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The Americans - First episode
‘The Americans’ is an interesting show about the Cold War era when lies, deceit and national pride drove even the kindest looking people to murder. The show is a spy thriller but it's not as action packed as it may seem. If anything, ‘The Americans’ echoes the silent warfare of two countries that hid everything from each other. It’s the Cold War in the suburbs.
Phillip (Brothers & Sisters’ Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell of Felicty fame) are a married couple with two kids in the suburbs of Washington D.C. They are living the classic American lifestyle but nothing could be further from the truth. Born and trained in Russia, the two joined the KGB out of love for their country. Now they are undercover, juggling between kidnapping traitors and buying their children ice cream. The suburban life is a perfect cover, until a FBI agent (Noah Emmerich) moves in across the street.
The pilot sets up the story quite nicely. Introduced as excellent spies, Phillip and Elizabeth seem to spend their days kicking butts and making big guys cry. Though the episode doesn’t undermine their toughness (Phillip beats a guy with a fork and Elizabeth suggests letting a comrade bleed out for the sake of the mission), it does develop these trained liars as real people. Especially Elizabeth, who has a personal connection to the man they were assigned to kidnap, proves to be multi-dimensional. She’s tough as nails (allowing Russell to do away with the sweet Felicity-image) but it’s clear she has her flaws too. That’s all a pilot really has to show off as falling for characters is more important than falling for the story.
The tension with the neighbor is rather short of thrills, though it does open up an interesting set of stories. How long can the protagonists continue keeping up the charades? How many men can they hide in the back of their trunk until their cover is blown? It adds thrills to the safe location of the suburbs. Two houses on each end of the street, with two separate higher beliefs, covering lies and suspicions. Sounds like the Cold War to me. And yet, that’s not the episode’s biggest draw. What is, is Phillip’s desire to quit the game. Tired of living shady lives (and possibly wearing awful wigs), Phillip suggests a life as real American citizens, without the Russian loyalty. Elizabeth, on the other hand, has no problem being captured or even dying for Mother Russia. Though these two were assigned to marry, making their relationship infinitely more complicated than just love, they are loyal to each other. Which makes a difference in desire all the more interesting. Disagreement on the home front when you’re fighting a war can be tricky.
‘The Americans’ has some tough fight scenes and an interesting plot that chronicles the FBI, love for the country and life behind a white picketed fence, it’s not action-packed or even tries to be. The show is more about plot and characters and it sets itself up for a much bigger story that will develop as the series goes on. The pilot is a fine hour of entertainment with the promise of a good season. Yet, with the 80’s and flashbacks to the 60’s, between socialists and space races, the set-up might harm the show more than it furthers the plot.
Follow The AmericansPhillip (Brothers & Sisters’ Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell of Felicty fame) are a married couple with two kids in the suburbs of Washington D.C. They are living the classic American lifestyle but nothing could be further from the truth. Born and trained in Russia, the two joined the KGB out of love for their country. Now they are undercover, juggling between kidnapping traitors and buying their children ice cream. The suburban life is a perfect cover, until a FBI agent (Noah Emmerich) moves in across the street.
The pilot sets up the story quite nicely. Introduced as excellent spies, Phillip and Elizabeth seem to spend their days kicking butts and making big guys cry. Though the episode doesn’t undermine their toughness (Phillip beats a guy with a fork and Elizabeth suggests letting a comrade bleed out for the sake of the mission), it does develop these trained liars as real people. Especially Elizabeth, who has a personal connection to the man they were assigned to kidnap, proves to be multi-dimensional. She’s tough as nails (allowing Russell to do away with the sweet Felicity-image) but it’s clear she has her flaws too. That’s all a pilot really has to show off as falling for characters is more important than falling for the story.
The tension with the neighbor is rather short of thrills, though it does open up an interesting set of stories. How long can the protagonists continue keeping up the charades? How many men can they hide in the back of their trunk until their cover is blown? It adds thrills to the safe location of the suburbs. Two houses on each end of the street, with two separate higher beliefs, covering lies and suspicions. Sounds like the Cold War to me. And yet, that’s not the episode’s biggest draw. What is, is Phillip’s desire to quit the game. Tired of living shady lives (and possibly wearing awful wigs), Phillip suggests a life as real American citizens, without the Russian loyalty. Elizabeth, on the other hand, has no problem being captured or even dying for Mother Russia. Though these two were assigned to marry, making their relationship infinitely more complicated than just love, they are loyal to each other. Which makes a difference in desire all the more interesting. Disagreement on the home front when you’re fighting a war can be tricky.
‘The Americans’ has some tough fight scenes and an interesting plot that chronicles the FBI, love for the country and life behind a white picketed fence, it’s not action-packed or even tries to be. The show is more about plot and characters and it sets itself up for a much bigger story that will develop as the series goes on. The pilot is a fine hour of entertainment with the promise of a good season. Yet, with the 80’s and flashbacks to the 60’s, between socialists and space races, the set-up might harm the show more than it furthers the plot.
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