The Americans

I’ve just finished watching season one of The Americans, a spy drama/thriller set during the 1980s, focusing on two Directorate S agents, trained to walk and talk like an American.

I must say that I seem to recall being put off by Bear on this show. He reckoned he only watched a few episodes, though. I have perservered. And very glad I did too. I probably haven’t had this amount of spy/counteriintelligence fun since 24. The Americans is nowhere near as explosive or high tempo, but it can really move when it needs to, and neither the Soviets nor Americans muck about.

The two leads, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys own their roles as state-sponsored chameleons, often having to portray different characters to exploit their sources for information. Keri Russell’s Elizabeth is particularly fierce.

Anyone else watching this?

Is it anythig like spooks?

I have never seen Spooks, so am unable to furnish you with a specific reply. It’s a spy show where the good guys are bad guys. I would say that it is like the tug of war between various criminal organisations in Breaking Bad and the DEA. In fact, the main FBI guy looks very “Hankish”.

No worries, I’ll download this over the weekend and give it a go.

For a minute I thought the title of this thread was an effort to tempt Sarnia Saint to defect

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He wouldn’t defect to a country full of dumb Brits. We know nothing.

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As I said earlier, Bear’s review did put me off a little bit, but I’ve been looking for something new to watch and Metacritic keeps telling me that season three has a 9.3 score, hence giving it a whirl.

The missus and I have watched the first 2 seasons screened on ITV and really enjoyed it.

The first season started in June 2013 and the second, March 2014. According to “GeekTown” nobody has picked up season 3 yet :slight_frown: BTW nothing like Spooks.

Cough. Splutter. The Internet… :laughing:

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Originally posted by @lifeintheslowlane

The missus and I have watched the first 2 seasons screened on ITV and really enjoyed it.

The first season started in June 2013 and the second, March 2014. According to “GeekTown” nobody has picked up season 3 yet :slight_frown: BTW nothing like Spooks.

http://www.geektown.co.uk/tvairdates/the-americans/

Ditto and its worth pointing out to those that haven’t seen it that its set in the early 80’s, just as Reagan becomes President. So nothing like Spooks.

I love the way communications, or lack thereof, is used in this show. No calling up your colleague on a mobile phone and warning him of imminent danger. Thought the abort code idea at the end of season one was ace.

Completely up to date on this now. The pap review is that it’s a solid 8 out of 10. It does what it does very well, putting the viewer smack bang into the middle of Elizabeth and Philip’s KGB-related exploits, and the problems that creates in their own family, either through absence or conflict. Not only that, but the predicaments they put their assets into, and how they honour the relationships they’ve built whilst meeting the exacting demands of the Centre. Unwitting informants play a huge part in the show, so it’s difficult not to get as attached to them as the illegals do.

It hasn’t completely rocked my world, but now that I’ve seen it all, I can finally risk looking up who Agent Gadd is without fear of knowing his fate. It’s John-Boy Walton, FFS. Been bugging me all along.

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I’m up to Season 5 Episode 10 at the moment. After ITV failed to pick up the series after season 2 it languished in other remote formats (internet thingey) but is now on Amazon Prime.

I have to say this has been the best espionage TV series I’ve ever watched. As pap says, it’s a slow-burner that reels you in…you end up caring about the people without reference to the ideology. Like Breaking Bad you view the moral dilemma faced in a personal sense, “what would you do” in that situation and that’s what makes it so convincing…empathy.

I thoroughly recommend it, if you hadn’t already gathered that. :slight_smile:

Series 6 has just finished on ITV4. I’ve got the last 2 episodes to watch. Series 4 & 5 were on that ITV Encore channel last year.

Tapped out at series 2.

Perhaps I need to give it another chance.

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