Gabriel might be leaving, but John and Danielle are here to stay, this week taking on The Americans 5x6, “Crossbreed.” They frame their discussion around ‘disclosure’, starting with Gabriel’s decision to leave (don’t worry, Danielle has THOUGHTS on this in the Dossier) before moving onto the lack of disclosure when it comes to Philip, and wrapping up with some musings on Oleg burning the tape. They consider what it means to introduce Paige to Gabriel in the broader context of the show, as well as in relation to the question of disclosure. In Glas, your hosts cannot help but overanalyze Elizabeth’s newly found mode of relaxation, Tai-Chi, and the parallels between Gabriel in DC and Oleg in Moscow. John and Danielle consider the 80s-ness of psychiatrist culture before meeting Marx once again in the Cave - this time chatting all things Capital! They make a case for the show hiring them as Marx-consultants (derogatory), which, of course, would make things much smoother for all involved! This would rectify some of the missteps - which are all still obviously Pastor Tim’s fault. Your hosts end the episode with some TheoryShips of Robyn Marasco and Foucault (sorry-not-sorry) to our beloved characters. Enjoy!

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

John and Danielle are back to dig into The Americans 5x5, “Lotus 1-2-3,” and they are DISSOCIATING as they do so! With that theme, your hosts consider how this approach helps Philip and Elizabeth cope with their various missions and their less-than-ideal reality. John highlights the age-old Eros-Thanatos double whammy for not only Philip and Elizabeth (and their respective marks/partners), but Stan as well! Perhaps, dissociation is what one needs in order to maintain a double life, or overlook the cracks and fissures in that life. Turning to the segments, Danielle claims a win in the Dossier due to Philip’s suspicions about Renee, which John reluctantly allows, but doesn’t give any confirmation one way or another (no surprise there!). In Glas, we get the depressing return of Mischa, a check-in with Oleg, and debrief about Tuan along with some quips about camerawork and costumes to round out the analysis. In Borrowed Nostalgia, your hosts can’t let the styrofoam McDonald’s boxes go unnoticed, or Renee’s general hyper-80s persona. In the Cave, Marx SZN thunders on with John guiding us through the German Ideology. Come for the comparisons between the sex scenes, stay for the TheoryShips!

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Your hosts break out the maps to tackle The Americans 5x4, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” Does Danielle know where Kansas is on a map? Great question. Together, John and Danielle use the notion of logistics to analyze the main moves of the episode, turning quickly from Gabriel to Paige (TIM BACK!) to the seduction gambits of our two main characters. While Elizabeth has to do a lot of planning to seduce Ben (Mr. Spontaneous), Philip’s hand at logistics almost goes awry. We learn that Alexei is a logistics guy, and even Stan gets in on the logistics fun! In the Dossier, Danielle re-ups her Renee suspicions, and we get some more Philip/Stan paralleling in Glas. Your hosts laugh about Henry, Oleg’s dueling plotlines, and even the Mischa of it all, which has a lot of guys being dudes packed into a few short scenes. In Borrowed Nostalgia, 80s alarm bells go off for carob, health food stores in general, and of course everyone’s gym attire. It’s definitely still MARX SZN in the Cave - John dazzles with Theses on Feuerbach this week before your hosts take up a serious matter: Marx continuity errors in the Americans (ofc it’s Pastor Tim’s fault). Enjoy!

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay