By the way, who goes to Ethiopia with a wife that pregnant?

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I like that they're honing in on how ruining people's lives is wearing them down. I thought this episode was pretty depressing and kept wanting her to not go through with it. She just destroyed that family.

Looks like the **** is gonna hit the fan next week.

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Agree...they are becoming "Americans" with each passing day

also interesting to see the russians talking about the flaws of their own country and hinting at internal struggles with whether the ussr is really better than the usa. the story about the false alarm nuclear attack due to sunlight reflecting off clouds, the scientist who said something like "at least their (USA's) containers are threaded properly" and phillip and elizabeth discussing the bio weapon. phillip has always seemed to like the US and it seems to be even more so now

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and phillip and elizabeth discussing the bio weapon. phillip has always seemed to like the US and it seems to be even more so now

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Wait, maybe I just completely took this the wrong way, but I thought they were talking about the US using the weapon on them, as in the Soviets, on Soviet soil, not USSR turning around and using it on the US soil where they happen to be living.

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and phillip and elizabeth discussing the bio weapon. phillip has always seemed to like the US and it seems to be even more so now

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Wait, maybe I just completely took this the wrong way, but I thought they were talking about the US using the weapon on them, as in the Soviets, on Soviet soil, not USSR turning around and using it on the US soil where they happen to be living.

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They were talking about both, but I think Phillip said something along the lines of "I don't trust us with it"

Phillip also said that we only wanted it to make an antidote. Elizabeth doesn't buy that obviously.

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The virus is still in play 7 months later and after being flown to Cuba with Martha? Hmmm....

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The other virus. The rat one.

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Martha was carrying the rat with her when she flew off to Cuba......

Just for some context....

Ethiopia was under communist rule during the 80's. Heavily backed by the Russians, almost the Cuba of Africa. They can certainly get to him there.

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Pastor Tim is a creepy looking mf'er.

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Creepy looking and creepy in general. He needs to back the **** off.

I don't have a specific memory of watching The Day After as a kid in '83 but I do remember being obsessed/terrified of the idea nuclear war around that time. The clips they showed seemed vaguely familiar. Anyone else remember watching it live?

If anyone wants a refresher on the era, CNN is currently putting on "The Eighties" miniseries...the episodes on the Reagan administration and the end of the Cold War have already aired...if you have Roku you can watch them on your TV by logging into the ap, and if not, you can watch them on cnn.com.

Side note - the 60s, 70s and 80s miniseries they've done are all really good/interesting (I'm saying that as a 30 year old).

Yeah, the ol "we'll see where everyone is" comment is going to get the creepy pastor killed. Indicating that he's still essentially hanging it over their head was a very ill-advised move.

like even without the spy thing if my kid's youth pastor said something like that i'd want to kill them too

ok maybe that's overboard but still.

Strongly disagree with Pastor Tim being "creepy". He's been straight up the whole time.

Now, he is naive. Telling his wife, who likes to gossip, definitely the "let's see where we are..." And his naivety will probably get him killed. But he's not "creepy".

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I don't have a specific memory of watching The Day After as a kid in '83 but I do remember being obsessed/terrified of the idea nuclear war around that time. The clips they showed seemed vaguely familiar. Anyone else remember watching it live?

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I was only 9, and my parents wouldn't let me watch it, so of course I hid outside the TV room and watched it in the reflection off the window. I found the attack sequence terrifying. It probably didn't help that we lived right behind one of those tornado sirens that they'd test every so often. After that, every time they'd test the damn thing I was certain we were being nuked.

I went back and watched the movie as an adult, after spending about 15 years in the military, and while the attack sequence and the aftermath are still disturbing, I thought the "road to war" at the beginning of the movie was very well done. They did a really good job of building up to the attack through very realistic military and diplomatic moves all happening in the background as the characters go about their daily lives.

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I don't have a specific memory of watching The Day After as a kid in '83 but I do remember being obsessed/terrified of the idea nuclear war around that time. The clips they showed seemed vaguely familiar. Anyone else remember watching it live?

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I was only 9, and my parents wouldn't let me watch it, so of course I hid outside the TV room and watched it in the reflection off the window. I found the attack sequence terrifying. It probably didn't help that we lived right behind one of those tornado sirens that they'd test every so often. After that, every time they'd test the damn thing I was certain we were being nuked.

I went back and watched the movie as an adult, after spending about 15 years in the military, and while the attack sequence and the aftermath are still disturbing, I thought the "road to war" at the beginning of the movie was very well done. They did a really good job of building up to the attack through very realistic military and diplomatic moves all happening in the background as the characters go about their daily lives.

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There used to be a modern version of the Twilight Zone on back in the 80s and they had one about a woman who learned that she was able to stop time somehow (by yelling "shut up" or something like that). The whole episode she was using her newfound ability to gain advantage in some way, and then at the end there were a bunch of sirens and people running around, and out of frustration she stopped time again. She went outside and there was a nuclear warhead about 10 feet off the ground. That basically the moment she would resume time would be the last on Earth. Sorta along the same nuclear holocaust fear back in the 80s. The nuclear freeze movement was big back then too. Ironically, I don't think we are any safer today than we were then. If anything we are in more danger with more and more countries getting nukes, but that our fear back then was way overboard.

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I don't have a specific memory of watching The Day After as a kid in '83 but I do remember being obsessed/terrified of the idea nuclear war around that time. The clips they showed seemed vaguely familiar. Anyone else remember watching it live?

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I was only 9, and my parents wouldn't let me watch it, so of course I hid outside the TV room and watched it in the reflection off the window. I found the attack sequence terrifying. It probably didn't help that we lived right behind one of those tornado sirens that they'd test every so often. After that, every time they'd test the damn thing I was certain we were being nuked.

I went back and watched the movie as an adult, after spending about 15 years in the military, and while the attack sequence and the aftermath are still disturbing, I thought the "road to war" at the beginning of the movie was very well done. They did a really good job of building up to the attack through very realistic military and diplomatic moves all happening in the background as the characters go about their daily lives.

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There used to be a modern version of the Twilight Zone on back in the 80s and they had one about a woman who learned that she was able to stop time somehow (by yelling "shut up" or something like that). The whole episode she was using her newfound ability to gain advantage in some way, and then at the end there were a bunch of sirens and people running around, and out of frustration she stopped time again. She went outside and there was a nuclear warhead about 10 feet off the ground. That basically the moment she would resume time would be the last on Earth. Sorta along the same nuclear holocaust fear back in the 80s. The nuclear freeze movement was big back then too. Ironically, I don't think we are any safer today than we were then. If anything we are in more danger with more and more countries getting nukes, but that our fear back then was way overboard.

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Tough to say our fear was overboard when Stanislov Petrov https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov following his instincts may have been the only thing that kept us from the end of the world as we know it.

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There used to be a modern version of the Twilight Zone on back in the 80s and they had one about a woman who learned that she was able to stop time somehow (by yelling "shut up" or something like that). The whole episode she was using her newfound ability to gain advantage in some way, and then at the end there were a bunch of sirens and people running around, and out of frustration she stopped time again. She went outside and there was a nuclear warhead about 10 feet off the ground. That basically the moment she would resume time would be the last on Earth. Sorta along the same nuclear holocaust fear back in the 80s. The nuclear freeze movement was big back then too. Ironically, I don't think we are any safer today than we were then. If anything we are in more danger with more and more countries getting nukes, but that our fear back then was way overboard.

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That was one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes - scared the bejeezus out of younger me.

i still stand by creepy. i just dont know what his motivations are.

either he trusts the family and what they have to say or he doesnt. if he doesnt trust them then he should go to the cops. if he does trust them then the whole "let's meet when i get back" becomes even more creepy.

i find him to be incredibly intrusive.

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Strongly disagree with Pastor Tim being "creepy". He's been straight up the whole time.

Now, he is naive. Telling his wife, who likes to gossip, definitely the "let's see where we are..." And his naivety will probably get him killed. But he's not "creepy".

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For some posters, all youth pastors are creepy....

His look is still creepy, and interjecting himself into the family like that - even if well-intentioned in some odd way - is still creepy. And yeah, sorry youth pastors, but a lot of you are creepy.

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I don't have a specific memory of watching The Day After as a kid in '83 but I do remember being obsessed/terrified of the idea nuclear war around that time. The clips they showed seemed vaguely familiar. Anyone else remember watching it live?

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I was only 9, and my parents wouldn't let me watch it, so of course I hid outside the TV room and watched it in the reflection off the window. I found the attack sequence terrifying. It probably didn't help that we lived right behind one of those tornado sirens that they'd test every so often. After that, every time they'd test the damn thing I was certain we were being nuked.

I went back and watched the movie as an adult, after spending about 15 years in the military, and while the attack sequence and the aftermath are still disturbing, I thought the "road to war" at the beginning of the movie was very well done. They did a really good job of building up to the attack through very realistic military and diplomatic moves all happening in the background as the characters go about their daily lives.

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There used to be a modern version of the Twilight Zone on back in the 80s and they had one about a woman who learned that she was able to stop time somehow (by yelling "shut up" or something like that). The whole episode she was using her newfound ability to gain advantage in some way, and then at the end there were a bunch of sirens and people running around, and out of frustration she stopped time again. She went outside and there was a nuclear warhead about 10 feet off the ground. That basically the moment she would resume time would be the last on Earth. Sorta along the same nuclear holocaust fear back in the 80s. The nuclear freeze movement was big back then too. Ironically, I don't think we are any safer today than we were then. If anything we are in more danger with more and more countries getting nukes, but that our fear back then was way overboard.

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Tough to say our fear was overboard when Stanislov Petrov https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov following his instincts may have been the only thing that kept us from the end of the world as we know it.

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Not to derail this thread, but I think this event is overblown. I think that only the most ardent Soviet whacko would have launched in that situation and they wouldn't have put a wacko in that position. That warning system was new and unreliable at the time, ground radar didn't corroborate the launches, and they correctly assumed that we would never launch a mere 5 missiles to start a nuclear war. We would instead try to destroy as much of their capacity to retaliate on the first wave as possible. So he used common sense in that situation, not uncommon sense. Such situations get propagandized by anti-nuke types in attempt to scare everybody into demanding their leaders to get rid of all nukes.

Secondly, I think everybody overestimates what a nuclear war would look like. The Air Force plan for nuking the Soviet Union consisted of weeks of continuous nuke-bombing. It's not like the US president pushes a button and the entire world evaporates 15 minutes later. I think it's far more likely that the only way we'd ever have an Armageddon like scenario is if one side did a unilateral full out launch some day. If Russia accidentally launches 1 nuke or even 5, the US would also initially assume it was an accident rather than retaliate immediately. There would be heavy diplomatic "WTF?" session that would including demands of inspections, investigations, etc. Perhaps we'd demand that the Russian president step down, submit himself to trial, or whatever to avoid retaliation. The situation would likely be handled through heavy reparations, not nuclear retaliation.

If you have read some of the stuff that has come out of the former Soviet Union since it disbanded, they were incredibly paranoid and defensive, much moreso than we guessed at the time. I think you're downplaying the risk in general, and in the Petrov incident specifically.

That's a fair point. I didn't grow up in the church so I'm really not familiar with the role a youth pastor typically plays. And I suppose Paige did make them involved by Telling him what the parents did for a living

Perhaps creepy was the wrong word. Him saying that they were all going to meet when he got back (as if the parents had no choice whatsoever) didn't sit well with me...even though like you said he's one of the "good" guys.

I remember watching (and all the hoopla surrounding) The Day After as a kid. The show did a very good job of portraying the "must see TV" aspect of it as well as the reaction to it. Reagan himself later said that the film touched him deeply and impacted his views on nuclear proliferation.

I also remember that Twilight Zone episode. I think she would say "Stop talking!" to stop time and the missle was way up in the air, not 10 feet off the ground, but it was visible nonetheless. That was a great episode, thanks for reminding me of it, I hadn't thought of it in years.

I too think Pastor Tim is creepy. And not to start a religious pissing contest but I think if you're going to say that it's only those with an anti-Christian bent who view him that way, it's only fair to say that those so ardently defending him may only be doing so because of their Christian beliefs.....

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t's only fair to say that those so ardently defending him may only be doing so because of their Christian beliefs.....

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What has he done that needs defending?

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t's only fair to say that those so ardently defending him may only be doing so because of their Christian beliefs.....

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What has he done that needs defending?

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Defending him from the "creepy" label, not his actions per se. It's just a vibe he gives off.
Doesn't matter either way, kind of a silly debate regardless.

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And not to start a religious pissing contest but I think if you're going to say that it's only those with an anti-Christian bent who view him that way, it's only fair to say that those so ardently defending him may only be doing so because of their Christian beliefs.....

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That's an interesting preemptive comment. Preemptive because no one said that. Interesting for other reasons.

Actually, the primary reason put forth for why people might view him that way was that the writers have done such a masterful job of having us invest in these protagonist bad guys, so your "only" was a hypothetical.

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And not to start a religious pissing contest but I think if you're going to say that it's only those with an anti-Christian bent who view him that way, it's only fair to say that those so ardently defending him may only be doing so because of their Christian beliefs.....

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That's an interesting preemptive comment. Preemptive because no one said that. Interesting for other reasons.

Actually, the primary reason put forth for why people might view him that way was that the writers have done such a masterful job of having us invest in these protagonist bad guys, so your "only" was a hypothetical.

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Look, this is a ridiculous argument about some tangent to the show that really doesn't matter. That stated, come on dude...you wrote:

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To me, other than some preconceptions and biases against Christians or pastors that some people bring to their viewing, any dislike of Pastor Tim is a testament to the writers skill and the tone they've created.

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I would expect a fan of this show to understand nuance, even moreso when it's not that subtle. Words have meaning; words like "other than," which means "with the exception of," and "some", which means "not all" and "less than most." So no one said anything close to your "if you're going to say that it's only those" hypothetical. "Some" and "only" are pretty obviously contradictory.

I actually don't think the subject is a ridiculous tangent when you're talking about this show, but instead that it goes to the heart of the show. What they've done in getting the audience to root for and identify with the objectively bad guys over the objectively good guys is a big aspect of what makes it great TV. The whole Pastor Tim subplot is just one example of the skill of the creators and writers.

I would add to that another layer with Pastor Tim which may be playing out in this discussion. The "Jennings" don't understand faith. It's foreign to them and they are obviously distrustful of it (although Philip sees something in it). That plays out in their reactions to and perceptions of Pastor Tim, which is conveyed to the audience, some of whom are going to more easily identify with that. That also played out in the macro level in US-Soviet relations during that era. Lots of layers in this show.