S06.E04: Mr. And Mrs. Teacup

[RedHawk]

6 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Ugh. Camelot would fit that bill.

I thought Camelot was a strip club? I meant go-go as in DC’s homegrown music — Junkyard Band and Chuck Brown. 

And yes, a go-go club getting shut down (usually for violence) would and did make the local radio news. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk

[CaliCheeseSucks]

1 minute ago, SailorGirl said:

Yeah, but would they have talked about that on mainstream radio? Gay clubs, strip clubs, and anything that wasn't part of the mainstream wasn't really talked about. 

If someone would kindly turn on CC and catch the name for me, I'd be eternally grateful. This is going to drive my lil' late '80s Georgetown-going brain crazy!

Depending on the station, it's possible. Camelot and Joanna's were... I feel gross even talking about them but "acceptable" strip clubs to a certain extent. Their prime location meant that they weren't as seedy as those in Northeast or Southeast. 

1 minute ago, RedHawk said:

I thought Camelot was a strip club? I meant go-go as in DC’s homegrown music. 

Oh sorry, to me a go-go club means adult/strip. 

[NitneLiun]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Pretty sure that's the price for Philip being out.

Yes, but Elizabeth is still in and the travel agency is still very much a part of her cover.

The Centre should make sure the agency does not go into bankruptcy and Henry stays at the prep school.  Elizabeth needs the agency for her cover and Henry would be a much greater asset for future recruitment with the contacts he makes at the prep school.

[SailorGirl]

11 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

My closed captioning didn’t work for part of the episode, not sure when it kicked in but not during that scene where we hear the radio. I think they purposely cut to avoid naming a club. Go-go clubs got shut down often. 

I feel like they focused on it to establish the timing of the episode (like the baseball game, and the movies a few weeks ago, etc.)  And I wouldn't imagine they would refer to the closing of one of the many go-go clubs shutting down as a legendary part of the DC nightclub scene (or however they phrased it). But, speaking of go-go music, if anyone catches the name, I've got a TroubleFunk CD with your name on it! :-D

And agree with the poster above that go go clubs were very different animals than strip clubs.

Edited to clarify that go go clubs and strip clubs in DC were different types of establishments. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by SailorGirl

[SusanSunflower]

"Obsession with Henry's tuition shortfall"  --- Because if Philip defaults on Henry's tuition the entire local configuration will change radically as Henry moves back home (and becomes a presence rather than someone on the phone) )and the financial problems of the travel agency become unavoidable ... y'know, consequences, failure, financial embarrassment.  Brilliant American dream small business owner and good-provider Philip screwed up by expanding too far and too fast and Henry's bright prospects are now diminished... 

[RedHawk]

1 minute ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Depending on the station, it's possible. Camelot and Joanna's were... I feel gross even talking about them but "acceptable" strip clubs to a certain extent. Their prime location meant that they weren't as seedy as those in Northeast or Southeast. 

Oh sorry, to me a go-go club means adult/strip. 

In DC those places were/are (Good Guys is still open) referred to as strip clubs or gentlemen's clubs, to differentiate from go-go music.

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Just now, RedHawk said:

In DC those places were/are (Good Guys is still open) referred to as strip clubs or gentlemen's clubs, to differentiate from go-go music.

I understand what strip clubs are and that those are strip clubs. I lived in D.C. for many years and know many of the landmarks, including Camelot, Joanna's and Good Guys simply by reputation.

I am simply responding to your use of "go go clubs." Sorry but in my world, "go go clubs" would also be another way of talking about adult night clubs. I've never heard of go-go music clubs in D.C.

[jjj]

Except, the show will end before the semester ends, and Philip is talking about Henry's senior year.  They worked out an agreement for this semester, and the show is moving in real time (week by week).  I think this all is to point to the financial difficulties Philip is facing -- will he take a payoff to keep financially afloat?  It is a really good point that the travel agency is also Elizabeth's cover, and needs to stay in business.  The KGB can not risk any turmoil in the circumstances of their star spy.  

3 minutes ago, SusanSunflower said:

"Obsession with Henry's tuition shortfall"  --- Because if Philip defaults on Henry's tuition the entire local configuration will change radically as Henry moves back home (and becomes a presence rather than someone on the phone) )and the financial problems of the travel agency become unavoidable ... y'know, consequences, failure, financial embarrassment.  Brilliant American dream small business owner and good-provider Philip screwed up by expanding too far and too fast and Henry's bright prospects are now diminished... 

6 minutes ago, NitneLiun said:

Yes, but Elizabeth is still in and the travel agency is still very much a part of her cover.

The Centre should make sure the agency does not go into bankruptcy and Henry stays at the prep school.  Elizabeth needs the agency for her cover and Henry would be a much greater asset for future recruitment with the contacts he makes at the prep school.

[SailorGirl]

11 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

I understand what strip clubs are and that those are strip clubs. I lived in D.C. for many years and know many of the landmarks, including Camelot, Joanna's and Good Guys simply by reputation.

I am simply responding to your use of "go go clubs." Sorry but in my world, "go go clubs" would also be another way of talking about adult night clubs. I've never heard of go-go music clubs in D.C.

I know we're veering off the episode discussion, but please don't take our comments as insulting. Its interesting that having lived in DC for so many years, you never heard of go-go music. 

From the Wikipedias: 

Go-Go is a popular music subgenre associated with funk that originated in the Washington, D.C., area during the mid-60s to late-70s. It remains primarily popular in the Washington metropolitan area as a uniquely regional music style. A great number of bands contributed to the early evolution of the genre, but the Young Senators, Black Heat, and singer-guitarist Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers are credited with having developed most of the hallmarks of the style.[1]

Inspired by artists such as the groups mentioned above, Go-Go is a blend of funk, rhythm and blues, and old school hip-hop, with a focus on lo-fi percussion instruments and funk-style jamming in place of dance tracks, although some sampling is used. As such, it is primarily a dance hall music with an emphasis on live audience call and response. Go-Go rhythms are also incorporated into street percussion.

Two of the go go bands that were very popular in the late 80s were Rare Essence and TroubleFunk, but probably the biggest name that could be considered as crossing over into mainstream was Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. 

Here's a link to Rare Essence. Pretty quintessential go go:

Edited April 19, 2018 by SailorGirl

[SusanSunflower]

If Elizabeth still considers Henry a prospective second-generation, she "should" care about his education and access to the elites (as well as the finances of successfully launching two children into adulthood) even if Henry's is "Phillip's problem" ... Phillip may have hit a small-business "liquidity problem" but there has been no indication particularly in the last 3 years that he's negligent in managing / growing his business ... there are remedies and counselors, including the institutions who loaned him the money to expand ... (mostly just bad simplistic writing and a manufactured "crisis") 

[jjj]

Yes, the travel agency is another piece of sloppy continuity.  It was always underwritten by the KGB, and Philip/Elizabeth put minimal effort into creating the appearance of being involved in it.  We never once heard them talking about the bottom line for any given month.  Stavos ran it for them, and all that had to happen was that it did actually book trips for people.  It did not need to expand.  Are we supposed to believe that the KGB deeded it over to Philip *while it was still Elizabeth's cover*, and said "it's all yours"?  And as I said on page one, and others have noted, Philip is still working a significant contact for them.  I don't understand why the writers expect us to believe that the agency is all Philip's responsibility now.

6 minutes ago, SusanSunflower said:

If Elizabeth still considers Henry a prospective second-generation, she "should" care about his education and access to the elites (as well as the finances of successfully launching two children into adulthood) even if Henry's is "Phillip's problem" ... Phillip may have hit a small-business "liquidity problem" but there has been no indication particularly in the last 3 years that he's negligent in managing / growing his business ... there are remedies and counselors, including the institutions who loaned him the money to expand ... (mostly just bad simplistic writing and a manufactured "crisis") 

[RedHawk]

Although I’m disappointed with the writing of some elements this season, I’ve decided I need to overlook them even if they don’t make sense and contradict what we’ve learned about how things work in Show World. Sigh. There’s still enough there to keep me rivited and bought-in most of the time. 

Also, it was hilarious how Stan thought the Russian couple (codenamed Mr. and Mrs. Teacup!) were a total pain in the ass. Ha! Gennady apparently still has hope good ole Stan can fix his marriage. 

[Umbelina]

I think  the KGB would expect Philip to make a decent living out of the set up they gave them, especially now that he only works for them, at best, for a few hours a week.  Aside from that, it's more than possible Philip either proposed that himself, or expected that now that his "real" job doesn't exist.  On top of all that, it's hard for me to picture Philip running to the KGB and saying "Hey, I made a mess out of capitalism, can you bail me out?"

He may still do that.  I do think this story has a point in it somewhere.  Ha.  Maybe when he gets desperate enough he'll ask the KGB to float him some money, and they will say "Sure, ready to go back to work now?"

1 minute ago, RedHawk said:

Although I’m disappointed with the writing of some elements this season, I’ve decided I need to overlook them even if they don’t make sense and contradict what we’ve learned about how things work in Show World. Sigh. There’s still enough there to keep me rivited and bought-in most of the time. 

Also, it was hilarious how Stan thought the Russian couple (codenamed Mr. and Mrs. Teacup!) were a total pain in the ass. Ha! Gennady apparently still has hope good ole Stan can fix his marriage. 

I completely agree.  Some little things annoy me, and ALL of last season annoys me, but I'm still hoping for the best here.

[RedHawk]

Have we ever heard Philip sing? I mean, he’s got the boots, hat, and line-dance moves. Surely, being Russian, he could come up with a few lines about his sad life and record a platinum-selling country music song. 

 When Phillip asked Stan if he ever worried about money, Stan laughed and said, “I work for the government, and they match whatever I put in my retirement account.”

Phillip looked so bummed. He works for his government but apparently gets no 401(k) match. [sad trombone]

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk

[Bannon]

Rhys and Russell are carrying this show completely now, with very little help from anyone else (with the exception of the dying wife of the diplomat; she needs more scenes), least of all the writers. The writing for Paige is just painfully bad, to the point that even a very talented actor would have a hard time making the scenes work. The nighttime break-in scene was terribly written and directed. I suppose when you have the murdered schlubs sounding like they all had a bottle of sedatives for dinner, It's best to film them with no lighting.

Rhys in particular shouldered a massive load in this episode. Thank goodness.

[RedHawk]

I thought at one point tonight that Keri was amazing as well. Elizabeth is so hardened now, especially when Phillip was trying to open Paige’s eyes and I could feel Elizabeth’s internal anger toward him. Then we get her different demeanor when playing Elizabeth playing the nurse. 

Yes, the writing for the dying wife and the actress portraying her are great. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk

[jjj]

1 hour ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Ah, gotcha. Yes, please do share what the CC says! 

Nothing about a club closing-- not sure who said that on the thread.  It was something about a "[garbled] complex, once a mainstay of D.C. life."  

[Bannon]

3 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

I thought at one point tonight that Keri was amazing as well. Elizabeth is so hardened now, especially when Phillip was trying to open Paige’s eyes and I could feel Elizabeth’s internal anger toward him. Then we get her different demeanor when playing Elizabeth playing the nurse. 

Yes, the writing for the dying wife and the actress portraying her are great. 

Oh, Russell's been great for the whole run of the show, but especially now, when the writers have done so little to help her.

[jjj]

There was no club mentioned. Something about a complex that was a mainstay of D.C.

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

I feel like they focused on it to establish the timing of the episode (like the baseball game, and the movies a few weeks ago, etc.)  And I wouldn't imagine they would refer to the closing of one of the many go-go clubs shutting down as a legendary part of the DC nightclub scene (or however they phrased it). But, speaking of go-go music, if anyone catches the name, I've got a TroubleFunk CD with your name on it! :-D

And agree with the poster above that go go clubs were very different animals than strip clubs.

Edited to clarify that go go clubs and strip clubs in DC were different types of establishments. 

 

1 hour ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

I understand what strip clubs are and that those are strip clubs. I lived in D.C. for many years and know many of the landmarks, including Camelot, Joanna's and Good Guys simply by reputation.

I am simply responding to your use of "go go clubs." Sorry but in my world, "go go clubs" would also be another way of talking about adult night clubs. I've never heard of go-go music clubs in D.C.

[JFParnell]

7 hours ago, Ellaria Sand said:

Paige...with each passing week the mini-spy storyline gets more irritating. Liz is working her just like she works her marks.

Bingo! She just works our dim Paige like an asset. Liz's maternal instincts are ... unusual. Remember when she asked Claudia, it was something like "if anything happened" to her, would Claudia see to Paige? She didn't go to Philip instead and say, "If anything happens to me, take our daughter and get her the hell out of this rotten life."

[Ina123]

8 hours ago, shura said:

I love it. Not only do they not show us what they want to convey, they don't even tell. We have to read closed captioning to understand.

I didn't need CC to understand they were incapacitated by her shooting. I just assumed gun with silencer. Does the how matter? I'm just glad she wasn't wiping them all out with choke holds.

What I wondered about was the shrink-wrap around the pallets. I thought those gigantic rolls of shrink-wrap were a relatively recent design. Although it was so dark, I'm not sure that's what I saw.

[mwell345]

Boring Kimmie.

Boring Paige.

Boring Travel Agency that we knew was in trouble 2 episodes ago.

THIS is the final season?

[Inquisitionist]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The return of Kimmie! I guess Philip might be out, but he still has to keep up with his old contacts? Maybe that was part of the deal so he would get to back down? 

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.  

8 hours ago, Ellaria Sand said:

I couldn’t see much either. Yes, I understand that the warehouse had to be dark but when your audience can’t see what’s going on then you’ve pushed the realism angle a bit too far.

Good gosh, that was annoying.  Was it easier to see anything in HD?

6 hours ago, jjj said:

Yes, the travel agency is another piece of sloppy continuity.  It was always underwritten by the KGB, and Philip/Elizabeth put minimal effort into creating the appearance of being involved in it.  We never once heard them talking about the bottom line for any given month.  Stavos ran it for them, and all that had to happen was that it did actually book trips for people.  It did not need to expand.  Are we supposed to believe that the KGB deeded it over to Philip *while it was still Elizabeth's cover*, and said "it's all yours"?  And as I said on page one, and others have noted, Philip is still working a significant contact for them.  I don't understand why the writers expect us to believe that the agency is all Philip's responsibility now.

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.

[RedHawk]

7 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

Good gosh, that was annoying.  Was it easier to see anything in HD?

Yes, all the warehouse scenes were clear enough, for me at least, in HD. 

[benteen]

Like last week, there were some good scenes tonight.  Philip with a fire under his ass and telling Paige not to tell him how the world works was the highlight.  We've got SOME plot movement.  But again, it feels like the writers are continuing to drag their feet with the story this year.  We get another Philip flashback to being poor and then the episode abruptly ends.  WTF?  I'm more and more worried that last season wasn't just a aberration by the writing staff.

I don't know why everyone is ol surprised that Philip is working the Kimmie mission.  Elizabeth specifically said at the end of last season that Philip would continue to work the Kimmie mission despite his retirement.  It's kind of like back in Season 4 when Philip and Elizabeth were allowed to reduce their schedule for a few months, only working the Kimmie mission for Philip and the Young Hee mission for Elizabeth.  So Philip isn't completely retired.

"Well, he's your department."  Way to be interested in your son, Elizabeth but that's not a surprise.  The only people who seems less interested in Henry is the KGB, who you would think would fork over some money to keep Henry in that school where a lot of politicians and businessmen sent their kids.  Although, like the viewers, maybe they are under the impression that Henry was supposed to have a SCHOLORSHIP to the school.

Claudia doesn't seem too far behind Elizabeth when it comes to getting unhinged, wanting Elizabeth to take out the defectors.

Elizabeth probably killed what, three guards tonight?  Apparently no one in DC knows they have a serial killer on their hands...

Always good to see Arkady and I liked the reveal that Oleg's dad has been helping him.  Oleg's storyline has been good the entire season and is more than making up for the terrible storyline he was put in last season.

Edited April 19, 2018 by benteen

[RedHawk]

5 minutes ago, benteen said:

Elizabeth probably killed what, three guards tonight?  Apparently no one in DC knows they have a serial killer on their hands...

Well, in those years DC was actually known as the “murder capital”. And here I was thinking that was because of the crack violence when it was our Liz all along!

I was so happy to see Oleg’s father! I like the guy and thought he had died during the time jump years. 

[BingeyKohan]

Frayed, crumbling wife dying from the inside, supportive husband patting her on the shoulder - I feel like the artist and the negotiator are actually performing a little play around Elizabeth that is an abstract of the Jennings. I think some of the symbolism and mirror opposites this season are on the nose but I liked how in the sketch-the-vase scene Elizabeth could not find her way from darkness to light. The husband came in talking about a get-together with the Russian and Elizabeth goes right back to dark. (“go save the world,” the dying wife tells her husband right before she retches; wonder if we’ll see a replay of that starring the actual Jenningses)

[Inquisitionist]

11 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Yes, all the warehouse scenes were clear enough, for me at least, in HD. 

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!

[RedHawk]

6 minutes ago, BingeyKohan said:

Frayed, crumbling wife dying from the inside, supportive husband patting her on the shoulder - I feel like the artist and the negotiator are actually performing a little play around Elizabeth that is an abstract of the Jennings. I think some of the symbolism and mirror opposites this season are on the nose but I liked how in the sketch-the-vase scene Elizabeth could not find her way from darkness to light. The husband came in talking about a get-together with the Russian and Elizabeth goes right back to dark. (“go save the world,” the dying wife tells her husband right before she retches; wonder if we’ll see a replay of that starring the actual Jenningses)

I also thought there’s a lot of mirroring going on with that couple and the Jenningses. The wife’s sickroom itself, with all those portraits of a woman in emotional turmoil, seems more and more like a room of mirrors. Interesting how Elizabeth can’t see herself in those. She won’t allow it.

And then we have that other happy Russian couple, Sophia and Gennady, codenamed “Mr. and Mrs. Teacup” — and Stan said the FBI didn’t have a sense of humor. 

[Ina123]

6 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Although I’m disappointed with the writing of some elements this season, I’ve decided I need to overlook them even if they don’t make sense and contradict what we’ve learned about how things work in Show World. Sigh. There’s still enough there to keep me rivited and bought-in most of the time. 

 

This.

I'm just looking to be entertained and unwind. I have to strain my brain at the office so I really don't need to delve into the nuances. If I really found it that much of a problem I would have quit watching early on when Elizabeth's lip mole never got included in a description.

[Ellaria]

7 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Although I’m disappointed with the writing of some elements this season, I’ve decided I need to overlook them even if they don’t make sense and contradict what we’ve learned about how things work in Show World. Sigh. There’s still enough there to keep me rivited and bought-in most of the time. 

This was the first episode of the season that established the sense of dread and despair that was subtly present in prior seasons. For me, the strength of the show is not in the action sequences or the stakeouts. I prefer the quiet character moments: P& E in bed, Henry's response to his father's "can't pay" phone call, Phil looking at the bills/sandwich contrasted against the possibly final line-dancing night out, Oleg & Phil, Oleg's call with his dad, Phil's reaction when Kimmy said that he was "stuck."

This is what I enjoy about this show and I am glad to see a return to hopelessness...as strange as that sounds. Sometimes when they don't try too hard to convey a mood - like Liz's "smoking on the patio" scenes - the result is more effective. 

1 hour ago, Inquisitionist said:

 Good gosh, that was annoying.  Was it easier to see anything in HD?

I was watching in HD and, no, it wasn't much easier. I turned on closed-captioning and that helped clue me on some of what I couldn't see.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Ellaria Sand

[TaurusRose]

8 hours ago, jjj said:

Well you'd have to ask *them*.  (will say Elizabeth)

I wanted to punch her lights out when she said that. She is so freaking dense.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's Previously.TV's EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP of the episode!

The Americans Can't Stop Striking Out

While other Washingtonians enjoy the World Series (...for a while), Elizabeth craps out on a couple of missions, and Philip gets emasculated both by capitalism and by his wife.

[Erin9]

Overall I did enjoy the episode. Quibbles about Henry, boarding school and finances aside. 

I actually don’t mind the Paige story IF the point is to show she’s not cut out for it. I’ll consider it good actually. Paige is Paige. She never has listened to her parents about anything- Pastor Tim, Matthew, snooping.....now honeytrapping and critical thinking.

At some point during Oleg’s spiel, and I wish I remembered when it was, you could see Philip nod and it was evident he’d really decided to start talking- any reservations he had left were gone.: Oleg had convinced him of the greater good of spying on Elizabeth. It was an excellent scene. Better not be the last. Of course- Oleg had a point that her loyalty could be used to a bad end. Oleg and Philip are a lot alike. I think they both see something dirty about spying too. 

At some point I expect Elizabeth to realize the artist was right about where you put your time- relationships. She realized she’d messed up putting art- something to leave behind- first. People matter. 

I really thought a big part of the Kimmie conversation was Philip acknowledging he needs to do something meaningful- ie this operation with Oleg. It seemed to crystallize things a bit more. 

[Chaos Theory]

I gotta stop coming here.   I feel like Philip and Elizabeth's Marriage.  I like something...everyone else hates it.  I really am enjoying Paige and Elizabeth storyline.  I am finding both of them incredibly fascinating.  In her own way Elizabeth is an artist and artist of death but still an artist and I kinda found it humorous how she tried to endulge and draw and was completely out of her element.    I would honestly just watch A show based on Elizabeth training Paige because the other stuff is kinda boring me right now.  I don’t really care about Philip and his travel agency and the only time I actually felt for him at all was when he was talking to Henry and when he was line dancing.  I guess I am just more invested in Paige.

See I will just avoid the group because it just depresses me how much people hate her.  I would watch a spinoff. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[BingeyKohan]

32 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

I also thought there’s a lot of mirroring going on with that couple and the Jenningses. The wife’s sickroom itself, with all those portraits of a woman in emotional turmoil, seems more and more like a room of mirrors. Interesting how Elizabeth can’t see herself in those. She won’t allow it.

And then we have that other happy Russian couple, Sophia and Gennady, codenamed “Mr. and Mrs. Teacup” — and Stan said the FBI didn’t have a sense of humor. 

Totally. Last episode we had Elizabeth scrubbing blood off herself in a hazy, scuffed mirror - this episode, another failed mission but a clear mirror for Elizabeth to look in. Hopefully that means she’s beginning to see herself more clearly?

[shura]

Quote

I'm not sure Philip was supposed to be wrong when he said [cutting back] wouldn't help. He's looking at a bigger picture and longer timeframe. And probably even the whole philosophy of business!

Yes, that would be very Soviet of him, to think that one must endure difficulties in the present for a pipe dream of some bright future that may never come.

51 minutes ago, RedHawk said:

Yes, all the warehouse scenes were clear enough, for me at least, in HD. 

I couldn't see anything in HD. It felt like I was shown a black screen with some flashes and sounds here and there, and invited to guess what's going on and maybe fill in my own details if I care. I suppose they might have been going for the confusion effect on purpose though, where even the participants in the operation couldn't understand what's going on., so the viewers were feeling what they were feeling.

[RedHawk]

10 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

I feel like they focused on it to establish the timing of the episode (like the baseball game, and the movies a few weeks ago, etc.)  And I wouldn't imagine they would refer to the closing of one of the many go-go clubs shutting down as a legendary part of the DC nightclub scene (or however they phrased it). But, speaking of go-go music, if anyone catches the name, I've got a TroubleFunk CD with your name on it! :-D

And agree with the poster above that go go clubs were very different animals than strip clubs.

Edited to clarify that go go clubs and strip clubs in DC were different types of establishments. 

 

 

9 hours ago, jjj said:

Nothing about a club closing-- not sure who said that on the thread.  It was something about a "[garbled] complex, once a mainstay of D.C. life."  

My closed captioning reads: “...put pressure on the city to revoke the club’s license. Once a mainstay of DC nightlife...” 

I’m thinking they intentionally don’t mention one specific club but are alluding the Go-Go clubs and the violence of the era. The clubs always seemed to be getting shut down (temporarily at least) because of people getting shot inside or in the vicinity. Here’s a story from November 1988, one year later in The Americans’ timeline. Marty's Chapter II and Ibex in particular are mentioned here. The Ibex finally closed for good in 1999, I think. And interestingly, the owner of Marty's is named Chernoff... 

SailorGirl, can I claim my TroubleFunk CD? Although you can just copy me an old skool cassette. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk
added more details of DC 1980s go-go clubs

[ChromaKelly]

10 hours ago, jjj said:

BT ALL MEANS, let's not have "Julie" be following FBI Stan.  Somehow I think even Stan would be able to penetrate the clever beret disguise.

 

"Hi Mr. Beeman! What are you doing here? Hey Mom look, Mr. Beeman's in the car we're following!" 

[RedHawk]

If anyone is interested in the other investigation Stan is doing, involving the real Conrad Monts, John B. Clyburn, and the proposed air rights development over I-395 (which is just now being built, 30 years later) you can read this Washington Post article from the era.

Stan’s wiretapping for this case may tie in to future activities on the show. 

Incidentally, I noticed that Stan’s colleague mistakenly refers to the highway as 375 instead of 395.

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk
Added hyperlink when I remembered how to do it.

[Bannon]

21 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I gotta stop coming here.   I feel like Philip and Elizabeth's Marriage.  I like something...everyone else hates it.  I really am enjoying Paige and Elizabeth storyline.  I am finding both of them incredibly fascinating.  In her own way Elizabeth is an artist and artist of death but still an artist and I kinda found it humorous how she tried to endulge a draw and was completely out of her element.    I would honestly just watch A show based on Elizabeth training Paide because the other stuff is kinda boring me right now.  I don’t really care about Philip and his travel agency and the only time I actually felt for him at all was when he was talking to Henry and when he was line dancing.  I guess I am just more invested in Paige.

See I will just avoid the group because it just depresses me how much people hate her.  I would watch a spinoff. 

I will never tell somebody that they shouldn't like what they like. I'll just explain why I didn't like it. The issue for me is that I do not believe that a person with a 3 digit I.Q. would buy Elizabeth's explanation that the General chose to kill himself in the park in front of Liz, and Liz was just trying to stop him. I don't believe Paige would be oblivious to the mass slaughter Liz perpetrated in the warehouse. As a result, when Liz tells Paige, "I'm really proud of you" at the kitchen table, and Paige reacts like a cartoon puppy being patted on the head, I start laughing, which I don't think was the writer's intent. My longer term reaction is frustration, because I've thought from the beginning that the premise of this show is one of the best ever, and the show has had, overwhelmingly, an outstanding group of actors with which to tell the story. I just wish there had been a Liz Jennings in the writers' meetings. Not strangling, stabbing, shooting, bludgeoning, and poisoning, mind you, but just telling the group that they needed to perform their jobs better.

[RedHawk]

Did anyone else yell “Stav!” when Stavos popped his head into Phillip’s office to tell him about the call from Henry? No? Just me?

Stavos’ line dancing skills have improved and he seems to be enjoying himself now. Not as much as Phillip. Nobody in that bar was having as good a time as Phillip.

Edited April 19, 2018 by RedHawk

[BingeyKohan]

8 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Could Henry be a bigger wuss?  They were just tossing a nerf football, calm down dude.  If he was going to freak out about that, he will probably have a major meltdown over the possbility that he might have to leave school. 

lol. I thought this too - i think maybe the script intended for the scene around him to be more chaotic and production just didn't pull it off? 

[Bannon]

2 minutes ago, BingeyKohan said:

lol. I thought this too - i think maybe the script intended for the scene around him to be more chaotic and production just didn't pull it off? 

It's crappy direction. They had a scene with a similar issue last year, where Paige is supposed to convey anxiety while mopping the kitchen floor, while talking to her parents, and the director gave no assistance to Holly Taylor at all, so Paige again looks like a lunatic or idiot.

[RedHawk]

14 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

 

I will be disappointed if this series doesn't end with Elizabeth dying a slow, agonizing, painful death.

 

You mean kind of like what’s happening with Haskard’s wife?

[RedHawk]

I thought that when Paige was looking at her boyfriend’s ID badge she looked sad, like she felt bad that she was sexing him up with a motive. She seemed happy when they were talking in the bar. I think she genuinely likes him and feels bad realizing that she’s trying to use him, or could use him, this way.

[benteen]

The guy that Paige hooked up with looks like he was 10 years old.  He looked like he could be Justin Bieber's younger brother.  Paige will apparently do one thing that her father won't and that's robbing the cradle.

[ChromaKelly]

I need some timeline help. It's currently supposed to be around October 24, 1987 as the group was watching Game 6 of the World Series. Kimmy is going to college in Michigan. How has Philip been getting the tapes? It's kind of odd to come home from school in the middle of October if you go to school a decent distance away. Then, she told "Jim" that she's going to Greece over the summer with her friends. How does that impact getting intel on the Summit? Isn't that taking place soon? Just looked it up, it was in December. In the previews we see:

Spoiler

E is telling P that Kimmy is not a child anymore. We see "Jim" kissing Kimmy. Implying that he's going to have to start sleeping with her to keep her in town.

But if the summit is in December this makes no sense.

[Blakeston]

8 hours ago, Umbelina said:

Also, it's quite possible Henry only had a scholarship for that first year.  All scholarships are different, especially legacy types. 

When Philip was talking to that school official, he said that the scholarship "helps," but they were still going to have trouble making the next payment.

59 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

Overall I did enjoy the episode. Quibbles about Henry, boarding school and finances aside. 

I actually don’t mind the Paige story IF the point is to show she’s not cut out for it.

I definitely don't think we're supposed to think she's good at spying. They point out every chance they get that she's making mistakes, and not taking advice.

I have to wonder if her stupidity will get her killed. Maybe that would lead to the Center finally taking an interest in Henry?

[Bannon]

3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't know about that. Paige could be wearing a "Hello" sticker on her jacket that said: "My name is Paige, I live across the street, remember me?", and Stan still wouldn't know who she is. 

Hey, no Renee at all this week! I think the biggest mystery this show has left is why the producers decided to spend the money on an actor with a resume, to do nothing!