Jordan Cass returns to help Danielle and John to discuss The Americans 6x5, “The Great Patriotic War.” Together, they focus on the theme of trust to dig into the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth, the relationship between Paige and Elizabeth, as well as how trust both structures and flows from Philip’s choices within the episode. In the Dossier, Jordan poses some questions about artwork and of course they check in on Danielle’s evaluation of Renee. In Glas, the trio returns to the theme of trust, chatting about the role of institutional trust and whether Paige is the definition of a spy nepo baby. They also let John cook for a bit on the visual language and editing in the last 15 minutes of the show. Jordan treats everyone to a discussion of 80s hockey lore in Borrowed Nostalgia, among some quips about calculators, jeeps, and the ‘fits. In TRAGEDY SZN, Danielle goes back to her roots (literally), guiding the trio through a brief discussion of Euripides’ Medea.

Stick around for a little bonus NQGB After Dark. Durational cinema (podcasting).

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Your hosts try to find their way through the backrooms as they unpack all things The Americans 6x4, “Mr. and Mrs. Teacup.” Framing their discussion through the concept of losing one’s way, John and Danielle analyze the main moves of the episode, beginning OF COURSE with the ultimate lost boy, Philip, before working through the Jennings family dynamic and then Elizabeth and Paige separately. They chat about what it means for Philip that KIMMY BACK! plus the failing business and line dancing, before evaluating whether Paige has already lost her way a bit and what it means that we are 4 for 4 episodes in Season 6 where Elizabeth has done a murder to ‘save’ the mission.

In the Dossier, Danielle makes a bold Paige prediction, and John poses some not-so-leading (you decide!) questions. In Glas, they consider the game of telephone for info to get from Oleg to Arkadi, and Philip’s cowboy boots. Your hosts laugh about line dancing, D.A.R.E, and wigs in Borrowed Nostalgia. It’s definitely still TRAGEDY SZN in the Cave - Danielle offers up Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis this week (a new one for John) before a quick game in TheoryShips. Enjoy!

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

This week, John and Danielle are joined by their friend and returning guest Michaela Rife! Together, these three dig into Season 6 Episode 3, “Urban Transport Planning,” using the frame of nostalgia to structure their discussion. They start with their takes on the Soviet cooking club as a key entry point into the topic and then consider Philip’s return to spying later on to flesh out their discussion. They tackle how Stan is fighting counterintelligence nostalgia and the construction of the final scene before moving onto the segments, where Michaela interrogates Danielle on her takes to everyone’s enjoyment!

In Glas, Michaela treats everyone to an analysis of art in the season thus far, and it turns out an actual art historian is more useful than your trusty hosts. Together they all consider whether Paige is a nepo baby before some music drops and an EST revamp in Borrowed Nostalgia. They welcome Michaela to TRAGEDY SZN in the Cave with a quick trip into Euripides’ Electra, and Michaela gives us a lot to think about with her reference to Svetlana Boym in TheoryShip.

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Music by Lesfm from Pixabay