Monthly Archives: May 2016

WTA 59- Feedback for Dinner for Seven

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Hey Paige, that thing we told you about not hurting people? Well, about that…Were you not floored this week, again? We sure were, what with that big dinner at the Jennings house to Patty’s “demise” and poor Don and Young Hee. Plus, Alice and Pastor Tim! What a showing by The Americans in Season 4 Episode 11 “Dinner for Seven” that aired May 25, 2016. It was written by Joshua Brand and directed by Nicole Kassell.

This is Episode 59 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 58 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

Just a little bit of history and tech this week. We head to the cineplex to check out the really cool movie Silver Streak and nosh on some delicious Pierogis during the main feature. Thank goodness for the state of the art sneaker tech in our awesome new Nikes! Philip is sporting a dashing new Wig of the Week as Dour John! We then get to your awesome feedback and reactions to this slashingly riveting episode!

We do love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please keep sending 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 or Stitcher!

WTA 58- Season 4 Episode 11 Dinner for Seven

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This is Episode 58 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 58.

Vremya or Pravda, we have all the exciting news this week! We have all heard the wonderful news about FX giving the go-ahead for 2 final seasons, and we saw it in Deadline’s ‘The Americans’ To End Run With Two-Season Final Renewal By FX, EPs Ink Deals, followed by The New York Times happy that ‘The Americans’ Finished? Thank You for Killing My Favorite Show, and we close with Vox revealing that the showrunners believe “we’re creating a world that feels true”.

Then we talk the episode up! The repercussions from last week are coming to bear. Pastor Tim apologizes to Philip and Elizabeth for Alice’s behavior during her visit while he was missing. There is later a humorous and awkward dinner at the Jennings with Pastor Tim & Alice and dinner crasher Stan. Elizabeth as Patty visits Don and tells him she is pregnant, and he insists that she have an abortion and offers to pay for it. She leaves while saying she will deal with it. Philip, Gabriel and the Librarian visit Don at work and tell him Patty has committed suicide and demand that he pay the costs for taking her body to California and for the funeral. Don and Philip go to the bank while Gabriel and the Librarian rifle Don’s office looking unsuccessfully for the codes to Level 4. Stan reveals to Philip that Gaad has been killed and that he believes the KGB did it. Stan later meets Oleg and tells him this will be their last meeting. Dennis makes a connection between the FBI Mailbot, a murder, and Gaad. Elizabeth visits Pastor Tim multiple times, at first working him and then later seeming to seek solace. As Elizabeth and Paige leave the church, they are approached by two thugs, one of whom tries to grab Paige. Bad move. Elizabeth dispatches him and kills the other after he tries using a switchblade on her. She and Paige leave in a hurry.

Remember that we do love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please keep sending them in! 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 57- Feedback for Munchkins

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Well, we totally didn’t see much of this coming on The Americans this week! From Alice’s rage to poor Agent Gaad, we were absolutely flabbergasted! It’s Season 4 Episode 10, and it aired May 18, 2016. It was written by Peter Ackerman and directed by Steph Green.

This is Episode 57 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 56 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

Historic references abound this week! Make sure you look out for any Munchkins if you ever head to Siberia to visit Philip’s family in lovely Tobolsk, where you can probably find a copy of The Militant. It might have an article about the Eritrean Border to enlighten you. Once you get back to America you will be sure to get a Twinkie as you ponder Mr. Hanson’s words about Martha helping others during the Great Flood of 1951. Afterwards, head on home and use that All-American tech in the kitchen, making your dinner slowly with a Crock Pot and finish up with a nice cup of Maxim Freeze-Dried Coffee. And don’t miss Alice’s Wig of the Week! We then get to your awesome feedback and reactions to this garage door pounding episode!

WTA 56- Season 4 Episode 10 Munchkins

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This is Episode 56 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 57.

Newstime courtesy of Vremya this week! We begin with The New York Times’ interview with Richard Thomas on Agent Gaad’s Fate, John-Boy and Jimmy Carter, followed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 5 reasons to give ‘The Americans’ a try. Next up is Inverse with Philip and Elizabeth’s Most Brutal Moments on ‘The Americans’, then we wind up with Deadline’s chat with Frank Langella on Broadway’s ‘The Father’, ‘The Americans’ & HBO’s ‘All The Way’.

Then it’s time to say goodbye to yet another main character, Agent Gaad, as more shock and death await us this week! Tensions build between Young Hee and Don as he is overwhelmed with guilt after Patty’s honeypot trap. Pastor Tim disappears while on a relief mission in Ethiopia. His wife Alice confronts Philip and Elizabeth demanding their help and threatening to expose them if they don’t find and safely return PT. Paige once more confronts her parents about their mission and futures. She seeks solace from Alice, who tries to give it but is overcome and Paige must console her instead. Stan and Dennis meet the new boss, definitely not the same as the old boss! They must mind their margins. They later meet with Martha’s father and they assure him they are still looking for her. Oleg and Tatiana have a candid discussion about why she is in the US. In Thailand, retired Agent Gaad is approached by Russian thugs and he is mortally wounded trying to flee them. Arkady learns the news and is devastated. Paige later talks with Matthew who takes her to the church where she learns that Pastor Tim is safe and will return soon. Gabriel presses Elizabeth about getting access codes from Don for William, and he asks her if she would like him to see if the centre has another way in. She pauses for a long moment, and says “yes”!

WTA 55- Feedback for The Day After

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What could bring the Russians and Americans together for a couple of hours? Why, if it’s the Fall of 1983 it’s the TV movie “The Day After”, which is also the title of this week’s The Americans! This is Season 4 Episode 9, and it aired May 11, 2016. It was written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Daniel Sackheim.

This is Episode 55 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 54 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

We have some new and some familiar items in history this week! We cower behind the couch as we watch The Day After, and if that wasn’t scary enough we worry about catching the Lassa Virus which is a sort of Hemorrhagic Fever. Fortunately, we can try to unwind with Yazoo’s terrific song “Winter Kills” and then study the lyrics to Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling. Then it’s time to freak out a bit about the Soviet Oko Launch Detection System when we learn how close it came to destroying civilization! Then once we recover our composure it’s time to hear your thoughts and ideas in your terrific feedback!

And we do love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please keep sending 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 54- Season 4 Episode 9 The Day After

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What could bring the Russians and Americans together for a couple of hours? Why, if it’s fall of 1983 it’s the TV movie “The Day After”, which is also the title of this week’s The Americans! This is Season 4 Episode 9, and it aired May 11, 2016. It was written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Daniel Sackheim.

This is Episode 54 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 55.

In the Pravda newsroom we are following some juicy stories. The Hollywood Reporter reveals (and kinda demands) how the Television Academy can save itself by nominating ‘The Americans’ for Emmys’, and next Browbeat (the Slate Culture Blog) tells us that ’The Day After’ is still terrifying to watch. We then close with Flavorwire showing how ‘The Americans’ uses ’80s pop culture to reflect its characters’ psyches.

Next up is the terrific episode! Everyone in the episode is shown watching the ABC TV movie “The Day After”, which underscores how precarious the cold war remains in 1983. Stan and Philip are friends again and play racquetball together. Pastor Tim wonders how Paige is doing and asks Philip for a family meeting after he returns from a mission to Ethiopia. Paige finally has a smile on her face as Philip begins teaching her to drive, first with the tank, second with the much cooler Camaro! William signals Philip and reveals a new variant of the Lassa virus. He questions Philip whether or not to tell the Centre, and Philip subsequently asks Elizabeth the same thing. They decide to do so and proceed with Young Hee and Don to get William higher access in the lab. To be able to blackmail Don, Elizabeth drugs him and puts him in a compromising position, leading him to believe he slept with her. Elizabeth is destroying more lives and actually seems troubled this time.

WTA 53- Alison Wright Interview

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Season 4 of The Americans has had the most intense story yet, and Martha Hanson is at the center of it all! So it’s a perfect time to talk with the incomparable Alison Wright about her amazing performance that has won raves from critics and fans alike. We go over Season 4 and Martha’s choices so far, discuss her role in HBO’s “Confirmation”, and then she answers some of your awesome questions!

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 52- Feedback for The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears

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What an emotional plane ride this week for Martha as we fly 7 months into the future! This week we are talking The Americans Season 4 Episode 8 “The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears”, which aired May 4, 2016. It was written by Stephen Schiff and directed by series star Matthew Rhys.

This is Episode 52 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 51 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

Learning history involves reading, and we join Philip with the book Est (Erhard Seminars Training : 60 Hours That Transform Your Life) by Adelaide Bry before learning about the Afghan city of Herat. Next we are off to the movies for a double feature of Tender Mercies and The Outsiders then while we head home to watch David Copperfield do some magic we put on our Walkmans and listen to “End of the Line” by Roxy Music. Maybe we should stop and play some Putt-Putt (aka Miniature Golf) if we have the time! Amazingly we have no tech to report on, so it’s straight into your thoughts and ideas in some amazing feedback!

WTA 51- Season 4 Episode 8 The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears

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This is Episode 51 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 52.

Pravda newstime begins with Vox’s stupendous chart that explains all 47 episodes of The American so far, followed by GQ which believes that The Americans has joined the TV time-jump hall of fame. Then it’s time to turn the interviewing tables as Yahoo asks the fans about The Americans so that showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields get some answers, and we close with one story reported to us by regular contributor Chris G from The Guardian about the day some real-life illegals’ kids discovered their parents were Russian spies!

Then it’s time to talk about the crazy emotional ride! Will Martha get on that plane? What will happen to Philip if she does? There’s sure to be heck to pay at home as he adjusts to his new reality, that is if Elizabeth will let him. She tries to understand both him and Paige, and may only end up explosively alienating them both. Gabriel is sure to try and help, although he will need Claudia to help him figure out what to do. Poor Gaad looks like a goner from the FBI, and Stan can only offer platitudes. What is the deal with Oleg and Tatiana? And what is Lisa’s problem and what will she do about it? Can Elizabeth control her anymore? Can David Copperfield REALLY make the Statue of Liberty disappear? (Hint: maybe). Then we may even do the Time Warp again! At least for 7 months!

WTA 50- Feedback for Travel Agents

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Do you really want to use these people for your travel agents, Martha? We think maybe not, and many of you agree! This week we are talking all about The Americans Season 4 Episode 7 “Travel Agents”, which aired April 27, 2016. It was written by Tanya Barfield and directed by Dan Attias.

This is Episode 50 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 49 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

History often includes what we eat, and we have some delightful Borscht courtesy of our friend Ginger aka Joan, then we turn on the TV and check out the young Brooke Shields

In her scandalous Calvin Klein Jeans Commercial. Then it’s off to the trails in Rock Creek Park Valley and we stop and reflect with our brethren at First Trinity Lutheran Church. Of course we drove there in our Ford Granada, and we found the church using a Grid Search that we drew on a map using a cool Compass! Then we listen to all your tremendous feedback!