hellmouse

In terms of how the ending will satisfy us, the audience, I agree that it's almost impossible. But I can say that for myself, I want two things. I predict that before the end, Philip and Elizabeth will come back to each other and even articulate to each other that their relationship and marriage is something they both treasure. It will be poignant and powerful and NOT ENOUGH for all of us. I predict that Stan will find out about Philip and Elizabeth being spies and he will be devastated on a personal level and humiliated on a professional level. I don't know if we'll get a conversation between him and Philip but I think we might. I hope we do. I feel like we have to. Honestly, if we get those two scenarios, I will be satisfied even if everything else is terrible (although I don't think it will be). I really really want those two scenarios to happen. I think they've been set up since the very first episode as something that must happen at the show's end. If we don't get those two scenarios, or if they each last less than a full segment between commercials then I will be very unhappy and sulky! Like Paige after an argument, lol.

I agree that it was a step backwards. It let Paige off the hook for making such a poor decision. It became about handling your liquor rather than about making smart decisions in the moment. She won't be drinking all the time but she needs to be more aware ALL the time. Even though she thinks Elizabeth is "on her back" about it - that is the reality that she has signed up for. She doesn't seem to realize that. Think about Jared's handler, and how she realized someone was in her apartment. It didn't save her but it gave her time to send a message. Could Paige do that? No. I thought she was shaken by the experience fighting with Philip. She hesitates before opening the door. Is she thinking about how she was no match for Philip, yet overreacted with the guys in the bar? Or just anticipating being lectured? Either way, none of that happens. They just set up shot glasses. And she goes along, doesn't even bring up the visit from Philip. It was a missed opportunity.

I think it would be too fanciful for the show, but also possible, if it turns out that Renee is a deep undercover Soviet spy. And even after Stan somehow discovers that Philip & Elizabeth & Paige are spies, and he and Aderholt celebrate their success in "catching the bad guys", there is still another spy working the FBI. Like we see Renee down in the basement listening to a tape. Maybe Stan believes Henry that he was 100% unaware of his family's actions (maybe Philip even pleads with Stan to take care of Henry?), and takes him in, with Renee's full support. Then Renee, now working in personnel at the FBI or even CIA, is able to guide Henry's path into a position of access in government and then help others to manipulate him for info.. With Stan & Henry completely unaware of how they are being used. IDK, it's kind of ridiculous. But it's not entirely implausible, given this show. Obviously the Russians didn't give up spying even after the end of the USSR. We could have a tragic ending for P&E (and P?) but still the hints of continued spying. On the other hand, why would anyone in gov't trust Stan's opinion of Henry (or Renee) after all the ways he's been connected with Russians over the years? Maybe Renee is really just a red herring for the audience.

I was really struck by the fact that Paige has just fought her father, out of the blue, and he's demonstrated that he literally could have killed her with his bare hands. The next time she shows up to see Elizabeth and Claudia, the experience with Philip isn't even discussed. I don't even think Paige is trying to protect Philip in any way by not bringing it up. It's just more fun to drink and talk about sex. And of course Paige is naive enough to believe everything Claudia and Elizabeth tell her, doesn't question whether they're manipulating her, and of course they are. But they are wasting their time, IMO. She's not really committed to the cause, not seriously. Do they realize that yet? IDK.

I keep thinking about Hans going through training with Elizabeth. If he had ever spoken to her the way Paige does, she probably would have cut him loose from the program. He respected her and admired her but most of all he respected her. Paige seems to respect Elizabeth the way a teenager respects a parent, not the way a spy-in-training respects the person training them. I don't know why Elizabeth or Claudia would think this is going well. It's so obviously not. As many have said, if they want to train her to do the eventual job of being in the CIA/State dept/ etc then they are going about it all wrong. She just doesn't seem to get that this is serious and that people get killed. Probably because Elizabeth hides it from her. Would Elizabeth have hidden it from Hans? Hell no. Elizabeth has no objectivity with Paige. if Philip were more involved, he'd see that Paige is incompetent. As that other agent said, she (Julie) is just too young.

Indie Wire interview with Peg Schierholz about the wigs in season 4. Why Getting Less Wigged Out on 'The Americans' Was a Good Sign (Emmy's Watch) Say goodbye to wacky wigs for husband and wife KGB agents Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) on “The Americans.” It’s a sure sign that the Cold War spy series is winding down for Seasons 5 and 6. But it also means focusing more attention on the survival of their marriage and family. “It was a transitional season and it was hard saying goodbye to [aliases] Clark and Jennifer because those looks are retired now, but it was fun doing more truth by craft with Philip,” said Peg Schierholz, who is head of hair.

"He's big and fat and nice" - how she describes the baby. Awww. :)

Interesting interview with Stephen Knight, Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson and Annabelle Wallis. They talk about their characters, about filming all six episodes at once, having one director for all six, the writing, and whether they think it would translate well to a movie. Spoilers for entire show, including Season 3. 'Peaky Blinders' Cast Talks Season 3 In Steve Knight's Purple Patch & Muses On A Movie

Matthew Rhys interviewed as part of an article in Variety about actors directing TV shows. From Morgan Freeman to Matthew Rhys, Actors Take on Directing Reins “The Americans” star Matthew Rhys compares the process of directing an episode to childbirth — once it’s over, you forget how difficult it was in the moment (disclaimer: he is well aware that the comparison is totally baseless, but you get the point). “The first episode back after directing, you’re just so relieved to be standing on a piece of tape, and not being pecked to death by a thousand questions,” he says. “It’s the episode after that where you go, ‘Oh, I’m a bit bored again.’ ”

More Russian spies! This guy was found in 2010 in Spain. The Spanish Story of a Russian Illegal A Moscow spy worked for two decades under cover in Europe by building a fake biography. There are others. According to Western intelligence sources, the industrious life of a busy, frequent-flying Spanish consultant was a front. Henry Frith, they say, was born Sergey Yuryevich Cherepanov in Russia in 1955 — two years before his alleged birth in Ecuador. Back in Moscow, Cherepanov had a wife, Olga Konstantinova Cherepanova, and a son, Andrei. During all the years he spent in Spain, he served as an officer in the SVR, the Russian foreign security services. “Henry Frith,” these sources allege, was an alias for a Russian spy, a so-called “illegal” who lived for years under a carefully constructed “legend” — a false identity, complete with a fake history and background. He is the first “illegal” to have been uncovered and publicly named in Europe since the end of the Cold War. In most cases, illegals are used as couriers. They don’t behave like the spies portrayed in the current hit television series “The Americans” that was inspired by the FBI 10 case. The Jennings couple in the show leads a perfect Washington suburban life with their two children in the early 1980s, but are highly trained KGB operatives who run agents, kill and occasionally sleep with the enemy. But real-life illegals don’t lead such a James Bond-type of life. Their mission is to blend in. “Usually,” said one agent with a detailed knowledge of the case, “those spies serve two purposes. They may sometimes manage their own sources and agents, but mostly they are used as messengers for the SVR because the ‘official’ spies are under a surveillance that prevents them to move around much.” Official spies work out of embassies, operating largely in the open under cover of diplomatic immunity.

It's 10 pm on Wednesday... but there's no new episode.The long wait begins. I actually started watching the new season of Peaky Blinders this week and laughed out loud when I realized that there are Russian characters, speaking subtitled Russian in this season. It was like the television universe was looking out for me. But it's not the same, of course.

I found this short interview in Variety with Peg Schierholz about the wigs and hair styles on the show. It's from June 2015 but still interesting. She even talks about how Paige's style became a little more sophisticated mid-season 3. It makes me think the basic ponytail of post-time jump season 4 was a very conscious decision. 'The Americans' Hair Department Chief on the Show's Creepiest Disguise ETA - the creepiest disguise they talk about is Philip as Jim.

Here's a link to Keri Russell introducing the Waitress performance at the Tony Awards. She looks beautiful. Waitress Introduction and Performance at Tony Awards 2016 - updated link ETA: The other video was taken down, but this is the official CBS one so it should stay up.

I don't foresee them helping him. I was thinking that if he got into trouble, they might be involved in his arrest or interrogation. Maybe Arkady is sent to East ro West Germany to run the rezidentura, and Mischa Jr gets caught there. Or maybe Oleg questions him in Moscow, but upon hearing his story of Afghanistan and wanting to find his family (and be a good son), decides to turn a blind eye to his activity rather than report him. IDK.

A look at how Paige's role is written differently from the typical "surly teen" in TV shows. NPR: How 'The Americans' Solved the Eternal TV Problem of The Surly Teen Family dramas often center on parents as the protagonists, so the Surly Teen exists to offer emotional conflict. As in life, the Surly Teen challenges, it frustrates, it makes demands that keep parents from doing what they want to do.But one TV drama has cleverly, and completely, cracked the perennial problem of the Surly Teen. Its solution is ingenious, albeit not readily generalizable to other family shows that are more preoccupied with things like infidelity than, say, the constant looming threat of nuclear annihilation. A look at how religion is portrayed in the show. This is from around the S4 premiere, so doesn't reflect whatever happened in this season. I'd be interested in what the author makes of Pastor Tim's comments to Elizabeth about what matters most is how we treat other people. Christianity Today: The Christians, the Soviets and the Bible 'The Americans' has handled Christianity in a way unlike almost any other show. What's going on? ...teenage daughter Paige’s storyline in particular—thanks in no small part to Holly Taylor’s superb performance—has taken on a gravity rarely afforded child characters on these sorts of shows (think of poor, irritating Dana on Homeland). Moreover, Paige’s storyline has allowed the show not only to explore generational conflicts with sometimes comic tenderness, but to pick up on a geopolitical conflict far more interesting than the one between Americans and Soviets. Call it the war between the kingdom of Machiavelli and the kingdom of God.

It would be extremely difficult for him to leave. Maybe he won't make it out of Russia after all. Maybe he's captured and imprisoned and/or killed while trying to make his escape. His death could still have an impact on Philip. I listened to a podcast yesterday that was from the season 4 premiere. Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields talked about how every season has become more "real" and how important that is to their storytelling. I think that's why the Mischa Jr storyline strikes such a discordant note to me, partly because it was born out of such a confusing storyline (Irina) and partly because it doesn't feel real to me that this kid would be able to get to the states and find Philip that easily. Although maybe that is why they need six seasons instead of five, lol. It would seem more believable, to me, if he tried to get to the states and failed, and in the attempt somehow affects the lives of the Jenningses. And also because in this attempt, he might interact with some of the characters who've made their way back to Russia, particularly Oleg and Arkady. Either one could legitimately be in a position to interact with Mischa Jr, and that might be interesting to see.

That's very true. It seemed to be how Oleg and even Oleg's father thought about the war, but I am sure both of them would see the illegals as doing important and necessary work for the USSR.

What if he gets to the US, is granted asylum and gets put on a publicity tour like Zinaida, where he talks about how the war in Afghanistan is bad, oh and by the way I am looking for my father the travel agent. I just listened to the Hitfix chat about the episode, and one of them suggested that if Mischa Jr defects it will create a dilemma for Philip. Does he go back to Russia with his children, or defect and stay in the USA with his child? He does seem to feel some loyalty to Mischa Jr even though he also never totally seemed sure he was real.

Mischa Mischa Mischa! I did think it was good that Alice had the baby. Having a baby should help distract Pastor Tim and Alice and keep them from paying as much attention to the Jennings family. ETA: Regarding Philip and Elizabeth's conversation about going home. I find it interesting how much Elizabeth is talking about Russia, to Paige and Philip. It's not a lot, but it's a lot more than she used to! I can't imagine Season 1 Elizabeth wondering, out loud, about what Smolensk looks like now.

Short review of the finale that I thought captured the energy of this season, and the show as a whole, really well. It's on the site The Ringer, which is basically the new Grantland. How Can 'The Americans' Possibly Last Two More Seasons? This show is a jumbo jet dumping fuel, a browser clearing its history every 10 minutes, a jittery traveler packing his bags and leaving them all on the front porch just in case. Every episode feels like a potential series finale now; however exquisite the tension, it feels impossible to sustain another two-dozen times. Another interesting piece on Vulture. I don't know if I agree with the author's conclusions, but it's food for thought. Paige Jennings and the Future of The Americans The central issue of The Americans comes down to a single, key question: Is it possible to be a Russian spy and still raise a quintessentially American family? The answer to that question has always hinged on Paige Jennings, and every single Americans season finale, including the one that aired Wednesday night, has made that clear. Slowly, in tiny increments, Paige has been moving farther away from defining herself as an American daughter and closer to defining herself as the daughter of Russian operatives. That trajectory can practically be plotted on a graph, using the final moments of all four seasons of The Americans as the coordinates. That arc proves that, at least so far, Paige is the key to understanding what lies ahead on The Americans, because her choices dictate her whole family’s future.

My hope for Mischa Jr is that he will be used as a way to show Philip reacting to the death of a child. It would be too heartbreaking to kill Paige or Henry, but we don't have a deep emotional investment in Mischa Jr., so his death, while sad, would not be as devastating. It would serve to truly heighten the danger that the children are in because of their parents. It would add yet another weight to Philip's shoulders, and it would be a source of tension and/or a catalyst for unity between Philip and Elizabeth. It's just hard for me to imagine him having a big storyline of his own. Let's say he makes his way to West Germany, then to Canada, then to the USA. That alone will be an impressive feat. Where in the USA does he land? If he's left Russia illegally, he can't exactly go to an embassy for help. Does he just hole up in a motel and turn to the "travel agents" yellow pages section of the phone book and start making calls? Does he speak English? What does he say? Has Irina given him some code words to use? IDK, but I find that I dislike Irina more and more as we learn more about her, because what we learn seems far too convenient but logically inconsistent. YMMV of course.

I like that the Groovyhair baby is the Groovyheiress. He seems like a nice guy. I haven't seen his other show - I'll have to check it out.

Yes, they have an answering machine. Stan left a message on it once, about Henry being at his house.

I didn't see any photos in that packet, so I'm guessing no. I don't think he even knows his name.

WSJ: The Americans' Season 4 Finale Recap - Persona Non Grata As “The Americans” wrapped up yet another outstanding season tonight, viewers were left with an anticipated series of open-ended story lines that ensure our wait for the Cold War drama’s final two installments will be more than worth it. Probably the biggest cliffhanger facing “Americans” fans now is the question of where exactly the Jennings family will be living in season 5. After the FBI captured Williamearly in the episode, titled “Persona Non Grata,” Gabriel strongly advised Philip andElizabeth to return “home” to the Soviet Union, with their children in tow. While the veteran handler didn’t technically “order” them to leave the United States – he ultimately left the decision up to the couple – the danger that William’s arrest puts Philip and Elizabeth in makes early retirement a very tempting option. WSJ: The Americans' Showrunners on the Season 4 Finale's New Plotlines, Cliffhangers some highlights: How long had you been planning to introduce the Philip’s son plotline? Joe Weisberg: It’s funny, because we were reminiscing about season 1, when, in fact, [you didn't know] whether or not Philip actually had a son. It was ambiguous. Was Irina making that up? Or was it true? And we didn’t have an answer to that, ourselves. We liked that ambiguity. We thought that was really interesting. So, introducing that plotline meant making a final decision that that was a real person and a real character, which is probably more satisfying. Have you two started mapping out the next two seasons? Or, I guess the better question here is where are you in that process? JF: We’ve written the first two scripts for season 5, and we’ve written the next five stories. So we have about half the season plotted out, as well as done a lot of detailed work on the rest of season 5. We also have some specific ideas for the shape and big moves for the conclusion of the show over the sixth season. Which is why we are going to enjoy our summer!