The Americans

[anotheridiot]

The thing is that Paige is still pretty young. By the time she is old enough to get a job with the FBI the Cold War is going to be almost over.

Yeah, but they dont know it. Its not like the KGB is not still active here or us there. Maybe I am confused and it was a different series that wanted to infiltrate the FBI, or maybe the Angie Jolie movie Salt that had me thinking that way.

Did not see the end if that spoiler was true. She was in episode 1 of xfiles and was either killed or abducted, if that series restarts again.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Thoughts on tonight's episode:

OH SHIT!

Spoiler

RIP Nina

That scene was so so good.

 

[calsnowskier]

Just watched last night's ep...

THANK GOD!!!

That whole arc was boring af. It had nothing to do with the main story. I don't even know why it was included.

Hopefully, now it is over.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Well, gotta hand it to the Soviets. They were extremely efficient with that ordeal.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Just watched last night's ep...

THANK GOD!!!

That whole arc was boring af. It had nothing to do with the main story. I don't even know why it was included.

Hopefully, now it is over.

I'm glad it was included. If nothing else, it is a reminder of what was going on in the Soviet Union. I don't think that the show really romanticizes the place or anything, but I think it's useful to have a glimpse of the type of things the protagonists are actually fighting for. If Nina had just left the show completely when they sent her back to the USSR I suspect that there would have been at least a few viewers out there who figured she was just going to sit in a nice little prison cell for a little while with 3 squares a day and a book of Russian crossword puzzles.

 

[calsnowskier]

I'm glad it was included. If nothing else, it is a reminder of what was going on in the Soviet Union. I don't think that the show really romanticizes the place or anything, but I think it's useful to have a glimpse of the type of things the protagonists are actually fighting for. If Nina had just left the show completely when they sent her back to the USSR I suspect that there would have been at least a few viewers out there who figured she was just going to sit in a nice little prison cell for a little while with 3 squares a day and a book of Russian crossword puzzles.

I think they could have told the story of the USSR being "evil" without having a arc that ate 25% of the airtime for a season and a half that has no connection to the main story. It just seemed so out of place.

She was an asset of Stan. Fine. But even in S1, it was kind of out of place (although I wasnt complaining then, because that did help establish Stan's character).

She is also the imagined toy of the KGB head in the DC Embassy. I am not sure what the point of the Embassy is, anyway. They NEVER contact the Jennings' or their handlers (on screen) and have only contacted Stan a couple times in the entire duration of the show to this point.

If the show focused entirely on the Jennings and their handlers with a side focus on the FBI office with Stan and Martha, I think the show would be much tighter and they would be able to tell all the side stories just fine (FBI findings and Handlers actions to tell how evil the USSR is; the Jennings desire to abandon the spy game and become true Americans to show the pull of western civilization). The fact that the mere mention of defecting has not even been mentioned until a throw-away comment in S4 just shows how SLOW this show is going.

 

[wildturkey]

These last couple episodes with Martha have been fantastic.

Spoiler

No clue how she's still alive though. Figured the KGB would off her or she'd kill herself. It's also a little unbelievable the FBI didn't catch her when they traced that phone call

 

[calsnowskier]

These last couple episodes with Martha have been fantastic.

Spoiler

No clue how she's still alive though. Figured the KGB would off her or she'd kill herself. It's also a little unbelievable the FBI didn't catch her when they traced that phone call

Agree. Stan and his partner were driving around the park with Phil, Martha and Elizabeth all walking around (with Phil yelling Martha's name) and there is not even a near-miss?

 

[chf]

Don't agree Cal. Our protagonists are Soviets, so if they lose that whole sup-plot, then it becomes much harder to show the differences between the two systems. Anything happening in the USSR would then necessarily happen offscreen, which would be a lot less dramatic.

To me, that's the only part of the show that contrasts why the US won the cold war - a more fundamental understanding of human nature.

Nina's 'resolution' will be one of the most memorable moments in the show's run, imo.

One of the things I love about the show too is how similar life is at the FBI, and at the Soviet embassy. But the FBI guys get to go home at night and be individuals. Whereas the Soviets have to keep up that drone-like existence 24-7.

 

[calsnowskier]

Don't agree Cal. Our protagonists are Soviets, so if they lose that whole sup-plot, then it becomes much harder to show the differences between the two systems. Anything happening in the USSR would then necessarily happen offscreen, which would be a lot less dramatic.

To me, that's the only part of the show that contrasts why the US won the cold war - a more fundamental understanding of human nature.

Nina's 'resolution' will be one of the most memorable moments in the show's run, imo.

One of the things I love about the show too is how similar life is at the FBI, and at the Soviet embassy. But the FBI guys get to go home at night and be individuals. Whereas the Soviets have to keep up that drone-like existence 24-7.

Fair enough.

I just think the Nina story-line was so alien to the main story-line that it seemed completely out of place. If they wanted to include that line (and dedicate 25%+ of screen-time), I would have liked them to tie it into the Jennings (or Stan) more closely. As it was, it just felt like a completely separate show.

And having Stan ask about her every 3rd show does not qualify as a tie-in (IMHO).

 

[chf]

Fair enough.

I just think the Nina story-line was so alien to the main story-line that it seemed completely out of place. If they wanted to include that line (and dedicate 25%+ of screen-time), I would have liked them to tie it into the Jennings (or Stan) more closely. As it was, it just felt like a completely separate show.

And having Stan ask about her every 3rd show does not qualify as a tie-in (IMHO).

But if she was still tied into Stan, then her 'resolution' wouldn't have happened. She had to lose everything for her to get there.

And even then, she was thrown a lifeline to play along and be a good soldier, and she chose to do what she thought was right instead (thus the resolution).

Again, that's hugely symbolic of what what was wrong with the Soviet system. Our protagonists are fighting the 'good' fight, so how do we show those systemic flaws if our protagonist are going to remain sympathetic?

 

[calsnowskier]

Again, I get what you are saying. I just dont think that the arc worked in the show. It was too detached from EVERYTHING else.

If you want to show the lack of human-ness is Soviet Russia, either do it in a different manner that ties to the main story, or tie that arc to the main story.

I am not a writer. I am not going to propose an alternate solution. I am a viewer. And IMHO, the writers failed me on that arc because I did not care about the story or the character. When she was killed, I literally cheered because it meant I didnt have to watch that boring af arc anymore. It didnt effect Phil, Elizabeth or Stan, so I didnt care.

However, I lived through all of this, so I did not need this arc to hammer home who the big-picture good guys are and the big-picture bad guys are. Maybe they needed this to tell the whole story to those who are either too young to know about the USSR or are old enough but just did not pay attention at the time.

 

[chf]

Again, I get what you are saying. I just dont think that the arc worked in the show. It was too detached from EVERYTHING else.

If you want to show the lack of human-ness is Soviet Russia, either do it in a different manner that ties to the main story, or tie that arc to the main story.

I am not a writer. I am not going to propose an alternate solution. I am a viewer. And IMHO, the writers failed me on that arc because I did not care about the story or the character. When she was killed, I literally cheered because it meant I didnt have to watch that boring af arc anymore. It didnt effect Phil, Elizabeth or Stan, so I didnt care.

However, I lived through all of this, so I did not need this arc to hammer home who the big-picture good guys are and the big-picture bad guys are. Maybe they needed this to tell the whole story to those who are either too young to know about the USSR or are old enough but just did not pay attention at the time.

I get what you're saying. I find that in some books that I love - characters that I kinda' skim read, even though I know I shouldn't. So in GOT forinstance, every time I'd come to an Iron Islanders chapter, I'd start skimming. Some writers need an editor, and for a few gigantic talents, they don't have to have one (I'm looking at you Stephen King)

Generally I find that so long as the writer is talented, the characters I don't connect with on an emotional level, still have a role to play in my enjoyment of the characters that I DO connect with.

And I'd put the writing on 'Americans' in that solid category.

Before the resolved Nina, I'd have agreed with you. But that scene was a 'holy fuck' moment for me, and it changed my mind. It reinforced for me that I should have trusted them to give me a payoff for the time spent (because I agree that the whole residentura/Nina side story WASN'T as compelling)

And even though I've written some stuff on a pretty low level, I'm certainly not a 'writer,' just a fan, like you.

 

[wildturkey]

The day we discovered our parents were Russian spies

True story that inspired the show

 

[tabascojet]

binged about five episodes(still one to go) in the last couple days....got to get my wife to join the kgb. those bitches dtf. phillip is such a bitch though. never should have shown himself and worried so much about martha. and paige needs to be waterboarded for sure.

 

[calsnowskier]

Does anyone else remember watching The Day After when it first aired?

That was a powerful flick for the time.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I don't have time right now to write much so I'll just say

Holy fuck! Shit is getting crazy!

I am so excited for next Wednesday.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Is this the year that this show is finally Emmy nominated? I am constantly impressed by it.

 

[wildturkey]

Is this the year that this show is finally Emmy nominated? I am constantly impressed by it.

Should be. Past due. With other shows ending (BB, Mad Men, etc), that should clear some space up

 

[DragonfromTO]

Should be. Past due. With other shows ending (BB, Mad Men, etc), that should clear some space up

Dylan Baker for the finale is an easy one. He can finally get that Coke.