Espy

I also thought they were basing her on Samantha Power, though Samantha is at least neat & professional.

Late to the party but I’ve only just started watching. I had no idea Anna Torv was in this and happy to see her pop up on the screen. For the last few years she’s been working at home here in Australia, check out The Newsreader or Fires. She was also great in Secret City a few years back (set in my home city).

OMG I initially thought you meant Don molested his son Bobby, and I thought how could I not remember THAT?

The gag with the beeping noise has already been done - on the Good Wife where ironically it was Chris Noth who couldn’t find the source of the annoying beeping. And yep, it turned out to be the dishwasher.

My wish for this season is for Chip, for the love of god, to just get a fucking life and GTFO. Move on from Alex. It’s truly ridiculous how masochistic he is. Move. On. Get another job while you can. There are so many issues with the characters this season but I just can’t get over what a doormat Chip is. Sheesh.

Oh. I thought Laura was supposed to be a Diane Sawyer type but Rachel Maddox makes sort of sense, they just haven’t cast or written the character well.

Laura and Bradley’s relationship has such a mother-daughter dynamic. I see what Bradley gets out of it, but what does Laura get from it? Bradley is hard work. I did enjoy Laura’s “Yeah, I won’t be doing that” when Mia tried to get her to wear the stupid Groucho Marx stuff. Exactly what I would’ve said lol I missed Alex but didn’t even notice Mitch’s absence until the episode ended. I feel like Chip should just cut his losses, go somewhere else, and get on with his life. Seriously.

I’m enjoying her as a contemporary of Alex. She’d work better as a foil to Alex instead of Bradley. Part of the problem is that Bradley is a poorly defined character and the show would be better off without the character IMO.

Honestly I thought it was supposed to be a total WTF moment to show Daniel’s cracking a little. It’s the only way it makes any kind of sense to me. It was a hilariously terrible performance either way.

I have always thought that it was Harry who wanted out, from the get go, but it was Meghan who gave him the support to actually try. The racism, constant bashing by the tabloids, was the straw that broke the camel's back, but it was Harry who'd had it with his role and family and wanted something different. If he was so invested in his royal role and family, he never would have entertained dating someone from such a different background like Meghan, let alone marrying her. Kate and William are very traditional types who might be solid - they will never divorce - but neither is very charismatic nor are they engaging public speakers. I reckon both would be happy to do the bare minimum, which isn't too far below the amount of work they do now, if they could get away with it. Whereas Harry and Meghan seem ambitious, both are charismatic, and Meghan at least seems to have a strong work ethic and genuine interest in charity work. She's also a great public speaker and Harry has the ability to connect with people with ease. IMO as a couple they would have been of huge benefit to the royal family image if the palace had supported them.

Yes I've noticed this lately too in the tabloids. Not so much positive about Harry and Meghan, but more snarky and negative towards the Cambridges. Think it is to do with William hiding his coronavirus diagnosis, the tabloids feel like once they were on the inside with William, receiving leaks and inside info from his camp etc, and now they're sulking because they were lied to.

This show is so silly, Emily is an eye-rolling ridiculous stereotype of a clueless American, the French stereotypes are ridiculous, but I really did enjoy this. I’d say Emily was written to be annoyingly clueless but I reckon we’re supposed to find her charming LOL. In Australia we have ground floor, first floor, second etc, and every American I’ve met has figured things out just fine,and vice versa. So dumb. But this show is light and fluffy, pretty enjoyable, and I need that in my life, so I’ll, keep going 😂

I can’t remember it being explained but think it was all of your points, plus she resented the PA role and thought it was taking away responsibilities from the nursing staff. Carole always had a chip on her shoulder.

Haha that was my main takeaway from this episode: WTF. Seriously, who has a picture of themself, alone, as their lock screen? ?? Surely there’s another way to signal to the viewer that it’s kenny’s phone. agree with everyone who had trouble hearing the dialogue. Glad it wasn’t just me.

Yeah. I thought it was just the actress was bad but maybe she’s trying to tank Carrie’s operation deliberately, maybe a conflict somewhere?

Alex did not handle that conversation with Lizzie well...though horrifying it was entertaining. The character of Mitch Kessler should never be seen again. The show doesn’t need him, the fallout is more than enough. I like the newsroom operations and think there is enough story here without having to waste time on Mitch himself. Like others have said, I’m ready for something to happen story-wise. Wish Cory and Chip would just make a move against Fred. Watching Chip in this episode makes my stress levels rise. That guy is on the brink, and for what? Im real life he’d have been made the fall guy already, and Mia would be fired after making that speech. Does it seem realistic to anyone else that Chip is going to such lengths just to hang onto this job and wouldn’t be looking at opportunities elsewhere by now? Im actually enjoying this show a lot and wish all the episodes had been released at once, think releasing it weekly was a mistake as it feels slow. Billy Crudup also seems to be having the most fun chewing the scenery each episode.

I have been around bipolar disorder a lot in my life and I have to say I have always found Claire Danes’ portrayal to be uncomfortably realistic. I assumed the hand over took place during one of Carrie’s down periods ie. not manic phase and that when she’s back on the meds her affect will return. Without meds she would be cycling through phases rather than being rendered insane or catatonic which is what the show seemed to be saying.

I remember the storyline being that Doug and Carol were actively trying to have a baby, hence the pregnancy. But Doug left and Carol didn't want to move so she stayed in Chicago. Carol discovering she was pregnant after he'd left for Seattle was pure soap opera though, I have no idea why they went with that storyline. And twins too, for max dramatic impact!

I remembered him from his appearance on Thank God You're Here. I always thought of him as a comic actor so seeing him here was such a surprise.

Just as an aside, I can't believe it's Angus Sampson playing Bear. Here in Australia I've always thought of him as a comic actor, even though he has a lot of credits in dramas. He used to be a mainstay on our night-time comedy shows. Watching him be so menacing as Bear is doubly disturbing to me.

Loved the episode. Setting the show in Germany has really invigorated it for me. The German cast are all excellent and I love the addition of Astrid as a counterpoint to Carrie. The casting has been top-notch this season, especially Miranda Otto as Alison. The reveal at the end is the kind of thing that keeps me coming back to this show, even when it loses its way. It would be really ballsy if Quinn went ahead and carried out the assassination, and the rest of the series was the fall out from that.

I love all these posts Umbelina, thank you! Keep them coming :) I've read a couple of those books, Fair Game, and one by both Dayna and Robert Baer (the name escapes me), and they're both fascinating reads. It's so interesting to see how much The Americans gets right, and to see how much is taken from reality and then exaggerated slightly for dramatic effect.

I always interpreted Carrie believing that she'd 'missed' 9/11 to be part delusion, part arrogance. I buy that she's about 35 - last season she'd worked at the CIA for 14 years and it'd been mentioned that she was recruited while in college. The 9/11 stuff though, to me, is just Carrie's belief that she can solve things that no one else can, not that she was actually in a position to intervene prior to 9/11 and missed the evidence.

I loved how the Ambassador knew immediately that the accusations against Dennis were true. The relationship between those two is so, so believable to me. There's so many excellent supporting roles this season, and they all contribute so much to the show. Martha, Dennis, Lockhart, Khan, Redmond - all great characters who have their roles to play, played by excellent actors. Holy hell, those last few minutes were tense. I feel a sense of dread for what's going to happen in the next episode. I hope Lockhart makes it out alive. He's a total dick but I think he often has a good point, and he's hilarious. Quinn and Martha should make it alive - I love them both. Dennis can die, no worries there. Homeland is like a great new show this season. So much better than the last 1 1/2 seasons. Can't wait for the next episode.

Hahaha Muffyn - I chalk that one up to "looks fun on camera, dangerous in real life". I wondered the same thing while I was watching that scene.