The Season 3 finale of The Americans was a surprisingly low-key affair. Of the myriad confrontations we’d been bracing ourselves for, none really materialized in any significant way. I think I understand what the creators, Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields (also the episode’s co-writers), were trying to accomplish by concluding the season with such a…
Going into last night’s episode of The Americans, I had mentally prepared myself for all things grisly. The borderline sadistic tenor of Season 3, combined with the fact that many of television’s “luxury brands” use the penultimate episode of a season to stage their climaxes, meant anything short of a Texas cage match between Agent…
Phew! For the first time in weeks, nobody on The Americans was lit on fire, no one was stuffed into a suitcase, no little old ladies were killed, and no teenage girls lost their innocence. And you know what? I’m fine with that. The audience needed a break after the emotional wringer it’s been put…
In last night’s “Stingers,” The Americans continued its pattern of structuring its episodes around one extended, intimate, difficult-to-watch scene. Though sometimes harrowing due to the infliction of physical pain, more often than not it is some form of emotional trauma that causes the viewer to look away. Last night’s featured scene promised to be the…
Almost every episode in the third season of The Americans has featured at least one scene that is excruciatingly painful for the viewer to watch. These cringe-inducing scenes, from the disposing of Analise’s body, to Philip’s dental work, to Nina’s betrayal of Evi, to last week’s necklacing, have become hallmarks of the series. But even…
In an early scene in last night’s The Americans, Oleg’s father calls Arkady (Lev Gorn) to ask why his son has not been sent home as he requested. When Arkady answers that Oleg (Costa Ronin) would like to finish his work in America before returning, the Minister of Railways is not happy. But instead of…
For most of Season 3, The Americans has attempted to tie the various plotlines of each episode together with a unifying theme. Whether it’s been adolescence, or religion, or suitcases, the creators have clearly put thought into not only the surface story, but also what each week is about. While I suppose last night’s episode,…
If last night’s opening scene of The Americans was the first time a bathtub had been prominently featured this season, it would be easy to take the events of the scene at face value. After all, Paige (Holly Taylor) had lobbied hard and received permission from her parents to become baptized by Pastor Tim (Kelly…
Early in last night’s episode of The Americans, “Salang Pass,” Philip (Matthew Rhys) listens to a BBC radio report of a deadly incident in Afghanistan’s Salang Tunnel. The initial estimate of fatalities released by the Soviet government was under 200, but it is now believed that the real number was closer to 2,000. The cause…
The one essential quality for survival in The Americans is the ability to tell a convincing lie. Given the show’s subject matter, this isn’t a particularly insightful revelation; good spycraft demands effective duplicity. Without it, you put not only your life in danger, but your colleagues and fellow countrymen, as well. “Dimebag,” the fourth in…
