A thread for The Americans on FX

Did Breaking Bad have a down season? I can't remember, might have helped that it was ridiculous (in a good way) from the first episode on. The best shows (as always, like The Shield), even when they have a down season they don't lose the thread, and things set up in the first episodes continue to echo through the finale.

Hmm, I wonder if The Shield holds up years later? Just dove back into Deadwood for the first time in forever and it's still a blast, more or less.

I tried (re)watching Six Feet Under last year and realized I hated every single person on the show and gave up.

BB kept the momentum up throughout with 5 seasons, backing up the theory.

MM's sixth season was a bit rubbish.

Leftovers is an exception imo, it felt complete at 3 seasons - although there was certainly enough potential in the concept to sustain a few more.

we might want a separate thread for this tbh

I saw a play last night, and about a third of the way in, something about the lead reminded me of someone. So I look in the playbill ... and indeed, he was the guy who played Agent Gadd!

John Boy Walton!

The one and the same! He was great.

I thought Richard Thomas got better and better and better as the series progressed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vZMlnqrB8

Ah god fucking dammit. Cant view in my country.

SHOWS U FX IM GONNA PYRAT THE SERIES ANYWAY

Go you!

Brief synopsis of trailer for u:

Philip says to (presumably) Elizabeth "It is finally getting to you, after all these years."
Paige says to Philip "I don't think I'm the same as you, dad."
Claudia says to Elizabeth: "Stan Beaman, he has to be dealt with."
Paige, in disguise, walking down what looks like a hotel hallway.
Stan to Philip "Whatever you're doing here, don't."

Looks good! We're indeed going to get the Philip-Jennings showdown.

Paige sitting with Elizabeth saying, "I don't think I'm the same as you, dad” and being in disguise—ironic if it turns out she became the loyal soldier Elizabeth hoped just as The Cause collapsed.

lol thanku paul.

I had a thought last night: what if there ends up being one of those "spy swap" scenarios and Martha gets returned!

...not that she was a spy but you know.

As far as the FBI is concerned, she was the worst kind of spy.

Didn't realize that Holly Taylor, who plays Paige, is Canadian.

a Newfie, even!

Philip and Elizabeth are going to be upset when they find out who she really is.

Like with Mad Men's final-season debut, took me about half the show to feel my way back into things, but good start. I was distracted by something on the stove during the long opening montage, so I was a little confused at times. The bed-ridden artist--is she the wife of the guy Elizabeth is running? Music seemed more prominent tonight than ever before. Could always do without Crowded House, Fleetwood Mac good of course. Jolting reminder of Elizabeth's survival instincts.

I don't know if the series will end in a Philip v. Elizabeth showdown or if there's just tension right now that will be resolved later, but it was inevitable that they'd be pitted against each other at some point. That's just good tv.

So glad Oleg is still here and serving a purpose.

Did no one besides the two of us realize this began again last night?

I didn't much like Oleg when he first appeared (season 2?)--the character seemed kind of glib and breezy, not in sync with the tone of the show--but he's one of the best now.

Totally forgot this was back on!

First episode was great. Oleg and Philip vs. Elizabeth and Claudia (and Paige?) is gonna be something.

My wife's theory is that Renee is spying on Stan for the FBI higher-ups, not for the Russians or anyone else.

I certainly didn't realize this started again! Got it lined up for tonight, stoked.

I loved chilled out 80s line-dancing inspirational-boss sports-dad Phillip vs insane stabbing motherfuckers in the neck Elizabeth. And I have no idea what Renee’s place in all this is but it’s got to be something interesting

The line-dancing was great. I rewatched the opening montage online--spotted the guy who plays Frank Underwood's hapless VP on House of Cards for a second.

I'm going to use everything at my disposal to make sure I'm understanding all the plot intricacies this season. (I didn't fuss much over that as I watched the first five on DVD.) A couple of rundowns on the first episode:

http://tv.avclub.com/the-americans-final-season-begins-with-the-realization-1824147884
http://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/28/17166094/the-americans-season-6-premiere-dead-hand-recap-philip-elizabeth

there's no way this ends well for any of them right? i'm not ready to get my heart broken by this show. ;_;

A reminder that this is on tonight. (I'm mostly reminding myself here--remembering to tune in regularly to a TV show is a challenge these days.)

This was good - intense and bleak. I wasnt at all enamoured with the Crowded House montage - I cant stand that song - but the rest of the musical cues were utter joy. Especially the way "We do what we're told" slowly edged its way into the scene, til once the "we do what we're told, told to do" chant comes in and drowns out what the general is saying - I thought that was brilliant.

I dont know how they made Elizabeth look SO EXHAUSTED, but it worked.

Glad I'm not the only person who hates that song (and them in general).

Especially the way "We do what we're told" slowly edged its way into the scene, til once the "we do what we're told, told to do" chant comes in and drowns out what the general is saying - I thought that was brilliant.

Agreed! That's one of the best uses of outside music laid over a scene I've ever seen.

I dont know how they made Elizabeth look SO EXHAUSTED, but it worked.

At the very end? Yeah. I was like, "I've seen actors play exhausted before, but Keri Russell legit looks like she's been awake for 72 hours right now."

Yeah in that last scene staring into the mirror. I felt that inhuman ruin.

Also this is a bit embarrassing but I went out and bought a copy of Remain In Light after this episode lol.

Tonight's was a little slow (until the last scene)? Donald Blythe has left the Underwood administration and work over at State now.

Havent seen that yet but speaking of such crossovers, Oleg has been on a few eps of Homeland this season basically playing the more ruthless Putin-era thug version of Oleg!

(until the last scene)?

Yeah, but what an image.

Herschell Gordon Lewis would have loved it...Thinking about the last scene, though, would Elizabeth--who is generally meticulously careful--have left herself as vulnerable as she did? Maybe the idea, tying in with the exhaustion, is that she's starting to lose her edge. Like in The Godfather: "Let's face it, Tom, and with all due respect: the Don, rest in peace, was slippin'. Ten years ago--could I have gotten to him?"

I'll have to watch last night's again--I drifted off, tried again at 11:00, same problem. They always play the previous week before the new one.

From what I did see, didn't seem like a great episode, except for maybe the Stan-Oleg meeting.

Philip imagining a world where they could make classic russian meals and eat them with Stan at some day in the future was both naively optimistic and heartbreaking in the face of his dawning realization that Elizabeth is still completely locked in

Case in point: no recollection of that all...

xp I thought it was funny that they told each other they'd not spoken to anyone from back home in 20 years while they've both super secretly done that just in the last week or two.

This week's wasn't the most riveting episode I've ever seen, but the story is moving along at a pretty good clip this year vs. last year.

Sucks that Elizabeth has had to kill two unfortunate people at the end of the last two episodes all because they're trying to rush this operation and seem to be not very good at finding targets for her.

What do you make of Renee wanting to join the FBI? If she's Russian, that seems like a really clumsy attempt at infiltration--I'm guessing there's something more nuanced going on.

It’s a prequel to her character from the X-Files

Thinking about the last scene, though, would Elizabeth--who is generally meticulously careful--have left herself as vulnerable as she did?

not really? she's done stuff like that loads of times

she only killed the guy because he told her his girlfriend worked for security

I was talking about the episode from two weeks ago--the scene in the park. It seemed unlikely to me she would walk into a situation where someone who was clearly wavering could simply pull a gun on her.

Ah ok

I'd forgotten about later should-have-been-betters like Man on the Moon and Larry Flynt. He was directing so infrequently they felt like events at the time, and Carrey and Harrelson were good. They just didn't seem to say with me for very long. The first produced a great song and video, though (not directed by Forman).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_JnCWT-_O8