A thread for The Americans on FX

I sort of agreed with her because I'd already spoilered myself by unwittingly reading the first post about this ep above, but yeah I don't think so either.

This was a great week for the Kimmy subplot to reappear, especially given she's mentioned what her dad does. That puts her unwittingly on the Martha trail, and if Philip feels guilty about doing that to Martha, how bad is going to feel about putting someone basically the same age as his daughter on the same path?

yeah, there's no way he intentionally killed himself.

― ulysses,

Yep, he panicked and tried to run away, totally an accident.

A friend of mine is convinced that Martha is going to show up as their handler next season, haha.

Renewed for two more seasons, 5th season 13 episodes and 6th and final season 10 episodes. That is honestly great news and pretty crazy.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fx-renews-americans-final-two-897312

I think it's too much. One more 13-episode season would have been fine IMO.

I knew that was in the talks (a 6th season), glad to see it's abbreviated. I trust these producers more than any others, though, so I think if there's going to be a S6 they probably see a need for it.

Been avoiding this thread because I am still one episode behind, but how do renewals work with things like this? Do the producers request X number of seasons? Does the network request x number of seasons? Can the network say more and the producers say no?

When they talked about this in the podcast, they said the 5th was already guaranteed and it sounded like FX wanted the 6th but wouldn't push for it unless the producers thought they could make it work. They must have reached a creatively satisfactory agreement, because Landgraf (FX head honcho) said the story was the most important factor.

I wonder if the series will end before or after the Berlin Wall.

Mostly people just get renewed season by season. I think the producers in the past said they thought 5 seasons would be perfect, but then they kept on stretching the story out, so they might need some more. The ratings haven't been good, but FX signaled long ago that they wanted it to end properly.

sixth season is standalone chronicle of martha's russian life, presented w/o subtitles, i have only seen outlines but it seems to have a kind of deadpan kaurismaki feel, also soundtrack is just trombone sounds

Unexpected button at the end there. Cool.

Also, had no idea that's how the Don thing was going to play out.

This show is great at manipulation.

Just aired? Awesome, it always sneaks up on me each week that its been on.

Only two eps left after this one. :'(

the dinner sequence was hella painful

In the best way.

They really could have exploited much more queasiness from that dinner situation, but you could also say it was mercifully short.

So the whole Young Hee setup thing was just so that the KGB could spend a few mins alone in Don's office. Seems to me they could have found a better way of getting the codes, esp since they didn't even find them from a quick sweep of the office anyway.

Also, v implausible that Don would leave two people in his office while he and Philip nipped to the bank, regardless of how ill Gabriel was looking.

tbf, it worked!

I didn't find that implausible at all, I think it's a fair bet that most people wouldn't have been able to bring themselves to go down the path of "Yes, ok, I just basically caused your daughter/sister to kill herself but still, rules are rules!". Especially when one of the people you're potentially offending is kinda rough looking and is acting like he's already struggling to keep a lid on it.

tbf, it worked!

We don't know if it did yet or not. They didn't find the codes in the office, but they're hopeful the codes are on the floppy discs on which they copied the contents of Don's computer.

Was racking my brains trying to think where I'd seen Gabriel's "wife" before. Turned out she was the woman who got stoned to death in The Leftovers.

And she played a redneck matriarch of a criminal family in Justified.

no, that wasn't margo martindale. different actress. sure did favor her tho!

It is, she played Mags Bennett - honest!

Oh no it wasn't Claudia, forget it.

all that apple pie went to your head

probably need to hit the moonshine just to get my brain working properly!

She is also the similarly silent Kathy Geiss on 30 Rock

In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the codes turn out not to be on those discs, thereby further compounding Elizabeth's guilt as the operation will have been in vain.

i wonder if don is going to kill himself.

I think they'll go that way or maybe a failed suicide bid with a tearful confession, whatever the case shit will get messy.

Also that last scene. Fucking hell.

God knows where Paige goes from here.

She is also the similarly silent Kathy Geiss on 30 Rock

OMG how did I not pick that up.

Yeah I wondered if Don will kill himself after this, also. I found it a little hard to believe he'd leave his post like he did but i guess the circumstances were extreme and his rationality out the window as a result.

It reminds me that this is why they grill the living shit out of you and your family if you're ever going for a high level govt job. If you have any situation that might make you crack under pressure (secretly gay, drug prob, family members with secrets etc) they wont hire you.

As an aside, the other thing that bugs me about the Patty/Young Hee thing, is now that "Patty" is supposedly dead, what happens if Young Hee or Don run into Elizabeth in a shop somewhere. Didnt that happen to her once when they first met? Come to think of it, how come that doesnt happen just generally speaking. Are these magic wigs?

Didnt that happen to her once when they first met?

I'm pretty sure that was planned.

But yeah, even in cities larger than Washington DC, you're bound to run into people you know. Philip is generally more disguisey, on top of already just being a plain ol' white guy, but Elizabeth would be recognizable—especially with as thin a disguise as "Patty" was.

that's the most unbelievable thing about the show

It hadnt bothered me til this point and for the reason JF says: her disguise for patty is just her as a blonde.

Switching up the topics, I heard on this week's podcast that they consult with a guy who collects a lot of actual spy gear and he actually lets the show borrow some of it when needed. For instance, the wire recorder that Philip places in Kimmy's dad's leather bag is an actual KGB artifact and not just a prop.

wait i totally thought that was claudia as well

the dinner party scene and every reaction was so well done, this show makes such good use of pauses in conversation. not just the obvious raised eyebrows from tim at russian spies introducing him to an fbi agent but stan's barely disguised "wait you're...leftist radicals into direct action" disapproval

and yes! the last scene! you sort of know what beats the show intends to it but it never does it in the obvious way.

this week's young-hee phone call was even more devastating than last week's as well

Is this show actually based on anything real? Like, are there examples of undercover Russian spies living amongst Americans in this way during the 80s, etc? It wouldn't affect my enjoyment of it, I'm just curious to know how much of it is sourced in fact.

http://www.ibtimes.com/americans-true-story-who-were-real-life-spies-inspired-fx-show-1798070

there's dozens of explainers like this, just happened to be my first Google hit. Short answer is yes.

Thanks, that article seems to suggest this is a more modern phenomenon though. They've basically taken something that's happening now and transplanted it back to the 80s.

The other thing is the real deal never killed people, they were more just eyes and ears, but I suppose that makes for way too boring TV.

the dinner party scene and every reaction was so well done, this show makes such good use of pauses in conversation. not just the obvious raised eyebrows from tim at russian spies introducing him to an fbi agent but stan's barely disguised "wait you're...leftist radicals into direct action" disapproval.

OTM and this is a really delightful plot twist that I hope they run with.

Well goddamn

Not watched ep12 so apologies if this was already posted but did anyone else recognise 30 rock's Kathy Geiss as Gabriel's wife in ep11?

yeah this was covered upthread

the way the ep just ends with Paige's bewildered, fed up "great." was awesome.
Is Phillip off to his doom meeting William now the Feds have William worked out!?