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The Americans - Season 5 of the award winning KGB spy drama - Tuesdays on FX

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C

Cornballer

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Dominican Power said:
Who are Stan and his partner working and what for?
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From an episode recap:
Back in Washington, Stan and Aderholt set up a meeting with Sofia Kovalenko, their first nibble on an effort to recruit contacts within Soviet companies. She works for TASS, the Russian news agency, and what they want from her is fairly simple: questions about how the organization works. Maybe a name or two.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- THR: Spies, Lies and Intuition: A Conversation With 'The Americans' Writer-Producer Stephen Schiff (Q&A)
The Americans are extremely duplicitous as KGB spies, but strive to be virtuous and honest as parents. How do you play with that idea on the show?

We are all spies in our own lives. We cannot present all that we are, and so what do we choose not to present? And can you do that and be a good person? We all lie and we all feel at times that we have to lie. No one out there is probably a KGB illegal living in Falls Church, Virginia, but everyone, I think, feels what those KGB illegals feel from time to time, that tension between deception and truth.

Has your understanding of how that dynamic plays out in our world deepened?

I don't think I've at any point thought, 'Wow, this is a good way to lie.' Because Philip and Elizabeth [Jennings] are very, very, very good liars. There is that episode that I wrote in season three about a certain search for what's real between Kimmy and Philip. It was sort of becoming a Lolita question. Philip is trying desperately hard not to have to sleep with this young girl his daughter's age to get the job done, and he starts thinking about the sex training they went through. He and Elizabeth talk about it in their way because they're not therapized people who talk in that language. Philip talks about how in some way you have to make it real, right, and then they are in their intimate coupling mode, and she says something like, "Do you have to make it real with me," and he says, "Sometimes. Not now." It just seemed to me that was a hard truth about marriage. There's got to be something real there, but in some way it can't be something real all the time. I guess that's the dark truth behind the Americans in a certain way.

Are they unique in their detachment?

Some part of them has to be turned off in order to do their jobs, but they believe in their jobs, and that belief is being tested all the time. They don't do this for fun. Some part of them might question, but you can't question too much or else you'll be paralyzed. There is psychological blowback for them in that, and that's a lot of what we're seeing as the series goes on.

Can you talk about the Americans' sense of place?

Their sense of place may be grounded in an almost mythical re-understanding or reimagining of Mother Russia. They haven't been there in a long time. They have this feeling that that's home and they keep having to digest the fact that it's not for Paige and Henry.

It seems like Philip is falling apart at the seams sometimes when wrestling with who he is, and it's amazing to watch.

Elizabeth is a believer and Philip is a searcher. Philip is in a situation where it might be better for him if he were a believer and not a searcher. Easier, certainly, but the search is really active in him. He's gone to EST for God's sake.
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T

TheNatureBoy

Member
Fell behind on this show, but just got caught up.

For all his tough talk about America, Tuan seems lonely.

Don't want to see Oleg get jammed up.

Phillip getting dumped was funny. Nice guys do really finish last, funny how his asset picked up the phone when he mentioned he was married.
 
S

Saty

Member
Yeah, something is a bit lacking this season for me. Might be the lack of an external threat that might throw a wrench into things. Last season we had Martha and the FBI looking for her. This season i suppose it should have been Phillip's son but they put a complete stop on it. It seems like they are really stressing how the potential downfall is going to be from within, be it Paige, Henry, Phillip losing it, Gabriel wavering and leaving (will he now send Mischa back to the US after his change of heart?).

The 'Russian' parts this season has also been probably the least interesting so far in the show.
 
K

kevin1025

Banned
It feels sort of like they're going The Shield route, where the blow-up between the two most important characters was bound to happen, but they spent their time getting there and held it back for as long as they could. The Americans is going for something similar, which for now can be a little plodding, but all the character work leaves that blow-up to be even more powerful.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
New episode tonight:
IHOP

Philip and Elizabeth are thrown off balance when things with Tuan take an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Henry makes a startling proposition and Stan has a disturbing encounter with Frank Gaad's widow.
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This is episode 9 of 13 this season.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Rhys and Russell at the Met Gala last night:
52C6hKX.jpg
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Margo Martindale jumps to supporting Emmy race for ‘The Americans' — Can she threepeat as Claudia?
After winning back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Drama Guest Actress as KGB handler Claudia on FX's ”The Americans," Margo Martindale will now try her luck in the supporting race, Gold Derby has learned exclusively. The Best Drama Supporting Actress category is one very familiar to Martindale, as she prevailed here for her memorable one-season stint on ”Justified" back in 2011. Can the popular actress threepeat for her fan-favorite role as Claudia?
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IronRinn said:
On the other hand: Matthew. Matthew, what are you doing?
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Psssh. Don't you own a tux-kilt? (kilt-tux?)
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Logline seems to indicate that things might get moving tonight. We shall see...

RatskyWatsky said:
I don't think her material this season, and her performance by extension, has been Emmy caliber, but hopefully that will change before too long.
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There hasn't been much meat to it aside from a few good lines with Gabriel and the brief meeting with P&E last episode, but hopefully she has more coming up.
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
It would be ridiculous for Margo to win any more Emmys for this show. She is a great actress but she does almost nothing on the show since season 1. I guess if you view it as late emmies for her work on Justified, where she KILLED it, then I can accept it.
 
K

kevin1025

Banned
tearsintherain said:
It would be ridiculous for Margo to win any more Emmys for this show. She is a great actress but she does almost nothing on the show since season 1. I guess if you view it as late emmies for her work on Justified, where she KILLED it, then I can accept it.
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She just needs another speech as someone bleeds out in front of her (or just dies in front of her, if you want to add in Justified).
 
T

tootie923

Member
tearsintherain said:
It would be ridiculous for Margo to win any more Emmys for this show. She is a great actress but she does almost nothing on the show since season 1. I guess if you view it as late emmies for her work on Justified, where she KILLED it, then I can accept it.
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This also robbed Alison Wright of a proper Emmy nomination, who did amazing work in her years on the show. At least The Americans got her some exposure for more roles.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Oh man if the centre did all that just to use chemical weapons in Afghanistan. Phillips faith is basically zero and even Elizabeth looked shook.
 
N

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
That's probably not what he expected to hear

"Hi Henry! We kind of forgot about you."
 
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