Watched "The Americans" in its entirety in 15 days -- one of the greatest shows in recent memory (some spoiler discussion ahead)

I also put this in r/TheAmericans, but also wanted to include it here.

This show was sitting in my Amazon watchlist for the last several months staring me in the face. I wanted to finish a few others before full diving in, but I just got around to plowing through the whole six seasons in just 15 days.

It roped me in like few other series have done. I can only think of Breaking Bad, Justified, Mad Men and the Sopranos as other shows I've binged as hard as The Americans. Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys were a dynamic duo. Keri brought an element to her character that made me fear for every person she encountered. Matthew handled Philip's wavering and uncertainty in such a convincing fashion. When you watch this whole story in one spurt you can really see the weight of the world on their shoulders as seasons 5 and 6 progressed and the walls were closing in.

I thought Noah Emmerich (Stan) was a majorly underrated piece to the whole show. Although he had plenty of screen time and yes you can say Stan was oblivious by not figuring out the Jennings after 6 whole years (I used the word "inept" originally but I think that was a bit harsh), he definitely brought an "everyman" demeanor that greatly balanced out the secretive and dangerous lifestyle of his neighbors. I'm glad that he can watch over Henry. He seemed to be the only genuine friend Stan had.

The ending felt very satisfying. The next worst thing other than being killed or arrested by the FBI is having to abandon your children, and although Philip and Elizabeth can live in safety in Russia, they will have to live with their decisions that tore their family apart. Very tragic, but also very just. I enjoyed how some elements are open-ended, especially regarding Paige and where her life takes her.

Overall it was incredible. Not many TV shows have the power to pull me like that, so I have to give the entire cast, crew, creators and everyone else credit for making such a fun and intense story. Sad it is over but happy to have experienced it.

Submitted February 26, 2019 at 09:13PM by KED528 https://ift.tt/2TeaEXJ