S04.E08: The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Jennings approach their breaking points as both Philip and Elizabeth must handle loyal agents. Will they make it through with their patriotism—and sanity—intact?

[Haleth]

That is the weirdest episode title ever.  (But I remember when DC pulled that stunt.)

[crgirl412]

Just half-hour in and I'm feeling SO many emotions!!!  Such a fantastic episode!!!! 

[SeanC]

An interesting comparison of how the relationships that Philip and Elizabeth form with various agents and sources can affect them.  Obviously Martha is the big one for Philip, but there's a pretty obvious contrast when we first see Elizabeth hanging around with her Mary Kay acquaintance and kind of seeming to enjoy herself sincerely and then later having to kill the woman she befriended under the guise of being an AA sponsor.

7 months, wow.  Quite a jump.

[Umbelina]

Wow, once again, Philip confides in Elizabeth, and she immediately rats him out.  Then she screams at her daughter in very threatening way, and offs the agent she brought into all of this.

I really expected that we'd get more from Martha's story, but no news is good news on that front!

Loved seeing Claudia again! 

Wow, I really didn't suspect that flash forward.  At all.  I know the titles gave it away, but somehow it still jumped out at me, as if from the blue.  It was my first real tension in this episode.

Poor Paige!

[Shriekingeel]

Mostly boring episode but you could see the homicidal rage building in Elizabeth the whole time, masterfully done in the script.  She really is a violent sociopath, and I don't think the "she's just doing her job same as anyone" rationalization will fly anymore. The cigarette afterwards was a great touch: murder, like sex, is a release for our girl. 

[AimingforYoko]

Oh Martha, you broke my heart. I'm just happy you made it out alive, against all odds.

Lisa sure picked the wrong time to have a relapse and grow a conscience, Liz was already in a bad place. I had a feeling the shit was going to hit the fan. I can't believe Gabriel wanted to get in the middle of that. I have to admire his courage. I actually agree with Elizabeth about EST, but some stuff you need to keep to yourself. But Liz is Liz. I'm glad she has Young Hee, I really hope she doesn't have to kill her. 

Matthew Rhys did a good job with this ep. The wordless scenes were the best.

[Primetimer]

In which Elizabeth tries to treat her stress with cinema and self-help but ultimately falls back on a proven (bloody) classic.

View the full article

[crgirl412]

I have lots to say but I don't want to forget this one:

Does anyone else think that Tatiana is lying about her brother and she's playing Oleg??  That look on her face was so strange....

[soapfaninnc]

I could not dislike Elizabeth any more if I tried. She's as brain washed as she accused Phillip of being. And nice head trip to put on your teenage daughter, Liz. You're just a real gem. I'd love to see her wind up in jail. In America - not her beloved USSR.  You don't put that sort of pressure on a teenager. Should Paige have told her Pastor? Of course not, but she was a frightened, overwhelmed young girl who had just been told her life was basically a lie. And I hated Gregory too - Saint Gregory. But Martha, she was just simple. I thought Phillip was going to lose it when she said that.

The cast is really doing a great job this season.  

Love Claudia - Oh boo hop. You tell Dracula, Claudia. 

[RedHawk]

Wow, I am really craving a Miller High Life right now. 

Everyone was looking so rough. Stan altered between pasty pale and patchy pink. 

Glad to see Gaad enjoying his retirement(?) -- he's a decent guy. 

They all got out of their prisons for a while, except poor Paige. 

I swear, someone watching this show is going to revive EST in the DC area. 

[benteen]

Great episode filled with stellar performances.  Philip was insufferable, Elizabeth was exploding and even Gabriel was pissed.  Great performances by all three actors.  Elizabeth was scary when she told Paige to get back in here.  Interesting to have a seven-month time jump at the end although they've got nothing on Vikings when it comes to time-jumps.  Vikings jumped eight years into the future forty minutes into their mid-season finale.

Always enjoy Richard Thomas as Gaad and he was quite good tonight too.  Stan looked legitimately drunk in that scene with Philip.

[crgirl412]

9 minutes ago, Shriekingeel said:

Mostly boring episode but you could see the homicidal rage building in Elizabeth the whole time, masterfully done in the script.  She really is a violent sociopath, and I don't think the "she's just doing her job same as anyone" rationalization will fly anymore. The cigarette afterwards was a great touch: murder, like sex, is a release for our girl. 

I thought it was one of the best episodes!!!  SO much happened with everyone (but Henry) and we got to see Claudia again!!! 

[tennisgurl]

Lots of emotions this episode. Rather more chilled out than the last few weeks, but a lot has been set into motion, especially with Elizabeth. Lady is not doing well. I often feel for Elizabeth, but she is really freaking scary. Both Philip and Elizabeth seemed to be fraying on the edges, but while Philip tries to seek some absolution for what happened with Martha, Elizabeth lashes out and gets violent. 

I loved watching Gabriel and Character Actress Margo Martindale complaining about those damn kids and how they do not know how good they have it. Being the handler of P + E really must be stressful.  

Poor Paige. 

I am convinced Tatiana made up the thing about her brother to get in with Oleg, for some reason. Is she some kind of internal affairs, looking for possible defectors? Do not trust her! 

7 months? What happened?!?! I must know!

[FormerMod-a1]

I really loved the look Gaad gave Stan while Stan was telling the stamp collecting story.  It was an "Are you stupid?" combined with "Shut up already".  Glad he seemed happy in retirement.  Wonder if he'll be back in some capacity, at least show-wise if not FBI wise.

[Dev F]

2 minutes ago, crgirl412 said:

I have lots to say but I don't want to forget this one:

Does anyone else think that Tatiana is lying about her brother and she's playing Oleg??  That look on her face was so strange....

Definitely. My suspicion is that the Centre is worried about Oleg's loyalty following his brother's death, so Tatiana has been assigned to keep him centered and/or keep tabs on him. The "brother in combat" story is a way to develop a common bond and get him to open up about how he feels about his brother's war experience.

(I'm also mildly suspicious about the fact that Philip's son conveniently came home from Afghanistan exactly when the Centre obtained another person to hold over his head, i.e., Martha. Though if it were a gambit, you'd think they'd wait until Martha was safely on Soviet soil, not just in transit.)

[tennisgurl]

I hope Gaad saves some room on the golf course for Stan. If he got fired for not noticing his secretary married a KGB agent, imagine how well things will go for Stan when they find out he never noticed his best friend is a KGB officer...the same one they were searching for. And so is his wife. Awkward.  

Edited May 5, 2016 by tennisgurl

[Tetraneutron]

10 minutes ago, Shriekingeel said:

The cigarette afterwards was a great touch: murder, like sex, is a release for our girl. 

I don't think the cig was a release. We've seen she smokes when she's stressed (like after Paige told her she told Pastor Tim about them). 

I don't think Martha's alive. I think it's possible Gabriel is lying to them. And I want to know the deal with Tatiana. And it's too early to tell with the time jump but it doesn't look like they're grooming Henry? He's about the age Paige was at the end of season 2, right? And poor Gaad. I mean, he had to lose his job but I assume that's the end of the character. Too bad. I liked him. 

Doesn't it seem like they're getting away from actual spy stuff? It seems like forever since they've had to infiltrate something or steal plans or turn someone or cultivate an ally. Now it's all putting out fires. When they brought Lisa back it was jarring since it's been so long since we've seen Elizabeth do work like that. Instead they're focusing all their energy on making sure Pastor Tim doesn't get suspicious. And that seems like a waste of their talents. 

[crgirl412]

1 minute ago, tennisgurl said:

I hope Gaad saves some room on the golf course for Stan. If he got fired for not noticing his secretary married a KGB agent, imagine how well things will go for Stan when they find out he never noticed his best friend is a KGB officer...the same one they were searching for. And so is his wife. Awkward.  

This is FUNNY!!!!  :) 

[Chaos Theory]

Martha handled that fairly well.  Even when Clark/Philip blew up her life she had the decency to wish him well. 

I liked that even though Martha only appeared in about five minutes of the episode it was ALL ABOUT HER and there was a parallel to Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappearing and the Russians making her disappear.  

Poor Paige.  Having to spy on Pastor Tim and his wife even though her heart isn't in it.   

I liked that Elizabeth went to EST and the whole thing about how she is so use to the prison she is in that even being broken out she wouldn't know what to do with herself which is essential what Gabriel did at the end making them travel agents.  It seems like a gift but for Elizabeth it is the real prison,

Lisa.,.see what happens when you develop a consience?  

Edited May 5, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[TimWil]

Absolutely great episode.

I wonder how much John Williams got for the use of his theme from The Towering Inferno during the David Copperfield sequence.

[sistermagpie]

Interesting watching Elizabeth try to get herself back to S1 Elizabeth trying to control everyone with a Stalin-like iron fist. It was like when she kicked Philip out in S1 to try to rein in her emotions and again, it wasn't working.

I feel like one thing that's a shame about Martha is that Elizabeth and reviewers too often make it all about her vs. Elizabeth, like how Philip will miss having a sweet person to talk to or whether or not he's in love with her, when Philip himself is trying to yell that the real issue is that she's a human being who deserves respect whatever he felt about her. Like when Elizabeth basically telling him that argument, how Martha was simple and uncomplicated so he could talk to her about feelings and Philip was like no, she was a complicated human being just like you. He's still trying to protect her or do right by her in some way.

Naturally Elizabeth just goes farther in the other direction--no feelings ever! You're a wuss! I'm telling Gabriel about EST! Wow, was that woman threatened by the EST guy calling out her love for her cage? She really wouldn't know how to live without the cause telling her what to do.

I have limited sympathy for Paige. Sorry for her being under pressure, but this is pretty much the consequence of telling someone a dangerous secret. If her parents weren't pushing it Pastor Tim probably would tell. Maybe he still will. As I said on twitter, the Pastor Tims have essentially become that whole pack of cigarettes Paige now needs to smoke because she got caught smoking one.

That said, Philip's not always right either. But man Elizabeth still gets off easy in their fights. She took him back after he slept with his baby momma? Wow, that's a nasty re-telling of events she ought to be nicer about.

It definitely seems like Elizabeth's going to be heading for something bad in these last few eps. She's got to do whatever she has to do with Young Hee (who continues to be fantastic and hilarious), she's slipping back into really bad old patterns dealing with her family with her attempts to shame Philip about EST and taking out her anger on Paige.

Also, Henry, I honestly don't remember anyone being excited for that David Copperfield special. It's magic on TV. Why would it be exciting at all? Still, I like the little note that Henry does resent Philip being gone and was clearly happy to get him back. It was really Henry who was getting cheated on here, apparently, not Elizabeth. (But I do worry about Philip announcing his "lost client" and gained 2 nights a week the minute Martha is gone in case Stan ever has to put those things together.)

[Umbelina]

The EST topic might have been a bit too much on the nose with Elizabeth sitting there for the first time, but you know, she actually probably needed to hear those words more than anyone in the audience.  "you wouldn't know what to do with yourself without the prison walls you've created."

Maybe that's why she went after Philip and EST with a vengeance?  It did hit a bit home?

[crgirl412]

Why was there a sketch of Tim McGraw in the movie theater??  Go back an re-watch them walking out of their theater.  It looks just like him!!! 

Philip went to the cemetery to visit Gene's grave!  He is losing it for sure in the KGB world but just becoming more human in the real world.  Elizabeth would be so enraged.

Philip is still seeing Kimmie since he passed a tape to Gabriel in that bar. 

It was very touching to see Philip pressuring Gabriel to contacting Martha's parents sooner than later.

There were so many times this episode where I wanted to tell Gabriel that it's all for not and in few years the USSR won't even exist. 

[shura]

3 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

That said, Philip's not always right either. But man Elizabeth still gets off easy in their fights. She took him back after he slept with his baby momma? Wow, that's a nasty re-telling of events she ought to be nicer about.

Well, she fired that one right after he essentially denied her the right to keep thinking of Gregory while insisting on his own right to keep thinking of Martha. Sorry Philip, either both Martha and Gregory are people worth thinking about, or both are just agents that get lost sometimes.

[izabella]

Lol at Stan running low on beer.  Wonder how that happened!

Wow, Elizabeth was so destructive with Philip and est, and in laying down the law to Paige.  She really doesn't get either of them one bit.

[RedHawk]

I wonder if Paige's anger and resentment toward her mother has manifested into secret beer drinking with Matthew or some other teen rebellion during those 7 months. Wouldn't be surprised. Elizabeth took the one thing Paige believed in and enjoyed and ruined it. (Yes, I know Paige brought it on herself, but damn, the punishment is so huge.)

Edited May 5, 2016 by RedHawk

[crgirl412]

4 minutes ago, izabella said:

Lol at Stan running low on beer.  Wonder how that happened!

Wow, Elizabeth was so destructive with Philip and est, and in laying down the law to Paige.  She really doesn't get either of them one bit.

She is completely obtuse in so many ways.  Someone here called her stunted.  A thousand times, yes!

[Dev F]

9 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

The EST topic might have been a bit too much on the nose with Elizabeth sitting there for the first time, but you know, she actually probably needed to hear those words more than anyone in the audience.  "you wouldn't know what to do with yourself without the prison walls you've created."

Maybe that's why she went after Philip and EST with a vengeance?  It did hit a bit home?

I think that in Elizabeth's mind, those words apply more to Philip than herself. He's the one who's just been freed from his obligation to Martha, and Elizabeth fears that he was happier when he was chained to her.

That's one of the things the Statue of Liberty analogy was about -- it wasn't until Martha disappeared that Philip realized how much he depended on the sense of normalcy and domesticity that she provided.

[Umbelina]

The more I watched Paige tonight, the more I thought "That teenager is more likely to turn them in than anyone on the show."

I know, I know, but that girl is pissed, and hormonal, and hates what she's being forced to do, and hon?  It's only going to get worse.  Stan's right across the street after all, one tantrum is all it would take.

[sistermagpie]

4 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

The EST topic might have been a bit too much on the nose with Elizabeth sitting there for the first time, but you know, she actually probably needed to hear those words more than anyone in the audience.  "you wouldn't know what to do with yourself without the prison walls you've created."

I definitely thought so. And so perfect the way she set it up - her bringing up the consumerism angle was so obviously fake. I mean, it wasn't something she was just saying casually. She meant it to be a total shamefest and he knew it. But it was funny when he said "You don't get it" and was quoting EST. Elizabeth was right about what "You don't get it" means in the EST community, but Philip wasn't using it that way, I don't think. Her "It's very American" was just so obnoxious. And also frankly untrue, I think. I mean, EST is a totally American thing but I think what Philip is getting out of it is more like Nina's experience in the prison. He's not approaching it as an American at all. He's approaching it as a Soviet citizen.

 

4 minutes ago, shura said:

Well, she fired that one right after he essentially denied her the right to keep thinking of Gregory while insisting on his own right to keep thinking of Martha. Sorry Philip, either both Martha and Gregory are people worth thinking about, or both are just agents that get lost sometimes.

Well, yeah, but they're also different. Gregory actually was the person that Elizabeth was in love with and chose/considered superior to Philip. So bringing him up (which she'd obviously already done once to Paige, making him a pretty common topic of conversation) implied the old "I'm the guy she really loves" topic. In fact, Philip has *never* treated Gregory like just some agent that got lost. He's always had a special place of honor that Philip respected.

1 minute ago, Dev F said:

That's one of the things the Statue of Liberty analogy was about -- it wasn't until Martha disappeared that Philip realized how much he depended on the sense of normalcy and domesticity that she provided.

I honestly don't think she did provide that at all, though. This ep even reminded us that because of Martha, Philip was away from home. He'd much rather have been at home hanging out with Henry than sitting with Martha pretending they were domestic while he was manipulating her. I don't think he was depending on her, I think he was just keenly aware that she was depending on him.

[shura]

12 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

And so perfect the way she set it up - her bringing up the consumerism angle was so obviously fake. I mean, it wasn't something she was just saying casually. She meant it to be a total shamefest and he knew it.

It wasn't obvious to me that she was shaming or mocking Philip. Maybe she was, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. It sounded casual enough to me. I thought Philip might have let it go since there really is some truth to what she was saying.

15 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

In fact, Philip has *never* treated Gregory like just some agent that got lost. He's always had a special place of honor that Philip respected.

Until now when he decided to throw it in Elizabeth's face that she still thinks of Gregory.

[Knuckles]

So Philip and Elizabeth are on a forced sabbatical of sorts from additional agent duties, but Paige is now working Tim and Alice, and reporting daily to her handlers, Philip and Elizabeth. It does make a lie of all of Philip's concern for Paige...when push comes to shove, his daughter is there to be used. Kudos to the actress for bringing back adolescence to me so strongly...as she fakes her way thru miniature golf outings with the Tims, pretends enjoyment and robotically reports their responses back to her parental unit. Philip and Elizabeth seem to have no notion of the damage they are doing to their daughter and any hopes they may have for their future relationship with her. This is unforgivable stuff. 

Gabriel's concern for Elizabeth was not that she killed, but that it was impulsive, and possibly sloppy. Yes, she is stunted, but also sociopathic. Sociopathy may be a precondition for political fanaticism. But Philip is little better...as noted above, he is still using Kimmie, and despite all his earlier protestations, using his own daughter as well. The show always tries to make Philip somewhat sympathetic, I am thinking of the scientist forcibly returned to Russia and separated from this family...Philip might feel badly, but it never stops him. He's been a killer since he was a kid, he's whacked innocents as well.(the kitchen worker) and he indulges himself in some regrets, but he's still onboard the train. 

Tatiana is definitely playing Oleg..couldn't tell if he is buying it, but I think not. His play is always to go along with her, but I suspect he trusts her not at all.He is just very good at this game. There is nothing in Tatiana that suggests honesty, and this play is a little too obvious...hey, I have a bro in Afghanistan as well.

Will miss Gaad. Loved his work.

Martha marched bravely to her doom...Gabriel's little encouraging smiles were sickening. Probably smiles at all his victims. I called Cuba for her interrogation last week...and I bet she never leaves Cuba. At least not alive.

[whiporee]

While I thought it hit a lot of important plot points, I thought that was really, really, really bad. I don't know whether it was the writing -- which felt like nothing but exposition after exposition -- or the directing that felt choppy and ham-handed, or the acting which didn't have a trace of subtlety anywhere. 

You got Martha's goodbye, after months of build-up, in the cold open, with her saying something noble to Clark? Really. Stan saying "she lied to my face?" Nikita's brother is now called up, Gabriel saying "maybe the information we got saved him" and then having a bitchfest with Mags Bennet where she says "the world is confused" after Gabriel says people were screaming "Comrade, not you" at him. We get Elizabeth, who was very understanding of Phillip last week all of a sudden turning mega-bitch? And Phillip throwing Gregory in out of nowhere? Then the whole Lisa storyline we hadn't see at all this year popping us as a potential disaster? Elizabeth, who is trained to be non-emotional and non-reactionary, exploding and killing her and throwing away all the center's work? And then showing up at Gabriel's, what drunk? and bleeding? Why was she bleeding -- she knocked her out from behind. Did she just leave the body there? Huh? Just plain awful, all the way around. If it were any other show I'd have been laughing at it for being so bad. Now I just hope it's not a sign for the future. 

And then we get a time jump? Seriously? From this show? And we have Gaad advising Stan like a favorite uncle in a goddamn voice over? Stan, the guy who fundamentally got him fired? We see Paige being robotic and agent-like, and Phillip's okay with it. Not to mention Tim and Alice now perfectly fine with the commie bastards living nearby, enough to trust their newborn with them? Please. None of it makes any sense at all. Not a lick. 

Clearly the worst episode in the run. I don't even think it's close. This has always been a smart show, and tonight was just dumb all over. Hopefully it's not a sign of the future, because I've never seen a  great show take such a dive in one episode. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by whiporee

[madam magpie]

56 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Also, Henry, I honestly don't remember anyone being excited for that David Copperfield special. It's magic on TV. Why would it be exciting at all? 

Oh, I was! I was maybe ten or twelve when this happened, and I was totally into it. As I recall, Copperfield walked through the Great Wall of China, escaped from Alcatraz, and floated over the Grand Canyon too. I was Henry.

[Conan Troutman]

1 hour ago, Umbelina said:

Poor Paige!

 

1 hour ago, RedHawk said:

They all got out of their prisons for a while, except poor Paige. 

 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Poor Paige. 

 

Poor Martha is dead, long live Poor Paige!

[jjj]

Those two attempts at smiles by Gabriel in the opening were both the creepiest and most hilarious faces I have seen on him.  It was like he had read an instruction manual:  "stretch your lips horizontally and show some teeth," like Jim Parsons trying to make Sheldon smile on The Big Bang Theory.  Far from helping, it seems even more sinister! 

I was holding my breath as the plane ascended, but kept saying, "It's NOT Homeland, the plane will not be vaporized!"   

[crashdown]

Quote

Mostly boring episode but you could see the homicidal rage building in Elizabeth the whole time, masterfully done in the script.  She really is a violent sociopath, and I don't think the "she's just doing her job same as anyone" rationalization will fly anymore. The cigarette afterwards was a great touch: murder, like sex, is a release for our girl. 

I disagree with all of that--I thought it was a mostly FANTASTIC episode, with a lot of subtlety (and a not-so-subtle murder to add to the mix!).  My take on Elizabeth is a bit different from what I'm reading in a lot these posts.  Elizabeth is just about ready to crack, and it's because little bits of doubt about her life choices are creeping in, whether she wants to admit it or not.  She's no longer precisely the same mission first, last, and always Soviet patriot that we met in season 1, and that scares the hell out of her.  Seeing how much Philip cares about Martha has unhinged her, and I don't think she was ready at all for the complicated emotions that it unleashed in her.  She loves Paige and wants to protect her, but Paige herself has become as dangerous to her as an asset who goes bad.  I really think that all of that stuff that she heard in the EST meeting started to touch her, to make her wonder about her own chains and what she would do without them.  That's why, even though she clearly intended to be nice to Philip about EST, she just couldn't manage it--she had to lash out with some of the old, comforting cliches that she's relied on in the past. But I don't think she means them anymore the way she used to.  Elizabeth spent the episode in a rage because if she didn't, she feared that she actually had it in her to become Philip.  How dare she care about this man, who slept with someone else and lied about?  How dare she love this sullen teenager, who has the power to destroy her?  How dare she care about anything and anyone at all who might get in her way?

This friendship with Young-Hee is going to end badly, and I think that's going to be Elizabeth's final breaking point.  Watching Elizabeth finally connecting with someone outside of her family is like seeing a slow-motion train wreck for me, because I know that Young-Hee is nothing more than a very likable plot device to force Elizabeth into *something*--whether it makes her turn against the Center, or Philip, or something else, I couldn't say.  But it's going to be big, and it's going to be sad.  (I did think it was hilarious when Philip told Elizabeth that EST has made him realize that he wants to play hockey.  She looked at him, all scruffy and moody, and you could tell she was thinking, "I just can't deal with this."  She did what all of us would have done--she called a friend and went out with her to escape.  But of course, Elizabeth can't be friends with someone she's using as an asset, so it's really not any comfort at all.)

Edited May 5, 2016 by crashdown

[Umbelina]

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-the-americans-just-aired-its-best-episode-ever

Well, Sepinwall just called it the best episode ever.

Quote

Not that any of this has been fun and games for Elizabeth, either. Before Martha left the country, Elizabeth finally came to truly see how Philip felt about her, which isn't an easy thing no matter how much she may have already known about the details of that relationship. And while it seems in the moment that her trip to an est seminar has her recognizing the value her husband finds there (particular when Lawrence says, "You love the prison you've made for yourself"), it instead turns out to be yet another reason to view Philip as too soft for their mission. And yet, the seminar does force Elizabeth to release a lot of what she's kept bottled up, as the fight she has with Philip about it turns into a spectacularly ugly discussion of all the worst compromises and betrayals of their relationship, including Gregory and Irina. It's the sort of conversation that Elizabeth's idealized self would never dream of having, both for the sake of the work and her belief in her ability to handle everything. But she's as shaken up as he is, not only going to est, but calling up Young-Hee as much because she desperately needs a friend in that moment as to continue working her as an asset.

The AV Club liked it too.

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/americans-has-more-magic-david-copperfield-236293

Quote

One layer of this epilogue plays like a downbeat series finale, where everyone but Paige gets to move on from the madness of Directorate S. One layer plays like the conclusion of a Cold War-era horror film, as Paige rattles off her miniature-golf recon with Stepford Wife/pod-person flatness. Yet another sets up a new beginning for The Americans, a reboot that sets its focus on the core quartet of Elizabeth, Philip, Stan, and Paige. Whichever way you slice it, “The Statue Of Liberty Disappears” is thick with meaning, portent, and excitement.

The Showrunners Talk about the episode here:

http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/americans-showrunners-david-copperfield-episode.html

And, Vulture says Season 4 is the best season yet. 

http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/americans-season-four-the-best-its-ever-been.html
 

Quote

 

Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ spy drama The Americans is the best it’s ever been in season four. I’d rank the last two episodes, “Travel Agents” and “The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears” (what a title!), among the best hours the show has produced—up there with season three’s “Stingers,” season one’s “Gregory” and its spiritual sequel, “Only You.”

Every image, line, cut, and performance is so well-judged that on first viewing you don’t think of them as having been calibrated. The story just seems to be unfolding, as if in a dream. The situations themselves have a dream-logic quality, thanks to the multiple roles being played simultaneously by different characters, and the way their various, parallel incarnations make them seem less like individuals playing parts than distinct souls existing on multiple, parallel timelines that sometimes intersect.

 

[Tetraneutron]

1 hour ago, Umbelina said:

The more I watched Paige tonight, the more I thought "That teenager is more likely to turn them in than anyone on the show."

I know, I know, but that girl is pissed, and hormonal, and hates what she's being forced to do, and hon?  It's only going to get worse.  Stan's right across the street after all, one tantrum is all it would take.

So Elizabeth, master spy, is handling her all wrong? I don;t think Paige will turn them in. I think something bad will happen but it won't be that. It's funny how Philip and Elizabeth don't seem to appreciate how wholesome their kids are. Most parents in their town worry their teenagers are going to end up like Kimmy, and Paige is doing whatever her parents tell her to no matter how much she hates it, and Henry is happy hanging out with his middle-aged neighbour his son. The most rebellious thing he's done is try beer. 

 

And I think from Elizabeth's POV, Gregory and Martha are very different. Elizabeth got to Gregory through political activism and ideology, Martha was a honey trap. I mean, we were all suprised that she show started taking Martha seriously, instead of seeing her as a sad, lonely cat lady who naively believed all sorts of stupid things and let herself be led around. The show laughed at Martha until the end of last season and frumped her up pretty hard. Gregory has always been sexy. Of all the turned characters we've seen, the ones they use sex on are always jokes (Martha, Annelise, Kimmy, that hotel manager last season) and the ones they don't are always more respectable (Gregory, Larrick, Baklanov). Thre audience saw Martha evolve but Elizabeth never did.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Tetraneutron

[izabella]

42 minutes ago, whiporee said:

And Phillip throwing Gregory in out of nowhere?

This part at least made sense and wasn't out of nowhere.  Elizabeth brought up Gregory in the context of telling Philip "Hey, sometimes we lose agents in this business.  At least you didn't have to see Martha gunned down in the street."  That was a reference to Gergory and how he died.  So Philip only reacted to that rather than bringing him up, and was outraged that she was comparing Gregory and Martha as "agents" because he knew that Elizabeth did not see Gregory as just an agent, but as a man she loved.

[Bama]

Great episode!

And, timeline wise, we got some markers -

The movie Elizabeth and Young-Hee saw first was "Tender Mercies", which was released March 4, 1983 and then they snuck into "The Outsiders" which was released March 25, 1983.

Finally, the Statue of Liberty stunt was on April 8, 1983.

And then, we get a 7 month time jump so we are now in November 1983.

The next episode is titled "The Day After" - the TV movie of the same name premiered on TV on November 20, 1983.  Makes me think we will see the reaction to that movie play out in the show.

On November 23, 1983 the USSR pull out of nuclear disarmament talks and on November 29, 1983 the USSR performs a nuclear test in Eastern Kazakh.

Can't wait to see if some of these real life events play out next week!

[Knuckles]

Elizabeth and Philip are now Paige's handlers, less her parents. The kid is robotically going along with reporting on the Tims, while withdrawing completely into herself. She can no longer trust her parents with her thoughts or feelings, essentially she is on her own. And she knows it. 

So the question is, does she continue along like a mule in harness, as she is just a teenager, or does the girl who got on a bus to see her "grandmother"
 for herself make a break for it?

[VCRTracking]

Elizabeth probably loved The Outsiders. All that class warfare and a rich asshole "Soc" getting killed.

[madam magpie]

Quote

My take on Elizabeth is a bit different from what I'm reading in a lot these posts.  Elizabeth is just about ready to crack, and it's because little bits of doubt about her life choices are creeping in, whether she wants to admit it or not.

This is what I see too. She's going to lose it, and I think that, storywise, she has to lose it in favor of her new priorities: Paige, Philip, family. That's the only way she shows growth as a character.

I don't think Elizabeth is a sociopath. I think she's a soldier and survivor, and she makes the decisions she does from that perspective. She's fighting a war, and war is hell; people die, people are sacrificed. And she's so tightly wound; she almost never allows anyone to see her. But she's been cracking in small ways for a long time, and when the war comes for these new emotional attachments, I think she's going to lose her grip on her control. I hope I'm right, because I look forward to it!

Edited May 5, 2016 by madam magpie

[SailorGirl]

The slow burn that is this show. Doing the DVD watch now and not even through it, but had to log in and comment. So far nothing has happened but so much has. This episode is why this show is "the best show you aren't watching." The entire opening sequence with Martha. No one talking, but really, what is there left to say? It was every one of us, who has ever done something we don't want to do but we do because it is the situation and there's nothing else to do and no other option and so we just go through the motions to get through it because we know, no matter how much we wish life could be different, it isn't and what we are going through is the reality and we just have to live through it -- like a funeral for a close family member -- no matter how much we don't want to do it, we know its what we have to do so we go through the motions and deal with the feelings later. Her looking at the peanut butter so innocuously, but without saying a word we know she's thinking, "the last thing I'll ever eat in the states, as an American, is peanut butter. Wow." And all that goes with that.  And Stan looks thinner than ever when he comes over for a beer because "he's running low." With no clue as to why. But yet, he's the agent who picked up on Martha. And that's why his life is so effed up. Because he misses the little details that matter in personal life but catches the stuff that matters for work.

And now the fight with Elizabeth after her going to EST, and calling BS, and him calling her out about Gregory. . . 

Two words:

SLOW. BURN. 

And the epi isn't done yet. 

[asha]

The creepy smile Gabriel flashed at the end when he said he would make sure Philip and Elizabeth could take all the time they needed... I don't know, I got worried for them. I really think I should start monitoring my vital signs during these episodes, they're so tense!

[Umbelina]

1 hour ago, Conan Troutman said:

 

Poor Martha is dead, long live Poor Paige!

 

Not sure if you really mean dead or not, but...

1 hour ago, Knuckles said:

Martha marched bravely to her doom...Gabriel's little encouraging smiles were sickening. Probably smiles at all his victims. I called Cuba for her interrogation last week...and I bet she never leaves Cuba. At least not alive.

She's scheduled to leave Cuba for Prague the next day.  I don't think they'll kill her, why would they?  We saw the spies at the Residentura make all of those arrangements, the small plane to Cuba, the flight to Prague, and then on to Moscow.

They'll debrief her, probably for a long time, but Martha was so very composed at the airport, I think she'll handle it much better than I originally thought.  She didn't (as one recapper said) scream "Fuck YOU Clark!" or cry, or blame him for ruining her life, she put her hair in a ponytail, and composed herself, and was kind to Clark at the end, and calmly walked on to that plane.  Frankly, that speaks well for her odds of survival.  She may not like betraying her old workmates, but she'll know she must.  She can avoid some things though, personal details of the agents lives that might leave them vulnerable perhaps, since her overall attitude will probably be cooperative, no need for invasive or punitive interrogation.  As I said before, she's been in the FBI for a long time, she's not some naive innocent.  She looked ready. 

 

7 minutes ago, asha said:

The creepy smile Gabriel flashed at the end when he said he would make sure Philip and Elizabeth could take all the time they needed... I don't know, I got worried for them. I really think I should start monitoring my vital signs during these episodes, they're so tense!

Oh me too!  That's the biggest reason the time jump shocked me.  I was in "What the hell is that old bastard going to do now?" then ZOOM!  7 months later!

Edited May 5, 2016 by Umbelina

[VCRTracking]

Gabriel didn't scare me. I believed he finally understood what Margo was saying, and that Phillip and Elizabeth definitely need a break. They could not go on like this.

Damn. Phillip and Elizabeth could have saved a lot of trouble and just recruited Paige into the KGB from the beginning!

David Copperfield specials bring back memories. My favorite was he escaped from Alcatraz.

Keri Russell was BRINGING IT in this episode. That scene with Paige in the kitchen was amazing. In the recent interview of JJ Abrams by Chris Rock at the Tribeca Film Festival, Abrams said when they were casting for Felicity he at first didn't think Russell was right for it because the character was supposed to be a wallflower who was overlooked and Keri was too goodlooking. However she did such an amazing job in the audition even though she got the job.

Quote

Why was there a sketch of Tim McGraw in the movie theater??  Go back an re-watch them walking out of their theater.  It looks just like him!!! 

As someone posted it's the movie Tender Mercies with Robert Duvall and which got him an Oscar.

Edited May 5, 2016 by VCRTracking

[Darren]

Loved tonight's episode. Loved P/E's fight over EST and "lost agents". Loved the misunderstandings, too. They love each other, but they have some serious wire-crossing going on.

Also, been meaning to say for a while now that I think one thing people often forget about with a character like Elizabeth is that she was raised in a collectivist culture. Soviet citizens did not value "rugged individualism" and "personal rights" and "self-actualization" the way Americans did (and do). Remember her collectivist - the-whole-matters-more-than-any-individual-part - is key. Thinking back to the Cold War, this really was a clash of civilizations; two different perspectives on what it meant to be a human being and part of a human society. Elizabeth really could (based on her history) justify killing innocents "for the sake of the greater good" and really believe it. She was raised to think this was right. That's why I think the sociopath labelling is off. She is a loyal Soviet, through and through - and it shapes her entire worldview.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Darren