#fx the americans

[maurastierney]

[d1gitalwitness]

"It would destroy her": Parenthood, Laundry Rooms, and Childhood Innocence in the Season 2 finale of The Americans

Unlike most shows, The Americans doesn't do explosive scenes or sudden cliffhangers for their finales. They want their audience sit down and contemplate the aftermath of the event. In Season 1, it is the image of Paige going into the laundry room; a lesser show would reveal that she had found out the truth about Elizabeth and Philip. Yet she does not, and she will not for quite some time. But the damage is already done.

Paige has begun to suspect her parents are not who she had thought they were, and this suspicion marks the permanent loss of her childhood innocence. This moment gains even more traction in the second season premiere, when Paige opens the door to the master bedroom in the middle of the night, expecting to find her parents missing from the house. For a few seconds, the audience is led to believe that Paige's suspicions will be confirmed, but what is confirmed, for Paige and us, is that Elizabeth and Philip's marriage has become real. It is a bittersweet irony; Elizabeth and Philip are closer than ever because despite the lies, they are utterly truthful to one another. But their lies have carved an irreparable rift between them and their children.

The morning after, Elizabeth asks Paige, "Why would you open a closed door?" In the light of the series finale, this is an ominous line because we know that the door, representative of Paige's innocence, will forever remain broken. Paige cannot take back seeing her parents in love, and the truth is that they are more loyal to each other than they are to their children. (e.g. in the series finale, Paige watches from a distance as Elizabeth and Philip exchange their real wedding rings. In that moment, she knows that she will not have a place in their life.)

And it is equally sad that Paige replies, "Because I missed you." This may not be the actual reason, but it is true. She misses her parents, or at least, the version of them before she opened that door and lost everything she once was.

All this brings us to the finale, when The Center orders Philip and Elizabeth to tell Paige the truth and recruit her as a second generation KGB agent. The obvious answer for Philip is a flat out rejection. We know that he has been falling apart from the weight of living a lie. Like any decent father, Philip does not want that for his child. But Elizabeth thinks differently. "It would destroy her," Philip says in response to Elizabeth entertaining the idea of letting Paige know that not only are they Russian, but also, KGB agents.

Elizabeth simply asks, "To be like us?"

The season ends right there.

The implications of Elizabeth's question are triple-fold (as everything always is in The Americans). Would it destroy Paige to be a KGB agent, like her parents? Or would it be worse for Paige to live her life as an American, estranged from her heritage, a lie that Elizabeth and Philip are presently trapped in as undercover agents? Lastly, would it be so terrible for Paige to be like Elizabeth and Philip — Russian? What Elizabeth is telling Philip is that maybe it wouldn't be so terrible for their child to be their child. It is about leaving a legacy - maybe a parent's narcissism - and it is also a kind of love that inheres in the hope that your child inherits all the best parts of you. Elizabeth doesn't think that being a Soviet woman was something to be ashamed of. She is proud of her background, and she wants Paige to be proud too. For the first time in years, Elizabeth is thinking of what it would mean for Paige to be her daughter, and not a product of forced circumstances. In Season 3, Elizabeth tells Philip that her mother didn't hesitate to send her away to serve their country; the fact that they are wrestling with the decision to bring Paige into the fold reveals something else both damning and heartwarming: they are no longer their parents. Their time together have changed them. Elizabeth is no longer alone. She knows what it means to be loved. And that love has changed how she sees her daughter.

Despite everything that went down later, I always thought that Elizabeth's first response was beautiful. Earlier in the season, she tells Philip that because of her inaction, Jared would have to hear about his parents from an American. He would never know why Leanne and Emmett joined the KGB, or their lives prior to moving to the United States. In learning the truth from somebody else, Jared learns another lie. She doesn't want that for Paige.

Again, another lesser show would have Elizabeth succumb to the American lifestyle and defect, but she never does. Her desire to tell Paige the truth is also simple - she wants to be close to her daughter, and they cannot do that while living a lie. Halfway through the first season, Elizabeth wakes Paige up to pierce her ears. It remains one of my favourite scenes, because whether Elizabeth accepts it or not, she has been changed by her love for both Philip and her children. It is only a tragedy that she is a product of wartime when love meant little. The finale lets us think about what happens when children eventually grow up and learn that their parents, whom they'd assume to be perfect, are flawed and nothing like the happy pictures from their childhood. The truth is hard to reckon with, but it is necessary and inevitable. And parents, whatever comes, must realise that their children may not accept them, or even grow up to be who they want them to be.

[excelb8tch]

thoughts on fx's the americans s2 halfway through (ep8)

!!!spoilers below!!!

love my girl paige but jesus (pun intended) get it together??? youre too smart to give SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS away

the way claudia's grown on me?? like i hate her but also she is elizabeths mother, idc

stan can die idgaf

oleg?? whats your deal funky spindly man? are there enemies to lovers vibes with nina? is he just like that with everyone? EDIT post s7: i am not sure if i like him with nina? or have i just not seen enough

THE COUCH SCENE!!!!!! i don't think ive ever seen a better romantic scene in my life (don't look at me donna+josh post accident hospital scene)

im obsessed with nina she is everything to me i hope nothing bad ever happens to her ever ever

the way henry and paige are reflections of their parents but not the way i thought???? like paige is her father, she is so good with people and so good at reading them, and henry is so adept at the logistics of the world??? essay incoming

damn s2 is kicking them when their down pls give my babies a break

[maurastierney]

More Soviet era switches:

Soviet era switches

via

[horrorwomensource]

HAVANA ROSE LIU as SASHA American Horror Stories Season 3, Episode 4 | Organ

[ahorrorstorycircle]

The first episode of 'American Horror Story' aired 13 years ago.

[newwavesylviaplath]

new photo/vid of evan being fine asf ‼️ alert the presses

i know this is probably a reflection on how down bad i am for this man but OMG THE VID HE LOOKS SO GOOD EVEN THOUGH WE CANT SEE HIS FACE I CAN JUST TELL HE LOOKS GORGE

[darlingshane]

JON BERNTHAL | Emotional Face Touch

[from-here-from-me]

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "The Bear," for a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations!

THE BEAR — Season 2

[maurastierney]

The Americans well prepared me for what happens to Sergei, huh

[d1gitalwitness]

i've been rewatching episodes of The Americans, and elizabeth jennings is truly one of the most fascinating (and misunderstood) characters on television. some little things about the pilot episode, which tells you everything you need to know about her.

elizabeth learnt from a young age to doubt her mother's love and that her feelings don't matter in the grander scheme of things (she doesn't value herself as much as she does the greater good). from the pilot, we are presented with a woman who was sexually assaulted by her kgb officer, but for the greater good, for what she can do for her people, she stayed in the kgb. she finished her training. this is what her mother (a party woman) did when she sent elizabeth off to the united states - she buried her love for her daughter because their country needed help. to elizabeth, relationships are transactional, they are conditional on something - they always end. a bit of context from season three, a flashback of her mother being disgusted that her father ran from the war. he was a defector and a coward. he was no longer family. elizabeth saw firsthand what her worth is determined by. while she is deeply motivated to save her people from poverty and war, she is also, as zhukov has said, afraid of surrender. afraid of any show of cowardice. she will fight to the end, and this is what she does even as she is changed by her love for philip.

and then philip shows up. he has largely stayed true to the vows of their marriage, being a good father and husband. american dream, he is even enjoying it too much there. line dancing in the pilot, talking shit about defecting because he knows nothing good can come out of their profession. to elizabeth, she was a means to an end for philip. a prop in his dream of being an american husband, white picket fence. if not, he was a good soldier, serving their country like she has been doing. regardless, elizabeth cannot allow herself to believe that philip truly loves her because it goes against everything in her background, and more importantly, it goes against what she believes of herself (she doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, she is a means to an end).

we see elizabeth's fundamental insecurity when she confesses to philip the reason why she felt attracted to gregory: "he was passionate ... about me." and it really took everything in her to even admit that such things matter. having someone who is passionate about you matters. this was heartbreaking and all for philip who was faithful to her even in this sham marriage. but this confession is even more damning for elizabeth who is telling philip, in a roundabout way, that she couldn't let herself believe that he genuinely cared about her. nobody has ever done, why should he?

but the image that gregory has of elizabeth is a woman who is uncompromising and strong and tough. he thinks philip will soften her up. elizabeth isn't so taken by this suggestion - she has had to be strong all her life, and back home, there is a man who would accept her even if she isn't so strong sometimes. philip proved to her as much when he killed timoshev. throughout the pilot episode, philip was baffled as to why elizabeth wanted to kill timoshev against the centre's orders. it was unlike her. but he didn't think much of it. until the fight in their garage when he was fully ready to slap timoshev in the face for hitting elizabeth when she says "philip, don't."

in that moment, you see philip realise something crucial about elizabeth, a side of her that he probably hasn't seen in their twenty years of marriage. this was personal. when the truth comes out, a flicker of panic flashes across elizabeth's face - somebody knows what happened to her. she wanted to kill timoshev for revenge, yes, but she also wanted to kill the proof of her vulnerability. for as long as timoshev was lying in her garage, elizabeth's heart was in her mouth. evidence of her humanity - her heart - was on her sleeves. her vulnerable heart, which was violently tucked away in russia, was spilling all over the neatly delineated walls of their american home. that cannot do for a good soldier.

so when timoshev publicly confessed, it didn't matter anymore. the secret is out, festering in her supposed fresh start. her other life, the real one, was out there in the open. elizabeth no longer needed to kill him. but philip, enraged by what timoshev has done, murders him. in the heat of the moment, what you do is who you are. philip could have taken timoshev to stan and be freed from a life of misery. but philip chose elizabeth above his american dream. philip chose elizabeth above himself and above his country. philip saw her vulnerability and he told her, in actions, that he chooses her. this was an act of pure, unconditional love. this scares elizabeth, and it does for a long time, all the way to the series finale (she is constantly worried, throughout the series, that philip doubts how much she loves him because of her commitment to the cause. she also feels that she isn't deserving of his pure hearted love. more of that in another post.)

when philip was killing timoshev, the camera focuses on elizabeth's face. shock, surprise, and utter disbelief. later during the drive to dispose timoshev's body, immense tenderness in the way she looks at philip. a renewed love for the man who has stayed true to his vows even when she didn't. maybe, for the first time ever, elizabeth can let herself believe that someone was passionate not only about her dedication, but also her humanity. someone put her first above everything else. i've always thought that elizabeth is made stronger in her work because she knows there's someone she can go home to and be herself. no matter what she has done, no matter how ugly the job gets, there's someone who will always put her first. we see this love when philip waits up all night for her to come back. or when he came back for her in the season one finale, knowing that even if he's captured, he'd be captured with her. in the end, philip's love for elizabeth matters more to her than him almost defecting. we see the stirrings of elizabeth's love for philip when she lies to her superior officer - not a trivial feat considering her loyalty to her country and the cause - to protect philip.

so elizabeth tells philip her real name. her family. her childhood. that is it. she offers philip her entire heart, trusting that he would handle it gently and delicately. the secret is out in the open. elizabeth, as the series has shown us right from the pilot, has a heart. it's caught up with a lot of pain and a lot of sorrow but it has always been there.

[cejav13]

Liza Colón-Zayas participated in The American Heart Association’s Red Dress Collection Concert 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on January 30, 2025 in New York City. 

The fashion-forward, musical celebration in New York City serves as the national marquee event for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, celebrating progress made while calling for a renewed commitment to the fight against cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of women.

[ahorrorstorycircle]

Frances Conroy is now “happily retired” from acting, according to her family.

[newwavesylviaplath]

i think he likes that pose idk

[darlingshane]

Let me tell you, Jon Bernthal, if he’s around food, he eats it. Season 1, there were Italian sausages and he ate all of them. Then this season, I see him in the kitchen with Jamie [Lee Curtis], and they’re just eating the meatballs.

– 'The Bear' Culinary Producer Courtney Storer on Jon Bernthal

[serpentarius]

happy superb owl day