Yes, that was a terrific moment of acting. I sometimes get so captivated by Keri Russell that I forget how good Matthew Rhys has been. They'd both be terrifying to have as parents.

This is my first time commenting on an AVC recap for The Americans, and I must say, really good review, Genevieve and Todd. I personally didn't find the Polaris thematic link to be overly obvious, but I also have a really high tolerance for motifs, themes and symbolism, as I've mentioned in some of my Mad Men recap…

Class is definitely also an issue in terms of representation, and I think it's one that often gets forgotten in these kinds of discussions.

I'd agree except that gives a bad name to both people who actually have mental disorders and real animals.

Um, thanks for not writing the insulting response? Yay, civility!

He was? I didn't know that. I kind of just assumed Snyder was Nolan's first choice (which, like, why, dude?!)…

One, not everyone in Europe was white/Caucasian. More importantly, though, his point is that the film deifies the Athenians and treats them as paragons of democracy and societal progressiveness and vilifies the Persians as mindless and evil. That's problematic for pretty obvious reasons, as it not only wildly distorts…

Yay, AV Club! Still sad that HBO canceled Enlightened. I loved it for being optimistic and earnest in a TV environment that currently favors the dark, cynical and ironic. The writing and acting was amazing all-around, but Laura Dern especially won my heart. Her confrontation with the Abbadon execs in the final episode…

B+

Ooooh, do we have an AV Club comment board romance brewing here?

Julianne Nicholson has been really good as Lillian. She plays her character just right, kind of like the way Michael Sheen has been playing Bill, where you can see so much emotion bubbling beneath the surface yet they keep a calm, stoic exterior that suggests confidence. That scene might've been my favorite of the…

Huh, this is your first A episode? Overall, I enjoyed this episode, but I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites. I think it was mostly the Ethan/George subplot that brought it down for me, because I really liked so much about the other plots. Another note, I believe it was the second episode where Ethan kept…

Interesting. I haven't watched Boardwalk Empire yet, but it's been on my viewing list for a while, and considering how much I like that cast and the kind of period setting, I feel like I'd like it. I really agree that subtlety can be often overrated; obviously, it's also often a good thing, but plenty of art can…

I knew people would complain about the nuclear fallout and end of the world stuff being too obvious, but while I don't technically think the criticism is wrong, I really just didn't care. And screw you, VanDerWurff! I loved Margaret's speech about gravity and how things in space aren't floating, they're falling, and a…

I've written around 800 words today, and in total, I'm approaching 5000, which I'm pretty proud of (in terms of the quantity, not the actual quality of my writing), at least until I see on Twitter that someone's already hit the 10 K mark. Seriously, to that person, who are you that you have that kind of time?!

You're wrong, Sonia! Have to say I agree with Todd and Sims on this one. I think they've done a good job of developing the characters within only five episodes, and it feels nicely paced without smaller arcs being drawn out too much. Mostly, though, I've just really fallen in love with these characters, in large part…

Yeah. It's not going to happen. The show's doing a lot of good things, so I don't see the point in obsessing over its depiction of nudity. Is it a bit of a double standard? Yes, though like you said, it's not like they're showing women's vaginas, which are really more the equivalent of dicks than breasts are, but it's…

It was a little clumsy, but I'm not going to deny that I loved that scene. The way that she said "And I was happy just reading my book before either of you came along" made me cheer. I'm sure they'll explore the concepts more deeply as the show goes on.

I agree about the pacing of this episode, and I also felt that the plots felt a bit too scattered. Ethan is still the worst, but I liked getting more into the brothel and meeting more of Betty's fellow prostitutes. Betty is still my favorite, along with Virginia. In fact, all of the ladies are so awesome that they…

I have no idea what a Michael Rapaport is, but holy crap, I'm excited for more Justified. Next season can't get here soon enough. Counting down the days until we get to see Raylan, Boyd and the gang again…