The Americans

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Long Run
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The Americans

Post by Long Run »

Just finished watching The Americans last season. This was another excellent show from FX. The last season and final episode were terrific. It might take some people a few episodes to get into this one, and the show definitely got better and better,so it is worth the time investment if it doesn’t grab you from the start. Plus, they had a an angst ridden teen who didn’t totally drive you crazy. If you are looking for a new binge watch, you can hardly beat The Americans six seasons.

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Lord Jim
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Re: The Americans

Post by Lord Jim »

Just finished the first five seasons on Amazon Prime, and we'll be starting the final season with Comcast On Demand tonight...

Really good stuff...

I don't have time to say a lot about it right now, I'll say more later; great performances by both the starring and supporting cast...

The starring actress, Keri Russell (who I wasn't familiar with; from looking at her IMDB profile, this role represents a huge departure and dramatic stretch from her previous work...) reminds me a lot of Michelle Dockery (Good Behavior, Godless)
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BoSoxGal
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Re: The Americans

Post by BoSoxGal »

Spent the past week bingeing the entire series - wow, just wow. Must see! One of the best written shows on TV ever, I think - there wasn’t one bad episode, IMHO.

The chemistry between the leads was very compelling so I wasn’t surprised to learn they’ve been real life partners since the first year the show ran.

The violence was a bit much for me at times, but made it all the more fascinating to find myself so invested in the well being of the ‘illegals’ despite all their terrible acts.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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BoSoxGal
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Re: The Americans

Post by BoSoxGal »

This is a really fascinating article about a real life Paige and Henry and how their parents’ choices to have children while living as Russian spies immersed in the US has effected their lives.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... alex-foley
Last edited by BoSoxGal on Sun Dec 23, 2018 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Lord Jim
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Re: The Americans

Post by Lord Jim »

made it all the more fascinating to find myself so invested in the well being of the ‘illegals’ despite all their terrible acts.
That was one of the most remarkable effects that the series was able to achieve; making the audience care about and to an extent even like, characters who were essentially professional assassins (among many other cold, amoral acts)...

And they didn't just kill other people in the spy game; they also deliberately murdered a number of completely innocent civilians who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Which is why I found the series finale kind of surprising; I didn't expect them to basically get completely away with so much bad karma on their plates. )

I think part of the way that the series was able to get the audience to feel empathy for these basically unsympathetic characters, was the way the backstories of their upbringings and grooming for their jobs showed them also to a certain extent to be victims...

Another way they achieved this was by making them in every other respect so "normal"; dealing with the same sorts of problems (child raising, relationship strains, etc.) that many people face . For all of their cold-blooded deeds, neither of these two were sadistic psychopaths delighting in killing people; they saw themselves as soldiers in a war, serving a cause.

And over time, precisely because they weren't sadistic psychopaths, all the terrible things they were called upon to do took a severe emotional and psycological toll on them. (especially in Philip's case, but ultimately for Elizabeth as well.)
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TPFKA@W
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Re: The Americans

Post by TPFKA@W »

Many eons later, my retirement has led me to check this out.

Wow. If anyone aside from me has not seen this you are missing a gem.

And reading through the thread has made me miss LJ terribly.

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