Last week it was corpse origami with a suitcase. This week
it was amateur dental work with pliers. What are they going to do next week on The Americans, behead a live person with
a steak knife?
The tooth pulling was another one of those
stare-through-your-fingers-and-scream-la-la-la-I-can’t-hear-you scenes but it
was also gorgeously shot. It was almost erotic. Not that it would turn anybody
on to see a mouth full of blood and hear a tooth cracking, but it was the
wordless intimacy, the way Elizabeth grabbed onto Philip’s shoulders for
support, that was astounding. It seemed like a détente between these two. By
the end of the episode in the car, they’re trying to figure out what to do
about Paige together rather than arguing about it. I don’t know why they couldn’t
just find a crooked surgeon to pull the tooth (they did have a connection who
took care of Elizabeth after she got shot) but then we wouldn’t have had this
amazing scene.
The whole scene in the open house, with Philip bugging that
CIA guy’s radio device using just a letter opener and his wits, was exciting.
Even better was Elizabeth in the car later, getting closer than she ever has to
getting caught, saved only by a static-prone radio and car accident by the guys
following her. I really didn’t know where this was going so I was on the edge
of my seat. The experience really seemed to shake her up.
I’m really happy The
Americans is showing more of the nuts and bolts of spy work. I’m always
fascinated to see the code words and drop locations. I loved when the passer-by
threw the radio into Elizabeth’s car and when we got a glimpse of the Soviets’
new phone operator, who is apparently into aerobics. Seeing the network of
spies in Washington adds to the air that anybody can be a player in this drama
and anybody could be a suspect.
I also am enjoying watching Elizabeth train the new spy and
quizzing him on the pedestrians he sees on the street. Of course, Elizabeth was
a little off during the chase scene about whether she’d seen the same car
twice, but I’ll chalk this up to the pain in her tooth distracting her. Am I
sensing some sexual tension between these two? She didn’t close the door to
anything. She said she didn’t want to step out on Philip but did imply that
they do have a connection.
Martha is becoming especially delusional. Honey, your
husband does not live with you, you don’t know where he goes and nobody can
know the two of you are married. Why would you think this is a basis for stable
parenting?
A few stray points. Gabriel is a great Scrabble player. Who
else would play “stygian”? I guess it’s a signal that he will outwit Philip. I
am intrigued by Agent Aderholt, who has come closer to catching the Jenningses
than anybody else in the FBI. I’m not sure what to make of Zinaida but I think
she’s playing a long con and there is more to her than meets the eye. Her
appearance on that talk show really was a performance.
We cheered when we heard Air Supply’s “All Out of Love.” The
soundtrack of this show does not disappoint.
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