ziparumpazoo | Misplaced seasons

Took this photo this morning:

(April 5th/2013)

(April 3rd/2012)

Something seems wrong here, no?
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ION, because all the people listing it in their "what I'm watching on TV posts" lately, I caught up with The Americans, and while I don't quite feel fannish about it (it's one of those shows where I get the feeling that I'm watching a different show than everyone else even though it's the same time slot and channel - different experiences and upbringing = different set of viewing glasses), I do find it very intriguing and actually one of the few shows that manages to keep my undivided attention for the full hour as it subtly contrasts things like cold-war era American vs Russian upbringings and culture and women's roles and expectations in that era. I might have more to say on it some other time, but for now, it's hitting a lot of my character-focused storytelling buttons. Also, I can't help wondering where the heck they found so many early-80s cars in such mint condition...

Also tried Lost Girl, but it didn't stick. Sad for me. I never can get hooked on shows that are drive by supernatural/mythology/fantasy-type plotlines. I missed out on the whole Buffy experience too. Just not my wiring.

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Hah @ your photos there...

Sad about Lost Girl, but it's also a show I'm not intensely fandom-focused about; I see what I need on-screen, pretty much.

Sadly, not enough hours in a week to get invested in new characters that don't immediately snag me right now. If I'm going to split my attention between entertainment and something else that needs to be done, I'll usually opt to crank the music instead. I just haven't been travelling in the right fannish circles for people on my reading list to get excited over new Klipsch RS42 surrounds... ;)

Found this post through searching on "The Americans" (desperately trying to figure out who's talking about the show on dreamwidth). If you felt like talking about it with the general public, I would love to hear more about those character-focused storytelling buttons!

-J

Hello! There *are* other people out there watching The Americans! \o/

It's not a show I feel terribly fannish about in the traditional sense, but I think what's keeping me watching it is that the characters, particularly Elizabeth and Philip, but also Nina, and Gregory, and Stan, and the Jennings kids - none of them are flat. They've all got conflicts and layers. In particular, I really enjoyed watching the scenes where Elizabeth is fighting this inner battle between her loyalties to her country and her mission, but at the same time, worry about how their kids will handle it if something happens to them (since they'd most likely be brought back to Russia). Paige and Henry are part of their cover, part of the mission, but they're also her children, regardless of why they were conceived, and they give her a vulnerability and divide her heart between her loyalties to her country, and her loyalties to her very American children, technically, her enemy. Elizabeth's not just some cold-hearted spy. She's so much more, whether she likes it or not.

Um... phew! I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that, but it's later than I thought - saw your episode reactions on your journal - mind if I follow you?

I too love all of the characters you mentioned! I am happy that the show is mostly about Philip and Elizabeth because they are my faaaaavourites, but Stan fascinates me as well, and Nina, and I am chomping at the bit to learn more about Gregory. And what you say about Elizabeth's loyalties being divided by the love she feels for her children that she kind of hates feeling (and, I would argue, for Philip--although that is easier to stuff away and ignore than the love for her children) and her love for her country strikes me as exactly right. I'd say that the shades of grey that have intruded onto her black-and-white life of late (like the way their bosses are showing themselves to have a very apparent sinister side) only make that harder.

And I was hoping you would want to subscribe to my journal and dive into the conversation! I look forward to hearing any input you have about tonight's episode.

-J

I'd say that the shades of grey that have intruded onto her black-and-white life of late (like the way their bosses are showing themselves to have a very apparent sinister side) only make that harder.

Definitely. It's interesting to watch them go through their separation too because on the one hand, it's all business and they continue to work together, but in the other, they wouldn't have even considered it if there weren't feelings there that make their marriage more than a charade, and with the actions of their handlers coming into question, it really drives home the question of who to trust.

I'm going to have to wait a day or two until tonight's episode is online before commenting (I don't have FX), but I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it. :)

I don't have a television at the moment at all (don't ask), so I won't be watching it tonight (riiiiight now! *whimper*), but I'll be downloading it as soon as it appears on my favourite site for such things and watching it first thing in the morning (during my morning workout--I'm always afraid I will fall off the crosstrainer from the adrenaline on Thursday mornings *g*). I should be able to make my post about tonight's episode tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.

Where do you live? I'm in Canada, but I travel a lot so sometimes I'm elsewhere. :)

-J

Canadian prairies here. :)
This is one of the few shows that gets undivided attention. I'd definitely fall off if I attempted to work out at the same time!

Fellow prairie girl! How fun. :)

-J

Misplaced seasons

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