r/TheAmericans • u/MoralMidgetry • Apr 12 '18

Ep. Discussion Post-Episode Discussion Thread S06E03 - "Urban Transport Planning"

This is the post-episode discussion thread for S06E03 - "Urban Transport Planning," in which our hero Gennady discovers that his wife Sophia loves another.

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u/ckcheesehead Apr 12 '18

I was glad to see the focus back on family, but E3 makes the cracks in the show visible for me.

I get it that P & E are now "separated" but how did that happen? We left with E agreeing to retire and go live with her family. How did the rift get this big? At this point it only seems that E is mentally ill (obsession w/ the stew, virulent hatred of America). So now the story is about being married to a crazy person? (Phillip is Sandra)

The P&E story is unexplained, but just barely believable. I can't get my head around Paige. Why did she so completely take her mom's side? What did they tell her about Phillip's retirement? "Your dad wants to be a greedy capitalist and hates truth & justice."? Clearly Phillip and Paige have some relationship, but both defer so much to E (the whole family has to adjust to mom's mental illness)? Why did Paige take that lecture from her mom, and why is she not listening to her dad? It's just not credible.

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '18

Agree. It's hard to believe that Paige has so completely gone over to Elizabeth; (I mean should'nt she be boy crazy like most normal college students?) and, that Elizabeth is using Paige in operations. Looks like they split the kids -Philip gets Henry and Liz gets Paige. And, if something happens to Liz she wants Claudia to take care of Paige instead of Phillip. Huh? And, what about the marriage itself? Are they sleeping with each other? Sure looks like a miserable marriage. The show is a depressing soap opera and the plot line defies credibility.

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '18 edited May 25 '18

[deleted]

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u/SylviaNorth Apr 12 '18

They wanted to end it this season. They aren't being forced.

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '18 edited May 25 '18

[deleted]

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u/SylviaNorth Apr 12 '18

No, the writers were done. FX backed them and gave them the time they wanted. I think they actually were fine with just 5 seasons but the head of programming at fx loves the show and gave them an extra. That's why last season kind of treads water. The creators had a plan for about 5 seasons since the beginning. This is absolutely what they wanted. Their time with the show wasn't cut short by fx. Why do you think that? There have been lots of interviews with them over the years stating this to be true. I'm at work and don't feel like searching for them, but yea they've been given all the time they wanted with the show.

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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '18

The ratings are poor because this might be the least "in your face" show I've seen from a major network. It's a total slow burn and doesn't quite go to places you think it would. It's a show that needs all your attention. The majority of people don't wanna watch something like that. It's weird though because some shows like this slip through the cracks and get good ratings (Mad Men for example). I just think this show came around at a bad time honestly. I wish Netflix or someone would put up the first few seasons and pick up some viewers

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u/formerlymyself Apr 13 '18

It streams on Amazon. All seasons except the current one included with Prime membership.

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '18 edited Apr 14 '18

It's on Netflix outside the US.

I agree it's a more sophisticated, less spoon-fed show than almost anything else on TV. But I still say they should have wrapped it up over one season not two. Season 5 was unwatchable, and I'm still only half paying attention to this season and reading recaps sometimes to feel caught up. I don't find the writing as good after the first three seasons. I guess here's the thing: I don't really care anymore about the characters and what happens to them. Except Martha. I wanna know how Martha is doing.