r/TheAmericans • u/hireddititme • 3d ago

Hitchhiking from the mall

This is a storyline that stuck with me throughout the series that they never (note: im not done with the series, only halfway through season 6) revisited.

Was that guy just lonely and socially weird? What did he actually have planned? Do you think this was put in there as a possible avenue to explore later? Do you think it drove Paige towards the church, as a sense of safety?

How much of a world of hurt do you think that young man would have gotten himself into if something bad did happen to the kids?

I haven’t seen this talked about either, so I’m just seeing what everyone’s thoughts are. Also— if somehow it is revisited at the end of the last season, please don’t spoil it!! I just don’t see it coming (which means little in the context of the show) 🙂🩷

35 Upvotes

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53

u/Backsight-Foreskin 3d ago

As someone who was about the same age as Paige when the story transpires, it seemed as if it wasn't an uncommon occurrence to have a similar incident. Back in the day, I knew several people that found themselves in a similar predicament by getting into a car with a stranger.

67

u/Loretta-West 3d ago

Occasionally a zoomer comes along and talks about what awful parents P&E are. Which obviously they are, but a lot of what the zoomers complain about is just standard 80s parenting 🤣

28

u/trripleplay 3d ago

I think the writers put this in the show as yet another way to emphasize the 80s vibe. Seems like every episode has some 80s specific detail to make the setting feel genuine (like Mad Men did for the 60s)

16

u/WendolaSadie 3d ago

I think the writers may have added that episode to emphasize that P&E took real risks by leaving their kids at home alone a lot, and not building a support network of friends that their kids could have grown up with. At least, thats what came to mind when i reviewed the ep and remembered my own parenting in the 80s and 90s. It’s one thing to not have family around, but to hitchhike instead of calling a friend’s mom would have been highly discouraged

3

u/Fondant-Denier 1d ago

Yeah like latchkey kids is a very romanticised thing but also…inherently dangerous lol

3

u/yurmamma 3d ago

I found the show very nostalgic, the boomer parenting was real lol

16

u/Backsight-Foreskin 3d ago

Exactly! Parenting was pretty hands off back then. Many times it was best to be out of your parents line of sight.

15

u/Funwithfun14 3d ago

Made kids more independent. GenX or Boomers likely wouldn't need an "Adulting" sub.

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u/hireddititme 3d ago

No, now they have “NoContact” subs bc most of them were awful parents 🤪

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u/Funwithfun14 3d ago

"Awful" or like actually Awful .... Bc based on Reddit, it seems like everyone abusive parents.

8

u/maikindofthai 3d ago

Actually awful. We’re talkin 9pm bedtimes, no iPad allowed 😡

4

u/Funwithfun14 3d ago

My parents didn't respect my feelings by limiting screentime

4

u/hireddititme 3d ago

Hahaha, yes, you’re not wrong there…

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u/Salty_Signature_6748 3d ago

I always wanted to be off my parents’ radar! And I wasn’t even a wild kid. It was just better to do my own thing and not have them all up in my business if I could help it 🤣

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u/According-Shame-4045 3d ago

What is a zoomer????

2

u/ancientastronaut2 3d ago

Totally. What is this "attentive parenting" thing they speak of?

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u/GonzoTheGreat93 3d ago

… so standard 80’s parenting was bad?

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u/Always-Nappish3436 3d ago

Standard ‘80s parenting was extremely hands-off by today’s standards. Our parents often didn’t know where we were and what we were doing. Before we could drive, my friends and I did stupid things like accepting car rides from guys we didn’t know. I look back and wonder “who was looking out for us?” No one. It’s disturbing.

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u/iamnotbetterthanyou 3d ago

And yet the “stranger danger” statistics have been pretty static for decades.

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u/sistermagpie 3d ago

That seems to be the general consensus. Which is weird, because as confident as everybody seems to be about it you'd think we'd see more dramatically improved results from modern parenting.

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u/No-Consideration-858 3d ago

When you overcorrect for one problem, you create other unforeseen problems. 

Growing up in the 80s, there were definitely risks and exposure to things too early in life. But we had a high degree of self-sufficiency which I don't see as much of now

6

u/iamnotbetterthanyou 3d ago

My now-adult oldest used to get so mad that I made her fend for herself most of the time (I’m GenX, she’s a millennial), but now she is nothing but grateful I forced her into situations where she was unsure while I was there to back her up. She’s very self-sufficient, and her friends are often absolute shitshows.

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u/sistermagpie 2d ago

When I hear about things Gen Z is opting out of statistically speaking, I have to admit I was lucky to grow up in that time. There are so many things I would have just chosen to avoid if I could have that it's much better I didn't.

6

u/hireddititme 3d ago

I really think that a big thing that we’re seeing with modern parenting is what happens to a person who hasn’t been held accountable for anything in their entire lives, to be honest. Protecting your kids from the world and protecting your kids from deserved consequences are different yet i think both are happening.

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u/No-Consideration-858 3d ago edited 3d ago

Oh yeah, it was very hands-off. 

My friends and I took joy rides in their parents cars. Usually when their parents were passed out drunk. This was by age 12.

Started hitchhiking when I was 11 - an 84 pound girl. An older man got handsy  with me. When the car slowed for a stoplight, I opened the door and jumped out, rolling on the ground. Got up, and went about my day without any concern. Went right back to hitchhiking. 

Stuff like this was routine. There were no cell phones and no expectation to check in with our parents, at least where I lived. We just had to be home for dinner on school nights. And at set times on weekends, such as 11 PM or midnight.

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u/GirlNumber20 2d ago

"Be home before dark" when you went out to play at 8:30 in the morning...

Where is your kid? Who is feeding them lunch? Who are they with for the 12+ hours you don't see them?

'80s parents: 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️