Monthly Archives: March 2015

WTA 27-Season 3 Episode 9 Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep

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We have a surprise for you this week! Our good friend Kathleen Lewis joins us as guest host for this week’s breakdown of The Americans latest episode entitled ”Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?”. It was written by Joshua Brand and directed by Stephen Williams. The original air date was March 25, 2015.

In this episode, Elizabeth tries to dismiss Hans, who has other ideas. He kills Todd and asks Elizabeth to take him back. Martha gets it together and tries acting as if things are back to normal with Clark. She tells him the FBI mailbot is being repaired offsite. Gabriel sends Philip and Elizabeth to bug the FBI mailbot, and they are discovered by the owner of the repair shop. Elizabeth forces her to commit suicide. Stan and Oleg act like buddy cops in an ill-advised and convoluted plan to secure Nina’s return. Philip confronts Gabriel, telling him that he will protect his family because no one else will.

The better this season gets, the more the press is talking about it. There were so many great stories about the show, starting with Slate on why the Hula-Hooping girl in Kimmy Schmidt’s credit sequence looks so familiar, then New York Times ArtsBeat revealing why

you should trust the organization, and ScreenRant’s opinion that ‘The Americans’ is better than the alternatives. We follow with Indiewire’s fascinating review of this week’s episode, Inquisitr’s report that Harrison Ford’s film ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?’ is set for 2016 production, and we wrap up with Grantland’s piece Crime and Punishment: ‘The Americans’ Soars in Its Brutal Third Season.

In our history segment we read Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and mark our place with Post-It Notes. For tech of yesteryear we debate whether Henry is playing Coleco Football or Tandy Electronic Football II.

We love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please send them to us! You can email text or audio feedback to watchingtheamericans@gmail.com or signal us (we have replaced the operator!) at 919-907-0542. Follow us on Twitter @WatchAmericans. Please like us on our Facebook page Watching The Americans. And if you do enjoy the show, kindly rate us or better yet rate and review us in iTunes!

WTA 26-Season 3 Episode 8 Divestment

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We didn’t think it possible to be more uncomfortable with the doings on The Americans, but we are again! It happens in this week’s episode entitled ”Divestment”. It was written by Lara Shapiro and directed by Dan Attias. The original air date for the episode was March 18, 2015.

This week the show begins just where we left off last time, with Philip and Elizabeth and Ncgobo interrogating their hostages. Ncgobo decides to execute Venter in a grisly manner, and Todd confesses he has a bomb. Later, Elizabeth releases Todd unharmed. Taffet continues his investigation into the source of the bug in Gaad’s pen, and Martha becomes more and more on edge. Nina is visited by one of her jailors who informs her the work she has done has reduced her sentence to 10 years. She can go free if she can seduce Anton Baklanov, who appears to be stalling in his work on Soviet Stealth tech. Martha confronts Clark, asking “who are you?” and getting a conflicted answer. Later, she and Clark lie in bed, together, alone.

We have found some good news items for you this week. We start with the socialist site Jacobin on communists for austerity, then hear from EW with a biblical, ‘binding’ theory of The Americans, The New Yorker’s opinion that The Americans is too bleak, and that’s why it’s great, good ratings news via Headline Planet, and wind up with the WSJ Blog’s interview with Alison Wright on Martha, Mail Robots and Pen Maintenance.

For our history segment we examine divestment from South Africa, visit Berkeley, the home of the Free Speech Movement., join the African National Congress, and witness the gruesome practice of Necklacing. For tech of yesteryear we dust off our trust Microfiche reader!

WTA 25-Season 3 Episode 7 Walter Taffet

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Action returns and joins incredible character moments in a brilliantly directed episode of the latest episode of The Americans entitled ”Walter Taffet”. It was written by Lara Shapiro and directed by Noah Emmerich. The original air date for the episode was March 11, 2015.

The action really ramps up this week! We begin with Philip listening to a shortwave radio broadcast about the situation in Afghanistan. He sees Elizabeth making notes about Paige for a report to the KGB and confronts her about it. He is more alone than he has ever been, ending up sharing bad pizza and bad beer at Stan’s house. Stan sees Sandra who asks him for a divorce, and he later has the chance to share some of his undercover past with his son Matthew. Adderholt questions Stan about Nina, and later in Gaad’s office Adderholt discovers the bug Martha planted in a pen. Walter Taffet arrives to investigate the source of the bug. Martha begins to unravel, trying to destroy the transmitter. She asks Clark to see his apartment and he takes her to it. Moscow sends a member of the African National Congress to aid in the kidnapping of the South Africans that Hans discovered. In a rare moment of openness, Elizabeth apologizes to Philip about Paige and he then reveals that he has a son in Afghanistan. Elizabeth and Philip orchestrate the taking of the South African agent and his college student source to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

We found some interesting articles for you to check out. First was an interview with showrunners Weisberg & Fields in Variety, followed by more good news in the ratings front via

Headline Planet, and then a fascinating everything old is new again piece in The New York Times revealing that Putin has vanished, but rumors are popping up everywhere.

Great stuff awaits you in history, beginning with Paige reading the history book From Reconstruction to the Present Day by the iconic modern historian Richard Hofstadter. Next up we meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, learn who shot JR, revel in the brilliant song The Chain by Fleetwood Mac , and eat some Campbell’s Chunky Soup. In tech of yesteryear we fire up our old Shortwave Radio, revisit the year 1982 in computers and try to avoid detection sweepers.

WTA 24-Season 3 Episode 6 Born Again

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It’s all about the characters this week on the latest episode of The Americans entitled ”Born Again”. It was written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Kevin Dowling. The original air date for the episode was March 4, 2015.

Paige finally gets her baptism at the hands of Pastor Tim while Elizabeth and Philip look on. Philip is able to get a listening device planted in Isaac Breeland’s briefcase while deflecting Kimmy’s advances. Both Elizabeth and Philip try to tell Paige something to help her be prepared for what they know is coming, but she is only confused by the conversations. Stan and Tori have dinner at the Jennings’ and later share an intimate moment. After the death of an old friend, Stan sees Sandra and Matthew. Nina is able to get a confession from Evi with the expected sad outcome. Gabriel meets with Philip and vaguely blackmails him into pursuing Kimmy sexually. He later meets with Elizabeth and pushes her buttons to get the results he needs. Elizabeth takes Paige to a gritty part of the city to discuss her role in “civil rights” and push her daughter to think there is more to do than just protest how things are.

We have a lot of history to cover this week! We start with the concept of being Born Again, suffer through the early 1980s recession while consoling ourselves with Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn. Next we learn about Reagan Administration and the Anti-apartheid movement, South Africa’s National Intelligence Service, listen to some cool Pink Floyd and contemplate the made up Brands for TV and Movies. For the first time since we started, there wasn’t any tech of yesteryear that we hadn’t seen!

WTA 23-Season 3 Episode 5 Salang Pass

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If you thought last week’s show was making you uncomfortable, this week’s episode of The Americans entitled ”Salang Pass” will double down on the discomfort level. It was written by Stephen Schiff and directed by Kevin Dowling. The original air date for the episode was February 25, 2015.

In this episode, Philip struggles with his mission and using Kimberly as an asset. He and Elizabeth continue their argument over Paige and telling her the truth about themselves. Stan asks Oleg’s help in finding out if Zinaida is actually a Russian spy posing as a defector, with Nina’s release as a bargaining chip. Gabriel pushes Philip to work with Kimberly. Stan has an awkward moment at the Jennings household. Elizabeth takes extreme measures to secure a transfer to a new Northrop plant for Lisa. Philip gets inside Kimberly’s house to start his mission. At home, Philip remembers his honey pot training, causing Elizabeth and Philip to bare their psyches to one another.

In our history segment, we learn about the devastating Salang Pass Tunnel Fire, read the US anti-contra Boland Amendment, listen to a A Flock of Seagulls, and pop up some Jiffy Pop popcorn. In tech of yesteryear, we burn rubber with the Datsun 240Z and groove along with the sounds of music synthesizers.