, they spin it that quickly. The entire audience, plus the helicopter pilot, are all in on it. Look past the sides of the scaffolding on either side. The camera shows very little beyond them, and what it shows is a consistent blackness. All they need for that so that the statue isn’t visible to the side as they turn is a black wall of some kind the same height as the scaffolding. Based on the camera angle it only needs to be maybe ten feet wide. ---
**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 6, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/254 "2016-05-06T11:54:50Z")
But the only point of spinning it is if there’s a live audience you need to trick. Otherwise, why not just use the same kinds of misdirection they use with the helicopters and so on? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/255 "2016-05-06T13:10:09Z")
Yeah, I didn’t get this at the time - and never really understood magic on TV. If the entire audience is in on it, why even rotate the stage? Why not just edit it out in production? ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/256 "2016-05-06T13:51:52Z")
[I don’t think the audience was in on it.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1512/how-did-david-copperfield-make-the-statue-of-liberty-vanish) The stage rotated at a slow enough speed that no one could tell it was moving. ---
**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 6, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/257 "2016-05-06T14:17:16Z")
23 seconds to rotate that far doesn’t strike me as slow. ---
**Author:** ![btcg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@btcg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btcg)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/258 "2016-05-07T01:50:02Z")
Geez… The Americans’ moves forward 7 months, Vikings’ moves forward 7 years. What’s it with moving forward, and why the number 7? Cue Twilight Zone music. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/259 "2016-05-07T03:50:12Z")
Time jumps are a good way for shows to deal with kids aging “too rapidly” for the setting. Prime example is Carl from TWD. A time jump probably wouldn’t work for that show but he does illustrate the point. ---
**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 7, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/260 "2016-05-07T03:57:15Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Time jumps are a good way for shows to deal with kids aging “too rapidly” for the setting. Prime example is Carl from TWD. A time jump probably wouldn’t work for that show but he does illustrate the point. Well they already did one major time jump to fast forward through Lori’s pregnancy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496.md?page=14)