S06.E06: Rififi

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

A sudden assignment pulls Elizabeth away from her family at a crucial moment. At the FBI, a major development leads Aderholt to approach Stan about an urgent investigation.

Promo:

[Umbelina]

I'm so excited to see the FBI doing their jobs next week!

Is Aderholt saying they have a source to get the "Russians all over the county" before he says "it's going to happen fast?"

Edited April 26, 2018 by Umbelina

[sistermagpie]

36 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

Is Aderholt saying they have a source to get the "Russians all over the county" before he says "it's going to happen fast?"

He says they're going to get the Russians here and all over the country based on what they're learning. It's gonna happen fast. 

Watching the first part I wonder if they're continuing with the idea that Henry's more sensitive to emotional stuff in the house. He could just be reacting to Elizabeth not being home or whatever, but it seems like he might be asking if everything is okay in his parents' marriage. Philip is echoing Elizabeth's line about "He loves you, he loves me" but leaves out any dig at Elizabeth or whatever. Henry still cares about his family primarily as a family and we've seen him push Philip about troubles before.

So exciting watching Philip do a drop that Oleg picks up. Go spies go! 

ETA: Rififi is about a heist gone wrong. I wonder if we're going to see yet another failure for Elizabeth. (And more murder!)

Edited April 26, 2018 by sistermagpie

[Umbelina]

The only way they could "round up all the Americans" in one swift operation, or rather, many simultaneous operations, is if their is a significant mole or defector from Directorate S.  Or someone higher than the Director of that Division, Arkady.  Is Arkady going to defect?

Edited April 26, 2018 by Umbelina

[jrlr]

I just watched a 2017 CNN report on the "real" Philizabeths who were busted in 2010-ish, and there were ten of them, all living as couples all over the U.S.  The FBI timed it so that they would be able to pick all of them up at the same time, and it sounds like next week may be based on that.  Of course all ten of them were returned to Russia in exchange for prisoners in Russia who had spied for the U.S., but I don't think that's where the show is going to go.  This has a rundown on the real-lifers and their children and what happened to them:

https://qz.com/926553/what-happened-to-the-real-russian-spies-who-inspired-the-americans/

[Umbelina]

Yes, all of that is in the Real Life Spy thread.  The FBI was watching all of them for years though, which is obviously not the case here.  This would almost HAVE to be a defector/informer.  We know Directorate S is VERY secret stuff, it has to be someone at a high level, to expose them all at once.  OR maybe Arkady told Gorbachev that Directorate S officers were in on a coup, and he pulled the plug on them?

Edited April 26, 2018 by Umbelina

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, Umbelina said:

The only way they could "round up all the Americans" in one swift operation, or rather, many simultaneous operations, is if their is a significant mole or defector from Directorate S.  Or someone higher than the Director of that Division, Arkady.  Is Arkady going to defect?

I don't think that would be possible. Arkady loves the country and is protecting Gorbachev. He also just sent Philip and Oleg into danger for him.

Elizabeth talks about going to some guy in Chicago who's "doing his job" so maybe he's another Directorate S person or else a handler who might have lots of info?

[Erin9]

I totally missed Philip doing a drop, and Oleg picking it up. Yea! 

Henry is in a  room with Philip. What do you know. Lol Maybe that’ll be interesting. I hope. 

Gotta love the way Elizabeth spat out to Philip that the other guy was doing his job. I think she’s a bit mad at Philip. Lol Elizabeth just doesn’t know he IS doing his job (spying)- his way. 

[AimingforYoko]

Philip's on his way, I expect nothing but puppies and rainbows on this one.

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Everything Aderholt was filling Stan in on as far how and who they were tracking as illegals, I thought, "Wow. This is something I wish we'd been able to follow along as it was happening." As soon as Aderholt explained about cars bought with cash as the key to backtracking illegals in the D.C. area, my mind went straight to Chekov's Camaro. And then I thought, "Well, that was a long way to go for that to be the thing that brings them down."

Philip should have reassured Stavos they'd always have their line dancing nights together.

I thought Philip was INSANE to tell Elizabeth about his warning to Kimmy. In. Sane. And then even more insane to volunteer to go to Chicago. Unless he plans on turning on her to her face.

[jjj]

The mail robot has a wandering capability that I never realized.  heel, Mail Robot!

[Pickles]

Omg. The previews for next week. 

[FormerMod-a1]

Wow, that call Elizabeth made to Henry.  Just wow.  She really is expecting to die in this one and she reached out.  And Philip, of course, totally got that.  I'm already gutted and nothing has happened yet.

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Just now, jjj said:

The mail robot has a wandering capability that I never realized.  heel, Mail Robot!

Oh, those things are annoying af. I totally empathized with Stan that time he kicked the tar out of it.

[Erin9]

Just now, Pickles said:

Omg. The previews for next week. 

I know. I can’t believe we’re left with that. 

[jjj]

What a shift from the dead scorched earth in the opener, to Philip willing to go to Chicago at the end.

[Primetimer]

When the feds close in on a cell in the Midwest, Elizabeth must make a pilgrimage to Chicago and risk arousing suspicion in both Stan and Henry. YES, EVEN HENRY.

View the full article

[Pickles]

What is Elizabeth going to end up doing to the intern at Nunn's office? I hope he won't be a fatality at some point.

[jjj]

Stan's Thanksgiving, uh, "toast" had so many anvils for so many people at the table.

[chick binewski]

I hate to open with a criticism because I'm going to really miss this show when it's over but that was some seriously clunky dialogue throughout the episode. And Philip telling Elizabeth about Kimmy is just lazy writing.

[AimingforYoko]

4 minutes ago, jjj said:

Stan's Thanksgiving, uh, "toast" had so many anvils for so many people at the table.

Five years ago, I said I wanted to see Gaad's face when he found out about Martha. The show paid that off nicely. Well, multiply that anticipation by infinity and you get some idea of how much I want to see Stan's face when he finds out the truth about the Jennings, he'll be going over that period for the rest of his life. (However long that is, we'll see.)

[AntiBeeSpray]

8 minutes ago, jjj said:

Stan's Thanksgiving, uh, "toast" had so many anvils for so many people at the table.

Yea... he must have bought out the Acme Anvil company. And... Elizabeth, wow. She's so cold that she makes ice seem like a heat wave.

[Erin9]

That was an amazing beginning to the show. Has to be one of the best ever. Philip confronted her on the murders, on her using him to kidnap Kimmie, and came right out and told her he’d blown the Kimmie op for good. That’s how you start a show. 

I wondered how on earth Elizabeth and Philip could come back from where they started at the beginning....and then the writers did it. Wow. He would help her to try and keep her from getting killed. And- it’s for a cause he can relate to, even if that wasn’t the reason he agreed. 

I could hardly blame Philip for being annoyed at Henry for spilling about the financial problems. Gotta say-when Henry wants something he sure does work every possible angle. 

Did I just see all 4 Jennings in the same room? I’m shocked. 

I can’t believe that call to Henry. Wow. Henry sure is picking up on everything these days. Tension between the parents. Elizabeth being stressed. His mom calling out of nowhere. And he actually got to SAY she doesn’t pay much attention to him. I’m stunned. 

What did Philip write to Oleg????? I want to know. Now. 

I so don’t want to see (in particular) Philip and Oleg die/get caught. Seeing the FBI close in on them like that.....noooooo. 

This is the least we’ve seen of Paige in a long time. We actually saw more of Henry. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Erin9

[AntiBeeSpray]

5 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

I hate to open with a criticism because I'm going to really miss this show when it's over but that was some seriously clunky dialogue throughout the episode. And Philip telling Elizabeth about Kimmy is just lazy writing.

Yea it's definitely rather clunky. I didn't mind how Philip handled Kimmy, but how he dealt with it with Elizabeth was a bit cringe worthy. Acting was ok, but the dialogue could have been better.

 

2 minutes ago, Erin9 said:

That was an amazing beginning to the show. Has to be one of the best ever. Philip confronted her on the murders, on her using him to kidnap Kimmie, and on totally blowing the Kimmie op for good. 

I wondered how on earth Elizabeth and Philip could come back from where they started at the beginning....and then the writers did it. Wow. He would help her to try and keep her from getting killed. And- it’s for a cause he can relate to, even if that wasn’t the reason he agreed. 

I could hardly blame Philip for being annoyed at Henry for spilling about the financial problems. Gotta say-when Henry wants something he sure does work every possible angle. 

Did I just see all 4 Jennings in the same room? I’m shocked. 

I can’t believe that call to Henry. Wow. Henry sure is picking up in everything these days. Tension between the parents. Elizabeth being stressed. His mom calling out of nowhere. And he actually got to SAY she doesn’t pay much attention to him. I’m stunned. 

What did Philip write to Oleg????? I want to know. Now. 

I so don’t want to see Philip and Oleg die/get caught. Seeing the FBI close in on them like that.....

Yea that was something about how Elizabeth wanted to handle that. Glad that Philip put the kibosh on it.

He certainly does.

Edited May 3, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[RedHawk]

Aww, the Key Theatre, site of my first date with the love of my life. 

They did a pretty good job of making the subway car look like those of the DC Metro, but the driver was enunciating the next stops waaay too clearly. It was not “Far-ra-gut West”, but “Faarguh Wess” or some such variation, usually with lots of static. Ride Metro, Show!

ETA: Unless you got one of those drivers who enunciated every syllable, with force. “Faaar! a! gutt! WEST!” I ride Metro rarely now but I think the last time I rode I realized the stop announcements are now pre-recorded. I miss the drivers who put a lot of “personality” into their announcements. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by RedHawk

[jjj]

If Oleg was not under 24/7 surveillance before, he is now.  Although, not connected to the illegals in the way Aderholt thinks.  

Aderholt was great in this episode. 

[Ellaria]

8 minutes ago, jjj said:

Stan's Thanksgiving, uh, "toast" had so many anvils for so many people at the table.

And that’s exactly the sort of toast that we make at our Thanksgiving dinner table!

Lots of foreboding in this episode. Elizabeth is at a low point. Philip looks like he is playing both sides. Loved every minute of MR’s performance.

Henry is making plans and trying to take control of his future. Hope he gets back to NH quickly before the bodies start to fall.

And luckily, very little of Paige although her seizure-inducing wallpaper is still around.

[Pink-n-Green]

19 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

"As soon as Aderholt explained about cars bought with cash as the key to backtracking illegals in the D.C. area, my mind went straight to Chekov's Camaro."

LOL!!!

 

Oh man, I'm waiting until my husband is done watching a baseball game on our big TV so I can watch my recorded Americans.  It's the last season, so I want to give every episode the treatment it deserves and watching it on the teeny guest room TV won't do it justice.  I know I shouldn't be reading here before watching the episode, but I CAN'T HELP MYSELF.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Pink-n-Green

[RedHawk]

That wallpaper! 

And the Renee mystery continues...

Edited May 3, 2018 by RedHawk

[jjj]

I think it is the secret burner cars they are looking for.  The Camaro was Philip's own car.  They are looking for cars like the maroon/brown junker we saw Philip driving tonight. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by jjj

[Sader87]

Apparently you can say "Fuck!!!" on fx.....

[jjj]

Did anyone else expect Philip to say "Chicago " at the dinner and the watch the alarm bells go off?

[chocolatine]

I felt a profound sadness from Philip in this episode in the way I haven't felt before. I think he finally realized that even if he tries to leave the KGB and refuses to do things like kidnap Kimmy, he can never truly leave and have a normal life. When he agreed to go to Chicago after Elizabeth told him the mission would be "difficult" it almost felt like Philip was hoping to get killed and have it all be over. I think Henry telling him about his plans to work in the tannery solidified for Philip that both of his kids would be fine on their own.

[jjj]

Apparently, you can say "fuck" twice, once as a verb, once as a swear word.  

[shura]

14 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

I hate to open with a criticism because I'm going to really miss this show when it's over but that was some seriously clunky dialogue throughout the episode. And Philip telling Elizabeth about Kimmy is just lazy writing.

The whole idea of the KGB being okay with Philip's "retirement" like that is lazy writing. He should have been evacuated back to the USSR a long time ago. But no, he is left free to roam around unsupervised and check on what secret shit Elizabeth has been doing and decide which operations to blow up. I am shocked Elizabeth didn't shoot him right there when he told her about Kimmie.

[jjj]

I was very concerned when we saw so much Kimmie in the "previouslies" -- but I think her plot is over now.  A trip to Greece would be wildly out of place.

[Sader87]

Still not buying the "struggling travel agency" in the sense that it complicates their lives too much. I have to think the Soviets would want Henry to stay at that prep school, lessen family stress overall etc...it just doesn't make sense to me.

[skippylou]

I was wondering if Elizabeth would tell Claudia the specific warning that Phillip gave to Kimmie about visiting communist countries.  Apparently she figured that would be a death sentence.   

Did I miss something?  The show intro splash said "violence".

[CaliCheeseSucks]

So Elizabeth had a new cover ID tonight, targeting film guy... and she took off on a moment's notice for Chicago to personally extricate a colleague... I guess the artist lady is okay with one of her home nurses working whenever it fits the nurse's schedule?

Edited May 3, 2018 by CaliCheeseSucks

[Dev F]

1 minute ago, shura said:

The whole idea of the KGB being okay with Philip's "retirement" like that is lazy writing. He should have been evacuated back to the USSR a long time ago.

But he was still an active agent until literally the beginning of this episode. The whole reason they didn't all go back to Russia at the end of last season is because he had to stay on the job to work Kimmy.

I also disagree strenuously that there was anything "lazy" about the opening scene. It was supposed to be raw and reckless -- things finally coming to a head. It's in the running for my favorite scene of the season, and it was certainly a gut-punch of a way to start the episode.

[jjj]

Did you catch the reference to the artist Erica?  Another agent is working as a nurse, and Elizabeth was actually hurt that Erica "let" the other "nurse" touch her feet.  "She let you touch her feet?"  And then Elizabeth became inhabited by Erica  when she tried to draw the light after that conversation -- and there were tears in Elizabeth's eyes as she was drawing, I noticed on the second viewing.

I was a little surprised because I would assume that at that stage of disease, all of her body would be under treatment, with not much off limits. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by jjj

[shura]

10 minutes ago, Dev F said:

But he was still an active agent until literally the beginning of this episode. The whole reason they didn't all go back to Russia at the end of last season is because he had to stay on the job to work Kimmy.

Only because the writers wanted it this way. The guy is burned out, he has said he doesn't want to do this anymore. How on Earth does the KGB agree to take the risk that he is going to break? Which he just did. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by shura

[Umbelina]

Wow, Marilyn has been playing the other nurse all season and we didn't spot her!  Well done disguises!  I thought she'd be difficult to miss because of her eyes, rather oddly shaped and quite high in her face...

So, the FBI has been on top of all the weird deaths all along, and we just didn't know because Stan left CI.

Back in the saddle for Stan, and for us I hope, from now on.

I don't know if Philip is going to Chicago to help Elizabeth, or to sabotage her for Oleg, probably to help her this time, as well as spy on her.  What a tangled web that marriage has become.

Either way, all FBI hands on deck in Chicago, and Philip and Elizabeth as well?  Things should get pretty interesting.

Oh, and there was another car bought for cash, remember the one Stan bought for Nina?  It probably won't factor into anything, especially since Stan's covering the car stuff right now.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Umbelina

[hellmouse]

The scene where Stan opens the door on Thanksgiving and Paige holds up the dessert is such a callback to the pilot, when it was four Jenningses at the door and Elizabeth held up the brownies. All this time and Stan has never suspected them again since that first day. 

[Tetraneutron]

The promos for next week are completely misleading. No spoilers, but they have to be. 

Love how everything's actually ending. I don't know if this is deliberate, but every Soviet just seems so defeated. Elizabeth is desperate and stressed and Claudia was incredibly whatever about a deep-cover illegal being captured. And the Jenningses being so blase about the travel agency emergency on Thanksgiving. 

8 minutes ago, shura said:

The whole idea of the KGB being okay with Philip's "retirement" like that is lazy writing. He should have been evacuated back to the USSR a long time ago. But no, he is left free to roam around unsupervised and check on what secret shit Elizabeth has been doing and decide which operations to blow up. I am shocked Elizabeth didn't shoot him right there when he told her about Kimmie.

I can believe Philip wouldn't have been sent back to the USSR because that would raise suspicion, possibly make Paige not love the Soviets (and they're trying to sell her really hard) and up until this episode he WAS still sort of working for them. The Kimmy tapes were valuable. And I think Elizabeth mentally checked out of the marriage. Philip has been reluctant about all this for years. Plus she has her mini me. 

I can't bring myself to care about Stan or Aderholt even though they're the most dynamic characters at this point. I know we're supposed to think Renee is going to blow up Aderholt's big operation but I think they're doing something else with that. It's been too telegraphed. It would be funny if not only Stan's friend but his wife were both deep cover Russians. 

[CaliCheeseSucks]

8 minutes ago, jjj said:

Did you catch the reference to the artist Erica?  Another agent is working as a nurse, and Elizabeth was actually hurt that Erica "let" the other "nurse" touch her feet.  "She let you touch her feet?"  And then Elizabeth became inhabited by Erica  when she tried to draw the light after that conversation.  

I did but it still didn't really explain how either them could just work at their leisure. If anything, I was like, "So two of the artist's nurses can take unscheduled time off simultaneously?"

I understand the "explanation" might be "Thanksgiving time off" but it's also another piece of lazy writing.

[hellmouse]

1 minute ago, Umbelina said:

I don't know if Philip is going to Chicago to help Elizabeth, or to sabotage her for Oleg, probably to help her this time, as well as spy on her.  What a tangled web that marriage has become.

I think he's going there to help Elizabeth as his wife, to protect his family, but he's not going there because he believes in the mission. I don't think the illegal being captured would help Oleg. It certainly wouldn't help Philip or Elizabeth or their family. 

[jjj]

7 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

I did but it still didn't really explain how either them could just work at their leisure. If anything, I was like, "So two of the artist's nurses can take unscheduled time off simultaneously?"

I understand the "explanation" might be "Thanksgiving time off" but it's also another piece of lazy writing.

Well, there are lots of nurses and shifts, and Elizabeth does not work every day.  Not all the nurses are agents. 

[Umbelina]

9 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

I did but it still didn't really explain how either them could just work at their leisure. If anything, I was like, "So two of the artist's nurses can take unscheduled time off simultaneously?"

I understand the "explanation" might be "Thanksgiving time off" but it's also another piece of lazy writing.

 

2 minutes ago, jjj said:

Well, there are lots of nurses and shifts, and Elizabeth does not work every day.  Not all the nurses are agents. 

Yeah, it generally still a 5 day work week, 4 day if they are working 12 hour shifts.  Add in the holiday, maybe one was off and one called in sick.  A small aside about that would have been good though.

[Dev F]

6 minutes ago, shura said:

Only because the writers wanted it this way. The guy is burned out, he has said he doesn't want to do this anymore. How on Earth does the KGB agree to take the risk that he is going to break? Which he just did. 

I dunno, it seems weird to question why last season had the ending it did when literally the entire season was building to that ending. The whole thing is the explanation for why Philip would want to get out of the business, and why his devotion to Elizabeth would prevent him from doing so.

"Maybe that's what he wants."
"What?"
"To be pulled out of this shit. Start over."
"That's not who he is."

4 minutes ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

I did but it still didn't really explain how either them could just work at their leisure. If anything, I was like, "So two of the artist's nurses can take unscheduled time off simultaneously?"

I understand the "explanation" might be "Thanksgiving time off" but it's also another piece of lazy writing.

But it's not as if they, like, found time in their busy schedule to bop over to Chicago. They got an emergency signal from another illegal and had to drop everything to run to his aid. To me it seems like the answer to the question "How could they do this and not screw up their other operations?" is "It probably would screw up their other operations, but they had no choice."