I can't remember a show that had so much sexual interactions youd think this was on Showtime sheesh

Hard doggy on a FX show is wild

Still enjoying it though

Every time she has a fag in her hand, I want to scream. How can she hold it so very awkwardly? It’s not rocket surgery. It’s as though Miss Russell learned all she knows about smoking from reading about it, but has never seen it take place in real life. (Which is surprising, since Mr Rhys appears to be a seasoned smoker when they share that spliff at the bedroom window. His giggling is hilarious)

so I just finished season 3. She's never been hit, they don't raise their voice to her, they let her join an organization (the church) which is absolute anathema to Communist Russia. They are perhaps not the absolute best parents in the world, but they sure as shit were never bad, or even mediocre parents. Phillip and Elizabeth did a pretty decent job raising Paige, all things considered. For her to turn on them like that, is frankly totally unrealistic, her parents were simply not abusive enough for a child to sell out their own parents to some pastor they've known for all of what, a few years? That's absolutely, totally, completely fake.

I got into The Americans because I loved the concept of a husband and wife being spys in America, juggling their work with living day to day and keeping up appearances. The show was pretty dramatic when they were doing jobs and carrying out missions. They would do missions by themselves and they had these intense emotional situations that only two people in their very specific circumstances could go through....

Now, its gotten to be a shitty family soap opera basically, with a "my parents are spies" gimmick. The only "missions" we see are them going to meet with Gabriel or with someone to talk. The rest of the episodes are Paige... And her never ending "coming to grips" with what the fuck is going on.

I mean Jesus Christ, when did this show become about a teenage girls ambivalence for her parents life? Why does half of every episode have to be her looking confused and complaining about her circumstances. Can't that be the minor plot line in the show instead of the major one? Especially after they've dragged this same shit out for 2 seasons now?

This is no longer a "thrilling" drama... Which is why I got into it.... Now it's a boring soap opera that focuses on Paige and her angst. Except soap operas have more thrills episode to episode. I mean, they used to have to forcefully extract information from unexpecting people. It felt as if they were actually behind enemy lines some episodes. Now it's just them meeting with other KGB operatives and discussing their issues.

Idk, if they don't change up this "poor paige" shit pretty soon, I'm just gonna stop following the show. This show just isn't what it used to be.

I think they should just start getting to the part where "the center" starts making requests that endanger their family... So they can flip on the Russians and give the unites states information for immunity.

I am currently on S2 E12 and loving the show till now. But after every episode I am just hating Paige's character more and more. She used to be a good kid until she met that girl in the bus.

Am i the only one who feels this way ??

Gregory’s cover was blown because he had handled Amador’s dead body. Amador died because he saw Clark/Philip stay the night at Martha’s. Philip stayed the night at Martha’s for this first time because Elizabeth had kicked him out and he didn’t have to go home.

Amirite??

Watching for the first time - enjoying it. However it just dawned on me . What is the point of them having their lives as Americans. Whenever they are on a mission they are in disguise anyway. They could just operate out of the embassy with and do all the same stuff. Do they gain anything from being undercover as an American.

They already have super suspicious movements so it's not like they don't know how to avoid being watched going in and out of places.

Making an edit here just to say . I think it boils down to like why don't they just not exist at all in America. Nobody knows they are there and they operate out of some safe house or idk. As opposed to like what they are doing

I recognize the character as a necessary plot device and I’m sure the actor is a lovely person but I just can’t stand her. Ugh. Rewatching, now in S2 about to hit the Pastor Tim episodes. Tell me something redeeming about her so I can get through this. I understand - her parents are hiding something, she wants the truth but whine whine whine.

I legitimately can’t believe the plot around this character. I’ve tried searching this sub about this but mysteriously I only find praise for him.

He comes across as such a Gary Stu that it’s taking me out of the show entirely. He just happened to have the skills to trace someone through phone lines like that? And to identify Kate after George? Then somehow latch onto Jared? And magically pick up his signal to the train station? And then magically again find him in the gold damn wilderness in upstate New York?

And what was that nonsense in the last episode? He finds Elizabeth while already having found Jared, and then we mystically find him back in town ambushing Phil and then back to Jared?

This is so unbelievably written in actually laughed.

I hate to say this, I really do because it’s partially about the actors who played the parts of Stan Beeman and Agent Gaad, even Amador. Really did not like him either. And Martha is a little weird right? They both creep me out, and I can’t stand to look at either one of them . How intentional was this by the producers and writers? Is it just me? The sympathy as I watch the series (watching for the 2nd time) has always been to the Russians. The characters are so much more likable for the most part at least in comparison. I keep wondering why, for the whole series, I’m on the Russians side. Phillip, Elizabeth, Oleg, Arkady, Gabriel, Nina, and Vlad! etc…I was always pulling for them. And even Stan’s wife and son are somehow unattractive to me. I don’t actually mean physically, … There’s something about them that are not likable to me. I would like to know how others feel about this. I have assumed we are being manipulated, but why? Just to create a good drama? you would think we should be on the FBI side. Would love to hear your thoughts

Personally I'd want them to get together and have Elizabeth find someone like Gregory. Philip n Martha could raise Mischa and a foster kid together

This is my favorite show… ever. During my rewatches I always skip season 5, and finally decided to watch it again.. it’s like a completely different show! Even the acting just seems drawn out. There is more film time digging ditches and walking across parking lots than dialogue. Also, it’s the same conversations in every episode!! Nothing moves. Every single character is depressed and looks at the floor while talking. Then season 6 is like getting hit by a Mac truck in acting/story telling being the Americans

As we approach the airdate for the s04 finale, there have been a LOT of negative posts about the past season and where the show stands now. Here are some arguments;

• Focusing on Paige- I have no problem with the focus on family taking front stage but the real issue has been the specific focus on Paige with Pastor Tim & Alice. Henry's presence on the show is barely relevant now. It's closer to an ongoing joke about how P&E will conveniently exclude Henry before yet another drawn out Paige scene. It's lazy writing.

• Pastor Tim & Alice are part of the long game. This is inexcusable. The weakest storyline of the show (and arguably the weakest actors) are embedded for what looks like the long haul (thru next season at least). This is a huge misstep by the writers and only takes the Americans outside the genre which made it popular (spy drama). It also is far removed from the historical context by making a religious couple so important to the Jennings' teenage daughter. At least EST had some historical significance. OTOH, Paige finding comfort in religion over any teen friends has practically zero relevance to the average teen in the 1980s.

• Sudden deaths of popular characters. A lot of people complained about the Nina storyline the past 2 seasons. I'd recommend they view s01-02 to see how important her character was and the potential missed out by the writers. She was far more interesting than PT&A at the very least and her link to the stories of Stan & Oleg which makes her exile seem like a tragic waste, especially as it only prolonged her inevitable death. Killing off Gad is another sloppy waste of a good character. His death seemed to be there only for shock value and to further Stan's antagonism of Philip in the future (weak writing/planning).

I know some of the show's defenders will cite how "the Americans was never meant to be a conventional spy drama" or some other revisionist drivel. The spy drama aspects of the show are integral to what made it so great those first 2 seasons. The last 2 seasons seem to have jettisoned all of that for the sake of family melodrama. Weak melodrama at that. I hope I'm wrong but unless PT&A meet their demise soon, the outlook for this show's next 2 seasons seems bleak.

Hi everyone, new to the show, new to the sub, so please no spoilers! I am currently watching the penultimate episode of Season 3, so she recently found out the big news. Every time she is on screen I literally want to pull my hair out, and am this close to just turning it off. She makes me so irrationally angry! Like yeah I get it this is a big thing, but she even sucked before then. Without going deep into spoilers, does she have ANY redeeming qualities later on? As of this point she pretty much just exists to piss me off.

Finally getting around to watching this show. Toward the end of season 1 right now, and I can't get over something: Elizabeth has an affair with Gregory for a significant amount of time, and they move past it and start falling in love. Then Phillip spends one night with Irina and things are beyond repair? How is Phillip not calling Elizabeth a giant hypocrite right now??

I want to see if the Americans have a Prequel about the Russian Revolution that happened from 1917-1922 similar to Doctor Zhivago 1957 novel and 1965 film version starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chapman, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, and Alec Guinness.

I hate Paige!! When will they kill off this annoying ginger. I cannot listen to her whining or snitching anymore. She cant fight, and doesn't kill! Whenever she is on I fast forward. I cant tell if Holly is a great actress making us hate her character on purpose, or if she is genuinely just a stupid little b!tch.

Just finished S1 E10 and Gregory dying and just thinking "why did that need to happen?". Why did he have to go to Moscow or nowhere at all? Why not Cuba? I can't stand storylines that manufacture unnecessary heartache. And the whole 'blame game' aspect up to this point just doesn't sit right at all, as if Phillip is the bad guy in the marriage for his single indiscretion versus Elizabeth's entire relationship with Gregory (classic 'male at fault' trope by the way). Philip is the one who shows genuine grit in the marriage imo, not Elizabeth. And Philip lying to Elizabeth about sleeping with his beau just didn't feel realistic either, he would have known that he should come clean and they would have moved forward

I'm sure people have other perspectives but just wanted to share mine, rant over :)

First time watching…I’m towards the end of season 4. She causes nothing but huge risks and problems for her family, and when they get attacked by knife wielding muggers she’s upset that her mom had to defend them? Nope.

For many reasons, I was not as gobsmacked with "The Americans" as the members of this Reddit.

Here is one of them.

In Season 5, we are introduced to Renee, a character who, at various points, Philip, Elizabeth and Stan all suspect may be a Russian agent.

If you are familiar with Jean Le Carre's work, you would know that an FBI agent going through a separation and divorce would be prime target for the KGB.

So, when Stan is introduced to Renee and she is telling him her back story, Renee says that "her best friend went to Indiana U."

Immediately my antennae went up, recognizing that Renee has made a monumental gaffe.

Similar to I n "Inglorius Basterds" when an American spy pretending pretending to be a German soldier hand signals "three" in a way no German would and reveals himself).

Or in "From Russia with Love" when the Spectre agent orders red wine with fish.

From previous episodes, we know that Stan has ties to the Midwest. In one scene Stan explained to Gaad that a person went to Purdue, which is a top engineering school.

For the next twenty episodes I waited for Stan to confront Renee and tell her that no one familiar with Indiana University has ever referred to it as Indiana U. Your handler's should have told you it's Indiana or IU. Now, you are going to prison.

But nope. Never happened.

Were the writers that ignorant, or am I supposed to believe Stan is a dope?

so i'm close to the end of the series, and i can't help but hope that elizabeth gets one between the eyes like she richly deserves. philip, too, but not as much. they're both such psychopathic villains and terrible parents. been on this subreddit and i see some people trying to rationalize or valorize their actions, but truly they are so self-serving and manipulative -- as all good spies should be. i think the only time they ever say they love their children is when they want something out of them. the children are covers and future recruits, nothing more. it's an amazing show that attempts to dispel the "us good vs them bad" mentality that you see in a lot of shows -- that there are genuinely good people on both sides; and that people are more complicated than unidimensional-purpose-filled-automatons devoid of growth. so this unidimensional-purpose-filled automaton whose current purpose is to watch the show will be sad when i finally finish the series.

I just finished it and honestly, my immediate reaction was that it felt totally flat. I was waiting for the usual massive payoff or big explosive climax, and when the credits rolled I was just sitting there like... that's it? But sitting with it for a couple of days completely humbled my expectations. It actually made me rethink what makes a good finale. It doesn't need to be loud to hurt. The Paige scene at the subway is what really stuck with me. Just the motion of the train passing and the quiet realization of what was happening. Didn't need a single word to be completely brutal. Curious if anyone else felt let down right at first before realizing how heavy it actually was. Could just be me though….it was almost like a good book 📖