I should feel guilty to root for the two lead characters in FX’s The Americans, after all these are people who’d have to kill even a harmless old woman who accidentally caught them doing some spy stuff. I hated that scene late in season 3 between Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russel), a Russian agent, and the frail bookkeeper (the excellent Lois Smith), but it’s also one of the most memorable scenes throughout the series not simply because of its cruelness but also how it presents the bleak situations that the agents must deal with to serve their country, even though they might not like it.
Elizabeth is one half of sleeper KGB agents leading a double life with her hubby, Phillip (Matthew Rhys), as travel agents living in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with their two teenage children, while in their downtime they’re spying on the U.S. government to find out what they’re up to. It’s set in the early 80s when the Cold War apparently are still ever-present unbeknown to the general public, and the “soldiers” could be your friendly neighbour.
That is basically the concept of The Americans: the friendly, innocuous-looking neighbour who are actually deadly spies, who has another life as the lover—later husband!—of a secretary who works at the FBI headquarters; who must seduce and sleep with people who can provide them with highly classified information; and who have the ability to turned dissatisfied U.S. citizens to play for the other team. But if Angelina Jolie’s Salt takes the somewhat glamorous and action heavy route, The Americans dives deep into the psychological repercussions such double life has on the (arranged) married couple.
The drama is heavy in this Joe Weisberg-produced show, with the couple often muse—and fight—over whether they could lead a more honest life, to become that normal American family. Phillip is the one who often questions his loyalty and life, while Elizabeth is the headstrong of the bunch, the steely matriarch who will never forget where she comes from and what her duties are. When their superior tells them that it’s time their teenage daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), to work as a spy too, Elizabeth, though obviously disagrees, accepts the demand, while Phillip doesn’t. That’s good drama, for sure.
Elizabeth is one half of sleeper KGB agents leading a double life with her hubby, Phillip (Matthew Rhys), as travel agents living in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with their two teenage children, while in their downtime they’re spying on the U.S. government to find out what they’re up to. It’s set in the early 80s when the Cold War apparently are still ever-present unbeknown to the general public, and the “soldiers” could be your friendly neighbour.
That is basically the concept of The Americans: the friendly, innocuous-looking neighbour who are actually deadly spies, who has another life as the lover—later husband!—of a secretary who works at the FBI headquarters; who must seduce and sleep with people who can provide them with highly classified information; and who have the ability to turned dissatisfied U.S. citizens to play for the other team. But if Angelina Jolie’s Salt takes the somewhat glamorous and action heavy route, The Americans dives deep into the psychological repercussions such double life has on the (arranged) married couple.
The drama is heavy in this Joe Weisberg-produced show, with the couple often muse—and fight—over whether they could lead a more honest life, to become that normal American family. Phillip is the one who often questions his loyalty and life, while Elizabeth is the headstrong of the bunch, the steely matriarch who will never forget where she comes from and what her duties are. When their superior tells them that it’s time their teenage daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), to work as a spy too, Elizabeth, though obviously disagrees, accepts the demand, while Phillip doesn’t. That’s good drama, for sure.
The Americans is definitely one of the best shows on TV, a slow burn couple drama married with intense scenes of intel war in the age when smart phones and other cool gadgets haven’t existed yet so they just have to rely on good ol’ fashioned spying. The people on both sides are also depicted fairly, their humanity often allowed to creep through. There’s Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), the FBI agent who conveniently moved in across the street to Phillip and Elizabeth, and he has an affair with a Russian mole, Nina Sergeevna Krilova (Annet Mahendru); meanwhile a Russian bureaucrat, Arkady Ivanovich (Lev Gorn), is also in love with Nina, and he develops an unlikely connection with Stan. Margo Martindale and Frank Langella appears as the Jennings KGB handlers, and both projects strict parental figures, while Martha Hanson (Allison Wright) is the lonely secretary whose predicament after finding out the true identity of her husband is both sad and bittersweet.
Keri Russel perhaps gets the most challenging role as she must be both unsympathetic yet still relatable, but she looks great in every 70 to 80s getups she has to wear to disguise herself, and unfortunately the same cannot be said for Matthew Rhys. (Still can’t believe Rhys is playing a tough and kick-ass agent since I am more familiar with the playful screen personae he projects in the series Brothers & Sisters.)
The writings are sharp and consistently good, featuring fully fleshed new supporting characters, although I feel from season 1 until the fourth the show has some editing issues with scenes come and go too fast thus not leaving any meaningful impact. But as it passes season 4, The Americans broaches more dangerous and questionable territories as the stakes are getting hired: season 2 features a clash between a KGB handler and his potential agent that resulted badly; while season 3 got me a bit unhinged when Phillip must make a move on a teenage girl whose father works for the FBI, and Phillip fears that he might have to sleep with her if his mission isn’t completed swiftly. (FYI, anyone will be killed if they caught Phillip or Elizabeth doing the spy stuff.) It’s blind loyalty to Mother Russia (or to any country, really) that drives Phillip and Elizabeth; both believes they are doing a good thing that may result in a better life for their countrymen. And that’s why I feel bad rooting for them, and yet I still tune in every season. It’s all in the drama, I guess.
Keri Russel perhaps gets the most challenging role as she must be both unsympathetic yet still relatable, but she looks great in every 70 to 80s getups she has to wear to disguise herself, and unfortunately the same cannot be said for Matthew Rhys. (Still can’t believe Rhys is playing a tough and kick-ass agent since I am more familiar with the playful screen personae he projects in the series Brothers & Sisters.)
The writings are sharp and consistently good, featuring fully fleshed new supporting characters, although I feel from season 1 until the fourth the show has some editing issues with scenes come and go too fast thus not leaving any meaningful impact. But as it passes season 4, The Americans broaches more dangerous and questionable territories as the stakes are getting hired: season 2 features a clash between a KGB handler and his potential agent that resulted badly; while season 3 got me a bit unhinged when Phillip must make a move on a teenage girl whose father works for the FBI, and Phillip fears that he might have to sleep with her if his mission isn’t completed swiftly. (FYI, anyone will be killed if they caught Phillip or Elizabeth doing the spy stuff.) It’s blind loyalty to Mother Russia (or to any country, really) that drives Phillip and Elizabeth; both believes they are doing a good thing that may result in a better life for their countrymen. And that’s why I feel bad rooting for them, and yet I still tune in every season. It’s all in the drama, I guess.