As far as ending on a happy note, we can't tell how it will end for any particular character in the series, but we do know how the Cold War ended. So there's that.

Ah yes, how can we forget good 'ol Ted Kennedy, the 'lion of the Senate', and his part in fighting against Reagan during the perilous climax of the Cold War.

Hah hah — good point!

"I think that Erik is reading way too much into it. It would make no sense for Gabriel or the KGB bosses to kill P+E rather than extract them."

Good point. Perhaps I'm just indulging in some wishful thinking.

What if the insurance isn't for his protection, but for the Public's?

The insurance isn't to protect the Pastor, the insurance is to protect Paige and the Public.

"…but Gabriel’s pounding out John Bonham solos on it this week, advocating for “other ways” of dealing with the Pastor Tim problem before telling Claudia “It’s time to take them home.” But does he mean that literally or figuratively? The Jennings’ meeting with Pastor Tim gets the euphemistic double talk going early in…

Oh, I wouldn't necessarily bet on Pastor Tim being that naive. Not after his little brushback on Communist justice during the family meeting.

Apparently you DON'T understand that I have no problem with the story in The Americans.

I must have misremembered. It must have been Fort Detrick.

I don't have a problem with the show. It's fine as is.

This show? I don't have a problem with The Americans. So far I have been pleasantly surprised with its portrayal of the Cold War.

America is guilty of plenty of things, sure. But there is an element of Americans who hate America and believe America is guilty until proven innocent. And they spread their poison with tremendous energy and from positions of influence and power.

A person shouldn't have to be "extensively familiar" with the history of bioweapons to know the Soviets cheated and the U.S. didn't.

"According to the U.S.’ ratification of the Geneva Protocol, it’s not even supposed to exist—but it does, because the Department of Defense is farming out its bioweapons operations to laboratories like the one that employs Dylan Baker’s salty Soviet."

I thought it could be McVeigh. But only if he is somehow concealing vast wealth.

Two questions:

The "open source" episode emphasizes a puzzling lost opportunity for this show.

Oh Aimee is really there just like the mysterious dog killer Dean is there. But I think you are right to be suspicious. What if the 'help' that Kevin Sr. spoke of is really Aimee? I think everyone has been assuming it was Dean.