The Americans

[flyonthewall2983]

Anyone catch the pilot for The Americans last night? I think it has potential, but whether it's long-term potential is another story.

[knives]

I thought it was horrible. Couldn't get even 45 minutes through let alone ditch The Daily Show for it.

[warren oates]

Anyone catch the pilot for The Americans last night? I think it has potential, but whether it's long-term potential is another story.

I'm saving myself for at least the possibility of the first three in a row on my DVR. The concept is brilliant. One of the co-creators/showrunners was a real spy in his previous life and wrote quite a good literary novel about the realities of espionage called An Ordinary Spy. So I'm hoping knives hates it for the reasons I might like it.

[domino harvey]

Just finished the (rather lengthy) pilot and liked it enough to continue watching-- It's nice to finally be on the ground-floor with one of these cable dramas! The season preview at the end looks promising as well, and I do believe I spied Margo Martindale in the mix!

I thought the most compelling ideas here involve the conflicting artifices of domesticity and family, showing the Russian spies struggling against their baser parental natures to adjust matters in a direction fitting their objectives. Sometimes this is played for a laugh-- Keri Russell's amusing line about space travel-- but this is a fairly humorless show that plays its outlandish premise straight, a bold approach that mostly works. The pilot does struggle with shoehorning in "adult" material in an organic fashion: Russell seems to be in "Let me dirty up my image" mode, so she's talks about fingering a dude's asshole while blowing him, &c, but the violence is present yet somehow more subdued than I expected from the network that brings me Justified every week... the Americans makes one character jabbing a BBQ Fork into some pervert's crotch seem practically genteel! For a show set in the early eighties, though, it sure does look and feel awfully modern (though scoring the opening action sequence to "Tusk" was kinda brilliant)

[flyonthewall2983]

Uh-oh.

[TomReagan]

I’m genuinely surprised this show isn’t getting more discussion and/or love here. It’s rapidly established itself as one of my top favorites currently airing (along with Southland, another remarkable show hitting a fantastic stride), and is becoming stronger and murkier with each passing week. After my complete and utter disappointment in Homeland’s Season Two, it’s nice to have an intelligent, adult, and less-than-histrionic espionage drama on the air, complete with a host of very solid character actors (plus, I can only presume that creator Joe Weisberg once being an actual spook is helping immeasurably). Curious if there are any other fans of this show out in Criterionforumland.

[Reverend Drewcifer]

Mrs. Reverend and I are huge fans of The Americans. Would have loved if they'd shelled out the cash to have Fleetwood Mac's 'Tusk' as the main title theme. Noah Emmerich is wonderfully subtle here, and its sporadic violence perfectly punctuates the high tension.

[Matt]

I was intrigued by it, but after having several shows canceled out from under me in the past several years, I rarely commit to any new series until the first season is over. Then I'll catch up on DVD or VOD.

[Professor Wagstaff]

I'm glad you brought this up, Tom, because I was watching last night and wondered why it hasn't earned more attention here on the forum. I'm two episodes behind, but I hope to add more to the discussion soon. An minor issue that I do have with the show (which also carries over to the wonderful Justified) is that both programs establish a main dilemma in the first episode or two and then throw that storyline into the backseat while self-contained episodes take the foreground. I wish The Americans and Justified had the push (or is it network consent?) to make build more epic A-stories. As structured now it certainly makes it easier for new viewers to jump in at any time, but its very easy for me to push aside episodes to a later date and often forget to catch up (as a result, I've only ever seen Justified season 1 all the way through, and I'm trying to maintain my viewership with The Americans). In many ways the show reminds me of The Lives of Others as far as the characters, aesthetic, and stories. As a fan of period-set films/shows, I'm glad that the show didn't ride on Mad Men's coattails for a 1960s spy drama and instead capitalized on the eighties as a rich setting. The fall of the Soviet empire looms so heavily over the show and knowing how much the political climate will soon change is nerve-wracking.

[Andre Jurieu]

My initial doubts about this show were mostly tied to the fact that I didn't think Keri Russell was going to be very believable as a spy, especially a Soviet spy, given her slight build and the fact that Felicity was just about the least physically aggressive character in the history of TV. Hell, Melissa George is more physically imposing than Russell and even her role as Sam Hunter on Hunted required a substantial suspension of disbelief at times. Yet Russell has certainly proved me wrong in the show's first few episodes, as her presence has been surprisingly staunch and nowhere near as meek as I thought it would be. In fact, I had forgotten how easily Russell is able to be curt and stern at times, which makes Elizabeth much more substantial as a character. It also helps that the show understands Russell's physical limitations and exhibits Elizabeth operating effectively without having to always resort to violence. However, they were also smart to have Elizabeth lose control a couple episodes ago and I actually thought it was entirely believable in execution. It also set up a great back-and-forth on that park bench last week, where I kept thinking she was going to go full Wayne Brady and ask "is Felicity Porter gonna to have to choke a bitch?"

[TomReagan]

As impressed as I was with the use of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" in the pilot, I sat gobsmacked last night as the opening chords of The Cure's "Siamese Twins" from Pornography began to play -- one of their bleakest songs from their absolutely bleakest album. I would imagine Robert Smith was a bit surprised when management contacted him about that particular request. (Moreover, since this show doesn't aggressively push its time frame in an overly showy or facile manner, and has tended to use period music sparingly thus far, I was even more impressed with the choice.)

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Been following The Americans since the beginning, and am very impressed by this show - superb. Excellent stories, acting, with a lot of attention taken to make this a convincing early '80's setting. Really liked how Tusk & Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight was used in the pilot. The show's producers/creators have taken a lot of time to re-create this time period, right down to the limited technology & trends from that time, i.e. the large headphones the neighbor's son had on in one of the early episodes, leg-warmers, etc.

Never seen Felicity so had no pre-conceived ideas of how KR should act; for that matter, I don't really recognize any of the actors/actresses on this show (with the exception of John Boy from the Waltons, which I never actually watched).

[domino harvey]

This show doesn't indulge too frequently in period music but when it does, man-- could there have been a better song for the season finale's montage than "Games Without Frontiers"? This is a slow-burner show and I'm again glad to be in one the ground floor to watch it unfold. The series will almost surely continue to improve, as the producers have already shown a willingness to tighten their game, such as getting rid of a poorly-conceived supporting characters and allowing more gray areas amidst those double-crossing figures still left standing.

I do hope for more of a focus on the family life next year, as probably the most nerve-wracking episode this entire season was the excruciatingly tense subplot with the kids hitchhiking and finding themselves in increasingly less ambiguous danger. There's a lot of untapped material with how these full-blooded American kids' expectations rub against those of their operative 'rents.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Yes, the finale last week was excellent. Very tense as always, to the point that you weren't sure what the outcome would be. IMHO the show has been consistently great since the beginning. I also agree that using Peter Gabriel's Games without Frontiers (1980) in this last episode was brilliant; really a fitting end to the season.

[Polybius]

Southland, another remarkable show hitting a fantastic stride

I've meant to ask if anyone else here is watching that show. It's one of the very few currently airing that I will really stick up for (although I was a little disappointed with this season, only because of the high standard they had previously set.)

As for The Americans, I stuck with it through the whole season and hope to see it continue.

I echo particularly Prof. W's relief that the show is set in the comparatively underutilized early 80's period, and domino's observation about the episode featuring the Jennings children having to hitchhike home. Judging by her work so far, Holly Taylor has a real future ahead of her.

[The Doogster]

I thought it was OK. But did anyone notice how structurally similar it is to Breaking Bad? C'mon, some ordinary suburbanites trying to disguise their criminal activity from a cop who keeps popping around?

My problem with the show was its lack of comic relief. A little laughter can go a long way with serious subject matter. No-one will ever be able to create a better comic character than that of Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad.

Also, it strains credibility that Keri Russell can go around beating up grown men, regardless of how well she's been trained to do so. Maybe those scenes are intended as comic relief?

[cdnchris]

Breaking Bad also has Cranston who has amazing comic timing as he's displayed in some of the sitcoms he has worked on, from Seinfeld to Malcolm in the Middle and he's alaways managed to add levity to the show even when it's at its most tense.

[Andre Jurieu]

I thought it was OK. But did anyone notice how structurally similar it is to Breaking Bad? C'mon, some ordinary suburbanites trying to disguise their criminal activity from a cop who keeps popping around?

My problem with the show was its lack of comic relief. A little laughter can go a long way with serious subject matter. No-one will ever be able to create a better comic character than that of Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad.

So, you're annoyed that it's too similar to Breaking Bad in terms of the dynamic established between it's characters, but then you're also irritated that it isn't exactly like Breaking Bad in terms of tone? Then you mildly penalize them for not having a character capable of achieving the same level of comic-relief-timing, which was the very aspect of the show that you believe they are not even attempting at accomplishing. Seems like they're kind of "damned if they do, damned if they don't" if that's the method of judging whether the show is successful.

Also, it strains credibility that Keri Russell can go around beating up grown men, regardless of how well she's been trained to do so.

I agree that it seemed kind of implausible, but as the show progressed they avoiding doing this very often. In fact, I was actually pleasantly surprised that they even had a scene early on where Elizabeth realized she was physically over-matched by her male opponent and instead twisted the situation into a plea for her attacker to stop. While Russell is still very physically slight, the show avoided making her the ultimate killing machine like Melissa George on Hunted (though the fact that they stretched credibility past any logical limits is also kind of what made Hunted so fun to watch). Plus, Russell's most bad-ass scene all year was when she

SpoilerShow

beat up an old woman.

Breaking Bad also has Cranston who has amazing comic timing as he's displayed in some of the sitcoms he has worked on, from Seinfeld to Malcolm in the Middle and he's alaways managed to add levity to the show even when it's at its most tense.

Admittedly, I sometimes think Walt is going to ask Hank to "swap", or start calling Saul a rabid anti-dentite, or suddenly convert to Judaism for the unlimited access to additional comic-material. Plus, his role on Malcolm in the Middle really set the stage up quite nicely for his performance Walt, to the point where it seemed completely reasonable for any father to decide to cook meth on the side after having to deal with those kids - even though it was a different family on a different show.

[The Doogster]

So, you're annoyed that it's too similar to Breaking Bad in terms of the dynamic established between it's characters, but then you're also irritated that it isn't exactly like Breaking Bad in terms of tone? Then you mildly penalize them for not having a character capable of achieving the same level of comic-relief-timing, which was the very aspect of the show that you believe they are not even attempting at accomplishing. Seems like they're kind of "damned if they do, damned if they don't" if that's the method of judging whether the show is successful.

No, I'm annoyed that the writer was obviously influenced by Breaking Bad, yet only clumsily took a plot device from it (ie. keeping the cops close by putting them next door), while ignoring the soul and warmth of Breaking Bad. Without that X factor, The Americans is not going to make it.

I never get the feeling of watching particularly deep characters in The Americans. The producers of the show are more interested in schlocky plot devices from cheesy spy novels. I don't get the impression we are ever going to see the complex examination of what it means to be part of a community that The Americans thinks it's about.

[Andre Jurieu]

But being influenced by one aspect of Breaking Bad and adapting it into the basic set-up of a show shouldn't really mean that every aspect of that show must now be compared to Breaking Bad.

I would also argue that the soul and warmth of The Americans is quite apparent, but just is found from a different source. The first season focused heavily on the disintegration of the mythical American-nuclear-family ideal that was established during the early years of the cold-war and was beginning to erode during this more modern era. The soul of the show is really just exploring the dynamic between Philip and Elizabeth's marriage, which started as an assignment, but now certainly displays numerous variations on the concept of a partnership. The warmth of the show is in watching the family attempt to navigate through the idea of a separation after years as a cohesive unit. In this case, the show functions less as an examination of a community and much more like a exploration of the commitment necessary to sustain an arranged marriage within a society that couldn't possibly understand the purpose of such a relationship due to the inherent freedom they espouse.

I would actually argue that Breaking Bad has really discarded the Walt-Skyler marriage and has been weakened slightly by the fact that Skylar and Marie now seem to just function as terrified spouses. In fact, in the past 10-12 episodes (rough estimate) of Breaking Bad I'm not sure the wives have served much purpose other than obstacles or comic relief.

The other aspect of The Americans that's quite fascinating is the conflict between the two generations battling for control of the era, even when they're on the same side of the cold-war. There's a great interaction between superiors and staff, and between mentors and proteges, that kind of defines what it's like working at any office.

Breaking Bad remains the pinnacle in terms of engrossing television series, but it shouldn't really define how other shows are evaluated, especially when other dramas are attempting to establish different tones and accomplish different things.

[domino harvey]

Emmy-winner and soon-to-be Oscar nominee Margo Martindale left the Americans to do fart jokes on CBS

[warren oates]

Not like it was a surprise, but good riddance. The new job seems more commensurate with her acting talents. Really, she was the very worst thing on The Americans and the choice to cast her continually reminded me of why I feel so ambivalent about the series as a whole. For every smart good decision they'd make, there would be a bad dumb one that had nothing to do with any limitations imposed by the medium, the genre, the budget, the period or the network.

[mfunk9786]

Excellent contrarian-ing, sir.

[domino harvey]

I didn't know anyone on earth disliked Margo Martindale. How is it possible? Do you hate chocolate chip cookies too?

[warren oates]

I prefer peanut butter or M&M. But yeah, I thought she was godawful.

If you have something specific to say in defense of what I found to be Martindale's consistently grating, unconvincing and lackluster performance of a role that any number of other woman of a certain age/look would have killed to get and made way more out of, I'd love to hear it. I doubt it will change my mind, though, due to the still lingering pain of watching her stumble through line readings all the while recognizing that this was the very best take each director was able to get out of her. Martindale's Americans casting strikes me as one of those ultra-rare instances of reverse ageism/sexism, where her frumpy dowdy look won out over any consideration of her ability or aptness for the part. Not every actress who looks like your spinster aunt can automatically be a convincing mob boss (Jacki Weaver) or a psycho killer (Kathy Bates) via the mere irony of her appearance vs. her actions.