# 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:** 5
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/81 "2016-03-21T01:39:19Z")
Kid Phillip killed the guy right? And the whole, “He moved away” thing was just to not have to say that? Think his killing the kid played a role in his eventual recruitment. “Smart kid, killed once, we can use that.” ---
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/82 "2016-03-21T04:06:35Z")
Someone help jog my memory - exactly _how much_ does Martha know about “Clark” now? Obviously, that he’s not working for FBI internal affairs, and obviously that he’s duped her into performing espionage. But - does Martha know it’s for the KGB? Or does she think Philip is a corporate spy getting intelligence for some tech firm? And I presume that she doesn’t know about anything about “Elizabeth” (what was her name when she posed as “Clark’s” sister?) or about the kids. Does anybody else think that the “off-hand” exchange about Henry’s cologne HAS to be foreshadowing some big reveal? (“Why did you buy him that awful cologne?” “I didn’t. I thought you did.” “Where did he get it?” “He must’ve bought it, I guess.” etc.) My WAG – While nobody is paying attention to him (did he even appear in this episode?), Henry has already taken to smoking weed and is dealing it (hiding it beneath the same loose floor-board he keeps his spank-bank collection.) One day, while P & E are wrapped up in a particularly delicate espionage mission, the police will show up with a search warrant and find – a secret storage closet full of wigs! ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/83 "2016-03-21T04:19:52Z")
I don’t think they keep most of their spy gear at home, we have seen an apartment that they go to to change. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/84 "2016-03-21T14:51:49Z")
I think they probably have enough stuff at the house to raise questions, but if the cops found all the disguise gear they’d probably think they were into role-playing. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/85 "2016-03-21T15:16:41Z")
So, who do you think the guy was that was actually surveiling Dylan Baker? The guy in the beard and the hat? Because he was there in all three scenes where P&E attempted the handoff. He’s not FBI, obviously. So who is he? Is he the guy that’s giving Phillip the “feeling”? Or is he a red herring from the show runners? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/86 "2016-03-21T16:26:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > So, who do you think the guy was that was actually surveiling Dylan Baker? The guy in the beard and the hat? > > Because he was there in all three scenes where P&E attempted the handoff. He’s not FBI, obviously. So who is he? Is he the guy that’s giving Phillip the “feeling”? Or is he a red herring from the show runners? I thought that was Hans. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/87 "2016-03-21T16:49:58Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I thought that was Hans. I didn’t think it looked like him, but he was listed in the credits. I didn’t catch any dialog that they were using him (though I could have missed it), but it makes some sense they would. ---
**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 22, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/88 "2016-03-22T01:25:10Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Someone help jog my memory - exactly _how much_ does Martha know about “Clark” now? Obviously, that he’s not working for FBI internal affairs, and obviously that he’s duped her into performing espionage. But - does Martha know it’s for the KGB? Or does she think Philip is a corporate spy getting intelligence for some tech firm? > > And I presume that she doesn’t know about anything about “Elizabeth” (what was her name when she posed as “Clark’s” sister?) or about the kids…! Corporate spies don’t murder people and stage it as a suicide. Martha’s smart enough to the Soviets are the only people Clark could plausibly be working for . She’s not going to fall for his Swedish Intelligence routine. She’s had to have realized his mother & sister were fake, but she doesn’t know he has another wife & kids. That would shatter her illusion that Clark is in love with her and send her over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/89 "2016-03-22T02:06:34Z")
I’ve been thinking about Dylan Baker’s character and his “glanders”: 1. Unlike the other traitors, he doesn’t look weak, crazy, or desperate. He even cracks jokes. 2. From what I’ve read, Nixon completely shut down America’s research into biological weapons. 3. If you were going to give people on another continent a plague sample, wouldn’t you use a stronger package? I think the whole thing is a sham. I wonder if Gabriel is involved. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/90 "2016-03-22T04:38:57Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Does anybody else think that the “off-hand” exchange about Henry’s cologne HAS to be foreshadowing some big reveal? (“Why did you buy him that awful cologne?” “I didn’t. I thought you did.” “Where did he get it?” “He must’ve bought it, I guess.” etc.) > > My WAG – While nobody is paying attention to him (did he even appear in this episode?), Henry has already taken to smoking weed and is dealing it (hiding it beneath the same loose floor-board he keeps his spank-bank collection.) One day, while P & E are wrapped up in a particularly delicate espionage mission, the police will show up with a search warrant and find – a secret storage closet full of wigs! It could be foreshadowing something, but I think it was more like juxtaposing mundane parent talk in the middle of a tense situation (well, not really the middle, but you know). But thinking about it, didn’t Henry swipe a bikini photo of Sandra from the Beeman house at some point last season? Was that ever brought up again? Maybe the cologne is so he can smell good while he fixes her cable. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/91 "2016-03-22T05:49:25Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I’ve been thinking about Dylan Baker’s character and his “glanders”: > > 1. Unlike the other traitors, he doesn’t look weak, crazy, or desperate. He even cracks jokes. > . He’s not a traitor. He’s a mole like P&E. (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:** [March 22, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/92 "2016-03-22T18:33:43Z")
A little historical perspective on biological weapons. The US and USSR signed a treaty banning “offensive” research on biologicals, but still permitted “defensive” research. Of course, the principal method of developing a defense against existing and future biological weapons is by creating them yourself and then trying to come up with counteragents. So essentially the treaty was meaningless anyway. ---
**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 22, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/93 "2016-03-22T20:13:01Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > A little historical perspective on biological weapons. The US and USSR signed a treaty banning “offensive” research on biologicals, but still permitted “defensive” research. Of course, the principal method of developing a defense against existing and future biological weapons is by creating them yourself and then trying to come up with counteragents. So essentially the treaty was meaningless anyway. A decent book about this subject is [The Demon in the Freezer](http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Freezer-True-Story/dp/0345466632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458677499&sr=8-1&keywords=demon+in+the+freezer), by Richard Preston. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/94 "2016-03-22T23:48:01Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > He’s not a traitor. He’s a mole like P&E. (I think.) He is. Gabriel told Phillip and Elizabeth that he’s been in the US “longer than you have.” ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/95 "2016-03-24T03:10:02Z")
Paige, you sly one! This girl really should be a spy. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/96 "2016-03-24T20:04:40Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Paige, you sly one! This girl really should be a spy. Apparently the Center thinks that she and her brother should be come hackers (hence the gift of the computer)…a not-unrealistic plot element. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/97 "2016-03-24T21:01:17Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Apparently the Center thinks that she and her brother should be come hackers (hence the gift of the computer)…a not-unrealistic plot element. I’m thinking passing messages back & forth between Center & their people. My family got its first computer right about then. We also got stacks of pirated games on 5 inch floppies - same as all of my friends with computers. Some of those worked, some didn’t, most (whether they worked or not) came with splash screens where the pirate would brag about his Mad Pirating Skillz and let you know how to find him for more stolen games along with other files that didn’t seem to do anything. I’m thinking those disks would be an easy way for Center to send coded info to the operatives (or them to send things back) that could be hidden in plain sight. A lot easier than the radio broadcasts they were using in a previous episode. ---
**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 24, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/98 "2016-03-24T23:45:23Z")
Thanks; I was wondering what if anything would be different about this computer as opposed to when the Jennings bought themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/99 "2016-03-25T12:19:25Z")
PCs were very expensive in the mid-80s. I know businesses were using them, but they were still quite rare for people to have in their houses. I would think this might raise a red flag with Stan, wondering why the Jennings have the computer, or spent that much money on what is essentially frivolous. It certainly opens up some story possibilities, though. Very interesting how Paige came and admitted to Elizabeth that she told the minister. That pretty much takes killing him off the table, as it would surely look suspicious to Paige now. ---
**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 25, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496/100 "2016-03-25T13:16:47Z")
I couldn’t figure out the purpose of the scene with Stan and Henry, where Stan says he has an unopened bottle of cologne upstairs and went to retrieve it, leaving Henry at the dinner table. I thought perhaps Stan would return to find Henry snooping through something, but there didn’t seem to be any kind of payoff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-4/744496.md?page=6)