You're not an idiot, I agree with your assessment, though I do know what's going on once I get accustomed to the pace (the first 15 minutes of each episode were really hard to follow). They have so many stories going on right now that it's bordering on being completely incoherent. They've already dispatched a couple of those storylines to try to get it closer to coherent. It seems like a "too many cooks" type situation is going on in season 2, so far.

Someone explain who that assassin was. I know Nina leaked the info to Stan, but who was he?

Edit: Nvm, I got it

I assume that was a new prop design for the Americans newest submarine?

Kind of a nit, but the guy cowering from the woman with the crowbar felt a little over the top to me. Seem like there are a number of options I would cycle through in that situation that would be ahead of beg and give her what she wants including:
- Kick her ass and take the crowbar away from her
- Run
- Lead her to place where there are more people and call for help

I mean we know how well trained she is in combat, but he doesn't. It almost seems laughable.

And yeah, I don't totally get what's going in the spying portions of the show either, but understand all the family stuff which I guess is really the most important. Spies are just gonna spy and kill each other and as long as we know who's on what side it's fine I guess.

wtf is going on with the Nina character? So far they've set her up to be a complete double agent, and I don't get it at all. She gets info from Russians, and feeds it Stan. Stan does something, by telling his bosses. Then she gets info from Stan, and feeds it right to the Russians. I have no idea what game she's running or who she's really working for. That storyline seems really dumb. Again, Stan Beeman super spy destroyer doesn't realize he's got spies living across the street and is friends with them.

I also thought the scene with the maintenance guy was over the top, just as I thought Philip's scolding of Paige was really over the top. It's funny how bad things can go when a director doesn't dial stuff back a few notches.

I like this season better than season 1, but there is way too much stuff going on. It seems really messy.

It sure looks like Paige is going to stumble on to some stuff about her parents, and that they're going to have to off her...lol. But, of course the trip could have just been a MacGuffin to introduce her new BFF and she'll stop spying on her parents. I think it's kind of funny that her parents expect her not to spy on stuff, or do certain things, when she's birthed from 2 spies. She's just following her genes.

Oh, I think I just realized that the World Bank guy was actually a nice set up. I think the Russians planted a piece of misinformation with Nina. He gave the intel to the Russians about the plant moving, and that's what Philip and Elizabeth were doing at the mill. Then, the Russians *maybe* sent him to do the assassinations if he could, but the intel was enough for Stan to solve that part of it. Of course, he's dead now, and the FBI has no idea that the Russians just grabbed valuable intel from him. Or do I have two stories confused? If so, I can't imagine why that would happen.

At first Nina was just scared and looking for a way out...any way, American/Russian it didn't matter. Nina was conflicted about the whole mess until Stan killed her friend from the embassy. Then, I think she started hating Stan and embracing her role as a double agent.

The story line with the daughter is beyond ridiculous. Teenagers are all self-absorbed, not spying on their parents during sexcapades and taking buses across town to check up on relatives they don't know.

It seemed really bizarre that the factory guy instantly knew he was on dangerous ground against the 5'4" rail thin Keri Russell. He was right to be afraid, but it makes little sense that he would understand the situation and instantly capitulate the way that he did. Really, this guy is that savvy? Not only did he make the correct read, but he started right in with the 'I have a family' bit. Come on.

Nina is conflicted. Yeah, she hates Stan for killing Vlad, but there is a part of her that loves him. You could tell when she was holding back smiles while typing up the report and saying that he said he loved her. I think a major plot point toward the end of the season might be her having to choose between Stan and Russia.

I guess she's doing a good job, because I can't even begin to guess her end game. I bet it's one of those things where the writers told her to play both sides evenly, and that they'll let her know which way she's supposed to go at the last minute. What a choice, Stan or Russia...lose/lose.

I do think it's possible that her almost smiles could have been that she finally trapped him (she took what he did with Vlad very personally), but with The Americans, anything is possible.

That scene was laughably bad

I'm with you. I think she's getting a kick out of tricking the big bad FBI agent. I think she sort of liked Stan at first, but that was over when he killed Vlad.

That seems to be it.

I liked how the old lady/aunt played her dementia with Paige.

Phillip wanting to defect at beginning of last year is a distant memory. Can't figure if he's in it for Mother Russia or he is just accepted he is trapped in his life

I could be wrong, but I think Philip's defection idea was in the Pilot. If it was, they spent nearly the entire first season trying to act as if the Pilot never existed (the Pilot basically backed them into a bunch of corners that weren't good for long term storytelling). I still think it's going to end up being Elizabeth that will cause them to defect by the end (them defecting should never happen in real life, but it makes total sense in how the show views--or viewed--itself in season 1). The hardliner becomes soft, and the soft one becomes a hardliner or something to that effect (the pure set up for this is that one of the kids will be killed by the Russians, my guess Henry, if that's a plan at some point). Still, I don't like thinking about the end for shows like this, and I don't think it's likely this show is going to get an end as the ratings are terrible again.

Nina is interesting. Her motivations
1) stay in the US
2) revenge Vlad

I think she got involved with Stan to keep from being sent home. Whether it was by becoming a honey pot trap for Stan or to defect legitimately. (I think people here underestimate how much it must have sucked to live in Russia)
Once Vlad was killed, I think she legitimately wanted to work for Russia. For revenge. To ruin Stan. I don't think she forgets.

That whole crowbar scene was a huge mess. Does every caper have to go wrong?

I think it's interesting that they have shown so many people killing. Trying a little too hard to show them as ruthless while still loving their kids. Not a fan of that. Too many dead bodies.

And we don't know who killed the other couple, or even if the FBI knows it's intelligence related? I mean, the FBI wouldn't just murder everyone. Even if only just to get information. Would the KGB? And leave the kid alive? Nothing makes sense. A random robbery is going to kill 2 professional agents?

So is it just a Russian thing to say someones full name in every sentence when speaking to them? Seems like that can get annoying real fast.

Watching now, but this scene between Stan and Phillip at the bar is ****ing fantastic. More of this.

I really hope so, but it's annoying as hell already.

Yes, that was great. Overall, it was a pretty damn good episode. Too bad that fight at the end didn't just end with them winning, then high-fiving before they skidded away. Not really the show, but would've been cool to see.

It's their first and middle name they're using - Arkady Grigoriivich is 'Arkady, son of Grigoriy' - and his surname is something else. Far as I can tell it was common in speech, at least in that era, if the many Cold War thrillers I read were right, plus it's done in political/biography books too.

You see Gorbachev referred to as Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev all the time, for example.

As to how much the Russians really do it, then or now, need to ask a Russian on that but I would assume the show's writers have done their research.

So

I kind of liked the very first episode

Has it gotten better since then? What's the quality on this show like

If it's Arrow level then I guess I should watch

It's the second-best show airing on TV this week behind only Justified.

Yea that is annoying.

Well I rank Hannibal above Justified so one of us isn't watching something they should be.

Good comparison though. I love Justified!

Thanks. Good to know it may have some other significance aside from tilting me.

I didn't care for the last episode. I thought the first 3 of the season were pretty good. Kind've annoying that the main protagonists fail almost every time. My main thoughts on the show have already been stated i.e. they could slow things down.

I assume we're getting a lot of 'action' since this is pretty much a reboot of s1 and fx wants to increase ratings since they renewed the show too early. I really hope we don't consistently see botched missions every episode. They've got some good stuff going right now I'm hoping by ep 8 or 9 they slow down a bit and figure out wth they want to do with this show.

I still put Justified above Hannibal, even if Hannibal may be better so far in this short season. But I probably would put Hannibal above The Americans. That's close for me. And I love Arrow too.

hannibal and justified are top tier, arrow is 2nd tier, the americans is 3rd tier stuff w/potential. You def need to check out more tv if you think the americans is the 2nd best show on tv right now. just off the top of my head i'd put brooklyn 99, parks n rec, person of interest, and grimm all ahead of the americans.