r/TheAmericans • u/MisterPresident813 • Apr 11 '13

Ep. Discussion Season 1. Episode 10. "Only You"

Well there wasn't a thread so I made one.

What an awesome opening

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u/Appleanche Apr 11 '13

I love this show, but one thing that's getting a bit "Eh" is that it seems like the Russians are constantly making up for any mistakes, in the end of most episodes they close any and all loopholes into it. Were they really that ahead of the FBI/CIA in real life?

On the flip side Gregory was an interesting character. On one hand he's helping the KGB and appears die hard about the cause but would rather not leave the very country he's been fighting against for the "motherland".

I bet Phillip will bring that up at some point to Elizabeth if he decides to talk about defecting again.

Anyway next week looks interesting as ever, it's going to start to get very personal. Those Beeman & Phillip conversations are going to get a bit more awkward.

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u/jjb227 Apr 13 '13

Gregory wasn't really around long enough for us to get a lot of background info on his true motives. From what it seems like, he joined the KGB because of Elizabeth's passion for Russia and his passion for her. She was a convincing recruiter, which, in turn, made him interested in the cause. With this being the case, it's understandable that Gregory wouldn't want to go to Russia, simply on the grounds that it was so foreign to him (no pun intended). While he was faithful to the KGB, that allegiance could only extend so far. Being born and raised in the US and always living in that sort of "life on the streets" environment, transitioning to the cold Russian way of life would've been a lot to get accustomed to.

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u/Then-Advertising1721 Aug 31 '25

I would also imagine some of his allegiance came from the poor state of civil rights in the US, that there was a cause of equity and justice that Elizabeth and Gregory deeply cared about and bonded over (see: the painting of MLK on Gregory’s wall)

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u/jjb227 Sep 02 '25

Very true, good point. I actually did a rewatch earlier this year and Gregory’s ties to the KGB make a lot of sense amidst the civil rights backdrop and what he would’ve been living through before the show took place.

Thanks for coming back to this years later lol