#will we not see the rezidentura as much

[saoirse-ronan]

picture this: a spinoff of the americans called ‘the rezidentura’, which is basically just the office but at the russian embassy/base of spy operations in the 80s. 

[topsee-turvee]

Just because I am curious, what are your top ten heartbreaking moments of The Americans? Or eight or twelve if that is easier (:

Ok I’ve tried to list them in no particular order (unsurprisingly I did need 12):

When Philip and Liz break up in s1 and they tell Paige and Henry Philip was moving out (“Are you gonna stop loving us?”)

Elizabeth listening to her mom’s tapes, which really culminated when they met (which ended with her sitting on that bathroom floor while Paige was praying GAWD).

Nina leaving the Rezidentura (and Oleg going to the staircase to see her one last time)

Mischa learning he wasn’t going to see his father (“Forget father?” “No, not here”)

Liz after she realized she was going to hurt Young-Hee for the mission (“I’m gonna miss her”)

Anytime Philip realized what he did was wrong and felt awful about it - like when he tried to save the septic guy but he died (“We do it, Elizabeth, not them”)

Paige finding out about her parents and that talk they had the day after (“She said we love you every much”)

Nina’s death (that dream sequence made it so much worse!!!)

Oleg staying in jail (and seeing his family’s reaction)

Philip telling Elizabeth they needed to leave Henry behind (I’ve not recovered from her gasp and never will!!!)

The garage scene (“You were my best friend” “You were mine too”)

The train scene (genuinely never cried so much while watching television)

I must be missing a lot of them but this show is too heartbreaking what can I do

[old-type-40]

The Americans - S05E10 Darkroom

Tonight’s episode was hands down the best episode of the season. It was a masterful blends of lies, one beautiful truth, and an ending involving a disturbing truth. Also, the Jennings may not be far off from being caught. More thoughts on Darkroom are after the cut.

One minor thing I enjoy about The Americans is the multiple layers of meaning in some of the episode titles. There is the literal darkroom in the Jennings’ basement. And during Philip’s EST session, the instructor used an analogy of how we go through life like a person trying to navigate a dark room. And when you develop pictures in a darkroom, images on the film initially are not visible to you. But at the end, things become clear.

As I said earlier, there were a number of lies in the episode. When Philip and Elizabeth arrive home late at night, they find Paige in a disturbed state which expressed itself by her mopping the kitchen floor. When they question their daughter as to the matter, they learn Paige read in Pastor Tim’s diary that he is concerned the Jennings’ life of lies has caused serious damage to Paige. Elizabeth reassures Paige that they simply kept the truth from her to protect her and to protect the family until she was ready to learn the truth. That’s a lie. They still haven’t told her everything.

Another lie arises when Paige asks her parents about the operation related to their work in Kansas. They tell her the threat was over. But we know that’s not true. The Jennings don’t want to tell their daughter they needlessly killed someone as there was no threat to the Soviet Union.

Those were the major lies. But we also had Oleg lying to his partner as to the reason why he was being investigated. Elizabeth offers up bland reassurances to Evgheniya that Pasha will be okay. Pastor Tim lies to Paige when he tells her he believes she’ll do well in life and he has no doubts about it. (Of course, Pastor Tim is not aware Paige knows this to be a lie.)

Though the biggest lie which has been present throughout the series is the “lie” Philip and Elizabeth “tell” themselves. They refuse to fully acknowledge how their covert life is eating away at them and harming their family.

In this episode full of lies, we did have one beautiful truth. As part of their cover, the KGB had given Philip and Elizabeth a fake marriage license. But they’ve been fully united as a couple all this season. And Philip takes Elizabeth to a surprise wedding to make their marriage real. They doff their disguises. When they go through the wedding ceremony, who they are, what they say, and the commitment they make to each other is 100% true. No wedding, real or fictional, has ever moved me as much as this one.

But with this one beautiful truth, we also received one disturbing truth at the end of the episode. Paige decides Pastor Tim’s presence in their lives is harming the family. And it was likely Pastor Tim’s lie to Paige which helped her decide this. As a result, she took pictures of Pastor Tim’s diary to help the KGB come up with a job offer far away which he would not be able to refuse. And after the pictures are developed, Philip and Elizabeth read what Pastor Tim had to say about them and Paige. He states that it’s worse than sexual abuse. He’s worried the damage to Paige may never be undone. And this is a truth. This season has seen the Jennings become discontented with their jobs. But will this be the wake up call to how damaging their life is to their family? I hope so.

And I mentioned at the beginning of my write up my fear is the Jennings may soon be caught. At one point, we see Philip out for a run during which he drops a fake rock which contains a coded message for the Rezidentura. At first, I was wondering as to the significance of this thinking that it was the content of the message was important. But a later scene made me change my mind. I think the purpose was just to remind us that Philip’s reports go through the Rezidentura. And this is important because the FBI has a plan to intercept the Soviet diplomatic pouch and read its contents. We know Philip has filed reports on Stan. What if the FBI sees one of these reports and they tie it to Philip or at least suspect him? Or it could be Renee really is a KGB agent and she’s caught leaving the Jennings safe.

BTW, the trailer for next week reinforces my belief Henry is the one who will end up on the path to be a 2nd generation illegal.

[ennaih]

The Americans, season 5, ep 3

A few spoilery thoughts under the cut.

Jesus fucking christ, it better not take Mischa the whole season to get to Murrica. I mean, it makes narrative thingo sense if he does. If like the final shot of the season is him turning up on Philip’s doorstep and then we spend all of the last season with everything coming to a head. But I don’t think I can take all the fearfulness until then, my god! I was hoping this season would open with that shot!

Oh the exquisite loveliness of the motel room scene. And I totally broke my self-imposed rule and fully believed I was watching Keri and Matthew be totally in love with each other instead of Elizabeth and Philip, believing that they forgot themselves for the space of a few secods and let us see that.

I have no fucken idea what that tape was that Oleg played. Imma go read the Vulture recap and trust that will tell me. This subplot is moving too damned slow for me!

But oh my god, that wonderful wonderful wonderful scene where Philip and Elizabeth tell Paige and they all react so beautifully, and then the follow up with Elizabeth and Paige in the laundry. We’ve come so so far since first season’s skulking around and poking around in the laundry. I’m so proud of my Jenningses being all functional and wonderful together, please god let this show not end in their deaths.

How cleverly Frank Langella played that pause and then Gabriel saying “Well, good since it worked.” Cos if it hadn’t, if she didn’t react the way she did, if she went the other way and rejected their agenda, oh my god, what would Gabriel have to order? What would have Elizabeth and Philip have to turn away from? it was terrifying, that pause, the subtle threat of the alternative averted.

Who was that lady keeping watch while they were in the lab? I don’t know. But jesusfuckingchrist that scene. I spent most of the ep being faintly bored, feeling like we were seeing like the fifth iteration of the Alexei and Tuan scenes, the same sentiments repeated. And then bam!

This fiendish fucken show I love SO MUCH. How terrifying Philip was, and that poor tall bearded fellow who totally reminds us what it’s like for ordinary people to be suddenly faced with these sinister strangers. And just as I was tweeting how much I love Matthew Rhys for being able to terrify people who are actually taller than him, that death happened and I practically leapt halfway up the wall. AND THE SONG RIGHT AFTER with not even a second’s pause. That song that’s just like hardwired into the brains of us kids of the 80s and I’m ricocheting between “Oh my god what why oh my god Philip” and “what is this song i know this is it Spandau Ballet it must be oh my god Philip oh that was horrible MORE THAN THIS right Bryan Ferry Roxy Music oh god i need to lie down.”

How the killing takes a greater toll on them. And that wonderful moment of Philip saying it’s always difficult pretending to be other people. I’m a little confused about his flashback, he didn’t look so young in that as when he said his father died. Was he lying to Tuan? 

Oh the Australian thing startled me, hee hee. I went from “heh, yeah, our midges are fucking terrifying” to “whut? there’s a rezidentura in Canberra?! well duh of course there would be.” But hehe, I had never thought of that. 

God, I’m loving seeing our family grow closer together. Except for Henry. Where oh where is Henry? 

MARTHAAAAAA!

It took me an embarassing long while to realise. I was literally wondering why we were lingering on this shot, thinking “Why, there’s nothing interesting in this -- OH MY GOD MARTHA!”

Dear god, the swamping relief. I wonder if this is all we’ll see of her this season or ever. A sort of fan service thing of “See, she’s okay.” Or whether our fiendish show is not done with her yet, oh god no.

[aaronscreens-blog]

The Brilliant Slow Burn of The Americans

I’ve just finished the fourth season of FX’s Cold War spy thriller, The Americans, after a two day binge. I started watching this show late in the game, starting just under a month ago (it premiered in 2013). The fourth season was by far the best of the series, and its last 7 episodes were among the best I’ve ever seen in television. Spoilers abound below, read at your own risk!

Season 4 delivered the series’ most devastating storylines, including two important character deaths. While Season 3 dealt with the Jennings’ daughter Paige finally realizing her parents’ true identities, this season expanded more on these revelations. The theme of trust might just be the most important in the series, and Paige’s trust in her parents is pushed to the breaking point when she confides in Pastor Tim about her parents. 

Matthew Rhys has brought a subtle brilliance to the role of Philip, as he becomes increasingly skeptical about his country’s intentions. He has been unraveling slowly over the course of the series, and this season, rebels against the Centre to protect Martha. Oh, Martha. I will get to you soon.

Elizabeth (Keri Russell) has always seemed to be the more cold-hearted of the two, with a strong allegiance to her motherland, but this season, she is given a deeply personal mission, that is the equivalent of Philip’s mission with Martha. Her storyline with Young Hee (Ruthie Ann Miles), an innocent Korean woman whose husband Don works for a biochemical company, was devastating. It is the first time Elizabeth seems to show empathy and shame for what she is doing, even asking her handler Gabriel (Frank Langella) to request an end to the mission. This request is sadly denied, forcing Elizabeth to follow through with the mission, which in turn ruins the lives of Young Hee and Don. Keri Russell brings such depth to Elizabeth in these scenes, and it seems Emmy/Golden Globe voters are finally taking note of her amazing performance (both Rhys and Russell scored nominations at both ceremonies).

Now back to Martha (Alison Wright). Martha’s relationship with Philip has been completely based on her trust of him, which is also pushed to the breaking point this season as she realizes he is not who he says he is. Alison Wright was truly my favorite part of the season, as she is the easiest character to empathize with. She finds her entire life upturned and sadly accepts her fate. I was greatly relieved by the outcome of her situation, as I was very nervous she would be killed. But this is where The Americans shines. Where a typical show might end with the scene in which she flies off to Russia, this is put at the beginning of the series’ best episode yet, The Magic of David Copperfield V. The episode uses her exit to fully display Philips anger at his country and his wife, culminating in a bitter fight between Philip and Elizabeth. The episode ends with a time jump, seven months forward, and creating a brand new conflict to end the season involving biochemical weapons.

The season’s two important deaths were both devastating in different ways. Nina Sergevna’s (Annet Mahendru) fate was always destined to end with her death, but no one expected it to come as early as it did. I was truly shocked by the abrupt nature of her execution, which is both brutal and seemingly more humane than leaving her to rot in a jail. I will miss greatly Annet Mahendru on this show, as Nina was a true fighter and just wanted to be free. The second death was equally as shocking. At the end of The Magic of David Copperfield V, it had seemed that we were saying goodbye to Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas), but the next episode killed him off in a terribly sad way, which ended up having a greater effect on both the US government and at the Rezidentura. The thing with the deaths in this series is that they are a punch in the gut, but completely advance the story. 

This season focused heavily on the home lives of the Jennings, and the consequences of Paige’s confession to Pastor Tim. Holly Taylor shines here, as Paige also found out much more about what her parents really do, and even witnesses her mother kill a man who attacked them. This scene was so out of left field, but completely inevitable. Elizabeth is forced to protect her daughter, and has no choice but to kill their attacker. This finally shows Paige that her parents aren’t just “peace-keepers”, and when she asks her mother how many times she has killed someone, Elizabeth replies, “I don’t know.” But this also kicks off Paige’s sudden interest in finding more information out about Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), who was introduced as the FBI agent next door. The threat of Stan seemingly disappeared over the course of the series, as Stan becomes close with the Jennings, and acts as a better father figure to Henry than Philip himself. But this all changes in the last episode. The last shot of the season is the Jennings’ home, directly across the street from Stan, as the Jennings’ believe he is getting closer to discovering who they are. 

The past three seasons were truly building up to this, which dealt the series’ most shocking and devastating moments, setting it up for what’s sure to be another intense and complex penultimate season. I’m excited to see how Elizabeth evolves even more, and pray that we get to see Martha again. I maintain a prediction that Henry might be recruited behind his parents back, as his oblivious nature over the course of the season could be a legitimate cover, allowing Gabriel and Claudia to recruit him. We shall see; Season Five is slated to premiere sometime this spring on FX.

[citizentruth-blog]

Syria and Ukraine: Two Conflicts That Will Never End - YOUR NEWS

New Post has been published on https://citizentruth.org/syria-and-ukraine-two-conflicts-that-will-never-end/

Syria and Ukraine: Two Conflicts That Will Never End

Cynicism. It is a term which any reasonable adult has adopted to describe global conflict resolution. For most of us that have studied global politics, war, strategy, and conflict resolution, we have come to accept several hard truths.

Global politics and war are vastly more complex than the bitesize sound blurbs that we see on the news. The platforms, teams, and tactics are constantly changing and evolving. Trying to track state and non-state actors by their edicts, policies, and directives is only a small piece of the analytical pie. We are better off analyzing the men and women that provide the strategic directives. Still, battlefields change, and policy waxes and wanes based on position; nothing is static, including policy.

The world of politics and warfare move very slow, until they don’t anymore. Maintaining status quo gives us all a sense of safety and control. However, policy and warfare are also non-static and one event can change everything.

With those two hard truths out of the way, I will do my best to explain why the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria have no end in sight.

No End in Sight to Syria & Ukraine Conflicts

Let me start with Syria. Conspiracy theorists, armchair analysts and even slightly reputable analysts believe that Syria (the conflict) was part of a larger scale attempt by the West to alter the political and social landscape of the Middle East; a byproduct of G.W. Bush’s “democratization” of the Arab world. I am not certain if that is the case or if it was just the natural tidal wave of revolution, which has been known to historically pop up throughout the world.

What I am certain of is that Syria is not Libya, Egypt, or Algeria. Syria and Assad have a powerful benefactor; Russia and Putin. As far back as Assad senior and the U.S.S.R., Russia has guaranteed military support to Syria. Putin most certainly would not let his “word” be broken. A newly fortified Russian government and military will back Assad until the bitter end, even despite attempts by the U.S. to remove him from power.

While many narratives, reasonable and absurd, blame the creation of ISIS on Obama, Clinton, and the Easter Bunny, it is important to note that, unlike Egypt and Algeria, these theories exist. The existence of these theories should be a big tipoff that the mighty ” Russian Bear” is deadlocked in a war to save Assad, appear powerful and malign Western adversaries in the region.

On the flipside, the U.S. cannot, nor will not, forfeit another fight in the Middle East. Obama’s pullout of Iraq, Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” and drawdowns (and new deployments) in Afghanistan hint at a United States that must hold out in the Arab World; to avoid a total loss of strength and face.

Enter Cold War 2.0; neither side flinches, gains are nominal and easily lost, and the war never ends.

Ukraine, the Buffer Country

The same applies to Ukraine. Known as Europe’s “Bread Basket” for its vast fields of wheat and other food products, Ukraine is also the buffer state between Russia and the EU. That is ultimately why Ukraine is important to Russia and Western powers.

Before the “Maidan” protests, support from the West and Russia for Ukrainian political, economic, and social agendas teetered back and forth. Prior to rising gas and oil prices, Russia would have treated a “coup” in Ukraine with far more delicate gloves. However, a cash-flushed, nervous and wary Kremlin knows that decisive action must be taken to stop the spread of the West onto Russia’s borders.

Vladimir Putin is especially bothered by Western coups, both real and imagined. Putin narrowly escaped from the Leipzig KGB Rezidentura during the toppling of the Berlin Wall. He knows all too well that power can shift rapidly if threats are not contained. He sees in Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia the same forces that brought down the U.S.S.R. A man of his insight and position cannot allow those things to happen again.

On the other side, the West never wants to deal with a strong Russia again. The Cold War was exhaustive. Faced with the ongoing “Global War on Terror,” Western powers would prefer a Russia that is regionally cooperative and a global non-threat.

Ukraine represents important thoughts and strategies to both sides. Russia needs a buffer, and the West needs Russia contained.

Cold War 2.0.

Ukraine will remain in a suspended state of flux and warfare. Two giants will pull at this country, and corrupt Ukrainian officials will line their pockets with gold and guns from both sides. Ukraine will ultimately never choose a side. Like a child in an ongoing divorce, Ukrainian officials will collect the spoils from the feuding parents, but never get the stability they truly need.

The conflicts in both Syria and Ukraine will not end in the foreseeable future. Much like Latin America and Africa during the Cold War, the world’s mightiest powers will wage proxy wars in these areas until something much larger pulls these nations in one final direction.

Syria and Ukraine are part of two power’s “Strategy of Tension,” and there is no end in sight.

  Did Russia Kill An Ex-Spy In The UK With a Cold War Era Russian Nerve Agent?

[kartiavelino]

Meet the go-to TV actor for Russian spy roles

No, you’re not seeing double: That’s the identical man as two very totally different Russian spies this season — a compassionate KGB agent on the Chilly Struggle drama “The Individuals” and the sinister trickster of at the moment’s ripped-from-the-headlines “Homeland.” “Attempt to not evaluate them,” pleads Costa Ronin, the 39-year-old who performs, respectively, Oleg Burov and Yevgeny Gromov. “They’re each a product of their time and pleased with their international locations.” Talking to The Publish in Russian-accented English from Moscow, Ronin — who lives in Los Angeles today, when he isn’t capturing in New York — was KGB-like cagey about whether or not he was there for enterprise or pleasure. He was, he allowed, visiting his girlfriend, “however I don’t need to speak about my private life.” What we do know is that he was born and raised in the former Soviet Union city of Kaliningrad; realized English at 15 whereas working at an area radio station and, two years later, emigrated together with his mom to New Zealand. From there, he moved to Australia and traveled “throughout the world” earlier than surfacing in Season 2 of FX’s “The Individuals” as Burov, the tech-savvy son of a wealthy bureaucrat. Despatched to the Soviet Union’s Washington, DC, Rezidentura in 1982, he meets and falls in love with a colleague, Nina, who’s having an affair with an FBI agent. In a stunning, if unlikely twist, the KGB agent and G-man workforce as much as save Nina’s life after she’s despatched to a Soviet jail. Ronin with Matthew Rhys in a scene from “The Individuals.”Eric Liebowitz/FX As The Publish reported in 2016, Annet Mahendru, the actress who performed Nina, was devastated when her character was killed. “I do know it was robust for her as a result of it was an enormous a part of her life, however typically you must say goodbye,” Ronin says. “[But] I heard from her a few days in the past. She’s married, with a child — she’s doing unbelievable!” Burov might not be lengthy for this world, both. He had a transferring scene a number of episodes again, leaving his spouse and child behind as he was summoned again to the US on this, the present’s closing season. “Like a Russian matryoshka doll, there are layers inside layers to Costa,” Noah Emmerich, who performs FBI agent Stan Beeman, tells The Publish. “After these a few years, I nonetheless really feel that there’s a lot about him I don’t know.” That stated, Emmerich provides, “he’s a severe, passionate, dedicated artist … and a pleasure to work with.” Not less than we’ll have Ronin’s Yevgeny Gromov on Showtime’s “Homeland.” Showrunner Alex Gansa tells The Publish he’s grateful to the creators of “The Individuals” for “sharing” him: “Tall, darkish and Russian — he’s the good villain for our instances.” Certainly. When Gromov isn’t tweeting faux information to foment a Waco-esque shootout, he’s blackmailing a lawyer or dumping a physique. However even this unhealthy man has a again story. “There’s loads that may come collectively in Episodes 11 and 12,” Ronin says. “Unexpectedly, you say, ‘Ha! So, because of this he does what he does.’ “Russia at the moment just isn’t what it was 30 years in the past,” he provides. “I used to be there in 1991, when the authorities was going via turmoil. Russians have their very own imaginative and prescient of the world.” Can we count on a “Homeland” cameo from Vladimir Putin? Ronin goes silent a second, then laughs. “I don’t suppose he’s acquired the time,” the actor says. “It takes a lot effort and time to do that factor. However, you understand, it’s value attempting!” Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/04/17/meet-the-go-to-tv-actor-for-russian-spy-roles/ The post Meet the go-to TV actor for Russian spy roles appeared first on My style by Kartia. http://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/04/meet-the-go-to-tv-actor-for-russian-spy-roles.html

[donheisenberg]

The Americans S5 Review:

Barring any unforeseen disasters in the final season The Americans will go down as one of FX’s very best dramas, alongside Justified and The Shield. Along with a network what all three shows share is a somewhat sub-par penultimate season. Justified’s penultimate season is a largely pointless train-wreck, although one that sets up some important threads that payoff in the final season. The Shield’s penultimate season is almost purely set-up, without ever jumping the shark or even coming close, but is somewhat frustrating as a result. Season 5 of The Americans has more in common with The Shield’s second to last season than Justified’s. Its not bad but it is very comfortable to frustrate its audience at every turn.

The finale epitomizes a lot of what I felt about the season. You end it feeling disappointed, each season of The Americans has just got better and better but they could not live up to that pattern this year, yet when I think back on the finale it is littered with excellent scenes, as lots of season 5 was, it just can’t help but feeling like a letdown.

The first episode of the season ends with a very elongated scene of the Jennings and co digging a hole, culminating in the murder of one of their peers. I don’t love that scene but it sets the tone for a truly dark and depressing season where Philip and Elizabeth seem to keep digging themselves into a hole whereby there can no longer be an exit strategy.

Part of the frustration of season five may be how season four ended with them apparently needing to return to Russia and season 5 until its final moments sees the Jennings exist in a space between living and working in America and returning home. This in many ways is the defining of quality of these frustrating transitional seasons, that we have to accept certain, seemingly bad, narrative decisions in the short-term, in the name of the overall arc of the series. 

Much of what irritates me about season 5 could payoff in season 6. All the scenes in the early episode with Mischa go nowhere for now but may eventually take us somewhere significant. The clean and anti-climatic end for Pastor Tim might have ramifications that we cannot yet see. Philip and Elizabeth’s new targets (the tree-hugger and that ludicrously tedious lady) might play a major role in the final season. We just don’t know and you cannot evaluate season 5 on the assumption that it flaws will be redeemed in season 6.

The cast has been whittled down by this stage with the departure of Nina and the Rezidentura and the far-smaller role for Martha. In addition to this season 5 has really struggled to find anything for Stan to do. I’m not sure how keen I am at the prospect of him dating/living with a Russian agent, but whatever the case the show just seems to be keeping him in the game until he inevitably finds out about his neighbors.

Oleg gets a much bigger role this season and was almost certainly the best thing about season 5. Having said this he has no screen-time in the finale, rather disappointingly. Henry also occupies some of that vacated time, but aside from a couple surprising developments he still very much fits the bill of oblivious younger child of the antihero(es) (joining the likes of Bobby Draper and AJ Soprano).

The Americans has always had a palpable sense of existential dread running through it but this season took it to a new level. Season 5 doubles down on more intimate character moments, revealing and emphasising the enormous stresses that Philip and Elizabeth have to live with. Philip in particular descends into a sense of depression and hopelessness that pervades through the whole show. His relationship with Elizabeth begins to become more and more informed by her sense of his sadness. In ways she may never have been before I think Elizabeth is truly aware of what Philip is feeling.

All of this is great. The Americans is extremely accomplished when it comes to said intimate character moments and details. The issue is that there is not enough plot to complement this character focus. The central plot threads of the season are first: hard to identify and second lack the amount of content needed to fill a 13 episode season of television.

The season begins with Tuan and Pasha and while this is not an uninteresting arc, it just never has quite enough mileage in it to sustain 13 episodes. The opening of the finale is full of tension and dread but I always felt the writers where having to go out of their way to get the plot to last that long. 

It has to be said that the second half of this season is very strong, even if the finale feels like something of a let down. The season takes its time to get going but the second half of it is strong, if not quite strong to fully justify some of the narrative decisions the season as a whole makes.

In the end season five does not mark a decline in quality for The Americans, its writers, directors and actors are as skilled as ever when it comes to crafting excellent television, it just marks a slight detour from the ever rising quality of seasons 1-4 and it marks a transition from the middle of this story to its end.

B+/A-