The Americans is Delightful.

[CorporalCaptain]

What I thought was Paige trying to work her mother might have simply been Paige being eager, really going all-in, and/or trying to please her mother with her enthusiasm for learning the craft. Seems like at this point Paige really is committed, but yeah she's clearly in way over her head.

Interesting how Philip tipped his hand to Kimmy in the end with the mention of communism. I wonder whether he'd go to Greece to defend her, and/or rescue her.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Damn, Philip threw out his long-standing morals regarding Kimmy...and then immediately regretted. I wonder if Paige's experience at the bar and his subsequent attempt to scare her off the spy business because of that experience is what pushed him to bail on the Bulgaria mission. That bailing will undoubtedly cause a major rift between him and Elizabeth despite their renewed closeness. Things will get even worse as Stan finally gets wind of their activities in his own Hank Schrader moment.

Like I sad from the beginning of this season, the tragedy is inevitable and it just gets worse and worse with each passing episode.

 

[Spider]

There are now two ways to connect Philip and Elizabeth to the FBIs radar, the little girl that Elizabeth WOULD have killed had she known she was there and might possibility have seen Elizabeth. And Kimmy might end up in a situation where she sits with the FBI or CIA or someone's sketch artist to identify Philip.

Five down, five to go and then it's over with. And there are still shit tons of loose ends to tie up.

I hope Oleg makes it through all of this alive. Elizabeth will meet a horrid end, I just know it. Not sure what it will be, but she'll pay for all the blood and carnage in some manner.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Interesting how in his eagerness Stan suggested that Renee apply to the FBI for something like the personnel department. I gotta suspect her of manipulating Stan into proposing that by saying she wanted to join the FBI. That makes it seem more likely that she's a foreign agent trying to gain access.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

A couple of things I forgot to mention before:

Stan must be out of counterintelligence practice because not only did he not detect that he had a tail, he tipped his hand on which safe house held Gennadi and which held Sofia with what he arrived with: Pastry/cake for Sofia, pizza for Gennadi.

Elizabeth's murder streak continues...and this time she created an orphan. I feared for the briefest of moments that the show would cross that line but thankfully Elizabeth didn't have to kill the child, too. That said, she must realize the terrible fate she placed that child in: Swallowed up by a foster system that will undoubtedly won't care for him because he's a Russian child and he, in turn, may very well grow up hating both America and Russia.

 

[E-DUB]

It would be ironic if Phillip's act of conscience was the first link in the chain that led to their discovery. But in a way, he is following the instructions from Oleg: Find out what Elizabeth is up to and stop her.

 

[Captain Shaw]

I've got a feeling Paige is going to get killed and that could be what rips them apart and brings them down.

 

[Spider]

I've got a feeling Paige is going to get killed and that could be what rips them apart and brings them down.

And Henry has yet to find out what's going on. Or so we think.

 

[Captain Shaw]

And Henry has yet to find out what's going on. Or so we think.

Henry and Paige end up bumping into each other while out spying.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

I've got a feeling Paige is going to get killed and that could be what rips them apart and brings them down.

That was my thought before the season started, but honestly, the show already put them on a collision course. From the moment Oleg recruited Philip to find out what Elizabeth was doing and told him to "stop her," we've been on the Philip vs. Elizabeth path. Philip's decision to not go ahead with the Kimmie thing will put them at odds directly....and it will all come to a head as the summit comes nearer. They will fight and Philip will be forced to kill Elizabeth in order to stop her. That's my gut feeling. He'll try one last time to reason with her, and she'll be all "The Cause is everything to me! You've always been to close to the Americans! You've been brainwashed! You betrayed us!" Epic fight which ends in Philip reluctantly killing her, screaming and distraught that he was pushed to this.....and then he notices her necklace. And the twist will be that it'll be him that takes the cyanide pill and not her.

I also have a feeling Paige will mess up and get killed. And Stan will find all of them dead and be like "WTF happened all this time? My neighbors?! My mind is blown."

Henry will be the sole survivor.

 

[Spider]

However this series ends in the next five episodes, it won't be all ice cream and cookies, that's for sure.

 

[Random_Spock]

However this series ends in the next five episodes, it won't be all ice cream and cookies, that's for sure.

Definitely. It'll be something once Stan finds out that his friends are really Russian agents. And I wouldn't doubt that Elizabeth will die. Paige I'm betting will be at very high risk to die as well.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Mail Robot barging into the middle of Stan and Aderholt’s elevator conversation was probably the funniest thing the show has ever done.

The tension is slowly ratching up as the FBI is starting to close in. Just 4 more episodes left...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Henry seems far more perceptive than before, or at least he seems to care more. He quickly picked up on the marital strife between his parents and he was rightfully weirded out by Elizabeth's late night phone call about school. The funny/odd thing is we don't get to see Paige's take on the problem, only Henry's.

I know we've joked about Henry secretly being a CIA spy on some level, but I honestly hope that's not the case. I do wonder if Henry's heightened awareness will cause trouble for the Jennings before the end.

I'm puzzled as to what message Philip sent to Oleg, especially in light of his sudden decision to join Elizabeth in Chicago.

I loved the bookending of the family and friends dinner, swapping out Elizabeth with Henry, complete with Stan's Cold War speech.

Also...invisible ink!! Finally!

Mail Robot barging into the middle of Stan and Aderholt’s elevator conversation was probably the funniest thing the show has ever done.

I thought the same thing!

Mail Robot: "Don't release your steam out on me, Stan!!"

The tension is slowly ratching up as the FBI is starting to close in. Just 4 more episodes left...

And now Philip is rushing to Elizabeth's aid in Chicago for a mission that feels like it's destined to end in disaster: Capture or death.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Maybe Philip is going to Chicago so he can take out Elizabeth?

 

[Random_Spock]

Maybe Philip is going to Chicago so he can take out Elizabeth?

Could be. It looked like from the preview that he's in with Stan. So I'm wondering if he's flipping himself.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

The Chicago mission is interesting. I think It'll fail. Aderholt (or was it Stan?) mentioned Philadelphia, referencing season 1. The only reason the KGB outwitted the FBI then was because Gregory's team was so good. They knew the streets, they worked like a well-oiled machine. It won't be like that this time. If it's only Elizabeth, that other woman, and Philip....there's no way they can take that guy in plain sight so efficiently. Though if we assume that Philip told Oleg about Chicago, maybe the KGB and FBI will converge and there will be a massive cock-up....driving Elizabeth into hiding or something.

I don't think Philip will take out Elizabeth and flip to Stan this early. If it happens, it'll happen in the last episode. The conversation between Stan and Philip during the preview was a bit of trailer misdirection. But Stan will be on the trail thanks to Henry. I just think he'll put all the pieces together a little too late (and the orthodox priest guy will help him zero in). I still think that he will find them dead, though. Just like Gennadi and Sofia.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Chicago went FUBAR as was expected. I wasn't expecting Marilyn to get shot. It made me say "fuck" out loud when she was killed. They did learn that the device is in France so it's not a total loss. And finally Stan is suspicious enough to break into the Jennings house. He didn't find anything but I'm not sure he really wanted to. Still it made him bring out the evidence box from the Philly incident from season 1. it's only a matter of time before he figures it out. The pressure is building...the final three episodes...so intense.

 

[marillion]

No way Phillip takes out Elizabeth... He loves her.. he will stand down

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Wow. Outstanding episode. Very tense.

I was wondering about footprints, something that's done of newborns over here at birth. It's an interesting question why the feet weren't chopped off and taken too. All kinds of possible answers though. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that the footprints just aren't (or weren't) indexed, even if the Russians took prints at birth, making a search practically impossible.

And there it is: direct foreshadowing of the possibility of Paige's death. She says she's not afraid to die. We may see whether that's so.

Incredible.