Domestic Assassin

I just learned from this article that the character of Lupe was loosely based on a real person, Florence Lowe aka Pancho Barnes. (Sorry if I'm the last person to learn this). I really like this character and hope she sticks around in season two.

There is a brief shot where you can see at the top it says "Los Angeles..." something (the rest is cut off). That doesn't seem like the start of the name of a Law School, but it could be. I think it's more likely a high school diploma, but you're right it's not really possible to make much of it.

There is a diploma hanging above his dresser in the pilot, but I can't see any of the details (the only words I can make out are "Los Angeles" and "Diploma"). It could just be a high school diploma.

From what I understand from various reviews and interviews:

No. He’s an original character for this series. During the ATX Festival Perry Mason panel, the writers were talking about how they took several of the characters from Erle Stanley Gardner stories, including Pete Strickland and EB Jonathan. I don't know if they were from Perry Mason stories or from other ESG stories, or if the characters were similar or they just took the names, but still I like that they did that. I really like Pete and hope he sticks around if they make more seasons.

Incidentally, is it possible to fix the typo in the thread title (Raymond)?

Is "Fatty" really better?

I think she's playing an Aimee Semple McPherson type preacher.

The second half of the first season is much better than the first half. As a fan of Carrie Coon, you should really appreciate episode 6, "Guest", and the final two episodes of the season are strong. But I'd say the second and third seasons are where the show gets its reputation as one of the best shows of the decade.

You're not alone. I think it's obnoxious and not at all funny.

I was blown away by the scene where "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" slowly drowned out the Russian dialogue while pushing in on Elizabeth's face (#2 on that Vulture list). Here's another list: https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/05/the-top-10-musical-moments-on-the-americans/full-post/

The opening chase scene in the pilot set to Tusk. It's the first thing that always comes to mind.

Systema.

This makes me so sad. Here's a statement from his sister Jane:

Ugh, why did you have to remind me? The only thing that annoyed me more than the idiotic "Megan is really Sharon Tate!" theory was when people complained that Peggy never visited her baby that her sister was raising for her.

Yes, that's it!

I swear that I watched this, but I can't think of the title. They accidentally killed someone and covered it up, I think? I can picture one of the men in it, but I can't think of his name. I'm sorry! But I know that it wasn't just a book!

I really wish that episode had spent less time on those flashbacks that didn't tell us anything about Elizabeth they hadn't told us many times before (and only seemed to be to set up the line about not leaving a comrade to die in the street), and instead spent that time showing Paige getting to that realization at the end. All that time spent on Paige's story and the crux of it was waived over in an exposition dump.

I'm confused about what you're trying to say here. Is there a word missing from that first sentence? I really love reading your episode analyses, though I rarely have anything to add. I'm glad you've kept them up! I remember a Paley Fest (?) panel I think after the first season where Matthew Rhys I think half-jokingly said to Margo Martindale that he was playing the Philip/Claudia/Elizabeth relationship as a love triangle. I've thought of it like that (not necessarily in a literal sense) every since.

IIRC when she first tracked Don down and followed him to his apartment, Anna had a line like "What did he make you do?" that implied that she already had negative feelings about the real Don.

Philip mentioned that the KGB was going to have someone watch the kids (due to the murder of the other spy couple). However, it's very unlikely that person would have been a fellow teenager like the girl on the bus. (Philip also mentioned at some point that the KGB changed their minds about someone following the kids, but I don't remember when that happened).

Betty did NOT want Henry to keep the kids. She choose to have her brother and his wife take the kids. It was Sally that wanted Henry to keep them.

She's an extra in the film. (She's doing stretches in front of a vending machine and Joe asks her if she can do that somewhere else).

Apparently about 30 minutes was cut from the movie. Maybe Caroline made sense in whatever was left on the cutting room floor.

One of the HBO channels ran a marathon of the whole series leading up to the movie. I don't know what more they could have done.