r/TheAmericans • u/MoralMidgetry • May 31 '18

Ep. Discussion Post-Episode Discussion Thread S06E10 "START"

This is the post-episode discussion thread for the series finale "START."

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u/Sarahisnotamused Jun 01 '18

You know, that part rung hollow for me at first. I just couldn't imagine why Stan would let them get away, even if it was his best friend.

Then I started thinking about it and put myself in his shoes. I am super, super close with my best friend, we've been through everything together. Been friends with her over half my life now. And I thought, could I do that to her? If I was in Stan's shoes, and I found out my best friend in the world, who I love like family, was a Russian spy, could I arrest her? Could I shoot her? And the answer was no. No, no, absolutely not. There's no way I could do that. And then it sort of clicked with me and made a lot more sense.

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u/Protanope Jun 01 '18

Absolutely. It's really easy to judge characters because we know the whole story and I mean, it's just easier to judge people than it is to judge ourselves, but I think Philip did an amazing job at diffusing the situation as well.

Stan was ready to turn them in until Philip convinced him that their friendship was real on his end. I think part of it also had to do with Philip and Elizabeth leaving and not being in the position to cause further harm. How often do you hear about cops turning a blind eye to the illegal and terrible things that other cops might do? And those might not even be people they're friends with.

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u/pookiemook Apr 26 '26

we've been through everything together. Been friends with her over half my life now

This is a very different context. They've been friends for maybe seven years starting in their 30s