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The Americans: The Final Season (Spoilers) pt. 4


Fragile Bird

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3 minutes ago, Leofric said:

I don't see Father Andrei catching his flight, he can't sprint away like Philip while wearing that cassock, so the FBI will certainly be talking to him.   He knows they are Russian agents, even if he may not know specifics on what they've been up to for the past 20 years.   Just don't know if he will refuse to talk.

Like I said, they need someone to talk to have any actual evidence. Father Andrei can implicate them. But it would be better for him to not talk, as he would be implicating himself if he talks, while otherwise they just have Father Victor's word and his vague accusations.

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1 minute ago, Annara Snow said:

Like I said, they need someone to talk to have any actual evidence. Father Andrei can implicate them. But it would be better for him to not talk, as he would be implicating himself if he talks, while otherwise they just have Father Victor's word and his vague accusations.

The FBI does have a bunch of witnesses who have seen the Jennings in their various disguises, so they could be picked out of some line ups.

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Great episode. 

 

Am I right in thinking next week is the finale? seems that there's an awful lot of ground to cover yet. Wish there were another 3 episodes to go.

 

1 hour ago, Annara Snow said:

Like I said, they need someone to talk to have any actual evidence. Father Andrei can implicate them. But it would be better for him to not talk, as he would be implicating himself if he talks, while otherwise they just have Father Victor's word and his vague accusations.

Didn't the black FBI agent say they were waiting on the surveillance photos between Philip and the priest?

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1 hour ago, dooog said:

Great episode. 

 

Am I right in thinking next week is the finale? seems that there's an awful lot of ground to cover yet. Wish there were another 3 episodes to go.

 

Didn't the black FBI agent say they were waiting on the surveillance photos between Philip and the priest?

But what would that prove? That he talked to a Russian Orthodox priest? 

I mean, it's enough for Stan's colleagues to make them suspects, but I don't see anything they could use as a pretext to actually arrest them. Unless Father Andrei or someone else talks, they don't have any evidence that they're connected to espionage or that they've broken the law in any way. 

But then again, P&E have to run because they know that a lot of things could get uncovered quickly if FBI started to look into them more closely. Maybe in the finale it starts happening. I just find it funjy that so far, FBI have diddly squat in terms of real evidence.

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If

4 minutes ago, Annara Snow said:

But what would that prove? That he talked to a Russian Orthodox priest? 

I mean, it's enough for Stan's colleagues to make them suspects, but I don't see anything they could use as a pretext to actually arrest them. Unless Father Andrei or someone else talks, they don't have any evidence that they're connected to espionage or that they've broken the law in any way. 

But then again, P&E have to run because they know that a lot of things could get uncovered quickly if FBI started to look into them more closely. Maybe in the finale it starts happening. I just find it funjy that so far, FBI have diddly squat in terms of real evidence.

If Philip has been photographed and it confirms Stan's suspicions, it wouldn't be difficult for the FBI to find the evidence once they know it's them and they know what exactly to look for. The Jennings have left a large breadcrumb trail in their wake, so between cross referencing significant dates,  ID-ing their photos to those that have described them to sketch artists, going through the books at the Travel Agency and confirming that there are no 4am emergency clients nor are there any big Houston (Chicago) clients, speaking to the employees there and discovering Elizabeth hasn't been there for what, a year, it all mounts up to conspiracy at minimum, which would get them arrested and give the FBI time to connect the dots and collect the hard evidence.

Not that any of that really matters anyway, if Stan knows for certain then the Jennings' are fucked

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Since they're not even really american citizens I think the rules might be different? I think they can detain them for no reason. Or was that a patriot act thing?

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8 hours ago, Annara Snow said:

Thing is, the FBI still has no actual evidence on them, unless someone starts talking. I don't think Father Victor knows that much and he certainly hasn't told them anything about Philip or Elizabeth, just bad mouthed Father Andrei. 

 

8 hours ago, Leofric said:

I don't see Father Andrei catching his flight, he can't sprint away like Philip while wearing that cassock, so the FBI will certainly be talking to him.   He knows they are Russian agents, even if he may not know specifics on what they've been up to for the past 20 years.   Just don't know if he will refuse to talk.

But they caught Father Andrei. As Anderholt said "he was 10 minutes until being brought up". Even if FBI finds out they are Russian spies, it doesn't matter whether they have any evidence of wrongdoings. I think Stan would kill himself if he knew the extent of their work. Because they have done some serious work for SSSR.

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1 hour ago, Spockydog said:

So Stan's girlfriend is just his girlfriend, and he's not actually stuck in a honey trap? 

 

She is a plant, just like Phillip and Elizabeth. Phillip and Elizabeth can get caught, and the surveillance of Stan can continue.  

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3 hours ago, Frog Eater said:

She is a plant, just like Phillip and Elizabeth. Phillip and Elizabeth can get caught, and the surveillance of Stan can continue.  

I thought this last season but now i'd be disappointed if this is the case, seems too far fetched since she's now joining the Bureau, a Russian spy with forged documentation would never get through FBI vetting.

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1 hour ago, dooog said:

I thought this last season but now i'd be disappointed if this is the case, seems too far fetched since she's now joining the Bureau, a Russian spy with forged documentation would never get through FBI vetting.

They've had agents who were born Americans.

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I have to say, I’m a little disappointed that they had Stan find out the way that he did. I hated how in earlier seasons he simply leapt to the right conclusion. He did it with Martha, then with the Russian “defector”, and now with the Jennings. His conversation with Henry should have only told him that Philip and Elizabeth were workaholics and that they weren’t a very close family. That’s a much more plausible explanation than Russian spy. He didn’t have nearly enough evidence to break into their house, again, much less take his suspicions to the FBI. Other than that, I’ve really enjoyed the season and agree that Rys and Russell both deserve to win Emmys for their performances. I’m looking forward to see how it all ends. I just hope Stan’s “super cop” abilities don’t ruin my memory of the show.

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Really good, sympathetic piece on Elizabeth in Den of Geek.

The Americans: saluting TV's finest female anti-hero

Quote

 

And talking of tough, Mrs Jennings clearly had it bad – far worse than, say, Nucky Thompson – and his dismal childhood is actively touted as an excuse for his appalling behaviour. She also is tough, surviving a bullet to the side, a run in with Glanders (precisely as disgusting as it sounds), and some frankly nauseating DIY dental survey by Philip.

She's also received the kind of indoctrination that Tony Soprano can but dream of using to justify his actions. And unlike him, she doesn't indulge in the spoils of her victory. She's not forgotten where she came from. She doesn't indulge in the food, the drink or the drugs, like the mob boss, or a certain Madison Avenue advertising exec. In fact, her disdain for excess, for consumerism, for mawkish sentimentality are some of the most relatable things about her.

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Dragon in the North said:

I have to say, I’m a little disappointed that they had Stan find out the way that he did. I hated how in earlier seasons he simply leapt to the right conclusion. He did it with Martha, then with the Russian “defector”, and now with the Jennings. His conversation with Henry should have only told him that Philip and Elizabeth were workaholics and that they weren’t a very close family. That’s a much more plausible explanation than Russian spy. He didn’t have nearly enough evidence to break into their house, again, much less take his suspicions to the FBI. Other than that, I’ve really enjoyed the season and agree that Rys and Russell both deserve to win Emmys for their performances. I’m looking forward to see how it all ends. I just hope Stan’s “super cop” abilities don’t ruin my memory of the show.

Well, I don't think it is "super cop" abilities, I think this was more of one of those serendipity moments. It is not just lucky guess, it is several small things that pointed towards the conclusion and having nothing against it. Like, cigarette butts. It is not that they prove anything, it is just the alarm going on in his head having in mind, as he said, that he never saw Elizabeth smoking. It is just one small thing on top of another and not one going against it. At the beginning of scientific research, this is basically how people came up with the ideas. 

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still an episode behind in the UK but damn I don't think I'm going to be able to wait an additional week for the finale. This season has been excellent so far, my favourite show of the year. Part of me is panicking how they wrap it all up in 2 episodes (hopefully the finale is extra long) but they've earned enough faith from me by now.

Love the fact that Stan is working things out himself and the tragic aspect of Elizabeth discovering her job is no longer what she thought it was just as it all seems to be tumbling down for her anyway.

Smoking kills, folks.

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1 hour ago, red snow said:

still an episode behind in the UK but damn I don't think I'm going to be able to wait an additional week for the finale. This season has been excellent so far, my favourite show of the year. Part of me is panicking how they wrap it all up in 2 episodes (hopefully the finale is extra long) but they've earned enough faith from me by now.

Love the fact that Stan is working things out himself and the tragic aspect of Elizabeth discovering her job is no longer what she thought it was just as it all seems to be tumbling down for her anyway.

Smoking kills, folks.

Someone upthread posted that it would be 90 minutes. As for not waiting an extra week, you could use a VPN to fake being in the states and watch it online the day after or whenever they put it up. It's not illegal or anything like outright pirating the episode would be. Though personally I don't see how pirating an episode from a free channel is any worse than tivoing it and skipping the commercials. 

Edit: By the way I totally don't buy the "Stan's (girlfriend still or wife?) is a spy" thing. She encouraged him to leave counterintelligence and then hung around for three years while he was only working that one russian couple. The KBG didn't seem to know about that couple's duplicity until they sought asylum. 

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1 hour ago, Risto said:

Well, I don't think it is "super cop" abilities, I think this was more of one of those serendipity moments. It is not just lucky guess, it is several small things that pointed towards the conclusion and having nothing against it. Like, cigarette butts. It is not that they prove anything, it is just the alarm going on in his head having in mind, as he said, that he never saw Elizabeth smoking. It is just one small thing on top of another and not one going against it. At the beginning of scientific research, this is basically how people came up with the ideas. 

I get that, but there are just so many logical explanations to explain his suspicions. Like, with the cigarettes, Elizabeth could have been ashamed of her addiction and was hiding it from her neighbors, as well as her kids. I’m not against him being mildly suspicious, but he broke into their house and took his suspicions to Aderholt.  I also didn’t like how he zeroed in on the pastor and questioned him as if he knew Pastor Tim was hiding something. And this all begs the question of why now. Stan’s had so many conversations with Henry, so many conversations with Philip, and none of this has come up before? I don’t know, I just feel that this all happened way to fast. I don’t mean to complain, and I still love the show, it’s one of my favorites. I’m sure the finale will blow me away. This is just something that bugged me.

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3 minutes ago, Dragon in the North said:

I get that, but there are just so many logical explanations to explain his suspicions. Like, with the cigarettes, Elizabeth could have been ashamed of her addiction and was hiding it from her neighbors, as well as her kids. I’m not against him being mildly suspicious, but he broke into their house and took his suspicions to Aderholt.  I also didn’t like how he zeroed in on the pastor and questioned him as if he knew Pastor Tim was hiding something. And this all begs the question of why now. Stan’s had so many conversations with Henry, so many conversations with Philip, and none of this has come up before? I don’t know, I just feel that this all happened way to fast. I don’t mean to complain, and I still love the show, it’s one of my favorites. I’m sure the finale will blow me away. This is just something that bugged me.

No, I understand... It IS a bit plot-driven, but, as we all know, law enforcement agents don't always act on solely on the evidence, but also on hunches. Stan had a hunch about Phillip and Elizabeth, something just didn't add up and Elizabeth's addiction (would it be a problem in 1980s. I mean smoking was not considered socially unacceptable until late 1990s/2000s, right?) And whom else would you call than a pastor to find out secrets of a family? I mean, this is the person they confided in. The rationale is not that difficult to find, just like it is not difficult to dismiss it and say it is plot-driven and that show actually made the logical leap here. Both have arguments in favor. 

1 hour ago, red snow said:

Love the fact that Stan is working things out himself and the tragic aspect of Elizabeth discovering her job is no longer what she thought it was just as it all seems to be tumbling down for her anyway.

I think the conversations with Phillip and Claudia in the past two episodes have been so determining for Elizabeth. As I said before, this is not about her quitting, it is just about not fighting the fight she didn't enroll herself for. Politics was never her ideal. And that is why Elizabeth is such an amazing agent. She believes in what she does, as dangerous and morally wrong as it is. She gave her body and soul for her country. But she will not allow others to use her body and soul as they seem fit. And that is the integrity one has to respect. I always felt that writing for Phillip was always better in the show, but the way they have handled Elizabeth's character in the last two episode, simply blew my mind.

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