Inquisitionist

I don't think Philip left the KGB to become Butch Cassidy. ;-) He seems to want to "make it" as an American, playing by the same rules by which he see other Americans becoming successful.

It could be as simple as the USSR is paying for Paige's college (perhaps through a scholarship that only she could apply for) because she, in essence, now works for them, but the USSR does not pay for Henry's private high school because it's not necessary to further their aims -- the deal was that Philip would pay for this out of his "becoming a capitalist." I don't really need to have the show spell this out for me. The point seems to be: Elizabeth/Paige (USSR/purported socialists) are not worried about money, but Philip/Henry (USA/capitalists) are. That is kind of mind-blowing in itself.

Philip has great "muscle memory" to be able to fuck like that on command after three years "out of the game." And with a woman he still thinks of as a surrogate daughter. If the travel agency folds, he could have a career in porn. ;-) But, yeah, Rhys did an amazing job in his scenes last night.

He's directed five previous episodes, including two of my favorites: Gregory and Glanders. Google "The Americans The Great Patriotic War Review" and you'll find very positive takes (and insightful reviews) at Vox, The A/V Club, Uproxx, IndieWire, etc.

Ha-ha. Always hard to tell with SJP. Sounds pretty defensive.

Things are different in Canada. :-) That they did. I liked this one a lot.

Or as symbolism.

There may be a disconnect here as well. I could see Philip wanting the agency to succeed because of him and therefore he's obsessing about how to do that, rather than turning to the KGB to bail him out. I also find some of the loose ends from prior seasons (Philip's son, why Gaad was killed) a little odd, but I don't agree that the money issues and boarding school are "small stuff" or a waste of time. The show has really always been about relationships in the Jennings family unit. Those seemingly little things loom large.

Ha, thanks for the laugh, Michael231! I think you've finally made me appreciate that the producers were telling us who Megan really was right at the start of S5: a would-be performer who loves being the center of attention but is not really talented. ;-)

Thanks, I might have to rewatch it On Demand in HD. I happened to catch a repeat of Ep. 2 in HD while visiting someone over the weekend, and it was definitely easier to see what was happening in the park scene with the General. I just don't like to tie up that much space on my DVR!

As I recall, when Philip said he wanted out, he did say he'd continue monitoring his then-current contacts, and may have mentioned Kimmie by name. Good gosh, that was annoying. Was it easier to see anything in HD? I'm having trouble understanding this as well. I know it's supposed to illustrate how neither Elizabeth nor Philip can succeed without the other, that they're both feeling stressed and distant from each other, but a little more realism would be welcome, too.

I really respect Barbara Bush's decision not to use more medical resources. At 92, with congestive heart failure and C.O.P.D., needing a walker and an oxygen tank, the body is sending a strong message. I'm glad that her family respected her acknowledgement that it was time to go and allowed her to do so in a peaceful way. It's a great example.

I think Pick a Con, Any Con is a fabulous episode. The A/V Club had a debate about it during their Cheers retrospective a few years ago.

It looks much better with the coat on, obscuring the big, round looks-like-something-Grandma-crocheted thingy on the dress bodice. When Carrie took off the coat and squee'd at the Eiffel Tower, the jig was up. ;-)

Update: Rainn Wilson did a superb job in a dual role in The Doppelganger. I hadn't realized that he focused on theater for the first 10 years or so of his professional acting career. This play had very fast-paced dialog and action, and even though it is technically still in previews, the cast has honed their performances pretty well. Very entertaining and Rainn was impressive. (And our seats are in the 2nd row, right, so we were literally in spitting distance!)

Wasn't Miranda doing billable work to prepare a legal brief on a deadline? And she was supposed to drop that to go watch Steve "practice" for an impossible half-court basketball throw? She could have been a little more supportive about his excitement rather than brushing it off, but I don't see any problem with the way she prioritized her time. If it had been Harry working a deadline while Charlotte insisted he go down to the dance studio to watch her practice Tea for Two, I'd feel the same way. ;-)

It seemed like they thought they audience would find "squirting" really funny, but it wasn't. And Chadwick Boseman seemed very uncertain about how to play the role. It was a mess. But I liked most of the rest of the episode pretty well, especially Black Jeopardy. I thought they used the T'Challa character well in that.

Rainn Wilson is making a special appearance at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater in an "international farce" called The Doppelganger. I'll be seeing it next week.

Meryl! I can't access Instagram at work, but there's a link in the article to an on-set photo of Streep with Kidman and the twin boys. It's embedded in other articles as well, such as this one at People.

I literally said to my husband "She got a name wrong... so I had to kill him." Thanks for that clarification. I rewound twice and still couldn't figure out how that sequence started. Ah, was he the one who killed Tim Hopper's character in Ep. 2-1 (the guy who had a drug problem)?

Yeah, I referred to it as a "come fuck me" dress back here. ;-)

Then we're actually in quasi-agreement. A written apology from Carrie (one that actually sounded contrite but not asking for absolution) would have been fine by me. It's the tracking-Natasha-down-and-ambushing-her-in-public that I can't get on board with.

But you got to have your reaction in private. Carrie took that option away from Natasha. And she resorted to subterfuge to do it (having Samantha's assistant wheedle Natasha's lunch location out of Natasha's assistant). If Samantha was in on that, I'm a little surprised she would agree to it. But then Carrie's friends are always doing inexplicable things for her!

An apology should make the receiver feel better. At least Natasha had the satisfaction of telling Carrie off to her face in a controlled, classy manner. In addition to everything else you've pointed out as wrong about this "apology" staging, Carrie chooses to stalk Natasha in a backless "come fuck me" dress. Oy.

Thanks! I thought that's about where the phrase appeared. So it's referring simply to the destruction of Georgia, and not necessarily "a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind...” as the opening of the movie repositions it. I almost posted a link this morning, but I figured you could find the Burnett clips on your own. :-)