# The Americans; season 5 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255 "2017-03-03T01:15:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [March 13, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/61 "2017-03-13T17:51:32Z")
okay, but were they 35 years ago šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/62 "2017-03-15T04:03:25Z")
So Stanā€™s new girl is a total Russian spy, amirite? ---
**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 15, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/63 "2017-03-15T04:33:23Z")
I wouldnā€™t be surprised; by now theyā€™d certainly have info in on Stan to create the perfect woman for him. Itā€™d sure take some of the load off Philip. Also what exactly is a ā€œbread oven placeā€ and why were they a thing in the 80s? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/64 "2017-03-15T04:50:56Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > So Stanā€™s new girl is a total Russian spy, amirite? That was my first thought. > [@alphaboi867](#): > > I wouldnā€™t be surprised; by now theyā€™d certainly have info in on Stan to create the perfect woman for him. Itā€™d sure take some of the load off Philip. Also what exactly is a ā€œbread oven placeā€ and why were they a thing in the 80s? šŸ˜• I have no idea but the see through plexiglass piano was a great touch. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/65 "2017-03-15T09:06:09Z")
Paige and Matthew: most awkward kissing on TV. Leaving with infected bugs on you from the farm lab = bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/66 "2017-03-15T10:22:25Z")
Considering how prior seasons focused on love versus duty, stealth technology, and biological weapons, itā€™s odd to see so much emphasis on agriculture. I wonder if the writers are trying to show us why the USSR was so dysfunctional. I bet Oleg will trace the path of corruption to his father, who will explain that bribery is the only way to get things done in the Soviet economy. I also bet that Morozov will explain to P&E that heā€™s been studying insects to help Russiaā€™s farming yield instead of to harm it. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/67 "2017-03-15T17:27:57Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I also bet that Morozov will explain to P&E that heā€™s been studying insects to help Russiaā€™s farming yield instead of to harm it. Yeah, that wouldnā€™t surprise me at all, if only because it seems a bit hard to release insects that destroy the Soviet wheat crop without risking them ending up in Europe and India and so forth. ---
**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 15, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/68 "2017-03-15T18:13:38Z")
by-Tor wrote: ā€œLeaving with infected bugs on you from the farm lab = bad idea.ā€ If it leads to a Keri Russell shower scene=good idea. ---
**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 15, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/69 "2017-03-15T20:40:51Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > So Stanā€™s new girl is a total Russian spy, amirite? Could be a spy for someone other than Russia, but, yeah: a spy. They wouldnā€™t have cast Laurie Holden for a ā€˜conventional girlfriendā€™ role. ---
**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 15, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/70 "2017-03-15T21:22:27Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Could be a spy for someone other than Russia, but, yeah: a spy. They wouldnā€™t have cast Laurie Holden for a ā€˜conventional girlfriendā€™ role. Well Laurie Holden could certainly pass for a Swedish spy; though itā€™s not totally out of the question that the Chinese would have Caucasians on their payroll. ---
**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 15, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/71 "2017-03-15T22:11:25Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Well Laurie Holden could certainly pass for a Swedish spy; though itā€™s not totally out of the question that the Chinese would have Caucasians on their payroll. Agreed. It could even be the CIA spying on the FBI. (Weā€™re getting hints of tensions between the agencies, and this could tie into that storyline.) ---
**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:** [March 15, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/72 "2017-03-15T22:51:38Z")
Was that last scene - the finger and thumb technique - epic foreshadowing or what. It seems Oleg is a very big deal to the CIA. I did wonder if gym lady might actually be CIA. Loved the cheeky arse wobble. Youā€™d want to slap that some. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/73 "2017-03-15T23:12:01Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Agreed. It could even be the CIA spying on the FBI. (Weā€™re getting hints of tensions between the agencies, and this could tie into that storyline.) Aha, got there before me! Maybe ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/74 "2017-03-15T23:54:41Z")
Another good episode. I loved the moment when Alexei apologizes for the argument he and Pasha have at the dinner table and Elizabeth sympathetically says they understand. A wink to her colleagues (and to the audience) since of course she and Philip understand every word the Morozovs have said in Russian. Iā€™m also enjoying the scenes in Moscow. One tiny detail was off: when Oleg returns home he doesnā€™t remove his shoes. No Russian would tramp down the corridor of his momā€™s apartment without immediately taking off his outdoor shoes and putting on house slippers. Though I suppose you could make the argument that Oleg was so shaken up by the encounter with the CIA guy that he was thrown completely off kilter. Stanā€™s support for Oleg was impressive. And interesting, given that Stan has not always behaved ethically, in either the personal or professional spheres. Perhaps he is feeling some guilt? The scene with the deputy A.G. was great. The A.G. obviously didnā€™t understand Stanā€™s sense of loyalty to Oleg, or his belief that the FBI is an organization with integrity, putting Stanā€™s feelings down to frustration at losing control of a potential recruit. I wonder how Stan will handle this situation, now that his attempts to go through official channels have failed. I didnā€™t really get the point of the ā€œtechniqueā€ that Elizabeth teaches Paige. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/75 "2017-03-16T00:50:47Z")
Talking of tiny details, was there a continuity issue on the way home from the restaurant dinner - Philip drove while the kid was in the back but when they arrived in the garage Elizabeth was in the driving seat ā€¦ no matter whatever. Stan being pissed off with the intel community must serve a plot purpose. I guess this is where the Jane Fonda/gym girl comes in ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/76 "2017-03-16T01:04:04Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I have no idea but the see through plexiglass piano was a great touch. ā€œA see-thru grand piano. Do I need to say anything more?ā€ Both my wife and I were clueless. And whatā€™s the deal with the thumb and finger supposed to foreshadow? My wife and I are wondering how come we liked this show so much before. Not sure how much longer weā€™ll stick with it. Minor nitpick - not sure Iā€™ve ever seen more listless and ineffective striking than Paigeā€™s self defense practice. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/77 "2017-03-16T01:07:29Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > ā€œA see-thru grand piano. Do I need to say anything more?ā€ Both my wife and I were clueless. Itā€™s something that would be in a cheesy bar with lots of ferns. It would seem classy to someone without a lot of class. ---
**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 16, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/78 "2017-03-16T01:33:21Z")
Sherrerd wrote: ā€œThey wouldnā€™t have cast Laurie Holden for a ā€˜conventional girlfriendā€™ role.ā€ They did with Callie Thorne. And Stan did once say to Oleg, after Nina was killed, ā€œI donā€™t want you on my conscience too.ā€ ---
**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 16, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/79 "2017-03-16T03:45:16Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Talking of tiny details, was there a continuity issue on the way home from the restaurant dinner - Philip drove while the kid was in the back but when they arrived in the garage Elizabeth was in the driving seat ā€¦ no matter whatever. Thatā€™s not a continuity error - Philip and Elizabeth were dressed as the Eckhartā€™s when they were driving Tuan home. When they drove back to their home in Virginia, they were in their ā€œJenningsā€ clothes. In between scenes, they stopped somewhere (presumably Tuanā€™s house) and changed. I would have to re-watch it to be sure, but I think they even switched cars. (And earlier in the episode, Elizabeth was shown driving the Jenningsā€™ car, establishing that it was ā€˜herā€™ car.) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255/80 "2017-03-16T04:40:03Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Also what exactly is a ā€œbread oven placeā€ and why were they a thing in the 80s? šŸ˜• Hereā€™s a contemporaneous [article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/05/04/bringing-life-to-the-avenue/0e662923-9142-4570-922a-c2afde94313f/?utm_term=.b1eab89a7b66) about the Bread Oven and the plexiglass piano. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > ā€œA see-thru grand piano. Do I need to say anything more?ā€ Both my wife and I were clueless. > ā€¦ > > Minor nitpick - not sure Iā€™ve ever seen more listless and ineffective striking than Paigeā€™s self defense practice. Well, she was doing that because she was ticked off at her mother. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-5-open-spoilers/781255.md?page=5)