A thread for The Americans on FX

I love Keri Russell

I do 2

Not as much as I love Nina Sergeevna.

she and Oleg are both great but it's a testament to how good this season is that I didn't even miss them when they sat out this week's episode

As a side note, I like how the Russians refer to each other by both their first and surnames in the subtitles. Does everyone do that in Russia?

Yeah I love Oleg and Arkady too. But in a very different way to Nina.

This has gotten awfully awfully good this season.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/arts/television/oliver-north-now-in-the-service-of-tvs-kgb.html

wtf, saw the credit but thought the name was just a freaky coincidence!

Good golly its Ollie ! Christ why do I remember that early 90's campaign shit, I am not even American.

Ah but your fbi neighbour doesn't know that

Excellent episode. Thought this season dragged a bit in the middle, but it really is building up excitingly now.

I'd like it if they have a new handler each season, like Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers.

NINA!

Good finale, more downbeat and subtle than I expected, and setting things up nicely for next time.

yeah was nicely subdued (in a good way)

did not see the twist of the family's killer coming at all

hope this isn't the last we see of nina

I kind of hope it is, heartbreaking as it is. Seems like the end of her story.

true, I guess I'd rather not see any more of her than some bullshit 'let's get the gang back together' contrivance

terrific character and actor though

Yeah I'm a bit in love with her as I'm sure I've mentioned.

And if they can come up with a genuinely clever and uncontrived way to keep her around then I'm all for it, but if not best to let her go really.

otm

show really got its game up this season

Yeah, still not quite top-tier stuff, but who knows what S3 will bring.

trailer for season 3, premieres jan. 28 (in US) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSu2dpWBjfQ

basically this is the best show currently on TV right now and the trailer, while vague, is suggestive of a similar quality level. not to mention many viewing-induced panic attacks in my future. was v pleased to find a thread for it here

HOLY FUCK I AM SO PSYCHED

cool stuff

Might have to get cable again for this.

f yeah Frank Lengella

*Langella

We just starting watching this. First two eps of season one are solid, though I have a bad feeling the innate implausibility will send this down the "Homeland" route. That is, something totally if enjoyably ridiculous that decides, what the hell, we might as well get even crazier. Like (and I know nothing about the show past the first two eps) they've done a poor job so far explaining the incentive to remain loyal to the USSR. On one hand, there are their actual, living, breathing, loved children, born and raised in America. Plus, of course, living in America, with its food, and no bread lines, and people having a good time. On the other hand, there is ... a general loyalty to the USSR? Maybe future episodes will reveal there are loved ones back in the motherland who would suffer if they defected?

Having seen all of this and most of Homeland I can assure you it's done a great job of becoming similarly rdiculous so far.

of AVOIDING becoming etc, rather...

Phew.

Oh yeah it's way better than Homeland. Don't think it's fully hit its stride yet though, this season'll be the decider probably.

Homeland and The Americans are both similarly great imho.

Season 1 of Homeland is ok, s2 is bloody awful. Not watched beyond that.

Yeah, don't even think we made it through season 1 of Homeland. I have a problem with shows purportedly set in the real world that are already pushing the boundaries of plausibility that decide to push them past the breaking point. See also: House of Cards. Even early on The Americans is faintly ridiculous, but I will go with it for a while, at least until guy disguises himself as Reagan or something similarly daft.

the Americans doesn't even scratch the surface of the kind of plausibility problems house of cards and homeland have

Phew again. I love when a show lands a great conceit and doesn't screw it up with stunt plots and stuff. Because really, good story and acting is enough.

You've gotta have a bit of larger than life stuff in there though. It's a fine balance.

It helps that Rhys+Russell are really great throughout. S2 does an unexpectedly great job fleshing out the Rezidentura peeps, too

great job fleshing out the Rezidentura peeps, too

Yeah, these are some of my favourite sections/characters. I'm a bit in love with Nina.

Lack of plausibility is not really an issue at all for me.

Me either, really! But there's some invisible line a lot of shows cross, esp. those set in the real world, where it starts out implausible, but acceptable, yet pushes things so far, and muddies motivations so much, they might as well be magical wizards rather than spies. I have high hopes for this one, though.

Just watched first 4 episodes of s1, not bad at all. Liked the Reagan shooting ep positing Al Haig as nearly starting WW3.

yeah, John-Boy casting + Margo Martindale as a vet of Stalingrad

when reagan was shot at, they said that james brady died.

Yeah that was ACTUAL archival mistaken reporting, i remember it well.

Apparently Matthew Rhys has a story credit on an episode of Archer this season.

People w/ screeners seem happy with the early S3 eps.

morbs, just fyi: s1 is very good, s2 takes off into excellence

It it always startling to see morbs on a tv series thread, check out the Fargo series as well!

NO, THIS ONE SHOW IS ALREADY TOO MUCH TV.

The first-season bed-hopping is kind of eye-rolling (yeah, TV must have eyeballs). Philip's FBI secretary asked "Do you have protection?" which I don't think was a synonym for "condoms" until at least "safe sex" came along; more like 1987 than 1981.

OH NO A CHARACTER ONCE UTTERED A MINOR SOLECISM WELL THAT OBVIOUSLY RUINS THE ENTIRE SHOW

tbh, the "do you have protection" is a more reasonable question in the context of his inner world: can he protect his soul while entering into yet another false face relationship AH DO U C