Kathemy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/03/22/the-insect-warfare-on-the-americans-isnt-all-that-outlandish/

Oh, it wouldn't exactly be a happy ending.

You know, I don't really want it to be true, but in "shipping terms" Martha may be Philip's endgame. As in, I could envision a future with him extracted to the Soviet Union with or without the kids, Elizabeth dead, and him reuniting with her.

I really liked the acting performances. I didn't think Paige was bad, I liked her scenes with E&P, I loved the acting of E&P, I loved getting to see Martha again, I loved Oleg's acting, I loved Misha's acting. Nothing special really, it's mostly "why I love The Americans" over all.

Honestly just writing to say I loved this episode. Nothing more, nothing less.

You're referring to the three worlds model by Sauvy and I'm referring to the three worlds theory by Mao.

Actually the Soviet Union was counted as being first world according to the three worlds theory, in the meaning of being the second imperialist superpower. This has nothing to do with how wealthy a particular nation is or how well-off its citizens are - remember, there are several countries where the standard of living is higher than the United States - but which function it serves in the interaction between nations. It would be reasonable to argue that since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has been demoted to second world status.

Of course. Breaking the law of the country you're spying on is par for the course of being a spy. I'm not an apologist for this, but is that something that differentiates Soviet spies from other spies? When Stan murdered Vlad, did he or did he not break the law?

Excuse? Heh, probably not. Explanation? Most definitely. No matter how long they've lived there - in fact, I'd say it gets worse the longer they live there - they are still Soviet spies, living under constant pressure and fear of discovery while trying to uphold a facade that everything's just fine, carrying out one crazy and brutal job after another.

Well, that's what I meant too. Technically Oleg committed treason, though in his mind, he didn't "put the entire Soviet Union at risk." Oleg still believes in the overall fight. Stan wouldn't "put the entire United States at risk", but I could potentially see him going against his superiors when it came to an isolated incident. Which, technically, is treason. No matter how you swing it or how it will turn out, though, I am very confident that it's no coincidence how Stan is now confronted with exactly how callous some of the people he works for truly are, and that this will serve an important purpose.

I can't see Stan betraying the US in any other sense than Oleg betrayed the Soviet Union. Oleg is still a patriot, he's still loyal to Mother Russia and its people, but he felt the behavior of his superiors was unethical to the degree of him taking action against them in one instance. As Stan himself said, Oleg "can't be turned." That's the way I could potentially see Stan acting as well.

The show really does go out of its way to at least attempt to deliver a nuanced picture when it comes to these issues, even if, make no mistake, this is an American perspective. It never shuns from the unpleasantries. It's never been a hypocrite about the brutality of the Soviet secret service, but it also points out, very rightfully so, that their counterparts were no angels. Philip and Elizabeth are the ones forced by their job into more and more unpalatable violence because they are losing. They're very far from their support system and that support system is cracking up. I think this is what creates the schizophrenic attitude of viewers to the material. It's easy to root for the underdog.

I think that the showrunners of The Americans would be very wary of actually flashing forward to present day, with Putin, Trump et al. I don't see them wanting to make a comment on contemporary politics in that way. The idea of Paige working in Russian intelligence spying on America in present day would just reinforce the notion, "hey, look, they're the bad guys, they've always been the bad guys, they'll ever be the bad guys", and one point of The Americans is to humanize the enemy, not promote russophobia. I think Philip and Elizabeth dying or something like that to round things off is a little too pedestrian for this show, however.

Forum is slow as ¤¤¤¤ and I am bored so I made a wallpaper and here it is. {Full size}

My feeling is rooted in the fact that I see Oleg and Stan as very similar people. They both have a private "sense of honor" and seem to really want to "do the right thing". Oleg did that when warning Stan. I could see Stan returning the favor in some manner. I wasn't confused by the scene at all. The "you know what the communists did to my country" line was clear sarcasm.

I am starting to wonder if the real shocker twist of this season will in fact be Stan turning on his employers.

I don't know if it's surprising. How would anyone know they thought Madi dead?

Sorry for forgetting o_o

Ah, yes... Hardly compatible with modern sensibilities, heh.

I'm a bit sad that Jack is obviously toast, unless the showrunners really go off the rails. I always liked his relationship with Anne, far more than I liked Max and Anne which comes across as various degrees of toxic. Jack and Anne, at the core, are the best of friends. I can't remember seeing one of them try to manipulate the other in any meaningful fashion.

Well, this was a quiet hour of television. Not as exciting as previous installments but making a bit more sense all in all.

We've had two who's the daddy storylines.

Eh... Yeah. As per my original prediction, here they come. Charles Vane says hello. Blackbeard says hello. ... and you really believe Madi is dead. Sigh.

The most shocking thing I think has an actual slim chance of happening would be them killing off Bruce Wayne and have the clone, AKA Thomas Wayne Jr permanently take his place.

Yes, Eleanor was the "British side victim" of this season. Can't imagine Max being killed off and as late as a couple of episodes ago I thought she was a goner. Plus now, unfortunately I see no chance of Rodgers biting the bullet either. I guess they'll present Eleanor's death as his so-called "grand punishment", as if losing his wife would balance even 10% of the nasty things he's done.