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TV Costume Designer Secrets Revealed at Vulture’s First Festival

Costume designers from some of the shows TV Ate My Wardrobe covers extensively took part in a panel at the inaugural Vulture festival a few weeks ago and it is about time a roundtable like discussion went beyond just the actors, directors and writers. It is a discussion I have been highly anticipating and it doesn’t disappoint as the costume designers talk about their process and the shows they work on in an insightful and detailed manner.

The panel consists of Lyn Paolo (Scandal, Shameless), Jenn Rogien (Girls, Orange is the New Black), Jenny Gering (The Americans) and Tom Broecker (SNL, House of Cards). Scandal and The Americans are two shows we cover extensively on an episode-by-episode basis and Girls is another TAMW regular. We’re also pretty excited that season 2 of OITNB lands on Netflix in just over a week!

A variety of genre, time period and socioeconomic situations provide the backdrops these costume designers work on. One of them has to deal with a live show and the parameters for that are very different from working on a pre-filmed comedy. Live TV is generally chat show based which is all about wardrobe rather than costume design, not SNL where a sketch can get changed at the last minute and Broeker’s 20 years working on the show has informed how he handles these quick turnarounds. Time constraints are something all panelists have to work with as scripts can come in very late; Lyn Paolo mentions this can be as late as the night before on Scandal, so she preps a lot ahead of time.

One important aspect they all agree on is what is on the page is the biggest influence and it is the writing that informs their design process. Sometimes this can be incredibly vague and Jenny Gering mentions how the disguise descriptions on The Americans are often sparse in detail. The disguises are not meant to call attention, they should be invisible and this is part of the reason why it will say “generic bureaucrat” and nothing more. As it’s a period show, costume helps establish time and place without distracting from the story they are telling. It’s why their version of the 80s is not about the big trends, especially on the adults as this wouldn’t be how a regular mom in 1982 would dress and especially one who is trying to fit in. Gering goes on to talk about the evolution of Paige and how as a 13/14 year old girl this is a very transitional period in her life where she wants to look older and be taken seriously. In the season finale while they are on their impromptu mini-vacation Paige very much looks like a mini version of her mother in similar sweaters and heeled boots; the slight tightening of her clothes/heel addition reflects her desire to look older.

Evolution of a character through costume is something all the panelists talk about and Jenn Rogien mentions color palette and silhouette changes over the three seasons of Girls. Shoshanna started with a very feminine shape and cosmetic color scheme of blush pinks and pastels, in season 2 yellow and purple were added and by the third year she has graduated to stronger color and way more black. Shoshanna has become more aware of her body and so her very feminine style has been altered in response to this sexual awakening. Silhouette and color reflect how the “emotional landscape” has either become looser or tighter. Marnie has relaxed over the seasons and so her costuming reflects this. It might explain the beanie.

Rogien has a lot more restriction on how she portrays character evolution on Orange is the New Black as everyone pretty much wears the same thing and the prison uniform reflects the loss of identity through the khaki color and baggy fit. Some characters have altered their uniform, but only the ones who would have the ability or inclination to do so and Sophia is an example of this as her khakis are a lot more fitted and feminine.

On Scandal Abby and Quinn’s style has shifted the most from where it was in the pilot; Abby fell in love and so there’s less structure and Paolo uses lighter fabrics on this character now – all those scarves and wrap dresses I love – with Quinn as she’s got darker so has her attire. Some of these shifts aren’t meant to be all that apparent and it can act on a subliminal level. With Olivia Pope we associate the color white with her wardrobe and as Paolo points out Olivia doesn’t wear all white all that often. Gray is her staple and the reason we remember the white is because these outfits tend to come at heightened moments like the amazing Burberry trench from the season 3 premiere.

The absence of costume is discussed and nude scenes take place on most of these shows; it hadn’t occurred to me before watching this panel that the costume designer would play a pivotal role in this process. This even includes being the one who tells an actor how much skin they are showing. On OITNB they have had to come up with inventive ways to solve their modesty cover issues as a lot of their nude scenes occur in the shower room and water/adhesive don’t work well together. They also have to think about clothes coming off during sex scenes so while on Scandal you might want that top to come off with ease, on Girls or Shameless the more awkward this undressing act the better.

It’s an incredibly insightful and fun conversation, to watch the whole thing (and I’d highly recommend it) head over to Vulture.

Tags: Costume Designers, Girls, House of Cards, Jenn Rogien, Jenny Gering, Lyn Paolo, Orange is the New Black, Scandal, Shameless, SNL, The Americans, Tom Broecker, Vulture Festival

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Categories Costuming, Roundtables
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.13 “Echo” Review: Finding Meaning and Purpose

22 May

Spy life and family are so intrinsically linked on The Americans because Philip and Elizabeth created theirs to help maintain their cover. Dread has been building all season culminating in a stomach churning finale; going in a soul crushing direction that is completely unexpected and one that explores the overall purpose of these characters and the children they were compelled to have. Compartmentalization is a key component to how Philip and Elizabeth operate and this has been challenged all season, with Philip having a hard time reconciling some of his actions and switching off from the terrible things he has done. Danger has come from outside of their family unit and while I mentioned the threat from within during some of the early season 2 promotional materials, I never expected the twist that has the potential to destroy this family unit.

Paige’s interest in religion came across initially as a way to create conflict in a manner that sidesteps the usual teen rebellion tropes while being fundamentally opposite to her parents’ beliefs. The reason why Philip and Elizabeth have so much disdain towards organized religion is not something they can share with their daughter adding to the already building tension. Elizabeth acknowledged how much Paige is like her a couple of weeks ago and how Paige is looking for meaning in the wrong place. Elizabeth thinks that Paige would benefit from finding meaning and purpose in something bigger than her, so what happens when the KGB reveal their plans to indoctrinate a second generation of illegals who are born to ‘American’ parents on US soil? The twist is particularly insidious because it takes away their children’s choice, repeating the cycle by using the same grand declarations about a cause that is bigger than any one person.

The initial horror comes courtesy of Jared and the discovery of who really killed Emmett, Leanne and Amelia. All this time either Larrick or another unseen force has been the likely culprit and Jared was never a suspect. Jared’s blood spluttering confession is incredibly jarring as he’s done such a good job of protecting his cover and acting the innocent; from his reaction to the bodies in the hotel room, to his tears when Elizabeth first met him. Since Elizabeth first saw Kate meeting Jared out of disguise, she knew something was up and Jared did react far too calmly to the upheaval to his life, not that I ever saw this coming. Philip and Elizabeth both look on in dismay at Jared as he confesses his crime while choking on his own blood and neither of them can hide their shock. They’ve spent so long looking over their shoulders wondering when someone is coming for them and they never contemplated this was a domestic issue wrapped up in the cause.

Throughout this finale (and season) there are many micro gestures and movements often between Philip and Elizabeth as they convey so much to each other without saying a single word. It’s something The Americans excels at and it’s a show that demands you pay attention otherwise the some of the nuance is lost. This happens in this scene after Jared takes his last breath and Philip sinks backwards finally exhaling (mirroring my inner feelings after this intense scene). It’s something Elizabeth does at home before Philip gets back as she rests against the couch in a move that if that piece of furniture wasn’t there and if this show was more melodramatic she would have done so anyway and just fallen to the floor. Exhaustion, relief, fear are all reasons behind this and when Philip and Elizabeth embrace after they have got home from their danger vacation all of these things are communicated in how they are holding each other and in their eyes. Looks in the car between them as they daren’t say anything even if the kids are sleeping show just how in sync they are, well in sync on almost everything.

Simultaneously setting up conflict for next year while tying up the loose ends of this season is expertly handled as Claudia reveals the why of how Jared was recruited against his parents’ wishes. It looks like they are giving Philip and Elizabeth a choice, but really they’re saying the exact same thing to them as they did to Emmett and Leanne; we want your child to work for us and you have no choice. Philip emphasizes the notion that Paige is “our daughter” and yet she is a product of their cover and in this respect she belongs to the KGB and this larger thing they are all part of. This taps into a very specific part of Elizabeth and she has yet to waiver when it comes to their overall purpose. With Philip it is a different story and he has been more prone to disillusion, targeting his daughter is a very good way to add to these feelings.

No matter how united Philip and Elizabeth are, there is always going to be this fundamental difference between them and the Centre could exploit this to get what they want. There is also the danger of what will happen if they do tell Paige who they really are and I think Philip understands there is a chance Paige will reject this path and her parents. Paige is already pissed and confused, she tells Henry that she’s already counting down the days until college when she can escape this “lunatic asylum” and I’m not sure the truth would make her feel any different. It’s a risk and one Elizabeth is contemplating.

Elizabeth has a habit of when it comes to these discussions of cutting them off when it’s not going in a direction she’s happy with and it is a tactic she has been employing all season. In fact this is a way to undermine Philip’s opinions as she switches subjects or calls the kids for dinner to abruptly end a discussion. This leaves it all up in the air for the audience as well and now we are left contemplating just how serious Elizabeth is with this consideration. Cut off sentences and half finished stories are a consequence of the double life and it’s part of why compartmentalizing can be so difficult to comprehend. They discuss Paige while they wait for Fred (RIP) in full disguise and to them it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Sharing stories of their childhood like Elizabeth revealing how at 14 (Paige’s age) she looked after her mother for 10 months when she had diphtheria and she still managed to go to school. Her life was hard, but she made do and this isn’t a complaint and more a statement of fact. Philip begins to share his own tale and his is from when he was a couple of years younger than Henry – both use their own children as a reference point – and we never get to hear how Philip outsmarted the kids who attacked him as they’re interrupted by the police scanner. Whenever they talk about their past they are breaking the rules that were laid out before them and it shows intimacy and trust between them as they peel back the layers of who they were before they became the Jennings.’

So Paige is Elizabeth and Henry’s very much his father’s son; Paige is questioning and dismissive whereas Henry is open and enthusiastic. In a way both are living vicariously through their children as they’ve never had to experience the hardships they had when they were growing up. Philip wants to protect them from ever having to deal with this, it’s why he’s so forceful as reminds Elizabeth “We swore we would never…” The children are meant to be off limits, they are meant to protect them and yet Elizabeth sees Philip’s fear as a slight against who they are and what they do. The through line this season has been family and we’ve hit the point of examining what is more important; family or the cause? For Philip the answer is easy, for Elizabeth it is not so cut and dry and I expect this will dominate the start of next year.

Elizabeth’s desire to tell Paige the truth is also a selfish one as she wants to show her daughter who she really is, as she did with Jared when she turns up at the cabin without her disguise and in a super cool looking leather jacket. To her daughter she is just a very neurotic travel agent and it hurts that she can’t reveal who she really is. I don’t think Elizabeth even contemplates that Paige might reject her; I think this is all Philip thinks about.

For a brief moment I considered the idea that they might kill either Paige or Henry in the finale, but if they had I think this would have driven both Philip and Elizabeth away from the cause. Instead Larrick decided to go with the turning them in option, except he didn’t count on Jared having a gun. Larrick didn’t go out quietly, instead it resulted in a fight that involved both Philip and Elizabeth in handcuffs and the gun Larrick had tucked down the back of his pants being used to kill him. Larrick has been truly terrifying and his unpredictable nature has made him the kind of villain I’d like to see more of on this show.

Philip meets with Arkady for the first time, showing just how serious he is by risking his cover as Arkady is often subject to surveillance. It’s a very brief meeting and one that conveys just how strongly Philip feels about this. We’ve seen how the KGB use manipulation and points of weakness to exert control and I suspect they will attempt to drive a wedge between Philip and Elizabeth to get their second generation spy (this storyline reminds me of “Project Christmas” on Alias). Season 1 focused on the shakiness of their marriage, but this was prior to the bond they have now and I wonder how easy it will be pit them against each other now they are in love.

Because I love magazine covers here is the issue of Rolling Stone Philip picks up to browse while he is talking to Arkady. It is from April 1982 and the “Beware the Pentagon” headline is rather appropriate. Warren Beatty is giving me Peter Gallagher vibes in this photo sans the eyebrows. Also that cover line. Seriously.

Back to The Americans and I’ve almost hit 2000 words without mentioning the other plot of dread as Stan contemplates treason for love. It’s another case of how far someone will go for their country, in this case it’s Stan and protecting the US against the Russians. Despite having nothing in his personal life beyond Nina now that Sandra has moved out and a son who couldn’t give a shit, it is not a simple choice. Stan rejects Sandra’s correct intuition that something is bothering him, showing that even with their recent stranger status, twenty years does count towards something.

Stan didn’t even want to get surveillance reports for Oleg and probably gave himself an ulcer as a result of this so it was always unlikely that he would give over something as huge as Echo even if it was to save the woman he loves. Stan even went through with wearing a wire (giving himself another ulcer most likely) and getting the information (floppy discs!), but running away with Nina and betraying his country is not something someone like Stan is capable of. Like those on the opposite team he has limits and he chose duty over love. But tell Nina he’s sorry. I can’t hold it against Stan for failing Nina and despite some impulsive reactions like killing Vlad; he’s one of the good guys. The FBI is bigger than him and if he betrayed that he would lose his identity and this was laid out in his discussion with Henry in “Stealth.”

So what about Nina? Options have run out and the envelope full of cash Oleg gave her last week is of no help now as she is trapped by circumstance. Nina’s story has been tragic all along and it’s been one long fight for survival since Stan first approached her. There’s no fight left in her as she leaves the Rezidentura as she’s come to accept her fate and there’s nothing she can do to stop her trip to Russia and most likely her execution. Oleg has connections and he clearly loves her, but I don’t think this is enough to save her; if it was he would have used this move by now. The Lenin portrait is so defiant and the framing of Nina next to this shows her own defiance and sadness. This is truly heartbreaking as this character’s resolve and attempts at self-preservation in the face of certain doom has been incredibly compelling, as has Annet Mahendru’s performance.

It’s hard to find fault in any of the performances and another quietly devastating scene comes courtesy of Martha and her desire to have children. Martha doesn’t know if her marriage to Clark is enough and we know it isn’t because of who Clark really is. I’m glad they’re not going down the pregnancy route with Martha at the moment as Philip already has far too much on his plate without this extra concern, but on a personal level I want so much more for this character. Martha is currently proving her worth with the files she is stealing – in Stan’s dream Martha is seen taking a file off the mail robot showing that he is aware of her deception on a subconscious level – and ideally for her it would be best if she can’t give Clark anything that might be useful. This isn’t the kind of show that will let her bow out that easily and it’s significant that Philip becomes aware of the gun that now sits in the same drawer as her bottle opener.

This season has built on the solid foundation from last year and by going deeper into these relationships and setting higher stakes it has gone from strength to strength. It’s hard to sum this all up without a series of hyperbolic statements but it really does deserve all the plaudits and praise. Matthew Rhys has been the season’s MVP as he has been a ball of emotions quietly simmering and then exploding. The pain that is etched on his face for half the season followed by the real joy he gets from spending time with his children (cool dad new car dancing for example) has been a real pleasure to watch. Playing a slightly more balanced role has been Keri Russell and she has been no less exceptional and her pain has often on the quieter, more understated side and the chemistry between the pair is undeniable whether it is spooning on the couch or getting a lot more intimate on the dining room table.

The overall production quality also deserves a special mention as the direction, particularly in “Behind the Red Door” (which I singled out at the time) has been magnificent. The shot above is so simple and yet it highlights the level of dread as Philip and Elizabeth scoop up their kids in the middle of the night and jump in their car. All there is them and the open road and yet it’s never going to be just them as a family and this season finale has made this abundantly clear.

To have a look at our rundown of the best disguises from season 2 head here.

Tags: "Echo", 2.13, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans Best Disguises of Season 2

21 May

Tonight is The Americans finale, concluding what has been an incredible second season as Philip and Elizabeth have skated even closer to danger. The disguises are of course a big part of the aesthetic, so I want to take a look at this season’s best looks and how they represent the ever growing dread and tension from the outset. It is 1982 so the frames are big and there’s a drab quality to a lot of the clothes; this isn’t the neon/bold print 80s that will come later. Generally they don’t want to stand out unless the mission calls for it so there’s a whole lot of short wigs for Elizabeth and era appropriate facial hair for Philip; blending in is what they do best. Oh and there might be some artistic license with what I call these disguises when a real fake name has not been mentioned.

Philip’s flashiest attire appears in the season opener and a wig malfunction for Cowboy Steve leads to the shooting of an innocent teenage boy and a look at how much glue is used to keep this hairpiece on. Not enough by all accounts and I’m guessing Philip has a good quality shampoo to keep his locks from being a gluey mess the entire time. Before disaster strikes, Philip’s Texas drawl and negotiations are going well as he looks rather menacing, if not out of place in his leather/suede combination jacket and aviators.

Matthew Rhys has dubbed this disguise ‘Fernando’ but to me it’s Rust Cohle’s older brother. This costume is an Americans staple and he first used this in the pilot when he interpreted barbecue on a whole new level. It’s a multipurpose look and it’s rather unassuming as he uses it whenever he wants to play a blue-collar worker, allowing him access to areas that might otherwise be off limits. It is also how he came to meet Fred when he broke into his house as an electrician and now he has to wear this every time he meets with him.

Here is one of several wigs that has me asking “How do they fit Keri Russell’s hair under there?” and a recurring cover. This is Ann Chadwick from the Child Advocacy Center and she looks suitably bland. It’s all beige and big frames; there’s not meant to be anything fancy about someone who holds this position.

We first ‘met’ Clark’s sister Jennifer at the wedding last season and Jennifer is a hoot and self-confessed Betty Buttinsky. It’s just as well, as when Clark is indisposed Jennifer can step up to the Martha wrangling plate, even if it means hearing about how Clark is an “animal in bed.” Not something you want to know when it is about your fake brother who is actually the love of your life. Philip and Elizabeth have been relatively solid all season except for the Clark in bed experimentation that goes horribly awry. Aside from this Jennifer is a fun and dorky look on Elizabeth, it’s just a shame it leads to one of the most heartbreaking/fucked up moments of this season.

More bureaucratic disguises and as CIA Security Elizabeth breaks free of those dowdy short wig/glasses chains for something on the funkier side. The same can’t be said about Philip’s facial add-ons. I can picture Valerie and Bob shooting the shit after work in a dive bar together and they’re definitely having an affair on the side. Yes it’s fun making up names and backstories for their covers.

In “Yousaf” it is “bring your sexy disguise to work” day as both Philip and Elizabeth up the hotness ante. Elizabeth is all shoulder pads and plunging necklines, however Gloria Shoulder Pads is a double threat thanks to an interest in current affairs and she uses this as a ruse to get Yousaf to notice her beyond the heels and blonde hair. This is one of the most quintessential early 80s looks they have done so far – just look at that hair flick – and sadly this is all we get to see of Gloria Shoulder Pads as Philip brings in Annelise for the honey trap plot. Philip is reacting to how hesitant Elizabeth has been with using sex this season to get what they need, not that she has overtly said something and it also raises questions about how detrimental their real love is to their seduction performance.

In the same episode Elizabeth plays the unassuming Swimming Sally and pulls an assassination move in the pool. It’s the perfect disguise as the swimming cap and goggles obscure her face. I love the textured look of this swimming cap and how it reads on camera.

Flat caps, beanies and baseball caps are all essential components of ‘light disguise.’ Ditto wearing all black. It’s not as altering as any of the other disguises of course, but not all occasions call for wigs and glasses. Throw in a black turtleneck and this is when they look like classic spies (or maybe a cat burglar).

Vietnam Ted will pay for your meds and listen to your crackpot theories because he knows those theories have weight to them. Ted is Philip’s hairiest look and he also develops a rather gruff speech pattern to add to his disillusioned Vietnam vet demeanor. The brown suede and sheepskin coat looks pretty toasty and considering how much snow has featured this season (thank you Polar Vortex) it’s the ideal outerwear.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when I will be discussing the season 2 finale “Echo” and for all our coverage on The Americans head here.

Tags: costume design, disguise, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, spies, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.12 “Operation Chronicle” Review: “Take it Easy”

15 May

These words from Philip offer little comfort to Elizabeth as she questions how well their own children would handle Jared’s current predicament and she believes this day will eventually come. Family has played an intrinsic part on The Americans this season and remains in focus as we head into the final episode of the year. There is the burden of isolation that runs through all of these characters with some choosing this path of loneliness, while others cling to the relationships they have. Some of these connections are there to serve a greater purpose and yet still produce moments of emotional honesty even if the bonds aren’t real.

One unseen threat – to Philip and Elizabeth – is Larrick as he continues his hunt, building the tension and dread as the episode progresses. How much you can rely on the country you serve is called into question and Paige also feels doubt towards her parents as she continues to (rightly) sense they are lying to her.

A couple of episodes ago I wrote about the kitchen location and how it represents the constant push/pull between their home life and their work; it’s where they spend time with their kids and doing domestic tasks, but it’s also where they debrief and plot. There’s also the rebellious streak with Elizabeth smoking in there and having sex on the dining room table while the kids sleep upstairs. The family they have is part of their cover and the initial union between Philip and Elizabeth was nothing more than part of this setup. Emotions were never meant to come into play, but when you bring children into the world together and really fall for each other, well then it is going to get complicated.

The first season saw Philip and Elizabeth take the first steps towards making this real and in doing so they have become stronger as a couple, however they have also compromised their abilities to remain impartial. With Paige and Henry, Philip might have always been the fun dad and Elizabeth as the disciplinarian but in “Operation Chronicle” we see that Philip has a lot more confidence in their abilities to deal if they were put in the same position as Jared.

Elizabeth is far less certain of this citing the fact they had each other when they first came to this unknown country, plus they had training. The one thing they have in common is their lack of choice. Jared is now heading to a destination unknown – Switzerland, Hungary and Australia are all options – and he’s going to lose any connections he once had. Jared has already lost his family, but to lose everything else that makes up his identity doesn’t sit well with Elizabeth. This feels like a role reversal as Elizabeth is taking the position of questioning the decisions of the Centre; this isn’t her duty to her country talking, but the promise she made to a friend and her instincts of being a mother. It’s not like Philip is shoulder shrugging the whole thing, but he’s of the more pragmatic school of thought on this one.

When it comes to their own kids, Philip has faith in them pointing out how smart Paige is and while Henry is still a kid, who knows in a couple of years? In fact we’ve seen Henry’s capacity for defending both himself and his sister when he smashed a bottle of beer over the creepy duck feeding dude last season. Plus he knows how to break and enter, even if it is just to play video games. Henry also provides some pop culture analysis this week discussing the first Star Trek movie (which he is not a fan of) and the forthcoming Wrath of Khan (which he thinks has some potential thanks to Khan, but he doesn’t have high expectations) so hey he could be a movie critic. Get in there Henry, while there is still money in it.

There continues to be tension between Paige and her parents, with Elizabeth on the receiving end of Paige’s disappointment this week thanks to a work emergency. The emergency is real (Jared), but of course they concoct a semi-believable lie to throw Paige off the scent. Paige listens in on their phone call, but the click of the receiver reveals her presence and her parents are far too experienced to fall for this. Paige wanted to pack her bags for her big protest trip with her mom and this disappointment is genuine; yet another occasion where their work has got in the way of spending time with their kids. Paige talks to Pastor Tim – who I get a creepy vibe off, it might be his hair – about her parents and how she thinks they both could be having an affair and whatever it is, she doesn’t believe anything they say anymore. The magic is gone and her instincts are right, I mean they have both technically had affairs, it’s just there’s no way Paige would ever think they were something as dramatic as KGB spies.

The above outfit would not look out of place now proving that plaid is a timeless pattern that transcends the decades of the latter half of the twentieth century and this one we are currently in.

Oh hey it’s Elizabeth’s disguise she used a few weeks ago when she went to an AA meeting and now she’s using this as a cover to help push Fred towards getting what they need with the RAM paint samples. It’s appropriate that these two disguises are paired together as Philip had his moment of despair while wearing this attire in the same episode as Elizabeth’s post AA share session. Stan mentioned how KGB spies would look for weakness and exploit it and Philip and Elizabeth are doing just this with Fred. Fred is a loner and so Emmett used tales of his family to make Fred feel wanted and part of something, by bringing Elizabeth along to this meeting Philip is doing the same thing. They also appeal to Fred’s sense of superiority and this achieves the response they want as he agrees to going through with their plan.

Let’s take a moment to look at this stunning shot of Fred in the snow and looking as isolated as it comes – oh hey thanks Polar Vortex for helping create these shots even if it’s the worst to shoot in.

The reasons behind helping the cause are varied; for Elizabeth and Philip it’s how they were raised, with Larrick it’s blackmail, for some it’s money, others think their government is corrupt and deserves it and for someone like Fred it’s there chance to be a somebody and belong. Loyalty and trust are hard to come by and while Philip and Elizabeth now implicitly trust each other, it hasn’t always been the case. This is one of the benefits of falling in love and while it has had a negative impact on how well they do their job at times, this kind of trust is not the kind that can be bought. Of course they still have very different processes and Elizabeth’s hot headed nature is the kind of thing that could put them in danger, it has put them in danger in fact. Philip is more emotional in general, but more measured in the field and as they come up against the unseen Larrick I wonder if either of them is really prepared for what they will face.

Martha’s figured out one of Clark’s secrets and that’s his ‘toupee’ situation. Philip is quite taken aback by this, but there’s no way that thing that sits on his head feels like actual hair. If anyone was wondering whether Martha and Clark use any form of protection the used condom disposal answers that question, but uh oh as Martha wants to have kids with Clark. This isn’t up for discussion and now I’m wondering if Martha will go to any kind of extremes to get what she wants.

As Clark, Philip discusses why having kids in this line of work is a bad idea and this applies to his real life, but the kids he had are part of that cover. Those kids, like Jared are a product of a larger plan they are unaware of and these children are caught in the crossfire (for Amelia the literal kind). It’s a complex scheme because their children are going to be their number one priority and they’ve been told to produce something they will be more loyal to than the country they are serving. Elizabeth is the more staunch believer and her reaction and instant desire to protect a child that is not even hers shows the lengths she would go to if there was a threat to either Paige or Henry. Family trumps country.

What about a lover? Stan is being asked to betray his country to save Nina’s life and while she’s playing him, her life really does hang in the balance if he doesn’t come through. Stan’s been going through it this season and I’d really like to see him get a win, as long as this doesn’t cause Nina’s death, nor negatively impact Philip and Elizabeth. Stan has been tasked with getting information on Echo (the title of the finale) to save Nina and Nina has another benefactor in Oleg as he gives her an envelope stuffed full of cash if she has to go on the run. Where would Nina go? Like Jared, Nina would end up somewhere unknown and alone and the connections she has made, both real and fake would end here. Stan is also pretty isolated as Sandra’s moving in with this other guy and his son can barely look at him; unlike the Jennings’ kitchen which is generally full of warmth (Bible destruction aside), the Beeman’s couldn’t feel anymore sterile or unwelcome. Not even a pilfered VHS copy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show can win Stan cool dad points.

Taking it easy is a luxury none of these characters can afford, especially when there is a silent threat stalking them. The seen and the unseen is an important concept as there is a lot of blind loyalty and following orders from someone they never see. In losing Kate and their answering service George, they have lost their physical connection to what they are trying to achieve and now they are being sent short messages with missions that serve the cause, but don’t protect them from other dangers. Larrick and Stan threaten Philip and Elizabeth for very different reasons and Larrick poses a far bigger menace to the personal safety of their family. One other source of peril is Philip and Elizabeth themselves as while they are a more united than they have ever been before, there does still exist conflict between them and how they deal with the problems they encounter; could this be the real enemy within?

With just one episode to go the crackling tension that has been building all season is about to boil over and I have a feeling we are in for some heartbreak come next week. How many physical and emotional casualties will there be? As with last year my worries lie at the feet of both Nina and Martha.

Tags: "Operation Chronicle", 2.12, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.11 “Stealth” Review: Making a Difference

8 May

Even when Philip and Elizabeth disagree on how to deal with their daughter’s new found interest in religion, they present a united front and this harmony has been developing since the pilot episode. Family has been in focus this season and the idea of making a difference comes to the forefront this week; it is why these characters take the risks they do. This takes several different forms and since Jared’s family was murdered in the premiere the fear for their own kids and Elizabeth’s sense of duty to her fallen friends has taken over.

Stan’s visit to Jared poses a threat on several levels; an ideological one as Elizabeth doesn’t want an American to reveal they were KGB and a more immediate danger as he’s once again looking for the illegals who just happen to be them. Larrick’s revenge mission is fueled by the deaths at the Contra camp and while we don’t know if he has any personal connection to the men Philip and Elizabeth killed, they could just be symbolic brothers to him.

Starting with Larrick and he once again proves what a terrifying enemy he is as he barely questions Kate before he snaps her neck. Larrick is picking off those who Elizabeth and Philip rely on for contact with the Center as he continues his quest to find them. Larrick wants to put an end to this mess, which he in part blames himself for. Unlike Stan who works within certain parameters (which he has broken in the past with Vlad), Larrick is dangerous because he doesn’t appear to have a stopping point and it’s all about self-preservation. Larrick is pissed that he’s had to do so much to damage his country, but he’s done it regardless and when it comes to finding Philip and Elizabeth there’s no guessing what he will do to achieve this objective. Even though he said he didn’t kill Emmett, Leanne and Amelia can we trust him? Threatening or even killing Paige or Henry doesn’t seem beyond the scope of what Larrick is capable of.

Larrick is also doing a very good job of covering his tracks and he removes any trace of his presence in Kate’s apartment. This includes untying her dead body from the ceiling fan and putting everything back as it was. Kate does leave a message behind on the cardboard toilet roll tube showing she’s not the dolt Philip might have suspected she was and she valiantly fought against Larrick, but his size and experience overpowered her. Kate’s last act of defiance involved spitting in his face and not everyone can be coerced into betraying their country. I’m sad to see Kate go so soon as Wrenn Schmidt barely got to scratch the surface with this character; who will be their next handler and will they be up to the high Jennings standard?

“Stealth” is very much a table setting episode as the tension and unease continue to grow. The Jennings’ have a list of issues they have to deal with and thankfully Philip seems to have recovered from his brief personal torment a few weeks ago. This isn’t to say that this isn’t going to resurface at any point, but at the moment he is very much focused on the mission at hand. Larrick is one threat and he’s not alone as Stan continues to connect the dots with the illegals and Emmett and Leanne, not to mention the Paige drama that continues. It’s all a balancing act and in part it’s why Elizabeth relents so quickly when Paige asks to go to a demonstration. Paige asks at a time when her parents have much bigger concerns and her pre-planned “Who I am and what I think and believe is mine. I’m me” speech isn’t really necessary – it’s annoying in a way when you have a whole argument ready and your parents say ok straight away. I understand why Paige decides to plead on a personal level as earlier Elizabeth refuses to explain why she can’t go to camp beyond the vague and frustrating “Because I’m your mother” and there’s no way to argue against this kind of reasoning.

In the final scene Elizabeth has an epiphany about her daughter as she notes how similar Paige is to her and how they both want to make a difference, however Paige is looking in the wrong place. Elizabeth talks earlier in the episode about how she doesn’t want Paige to get indoctrinated, but this is also what has happened with Elizabeth and Philip with Communism; it’s just a different kind of ideology and there’s probably a lot of similarities between the Young Pioneers camp that Nina spoke of last week and what Paige wants to do with her summer.

This is the “they’re just like us” portion of the week and Stan’s desire to do something worthwhile is not all that different from why Elizabeth and Philip do what they do. Stan’s work is more transparent as he can talk to Henry for his school project about his job in a way Philip never could. There’s a hint of envy when Philip asks Stan to do the hero paper with his son as while his cover job is kind of boring, he would get hero status for what he is doing if they were back in Russia. Stan doesn’t see himself as a hero and the fantasy of the FBI comics he read as a kid chasing down the bad guys outside movie theaters is nothing like his reality and he seems ashamed of his commendation. Feelings of guilt might be overshadowing this joy with his betrayal to his country over the documents he gave Oleg, or because he killed someone in cold blood and then received an award for killing someone else. Being an FBI hero sure looks different to the days of gangsters and Henry’s surprise at the existence of these comics shows just how much the world has changed. Stan still has the desire to make a difference and do something good; this requires compromise and getting your hands dirty and it is something both Philip and Elizabeth know so well.

The grass is always greener and all that as Stan is still very taken with Philip’s new car and his own disintegrating marriage mirrors where we found Philip and Elizabeth at the beginning of the show; the gulf between Sandra and Stan has grown as Philip and Elizabeth’s marriage gained strength. The framing of Stan and Sandra’s scenes has reflected this distance all season and this technique is used once again as they discuss whether their marriage is over. In every sense beyond them saying it out loud it has been done for a long time and there’s no emotional connection between them beyond nostalgia for what they were.

Stan’s got other problems to deal with as Nina comes to him doing some damsel in distress posturing as she explains her deception has been discovered and while Nina is in a very precarious place, we know part of this plea is a manipulation as Arkady has known for a long time. They are using Nina to get Stealth information from Stan as he has the clearance they need, but Nina will get sent home and face a trial for treason if it all goes wrong or so Arkady says. How much of this is part of a bluff or double bluff is unclear and yet I am pretty certain that Arkady wanted Oleg to tell Nina that she is in danger.

Oleg praised Nina earlier this season for not trusting him and in the world they live in there aren’t many people who can be relied on. Philip and Elizabeth have this trust and no matter how much Oleg cares for Nina (and I think he has fallen for her), Nina is caught in a perilous position as she is being used by both sides. The Lenin Young Pioneers pin is a very sweet touch as Oleg has moved from antagonist to confidant. I could be completely wrong and Oleg might still be working all the angles for himself, I just don’t know anymore.

One person who keeps coming up with the goods is Fred as he provides Philip with the necessary person who knows all about the tech side of Stealth and it’s one of the ultimate “Hey! It’s that guy!” Zeljko Ivanek. Ivanek is playing John Skeevers who worked on RAM and has since got cancer that he blames on the paint that was used to suspend microscopic balls as part of technology for Stealth. This introduces us to a new Philip disguise and this one is on the very hairy side. It’s all about finding someone’s vulnerability and using this to their advantage; John’s memory might be a bit unreliable as he can’t remember who Philip is (which also is a bonus), but he is coherent enough to reveal some important detail about the paint and the bad side effects.

Jared is also in a vulnerable position and Stan’s visit prompts Elizabeth to don her short wig and big glasses as she poses once again as someone from the Child Advocacy Center. Elizabeth is feeling guilty for burning Leanne’s letter and Elizabeth feels responsible for him. Jared knows that something is up and boy does this kid break my heart as his eyes plead with her to tell him the truth. Jared also meets with Kate and this is another mystery for The Americans to solve in the next two episodes; why was she visiting him in no form of disguise? Why do they have to get Jared out?

Making a difference and compromise are two key themes in “Stealth” and this episode suggests that achieving both is an extremely difficult task when the stakes are this high. Missions have been going wrong all season and as the tangled web grows, Philip and Elizabeth might get to a point where they will have to make a choice between family and their duty to the cause.

Tags: "Stealth", 2.11, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.10 “Yousaf” Review: Mutually Assured Destruction

1 May

The kitchen is the hub of most households and for Philip and Elizabeth this is no different as The Americans uses this location to bookend “Yousaf” and to reunite the pair after another day of emotionally draining spy work. It’s a significant location as it’s where most of the interactions with the kids take place – we barely ever see their living room – and this week Philip and Elizabeth are taking risks with what they are doing in this communal and open space. In the last episode Philip went to a dark place as he continues to add innocent bystanders to his body count and while he is far from being in a good place, his ability to compartmentalize has kicked in.

Danger comes at them from all angles and as we head towards the climax of the season certain threads are coming together including Stan’s investigation into the illegals he was pursuing last year. That’s not the only threat as Larrick is back in the country and looking for revenge; he is a truly formidable foe who seems capable of doing anything to get what he wants. Personal feelings are threatening the balance of everything and it is only going to get messier as everyone has their finger on the trigger and it only takes one person to ruin the whole precarious environment they are part of.

Philip and Elizabeth are certainly in more tune with each other this year and yet there are still plenty of things they disagree on with how they approach work and family responsibilities. Let’s start with work and Philip’s attempts to protect Elizabeth have left him in a vulnerable position. Elizabeth shows she is more than capable with the assassination end of the business and yet she’s been less comfortable with some of the more intimate activities they have to partake in. It is not something Elizabeth has explicitly pointed out to Philip and yet he’s definitely picking up on her hesitance when it comes to this kind of work, even if she assures him she is more than capable. This is also the first time we have seen them get intimate since Elizabeth’s misguided desire to sleep with ‘Clark’ and what better place to hook up than in your kitchen. Philip is more worried about the kids smelling Elizabeth’s cigarette at the end of the episode than he is of them walking in as they do it on the dining table, but hey after what Paige saw in the premiere there will be no more sneaking around the house in the middle of the night for her.

Last week Philip pretty much cut himself off from everyone as he emotionally spiraled and by coming home and reaching out to Elizabeth in this way he becomes stronger again. It’s more complicated this season as their new found shared love is both a hindrance and a savior. It’s what we saw when Philip came home after his night with the Mossad agent as he found peace with his wife on the sofa in a brief quiet respite before the day started all over again.

Home is rather fraught as the Paige religion debate rages on and Philip’s feeling pretty shitty for his outburst last week; Elizabeth reassures him that what he did wasn’t wrong as Paige was disrespecting them and she tells Philip about the middle of the night kitchen cleaning punishment she dished out. Philip’s back in fun dad mode, including a super adorable, but maybe trying too hard pre-April Fool’s joke on Henry as he tries to repair some of the damage from the Sunday meltdown. He is open to Paige’s request to go to a Bible camp for 3 months, way more receptive than her mother who finds the perfect reason to tell her she can’t go when she discovers Paige’s attempts at forging Elizabeth’s signature. Their parenting styles differ greatly and Elizabeth accuses Philip of letting Paige walk all over him – tell that to the Bible that is now missing several pages. Paige is also pretty pissed and rightly so as the reason behind their distaste for religion is vague, we know why they are so worried, but to Paige they’re being completely unreasonable. It’s also hilarious that drinking or taking drugs are activities that are probably preferable to Elizabeth when it comes to her daughter, to her religion is a drug. Factoring in Henry’s recent break and enter jaunt and his lack of punishment beyond guilt and she’s right to tell her mother it is bullshit. I am disappointed in Paige’s terrible attempt to get rid of the evidence; she might get her ability to lie from her parents, but not this piss poor evidence disposal.

Discussions about Paige going to camp and Elizabeth’s fear she will come back a “Jesus freak” are intersected with mission talk. So when Elizabeth is done talking about it she simply changes the subject to Anneliese. Anneliese is someone we haven’t seen since the second episode of season one even though Philip has been maintaining this relationship and between Martha, Anneliese and Elizabeth, Philip is juggling a lot of fake declarations of love with one real one – no wonder he looks so tired. Instead of putting Elizabeth in a potentially dangerous sexual situation he palms it off to Anneliese who appears to be a willing participant. This is until she sleeps with Yousaf and is disgusted at what Philip got her to do asking “What kind of man are you?” It’s a question that keeps coming up and this time he uses his fake love and the cause as an excuse. Philip’s assertion that this kind of work is “not something I take lightly, ever” is an honest one, it’s just he’d rather use case anyone but Elizabeth to be the honeypot, even if she has the more physically dangerous mission this week.

After weeks of Rust Cohle’s brother disguises and various workmen uniforms, it’s good to see Philip looking rather debonair in his fancy suits and think rimmed glasses. I wonder if it’s going to be a problem that Anneliese has seen pretty much his real face (sans glasses) and with slightly more slicked down hair.

Not to be outdone on the hot stakes is Elizabeth’s Yousaf seduction outfit as she borrowed his newspaper in a jacket showing off the true hero of the 1980s – shoulder pads – she caught his attention as well, before Philip chose to go in a different direction. At the moment Philip is the person who decides how they’re playing the spy work, while Elizabeth rules the roost at home.

Most shows have cute moments over dinner or drinks; The Americans does this while discussing how to give someone a heart attack and the pill that will stop Elizabeth from being affected. Elizabeth is the most unassuming of the pair with something like this and it goes off without a hitch – a rarity this season. Elizabeth’s costuming is dominated by white and black in “Yousaf” and the white swim cap is a striking part of her inconspicuous look. It’s also one of the simplest disguises yet as the goggles obscure her entire face. If only everything they did took place in a pool.

Respect is something Philip and Elizabeth demand from their daughter and yet they are both rather dismissive of their handler Kate. The problem with Kate is her inexperience and her lack of intuition as she complains that if they mess up her “head will roll” in the figurative sense, with Philip hammering home the point that if they mess up then they’re dead. Not that it looks like Kate is particularly safe as Larrick’s trail leads to the KGB’s phone intelligence service in DC with Kate’s phone being the one he calls. Larrick is a terrifying foe as he’s a trained killer and he doesn’t appear to have many scruples. Larrick’s also a man of many faces, except he uses his the entire time and just changes his clothes depending on what information he needs to access.

Mutually assured destruction is discussed in an explicit manner between Arkady and Gaad as the Vlad case has been put to bed with Gaad getting reinstated. There’s a cycle of actions that took place by mistake in a way as the murder of FBI agent Chris Amador had nothing to do with the Cold War; it was at the hands of a KGB officer, just for very different unfortunate reasons. A covert war means not owning up to things and the domino effect from one mistake can be huge and it’s why everything is in such a heightened state. At the moment Larrick is running around trying to find Philip and Elizabeth, as is Stan and even though they’re on the same team their motives differ greatly. Stan has also stumbled onto something with the Emmett and Leanne murder case as thanks to Gaad’s briefcase observation they now know there’s way more to this crime than a simple unsolved murder. When Stan questions Jared about any secrets his parents had it is heartbreaking to watch this boy get defensive and then soften to Stan as he believes Stan wants to find out who was responsible. In a way this is exactly what Stan wants, but he’s also manipulating him to help with his illegals end game.

As you can see in the shot above the snow really adds to the aesthetic of The Americans and both this and Hannibal are benefiting from the heavy snowfall the East Coast had early this year, even if it’s probably a nightmare to shoot in.

Nina is going full 80s with her hair as she continues to live the tangled life she was bemoaning to Oleg about earlier in the episode as Stan tells her about his illegals theory and Sandra’s affair. Stan doesn’t know why he is telling her about his marital problems, but secrets are there to be shared and he has to unburden his soul to someone. If only he knew that Nina is also sleeping with Oleg and not as part of a ruse, they actually look like they’re enjoying each other’s company even if they are from very different backgrounds. With the Russian characters there is always a push/pull between what they didn’t have growing up and what they have access to now and Nina is very much like Elizabeth as she longs for the simplicity, even if she didn’t have much beyond a pin of Lenin from Young Pioneers. Everything is a commodity on The Americans and stealth technology is the biggest of them all at the moment. It’s what Oleg is investing all of his time in and it’s what everyone is risking their lives either to protect or obtain.

Ending the day with an illicit cigarette in communal spot like the kitchen is the least of Elizabeth’s concerns and I love that a scene this quiet ends such a frantic and tense episode. It is only going to get more fraught and so Philip and Elizabeth should enjoy this momentary peace while they can.

Tags: "Yousaf", 2.10, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.09 “Martial Eagle” Review: “I’m not here to be saved”

24 Apr

A feeling of dread seeps into every corner of The Americans and obtaining secrets is an essential component to winning this war. Philip has been teetering on the edge this season and in “Martial Eagle” those cracks begin to show as he finds it hard to deal with both his cover life and the terrible things he has done recently as part of his real job. It’s a tour du force performance from Matthew Rhys as Philip bounces from his family man persona to whatever wigged wonder is required and he’s struggling to separate the two. One of The Americans overarching themes is duty and Philip struggles to reconcile these aspects and maintain his breezy Philip Jennings persona.

While both seasons are about Philip and Elizabeth, I would suggest that season 1 has more of an Elizabeth focus as she is the one who changed the most over this period, with this year; it has done the same but for Philip. Since Elizabeth was shot it’s like they have switched places as Philip has done the majority of the dangerous work. This isn’t to say that Elizabeth hasn’t been caught in any dangerous predicaments, nor has she been free from making decisions that have ended in death, it’s just Philip has been on the receiving end of these types of moments multiple times his year. Emotions are heightened this season and have been since Emmett and Leanne’s deaths; their deaths have cast a shadow over most episodes whether directly as they hunted for the killer or indirectly now that Stan senses there could be a connection between this and what he is investigating with the DOD and Anton’s kidnapping.

The contra camp infiltration mission goes array as both Philip and Elizabeth resort to killing to save themselves; for Philip this comes at much closer quarters when he cuts open the throat of the person who has caught him taking photos and he ends up covered in blood. There’s something rather intimate about the way Elizabeth hastily cleans this off him and that’s pretty much the only time there is an act of closeness between them in this episode. Philip later holds her at a distance telling her “it’s easier for you.” There’s no follow up other than Elizabeth repeating this assertion in the form of a question “You think it’s easy for me? What I do?” What sparks this bleak and unshakable reaction from Philip is less about what happens at the camp and more about Lewis, the guy they tied up last week. Lewis was meant to be the innocent guy they didn’t have to kill to get what they wanted, but he ended up dead anyway (hypothermia if I had to guess). Doing the ‘right’ thing would have been to shoot him, as at least that way it would have been quick, instead he died a slow death tied to a tree and Philip spirals from this point.

Paige and her church group has recently taken a backseat to Henry’s acting out. Henry attempts to engage Philip with a magic trick and is coldly rebuked; Henry probably thinks this has something to do with breaking into other people’s houses, not the murders his father has recently committed. Like his parents, Henry really doesn’t want to go to church and Elizabeth finds it hard to not show her disgust about the whole thing. Elizabeth has been more vocal in her rage at Paige getting interested in religion, whereas Philip’s anger has been directed at the lack of respect Paige has been showing them of late. When they find out Paige has donated $600 of her savings – for a trip to Europe – to the church, this leads to another visit from ‘scary dad.’

As Philip is generally ‘fun dad’ and Elizabeth is the disciplinarian it’s far more terrifying when Philip loses it. Paige wasn’t that bothered when Philip showed off his stern side earlier this season as she responded with sass on this occasion. Philip hovers on the edge of this conversation, but when he gets involved everything he has been keeping wound up tight inside explodes thanks to a disrespectful eye roll from Paige. Philip starts ripping pages from the Bible and spitting about how Paige respects Jesus and not them. Paige is crying and Elizabeth has the same look in her eyes as Philip did when she went at the Mossad agent hard; it’s possibly the first time that either has seen Philip like this. It’s not surprising that Paige has never experienced this side of her father, but for Elizabeth it’s maybe even more concerning as she has been with him for such a long time and this is not the way Philip reacts. He’s normally a lot more measured than this and even in moments of spontaneous violence – the pilot springs to mind – there is still an element of control. Now he seems unpredictable.

Philip has no time to languish at home as he has to deal with an emergency call from Fred and the swelling strings of sadness follow him throughout the episode only adding to this feeling of dread. Philip stays on the pier overnight, lost in thought and while Elizabeth handles Paige, Philip is caught in his melancholy. Home was all he could think about at the start of the season and he didn’t go through with Martha duties to be with Elizabeth, now Philip can’t face it. It’s no longer the sanctuary it was and I think Philip is having a hard time compartmentalizing everything at the moment; he doesn’t want to infect home with whatever he is going through.

What this does is it isolates Elizabeth from him and at first I thought the AA meetings might be a way for Elizabeth to simply talk through things with strangers using alcohol as a cover for spy work. Then I remembered this wasn’t Scandal and Elizabeth definitely isn’t Huck. Instead Elizabeth is using her real life – “I wanted the opportunity to show him that I could be there for him” – to give her an in with this woman who works in something highly classified. Stan mentions that the Soviets will locate a weakness, whether financial, emotional or sexual and exploit it and this is something we have seen both Elizabeth and Philip do on multiple occasions, including now.

This is what Philip has been doing with Martha and he does it in the cruel manner he stopped himself from doing last week. Going to Martha’s means avoiding home and slipping inside another character to escape everything else, but it’s all part of the same tangled web. Philip’s a little tipsy and Martha mentions how out of character it is for him, in fact it’s bizarre to see him holding his glasses just before she walks in, as they are such a part of this persona. The last time we saw Clark was in the horrific scene with Elizabeth so this has been tainted as well. Martha hears the tape and her offer to do whatever Clark wants with surveillance work is exactly the reaction he was hoping for, but you can tell he feels awful. Philip’s inability to get hard for Martha and his decision to leave feels so much like Philip slipping through and I wonder if his encounter with Elizabeth in this disguise has resulted in a lack of libido. It could also be part of playing Clark in this moment and with Philip and Elizabeth it can be hard to distinguish what is part of the act, what they are utilizing in the moment and what is real.

Philip confronts the pastor at Paige’s church and it’s unclear exactly what his intention on entering the church was, but if the leather gloves and locking the door suggest, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. Philip asserts twice that he would do anything to protect Paige and we’ve seen this in action when he attacked the guy who came onto her in the department store. Pastor Tim doesn’t possess the same kind of threat; his is an ideological one and it’s something that goes against everything Philip and Elizabeth were raised to believe. This isn’t a confrontation that ends in violence and part of me thinks Philip shows mercy because he realizes that violence isn’t how you respond to a threat like this. While Philip isn’t there to be saved, despite his very obvious emotional turmoil, hurting Tim or turning to God is not the answer. Philip ends the episode alone and I wonder if he will continue down this path of despair or if he can learn to live with what he does in the name of his country.

Back at home Elizabeth is dealing with Paige and her sass, doing so by waking her up, giving her a responsibility lecture and a demand to clean the kitchen. The way in which Elizabeth does this very much feels like an interrogation as the lamp becomes a menacing spotlight. Elizabeth points out all of Paige’s privileged upbringing and how this counters to Philip and Elizabeth growing up with nothing – what is their American backstory? – and once again this leans on reality to inform their fake heritage. It also gives a relatively plausible explanation as to why Philip flipped to Paige and I’m guessing Paige will be rolling her eyes a little less in the future. Elizabeth can turn on the terrifying, even in a turtleneck.

Speaking of disdainful looks and Elizabeth has a hard time of hiding her contempt for all things religion during the service. This was the one point in the episode where my response was laughter.

Stan finds out the hard way that he has been missing a lot at home as Sandra is packing to go away with someone she met at EST and is even listening to sex tips while she is getting ready. The breakdown of this marriage juxtaposes the Jennings’ as they have got closer over the recent years whereas Stan and Sandy have drifted so far apart they’re like strangers now. Stan has been so focused on work and Nina that everything at home has been in the background so while they changed he didn’t even notice. I’m happy for Sandra as she deserves way more than this, sorry Stan.

At work it’s going a lot better – also in reverse to Philip and Elizabeth as while their relationship has grown, their work has become more traumatic – as he’s been given DoD access and he’s slowly piecing everything together. The couple they were pursuing at the end of last season get mentioned (the couple being Philip and Elizabeth), as Stan and Gaad figure out a way to save Gaad’s job by threatening Arkady in a rare opportunity to see someone other than Stan interacting with the Russians. We also get to see Larrick finding out what happened at the camp and that look in his eye suggests he has murderous intentions towards Philip and Elizabeth.

Now there is danger from multiple sources, with Philip’s mental state being problematic in itself. Philip needs to reconcile what he has done and go back to being a compartmentalizing pro and while that might not be the best for his overall mental well being, at the moment it is something he needs to do as everything else around them becomes even more precarious and dangerous. As I mentioned in the introduction, this is an exceptional and layered performance from Matthew Rhys as he shows Philip in a haunted state that only he can save himself from.

Tags: "Martial Eagle", 2.09, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.08 “New Car” Review: “We All Serve”

17 Apr

Consequences and accountability dominate “New Car” as both Philip and Elizabeth deal with decision they have made that result in the death of someone else. While family continues to be at the heart of season 2 of The Americans, the work they are doing is taking them down some incredibly dark paths and each mission has an aspect that goes horribly wrong. As we find out in this episode even the ones that go off without a hitch (well practically), there is still a chance for devastating blow back.

Philip has been harboring a desire to get the new Camaro for weeks now and even though he tells the car salesman that he is merely looking, he succumbs to temptation. This is what Philip enjoys about his life in America; we’ve seen it in how much he likes country music and certain fashions. In fact this is the first time we have seen Philip in a flat cap and sunglasses like this; it’s like he got them to go with the car. He’s basically playing the 1982 version of the cool dad (the lesser discussed of the ‘cool’ parent trope). This is easy going Philip and it’s one we’re seeing less frequently as a result of the terrible, bad things he is doing this season in the name of his country.

The push/pull here is fascinating as the new car that he lovingly patted when he left it turns into a symbol of all that is terrible about this country when he hears about the submarine disaster. A tragedy he played a part in as he was the one who stole the defective plans. Philip’s been dealing with a lot of death recently and to add 160 more to his list takes the thrill out of his new toy. Elizabeth has always held the material benefits of America at arm’s length; yes she wears the beautiful shoes and has way more than she ever had at home, but she has never seen this world as better. So while her relationship with Philip has altered drastically since the pilot episode, how she feels about things hasn’t. These are all props that aid their cover, this is not who she is and she won’t be seduced by advertising.

With the new car, instead of blending in Philip now stands out. The color and shape are completely different to every other car we see as everyone else is still driving 70s boxy looking vehicles. Philip’s car has a futuristic vibe and Stan looks upon it with envy and when he parks his old car in his junk filled garage he lets out all of his frustrations on the car door. Philip’s life looks pretty rosy from the outside, if only Stan knew.

There is a delinquent son to address; well Henry isn’t all that bad in the grand scheme of things. Instead of dealing with Henry’s breaking into their neighbor’s house to play video games problem, this doesn’t get resolved until a day later. This is the problem when you have spy issues to deal with, the kids come second. In part this could be seen as a reason behind Henry’s misdemeanor and this does have classic cry for attention written all over it. Or he just really wanted to play that video game and this adds another tick into Elizabeth’s fear for her children in a capitalist society column. The neighbors are very understanding and this adds to Henry’s feelings of guilt. When his parents eventually talk to him about it, Henry does pretty much all the talking and this scene perfectly captures the moment when you know you’ve done something wrong and you emotionally vomit your feelings.

Incorporating teen characters into the story can be a treacherous path with cougars and hit and runs being used to spice up the story. So far I’ve been impressed with how The Americans are weaving Henry and Paige into the overall narrative and Henry’s “I’m good” breakdown could be seen as being a touch on the nose, but it also goes to illustrate the varying moral grey areas this show is working in.

We’re so used to the spy story dominating the trajectory of an episode that often features Philip and Elizabeth deciding whether someone lives or dies; Philip letting the septic truck driver live in an act of mercy that could ruin their cover, but Philip has way to much innocent blood on his hands to be swung by all of Elizabeth’s “what if” hypothesizing. So when they’re dealing with something at home, the consequences are far less but it still holds emotional weight that grounds The Americans and makes it so much more than a spy show. Henry feels terrible that his parents and the neighbors now think badly of him and while his justification as to why he kept doing it (“It seemed like no one would even know”) is pretty flimsy, I can’t help but feel for him as he works himself up into tears.

There’s an air of melancholy hanging over the entire episode as Elizabeth has to deal with death out in the field as Lucia proves that she runs too damn hot. For Lucia the mission with Larrick was always a means to kill him for training the police officers who tortured her father. Lucia goes too far and compromises everything they have been working towards and Elizabeth’s decision to let Larrick kill Lucia is a huge blow for Elizabeth; it shows just how vulnerable she still is post shooting. It also highlights that almost anyone can end up as collateral damage if they don’t understand what comes first and that is who they serve. Personal matters should never impact the overall objective, but that still doesn’t make it any less awful that Elizabeth had to watch Larrick choke the life out of Lucia. Philip wants to kill Larrick when he gets back from Nicaragua, it’s getting rather personal for him and this is worrying. Elizabeth’s “I let him” is heart wrenching and can we give all of the awards to Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell this season please?

When it comes to shifting blame, Oleg isn’t going to be held accountable for the submarine disaster in the same way Philip is feeling it – side note Kate was a tad too emotional about this incident and it’s hard to work out just how genuine she is being right now, maybe she knew someone on board? Oleg mentions the hasty time it took to build the sub, with little regard to testing it properly but as Arkady mentions they were the source of the original plans so they are at fault. Oleg remarks that “We all serve” and so there’s always a chance that any one of them could die for their country. There’s a glimpse at an old face with Vasili (who was sent back to Russia last season and who Arkady replaced) attempting to bond with Anton so he will reveal his scientist secrets “Mother Russia isn’t easy, she has to defend herself. But she is good in the end.”

The Stan/Nina/Oleg triangle is a rather curious one and Nina continues to be an enigma; everything she says to Stan appears to be coming from a place of honesty and in their scene together I really believe she cares for him. As soon as we cut to her playing video games with Oleg and generally larking around this changes and it’s hard to work out just where her loyalty lies when it comes to Stan. Stan is fighting a losing bureaucratic interagency battle as he keeps getting denied access to files on Anton. Anton he believes is the key to winning against Oleg and protecting Nina, but does Nina even need protecting anyway? Arkady is concerned for Nina when it comes to Oleg as his powerful family have the ability to be both cruel and kind.

Martha feels bad about spying on her colleagues who she believes are “good people” – there it is again, this notion of good – and no longer wants to do this for Clark anymore. Philip edits one of the recordings to make it seem like they were calling Martha ugly to get her back on side. It’s a pretty shitty thing and there’s apparent tension between Philip and Elizabeth when the Clark/Martha stuff is discussed. Luckily Philip doesn’t have to play it as Martha has changed her mind; however Martha is a ticking time bomb as she continues to throw up new potential issues. Oh and meatloaf and eggs for breakfast sounds like the worst, first washing her hair in the kitchen sink and now this. Come on Martha, you are better than this.

New wig alert! The pixie look really suits Keri Russell here and while I don’t think she will ever go full Felicity chop again, it works. Elizabeth showed mercy with the worker who stumbled upon them while they were stealing what turned out to be bad plans, now Philip is doing the same with this dude.

“Look at him, he’ll do anything. He doesn’t care.” As a Ronald Reagan speech about defense budget and basically being better than the Russians plays in the background, Elizabeth can’t help but utter her dismay upon hearing the news of the submarine deaths. The tuxedo Reagan is wearing only adds to this notion of them vs. us and while Elizabeth’s statement could apply to them – after all they also serve a country and do terrible things for their cause – Reagan’s speech punctuates their conversation as if he is taunting them.

Notions of goodness, like beauty can be in the eye of the beholder (though it is probably a less abstract concept) and it all depends on what side you are serving. The question of whether Philip is a monster has been raised this season and while he has done monstrous acts, he still feels things like remorse and guilt and this coupled with the job he is tasked with means he operates in the moral grey area. The same applies to Elizabeth and the look she shares with Philip as Henry is purging his soul suggests they want to believe they are good people too, but can they ever really be when they have committed such awful and criminal acts even if it is in the name of Mother Russia?

Tags: "New Car", 2.08, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

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Categories Review, The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.07 “Arpanet” Review: “He’s Our Monster”

10 Apr

Season 2 of The Americans is exploring ideas of family; the one we create and the more abstract ideological aspects such as country and what is home. The death of Emmett, Leanne and their daughter has made everything darker and more dangerous for Philip and Elizabeth, the risks they are taking could have a much wider impact on their personal life. Effectively they could be helping their country and destroying their family. Last season Elizabeth was the one who got the job done at all costs with collateral damage like a security guard not weighing all that much on her mind, things have shifted and Philip is the one who has been doing some very bad things to protect the missions and his family. Now who is the monster?

“For what? What was the point?” It’s the second time this season that Philip has killed an innocent bystander and it’s not something he takes lightly. There is no pleasure, no exhilaration so while he might be considered a monster he doesn’t do it for the thrill of it. These actions are beginning to weigh on him and I wonder if he is going to reach his breaking point soon. It was close a few weeks ago when he was transporting Anton as he was called a monster for his lack of reaction to his plight. So far we have seen that Philip can compartmentalize and when it comes between getting caught and killing someone, he has always choose the latter. With the busboy it was because he had seen his real face and minus the wig. In “Arpanet” it was all a matter of discovery; it doesn’t matter that Philip is in heavy disguise (one they refer to as Fernando on set) because the implications here are that someone is aware of this precursor to the internet and they have infiltrated it. The lesson here is to remember your wallet or really don’t go back into a building when there is an alarm going off.

Charles is becoming a burden, where before he has been an asset. Yes he gets Philip the code, but he almost jeopardizes everything when the code he has written on the palm of his hand has been sweated off due to nerves and his body craving alcohol. At the bar rendezvous point he acts all triumphant and this only infuriates Philip more; to Charles the spy life is a fun exciting game and the consequences don’t seem all the bad in the warm light of the bar with a drink in his hand. Charles claims the drink he has is non alcoholic, challenging Philip to try it if he doesn’t believe him. Philip doesn’t rise to this, waiting instead for Charles to leave before ordering the same drink and finding out that yes it contains vodka. This is one unstable asset and as everything hangs so precariously in the balance, this is the last thing he needs right now.

Philip has no time for pleasantries with anyone outside of his family this week and he is straight to the point with both Lucia and their new handler Kate. He scolds Kate for her outfit choice which makes her look like a spy in an old movie – trench coat, headscarf – even though his black turtleneck screams spy attire to me. Maybe this comes across as cliche now, but it’s also a classic look for this period. Philip pretty much wears a version of this outfit throughout this entire episode (except for when he is in disguise) and it’s his way of blending in. With the diner meeting with Lucia he doesn’t bother with chit chat, instead he wants to know what Lucia has been up to and if she has been spotted. He’s forceful and direct, whereas Elizabeth has revealed a bit of her past to Lucia – we now know that her father was a miner. Philip is usually the friendly, personable one so this shift is noticeable.

A new disguise and a new moustache! Here is Philip’s journalist look and it balances the perfect amount of shabby with put togetherness. This was also a great tutorial about the start of the internet – TV teaches!

Here’s the tech set up in the office of the travel agent and the main part is currently getting redecorated, does Elizabeth prefer eggshell or ivory? This is the humor highlight of the episode as Elizabeth asks “What’s the difference?” and Philip responds “The color.” The conversation quickly shifts from this trivial matter to important spy business.

The same can be said at home where for a brief moment fun dad Philip is broken out as he talks (and then sings) to Henry about the car he wants to get. It’s a moment of levity before Elizabeth returns to tell him of yet another issue they have (more on this below). Like Paige, Henry is acting out and even though they are not completely neglected by their parents, the level of attention they get is diminished every time a new work related problem occurs. Instead Henry has been using his birthday present to get in on his own spy action and he breaks in to the house across the street to eat food from their fridge and play on the video game he has been begging his parents for. This is building to something more and their ability to keep spinning all of these plates is going to get increasingly difficult as there are just too many variables at the moment.

One such variable is Lucia and she’s going to get herself killed at the rate and I can see Elizabeth being the one who does it. Elizabeth continues to give her the strong paternal face and last week Lucia told Elizabeth she didn’t want another one of her lessons. This is all about experience versus passion; Elizabeth generally knows how to temper her feelings and tells Lucia that under no circumstance can she kill Larrick for revenge. Revenge is all about an emotional response and we’ve seen this from Elizabeth most notably in the pilot. When she tells Philip that Lucia “burns hot” he mentions the similarity to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is so cold and detached, that when she releases emotion it tends to be explosive. For Philip he is generally calm and measured, but he is capable of terrible things. They have so far not been motivated by his emotions, this is reserved for when someone has done something or threatened to do something to his family (see the pilot once again). This is where Philip and Elizabeth differ and separate; it’s all in their impulse control and as we saw with Elizabeth and the Mossad agent she still has a problem here. Not always, but it is something that can flare up.

One person who has learnt how to control her emotions is Nina and she successfully passes the FBI polygraph test with the help of Oleg and tips like squeeze your anus before answering, thinking of Oleg standing there and asking for a glass of water to break up the time. These scenes are fascinating as it’s still hard to get a read on exactly what Nina is thinking and the end scene with her in bed with Oleg compounds this further. With Stan, he is of course madly in love with her so he’s going to agree to her forever declarations. Nina is protecting herself and yet I can’t quite tell how much of what she is doing is for her country and how much is for self preservation. The only reason she started working for the FBI was because he caught her doing something illegal, so it wasn’t like she freely went along with this. Now Nina is playing double agent and it’s also hard to pin down what Oleg’s motivations are. As with Philip, there is a lot about Western culture Oleg appreciates, namely the music. It’s another case of how much country means versus personal survival/gain and at the moment Oleg doesn’t seem too fussed about ideology.

Both Matthew Rhys and Annet Mahendru show how much can be conveyed by eye moment; for Philip it is his moral conscience weighing on him after killing an innocent person – Philip never answers his own question about how many people he has killed but it’s got to be a high number – with Nina it is all about confidence and lying to herself to get through the test. These are amazing performances and they achieve a number of things including giving us a Philip we can still feel for no matter how many awful things he has done. Is he a monster? Sure, for the pain he has inflicted on multiple people this season he could be called that, but to repeat Elizabeth’s sentiment “he’s our monster” and where he differs is that he feels every bad thing he does, before storing it away in his spy bad deeds bank. It’s when he can’t fit anything more in there that we will have to worry. Trust or lack of it is an important concept and while Philip truly has Elizabeth now they are committed to each other in love as well as country, Nina has no one. This is why she is keeping her options opening; she tells Oleg she doesn’t trust him (which he’s congratulates her on), with Stan she has promised him everything but deep down she knows that he has a patriotic duty he won’t betray.

For country, for love whichever one wins it is a tangled mess in which all of these characters must live.

Tags: "Arpanet", 2.07, Annet Mahendru, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

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Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

The Americans 2.06 “Behind the Red Door” Review: “Watching is Different”

3 Apr

On The Americans Philip and Elizabeth’s spy work and cover life are intertwined as demonstrated by back to back phone calls in “Behind the Red Door;” one is from Paige’s school informing them that she has quit volleyball, the other is to inform them of a meeting with their handler. Prior to these calls, Elizabeth has been teasing Philip about his bedroom skills with Martha, how she called him a “wild animal” and now Elizabeth wants to have an evening with Clark. What starts out as flirty banter turns ugly later on and once again The Americans examines ideas of identity and how this impacts a relationship.

Everything has become more fraught as new information could lead Philip and Elizabeth down a dangerous path as they try to ensure their family will not end up like Emmett and Leanne’s. They’re not the only ones who are taking risks as Stan deals with his Oleg issue and gets warned that he could be in way over his head. Pretty sure this statement could apply to everyone on this show, even the most experienced agents like Claudia are guilty of this.

Elizabeth and Philip are constantly switching between domesticity and danger; they discuss missions while doing housework (I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much laundry and doing the dishes on any other show). Emotions are heightened and so when Elizabeth comes home agitated from their meeting with Claudia it leads to a moment of sexual intimacy between the pair, stemming from Philip helping take Elizabeth’s boot off. As we saw from the season premiere things appear to be all good on the sex front and as Elizabeth lies there naked – while Philip remains fully clothed, his undone fly the only indicator he has just had sex – they discuss what could be going on in Nicaragua and whether Emmett and Leanne’s killer is coming for them. The tone changes when Elizabeth brings up her conversation with Martha as she posed as Clark’s sister Jennifer, first Philip corrects Elizabeth that Martha is not his wife (even though she kinda, sorta is). Then as he is gently stroking her very naked skin, Elizabeth asks about the wild animal thing and mentions how funny it is, Philip doesn’t seem to think so.

The next night Elizabeth continues down the Martha/Clark path and while she’s doing it in a playful, flirty way it’s definitely hitting a nerve with Philip and this course of questions and requests is never going to end well. Role play is something that is part of their everyday world; they’re constantly switching from character to character. Quite often sex is a factor in getting information; whether it is using a fake sexual assault, that is based on an actual experience or if it is a more established cover like Clark, sex is a tool they repeatedly use. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the last two episodes have referenced Elizabeth’s sexual assault at the academy through her conversations with Brad and it’s what makes the later scene between Elizabeth and Philip so shocking.

Elizabeth waits for Philip at what looks like a safe house of sorts or rather the place they go to costume up and then leave as themselves. Philip’s reaction to seeing his wife sitting on the bed in her rather demure mismatching underwear – this is also in contrast to the matching black set from earlier – is one of displeasure, this is not a path he wants to go down. This scene is incredibly hard to watch as Philip becomes the monster he was accused of last week. Philip can’t be Clark with Elizabeth, because Clark is this abstract construct that is for Martha only. He goes to take his glasses off, something he never does when he is playing Clark and he just can’t be this idea of a person for Elizabeth. This is why Elizabeth is not satisfied with the version of Clark she is getting; everything he is doing is how they do it.

What this turns into is something that, while I wouldn’t call it rape is something that borders on one of the most traumatic and aggressive scenes this show has done. It definitely made me feel queasy. It’s over very quickly, but I’m not sure what the long term implications are considering they finally felt like a solid real couple. It’s complicated for multiple reasons and it’s also worth noting that Elizabeth and Philip’s first real moment of sexual intimacy back in the pilot episode came after Philip broke the neck of the guy who really did rape Elizabeth. That was something that brought them together, but now that Philip has inflicted pain of another kind on her it’s a concern how they will move past this. In terms of how this scene is shot, it does mirror their earlier scene together and Elizabeth crying on the bed is shot from above in the same way their earlier naked, relaxed moment was framed. The ceiling fan and music further added to the discomfort and horror of this interaction.

Philip’s reaction to what he does is one of pure revulsion as he goes into the bathroom and rips the Clark wig from his head, he looks like could throw up. It’s an incredibly claustrophobic scene as we go tightly in on Philip. There’s no backing away from what he has just done. Later on Elizabeth asks Philip if he is mad at her, he responds with “no, of course not” and this is all they say on the matter before changing the subject to work. It’s this constant switching between who they are as husband and wife, with who they are as KGB operatives which makes it hard to grasp hold of what they are really feelings. It’s why their moment at the end of last week’s episode stands out as it was devoid of any kind of withholding.

The difference between this season and the start of the first year is that Elizabeth has opened herself up in ways she has never done before, it’s why she feels comfortable lying naked next to her husband and why she grimaces in the dark when she hears Lucia having sex as a distraction. Sex used to be just a tool to get ahead, now Elizabeth feels a whole new array of emotions to both her own plight and the idealistic women who are new to this world. First she squashes Lucia’s fairy tale notions by pissing all over her parade somewhat dismissively saying “A world without exploitation and dignity for all.” Elizabeth is far more jaded and experienced to believe there are rainbows and unicorns at the end of it all and the women in this episode each represent different feelings associated with the various stages of their careers.

Lucia is fresh faced and optimistic about the difference she can make. Lucia wants Elizabeth to know that she has seen her people die but Elizabeth wants her to know that “Watching is different.” Elizabeth has done a lot more than watching in her time in the US and while she still believes in the cause she knows there’s no winning or losing in the near future. The Cold War has been going for so long now that it’s all she knows. With Claudia she is feeling an ultimate sadness at all that has been lost; she’s been fighting before it began. Claudia admits to Elizabeth that she revealed her true identity to someone from the outside, a man she became involved with as “this business can be lonely.” Claudia has changed her position on Philip and now she thinks Elizabeth is “lucky to have him.”

Another woman who is part of the same cause is experiencing her own messed up relationship issues as she gets caught between Stan and Oleg; she is a pawn in the power game and she rightly wants to protect herself from this mess. So when Stan suggests a polygraph, which will blow her double/triple/whatever status she exclaims that she’s done with all of them. Stan is stumbling and he turns to Agent Gaad and while Stan suggests that Nina is in over her head, Gaad astutely suggests that Stan is the one who could be flailing.

Stan’s home life is as it ever was; strained and as if he isn’t there. From the outside this looks like a perfect family dinner, but he has no idea what Sandra and his son are talking about – they’re quoting Animal House as John Belushi has just died, this episode is set in early March 1982 then. Claudia mentions to Elizabeth that people who aren’t in this world can’t understand what they go through and the Beeman family is exemplary of this notion.

Having quit volleyball, Paige continues to go to the church youth group and after another week where one of Elizabeth or Philip has announced “What is up with her?” Paige reveals more of what she does at the church group. Elizabeth asks why the sudden sharing and Paige replies that she doesn’t want to lie anymore. Sorry to break this to you Paige, but your house is built on a mountain of lies. Paige also invites her parents to the come to the group one day and this is the comedic interlude this show needs.

Charlotte Sieling directed this episode (her previous work includes all my favorite Scandi shows – Borgen, Broen and Forbrydelsen, plus an episode of The Bridge) and there are some exquisite shots that I want to point out. Philip is dressed in full bureaucratic CIA clothes and he’s revealing his KGB status to Captain Andrew Larrick, but not as himself. Larrick is the man Emmett and Leanne were bribing and while he is in the clear for killing them, he’s close to an operation that will benefit the KGB. Philip is bathed in red light in this scene and the red door in the title refers literally to the Beeman’s new tomato tango front door, but also to the many dangerous doors these characters are venturing through this week; Elizabeth with her Clark persistence, the mission they are now on, Lucia falling for someone she has to kill and the danger that Nina faces. This shot also looks like a ’70s spy movie drenched in this red light.

While Philip looks like he is in the ’70s, Elizabeth is full Hitchcock female lead in this scene; hiding in the shadows with very little light on her face. The costuming and wig add to this sentiment and there’s nothing about this look that would suggest she is from the decade, or even the previous decade they are in.

This is really fantastic as Oleg browses through a file, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Lenin portrait as Lenin looks up and Oleg looks down. Oleg’s motives remain unclear, but he isn’t working alone – a reluctant Arkady is fully aware of what he is doing.

“Behind the Red Door” is an excellent episode, it’s tough to watch as it refuses to shy away from the awful things these characters do. Philip has crossed a line and hurt Elizabeth both physically and emotionally; it will be interesting to see how this impacts their solid couple status. Elizabeth infiltrated Philip’s compartmentalizing process with wanting to experience Clark and there’s a reason why some stuff should stay between a spy and his mark. The problem for Philip and Elizabeth is their very real love for each other and how this is going to become a problem as the season progresses, even if Claudia of all people is now Team Jennings.

Tags: "Behind the Red Door", 2.06, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Review, The Americans

Comments 9 Comments
Categories The Americans
Author Emma Fraser

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