The Americans: Games Without Frontiers

Oh boy, where do I begin with The Americans? I've been wanting to write about this show its entire freshman season. Every week there was something new and exciting to mention. This is a show I wouldn't mind doing weekly recaps for. If it wasn't for my great Game of Thrones project, I probably would have. Just trust me when I say it is fantastic television. I already know it's going to make my Top Ten at the end of the year. And I have been recommending it to everybody and anybody in ear shot.

At various points throughout the season I went as far as to actually write notes, which would typically evolve into proper posts. But I failed to follow through. Instead I have decided to compile and refine my rough notes and update with a series of posts about the show. So here, my friends, is the first installment of my mega-series regarding FX's fantastic freshman program, The Americans.


First Impressions
The Americans stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as Russian spies living in the United States during the 1980s. Right away, just based on that, I was interested in the premise of the show. A few early reviews seemed to imply that the pilot might be worth my time...and it sure was. The Americans isn't about spies per se. I mean yes, spy things are happening (to an amazing soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel, by the way), but there's SO much more to it. There are elements of loyalty and duty to these characters' actions--as you would expect coming from a spy drama--but that loyalty and duty is about marriage and family just as much as it is about commitment to home and country.

From the beginning, one of the most compelling aspects of The Americans wasn't necessarily the time period or the spying, but rather the idea of partnership and marriage. Not only the one between Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Rhys and Russell, respectively) and how it is a faux marriage of necessity--a commitment to the motherland via each other. But also the marriage of FBI agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) and his civilian wife. Both couples are neighbors. Both couples have children. And both couples have secrets within their own family. The Jennings' children, Paige and Henry, have no idea that their parents are Russian, let alone spies. And as the season continues, the dynamics of their relationship comes into sharper focus. Elizabeth comes across as cold, committed, and serious while Phillip appears to take to American life a little too well, and this obviously all affects their marriage. Throughout the season Phillip and Elizabeth navigate the ups and downs of their relationship while also managing to engage in some extremely entertaining espionage.

All the characters have damage and past experiences that others, including spouses, don't even know about. This is made clear in the pilot episode and comes back again and again throughout the season. Stan is still a mess from his past undercover jobs and it is negatively impacting his home life. Meanwhile Phillip and Elizabeth are partners who have been spying together for well over a decade. They have children and they depend on each other in all aspects of their lives. But there's still a distance between them, and individual pasts and relationships the other knows nothing about. The entire season deals with Phillip and Elizabeth recognizing this distance, coming to grips with their feelings for one another--how deeply they may or may not run--and doing something about it. It's a delicate yet fascinating relationship. Especially when they are encouraging the other to seduce a target and gather post-coital intelligence.

Emotions run strong throughout this entire season. To the point that the season finale was so much more emotional than a show about Russian spies in America has any reason being. And that's what makes The Americans such a fantastic program. Not just the fact that I'm sitting here at home with my baby-boomer mother rooting for these Russians and worrying about their safety, but because the characters are so well drawn, the dynamics of their relationships so delicately laid before us, that it elevates every action on the show to another level. And its not cheap or soapy, but rather genuine and relatable.


And Did I Mention Spies?
The show is about spies! Russian spies! In America! During the Cold War! In the 1980s! The clothes! The technology! The cars! THE WIGS! It's all fantastic, really. There are great action sequences, and sexy times, and costumes to keep the most shallow viewer entertained. But there is also a compelling story and an intricate plot with wins and losses and actual stakes. And woven throughout is the dynamics of the main characters' marriage.

Just know that The Americans is one of my favorite shows at the moment. And for damn good reason: because it's a damn good show.