OT: The Americans (TV show) - season finale
I know there's a lot of MgoBloggers that watch The Americans also. Anyone else excited for the season 5 finale at 10pm on FX?
*Obvious spoilers*
Hard to believe that next season will be its last. . Will the Jennings do what's right for their kids for once? Is Pastor Tim done after this episode? This season may not have the same decices plot-lines as past seasons (biological weapons, Larrick, ect) but it's been a theme of manipulation. Boy that whole Tuan -Pasha storyline is one of the more unconfmfortable storylines in the series hisory
I am really hoping Matthew Rhys (Philip) can win the Emmy for Best Male Actor, unless Odenkirk can. Also, about the performance of Costa Ronin (Oleg) these past few seasons. What a great character. His father Igor in the show has had an under-the-radar nice performance this season too.
Also, let's keep the Paige hate to a minimum. :)
On a side-note, I am personally glad GoT got pushed back until July. In my opinion, there has never been better TV on right now with The Americans, Fargo, Better Call Saul, Veep, and then Netflix just dropping new seasons of Bloodline and House of Cards. So I don't mind waiting a bit longer.
This season has been pretty slow paced (though always watchable), but I expect it's all been setup for the next starting with tonight.
You always knew Tuan's fanaticism for the cause was gonna blow up in their face and I think what he did and how they react is gonna mark the beginning of the end for the Jenningses. Should've gotten him that dog he wanted.
Kind of in a way reminds me of season 4 of Breaking Bad where it's slower-paced but then the ending is fireworks... although s4 of BB it probably started heating up a bit earlier than the season finale . I guess this season the focus would also be on the emotional-toll the spy life has been on the Jennings.
I really also am hoping Oleg doesn't die tonight. They seem to be hinting that he is close to death, but this show tends to easily do the opposite of what you expect.
So Stan's girlfriend is totally a spy, right? Poor Stan.
-I love the way it depicts the 1980s and the ongoings in the world during the Reagan presidency.
-It came out and kind of broke the mold of antihero shoes like Breaking Bad, Mad Man, The Shield...which are all great shows as well, but it was/is something different.
-The acting is as top-notch as ever on the show....okay the daughter can be annoying but what girl at that age isn't?
-The complexity in the main character's marriage is like we've never seen before on TV....say maybe next to on The Sopranos.
Not intending to thread jack, but wanted to underscore a point about Fargo. When the show first debuted 3-4 years ago, I thought why? The Coens made a classic movie, what's the point? But then in a moment of tv boredom I popped it on. Noah Hawley does a fantastic job making it his own. Then season two is probably some of the best TV out there. If you haven't tried Fargo or thought that it's just a rehash of something you already liked, give it a try. I don't think you'll regret it.
...prepped the ground for these shows in showing networks and film companies the small screen could be as viable storytelling device as the movies by granting more artistic license and less parameters.
What is up with this board's boner for the Americans?
Santa knows the answer, so he must be trolling.
The only boner related to that show is the one I get watching Keri Russell.
Great show, but I was disappointed with this season. I agree with most of what Sepinwall says here about it. I felt that the characters they brought in this season (other than Tuan) weren't really strong like they have been in seasons past. I do not mind the slow burn of the season but...very little happened.
How does Oleg get no screen time last night after this season? The only action from Moscow is Poor Martha?
Prior to this season, I'd be the first to say it's the best thing on TV. I do think the final season will be really great.
The season was a slow burn with few fireworks moments. I don't mind that because of the excellent pacing that always created tension even when it was a red herring. This would be a difficult season to introduce new watchers to the show, but as fanboy from day 1, this season's cat and mouse games were well balanced with deep personality dives.
Like Breaking Bad (and unlike Lost), details are not wasted from past storylines. The crescendo was a bit of a wash, but it's the long game with the show. I find it riveting whether they are assassinating a past traitor or if their brat kids are unprepared for life and the truth about their origins. Oleg's return to the USSR kept humming with some greater reveal but also kept us focused on the stark contrasts between Soviet Russia and the States as an undertone for the entire show.
Paige is a necessary bummer, IMHO. She's the best expression of teen angst and hating her means she did her job as a plot device.
In the finale, Philip is listening to the tapes after peeing in the bathroom and hears crosstalk (that doesn't really require his attention) about a certain quarterback that did not transfer to Wisconsin, but Michigan.
A few weeks ago, Renee let it slip that when she was referring to a certain B1G team in Bloomington, she called it "U of I" after Stan made first reference of "Indiana". She's been sloppy over this past season.