The Americans & Morgan Freeman

Well, I certainly didn’t see this one coming, the final episode of The Americans, that is. I didn’t see any way they were going to avoid a confrontation with their neighbor and FBI agent Stan Beeman. I was Mr. Completely. The Jennings had a final confrontation with Stan but it didn’t result in a shootout. Instead, Phillip somehow talked him into letting them go. They then made their careful way to the Soviet border, where they were met by a supporter of Gorbachev and taken to Moscow. The final scene has them looking at the city’s lights as they contemplate what their future might be. How ironic that this, their new home, isn’t nearly as much a home as their home in America was. But they’ll “get used to it,” Elizabeth says. “The kids will be all right,” she says. Henry, who will be taken in and cared for by Stan, will be all right, but what about Paige? Paige chose to abandon her parents when she gets off the train just as it was leaving the station. Will she be all right? Yes. Yes, that is, if she doesn’t take vodka as her next best friend.  We see her when she gets back to the safe apartment and knocks back a hefty shot of Vodka, leaving the viewer to wonder what will become of her. This episode showed me what the writers of a series can do and should do about allowing the actors to slow down and show us their faces, their real acting chops. Too many series consist of slam-bang dialogue with no time for nuance. The Americans was always able to slow down, especially in this last episode. I certainly hope the producers don’t decide to do a spinoff, showing us the Jennings, parents and children, in their next lives. We don’t need that spinoff.

Morgan Freeman is the latest to be allegedly guilty of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior, maybe, but not sexual harassment. He said, “All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.” I think the MeToo Movement may be going too far in charges like this. When does a compliment on a woman’s beauty become inappropriate? Are all the “blond” jokes inappropriate and demeaning enough to accuse the teller of inappropriate behavior? Is this joke too risqué to tell in mixed company?  A small boy was lost at a large shopping mall. He approached a uniformed policeman and said, “I’ve lost my grandpa!” The cop asked, “What’s he like?” The little boy hesitated for a moment and then replied, “Jack Daniels whiskey and women with big tits.” Come on, ladies. Lighten up just a little and remove this allegation against Morgan Freeman. After all, he drove Miss Daisy and he spoke up for all those marching South Polar penguins.

Countdown: Tonight we’re going to Outback for dinner. Or at least I’m going to try. Who knows if I’ll be able to make it without falling on my face? Yesterday, I went to see my dentist about putting in two implants to support my lower partial denture. Just as I was about to sit down, I went into a tailspin, one hand holding onto my portable concentrater and the other hand trying to find something to grab before I fell down. I somehow managed to get to another chair but it was a close call. The receptionist was aghast and kept asking me if I was all right and I kept telling her I just needed a few minutes to recuperate. But it was a close call. My balance has become so bad that falls are inevitable. My next step will be to get a cane, or move only with the help of a walker. Just another step in my descent, or if I’m looking for some heavenly reward, maybe it should be another step in my ascent.