I always give a show three episodes - the pilot, because you need to get to know the characters; episode 2 where they're figuring stuff out and fixing issues in the pilot; and episode 3 where they've figured out where they're going. If they don't grab me by 3, I stop watching. I've actually had to fire a few shows because they were just sitting on my DVR and I didn't care anymore (Lost Girl, I'm looking at you). I recorded the pilot of The Americans, but I was feeling overwhelmed by my tivo, so I deleted it. Now that I've freed up some space, I might give it a shot.

Oh, my God, Tim Olyphant. With that face, you hardly have to be good, but you are. He killed me in this one, starting from "You still look like Ava Gardner"

That was an excellent moment that I almost forgot about with everything after.

I mean, writing it out, it's a good line, I suppose, but it's the mixture of emotions Raylan said it with that made it really great. And, of course, my dad and I hardly speak so that was almost a gimme, although he hasn't told me to eat shit lately. Yay?

I think The Americans is still finding its feet a bit, but I like the cast very much and they manage to keep the tension high in each episode.

Ahahaha - one major problem with The Americans is they don't even *pretend* to make NYC double for DC, and since I've lived both places the locations are occasionally hilarious.

(Keri Russell just met with her handler right outside the public pool where I take the kids almost every weekend in the summer.)

I watched the pilot of The Americans and had major plot/backstory problems, so I haven't watched the rest. I hear it's good, so I'll probably pick it up when I run out of other things.

In the most recent ep, their secret in-car meetup was shot less than a block from my apartment.

Here it is on Google Streetview. There's a very good chance my car was in the background of that scene.

I think my best course of action is just to pretend this show takes place in an alternate universe where the Capitol is in Brooklyn, and the East River has been renamed the Potomac. I don't think I've laughed this much at bad location doubling since that movie that was shot on the Northwestern campus and featured my dorm. (Don't ask me the name, it was an awful movie, but we all watched it in the common room because the main character was a Chapino and how often is that a plot point ever?)

That said, I'm glad I decided to give it 5 eps initially because now (ep 5!) they finally seem to have decided on an arc for the relationship plot and the spy stuff is really picking up steam.

Coincidence: it's been exactly one month since I was last here. Not a coincidence: still loving Justified, tho' I shouldn't have read the white font. I must've missed the last episode, although I thought I was current. On Demand must have a one-week delay.

My neighbors are really liking The Americans so I'll have get around to watching more than the pilot. I've been getting them to watch shows for years, so turn about is good. Looks like Tim Goodman only wrote one article about it. [link]

Several things I'm trying to figure out from this past Justified: why Hunter wanted to kill Arlo after being offered a deal on Drew's current identity (is he trying to protect Shelby, if that's who it is?), and how Arlo came out of his double dose stupor? Did the double dose not actually work and he happened to become lucid enough to realize he was in danger? I can't see that the guard lied about overdosing him, and if so . . . I guess I don't know about drugs to know what the effect should be.

And oh, RAYLAN.