The Americans (Season 1)

[Mara]

I, for one, am cautiously optimistic.

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/the_...the_americans/

[ledfloyd]

I'm curious enough to give the pilot a look which is more than I can say about most shows these days.

[Lucky]

Already have it set to record. Probably watch this one live though.

[MadMan]

I will try and watch it live. I'm optimistic to a certain extent that this will be good.

[MadMan]

Its weird how this show reminded me of so many different others I've watched over the years. I know you can say that about any show, but it felt really obvious here. The opener was 24-isque, while the majority reminded me somewhat of The Sopranos. I'm completely hooked, that's all I do really know. Plus Keri Russell is still really gorgeous, even though the makeup is aimed at making her look even order.

[Mara]

I liked this. It's an interesting twist to see an action/espionage show that doesn't have GPS or cell phones, but where people could be genuinely isolated like we see with the couple in this episode. Having them completely cut off from their support system for most of the run was an interesting way to go.

Plus, the cold war was such a fascinating time.

Some moments were too Hollywood for me-- the inconvenient neighbor, the silly scene with the jumper cables (a person locked in a trunk with no bathroom would smell TO HIGH HEAVEN), revenge on the pedophile, etc.

I really like Russell as an actress, and her character here is fascinating, with so many layers of icy that it's unclear if there's anything underneath it.

[ledfloyd]

Yeah, the episode could've been much better without the whole pedophile thread. I didn't get much out of that at all. I also felt the flashbacks could have been handled a lot better. There's still enough to keep me coming back next week the cold war/espionage angle is fun, natch, but I really like the idea that these parents who are so dedicated to this ideology have to raise American children and American children that they love. It's a pretty intriguing scenario. Also, the inconvenient neighbor didn't strike me as too controved, I mean in the grand scheme of things it seems relatively plausible, but it could just be that Noah Emmerich stole every scene he was in.

[MadMan]

I didn't mind the FBI agent being their neighbor, because it feeds into the show's idea of paranoia and how this supposedly loving couple is actually a pair of Soviet agents trying to bring down the system that they are incidentally benefiting from at the moment (their kids go to public schools, they engage in capitalism by having the house, the backyard, buying things, etc).

The pedophile part is just a subplot that may not pay off. It also had Phillip looking like James McAvoy, which was really weird.

PS: I'm trying to remember what the Fleetwood Mac song that played as Phillip chased the defector through the streets is called. Also I loved it when [

Show Spoiler

the FBI guy plays a hunch and breaks into the garage, and Phillip is just waiting right there with a silenced pistol. Give me chills, actually.

]

[Mara]

It was "Tusk," I think.

Loved the period soundtrack and details, like Phillip drinking from a coffee cup that holds, maybe, eight ounces; or the overhead projector.

[Lucky]

Yes, it was "Tusk." Loved that.

This show made me realize how much I missed Alias. I haven't invested in a quality spy show since then. Some of the plot threads were clunky, I agree. The show lacks the finesse of TV's finest, but then again, it's just the pilot. I also like that Elizabeth is the more hardened soldier in the pair. They kind of flipped traditional spy gender roles here, and I think it will add an interesting layer when you throw in the motherhood angle.

Very good. Was not let down.

[ledfloyd]

like Phillip drinking from a coffee cup that holds

whatever happened to those? these new ginormous ones are messing up my hot cocoa and tea proportions.

[MadMan]

Thanks guys. I had heard it previously before, I just couldn't remember what its title was.

[amberlita]

The fantastic placement of Fleetwood Mac was countered by the unfortunate placement of In The Air Tonight. That stuck out like a sore thumb.

But I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin
I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

A little too on the nose aside from that song just being WILDLY overexposed. Ranks at least a 7 on the unintentional comedy scale.

I otherwise loved the hell out of this premiere.

[MadMan]

I dug the use of In The Air Tonight, but hey I'm a tad biased. Sexual climax during the drum solo part FTW! :lol:

[ledfloyd]

I don't think it's possible to use that song effectively after Miami Vice.

edit: I just read this in an interview with Keri Russell

Also, any time you can work Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” into a love scene is good times.
Did they keep that in the pilot, or did they take it out?

It’s in there.
Oh, good! They wanted it out. But it’s exactly what the moment calls for. I heard the network was thinking it would remind people too much of Miami Vice, but I don’t think so. And, I mean, who cares? It’s our turn.

[Winston*]

I watched the first episode and thought this wasn't very good. The rape aspect was really inconsiderately handled. Killing your wife's rapist leads to Phil Collins backed car sex. Noah Emmerich's character seems like a pretty dumb plot device.

Compelling premise though. Might watch the next to see if it gets better.

[Lucky]

I think you're oversimplifying it a bit. It wasn't because he killed his wife's rapist, it's because he committed himself to her. In the scene they shared before that he was threatening to end it all. I kind of agree with your second point, though. I let it slide because it brings an old-fashioned cat and mouse element to the show.

[Winston*]

But he killed the dude because he found out he raped her, not because of any commitment to the cause.

[Winston*]

Beyond that the aspect felt too much of a callous attempt to cable-ify the show.

[Lucky]

But he killed the dude because he found out he raped her, not because of any commitment to the cause.

Not to the cause, I agree, but her. Whereas moments before he was set to betray her.

Side note: I don't have any recollection of rating this thread. I must have done it accidentally on my phone somehow, I'm still adjusting to everything. If there's a way to delete that, please feel free mods. I probably would have given the pilot 4/5.

[Lazlo]

Tonight's episode was fucking awesome. So tense and gripping. Both leads are fantastic and Rhys really shines.

[Lucky]

Yeah, I'm digging this show.

[ledfloyd]

This was a much better episode without the flashbacks and the Phil Collins.

[Mara]

Holy crap, that is good television. Much more assured than the pilot (which was already good.)

Apparently, the ratings for the second episode tanked. I hope it gains some traction.

[slqrick]

Already feels like a show that knows exactly what it wants to do. I hope they don't do flashbacks, because it was a much better episode without those momentum killing scenes.