Article first published as THE AMERICANS Series Premiere Review at Seat42F
Grade: 86%
Grade: 86%
FX’s newest drama, THE AMERICANS,
premieres this Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. It is a period piece set during
the Cold War. Ronald Reagan is president, and the Russians would do
nearly anything to destroy their greatest enemy. For Russian spies who
have been living in the United States for the better part of two
decades, it becomes hard to maintain loyalty to their country,
appreciating the finer things in America, like air conditioning. After
having children and keeping things a secret, it might be tempting to
give up one’s homeland for a nice cash pay out.
Or is it? The question of loyalties and
allegiance are at the heart of THE AMERICANS, and it’s never a simple
answer. Sort of like Homeland, but without quite as much mystery.
The two main characters, Phillip
(Matthew Rhys, Brothers & Sisters) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri
Russell, Felicity), are Russians who were placed together in their job,
forced to fake a romantic connection. Their union isn’t born of love,
but part of the question posed right out of the gate is, is there love
between them? There seems to be, from at least one side.
How hard would it be to live together,
raising children, and not fall in love? Yes, there are plenty of unhappy
marriages around the world, people who choose to be together, but can’t
make it work. Yet, there are also a plethora of examples of arranged
marriages that have turned out quite nicely. In Phillip and Elizabeth’s
case, they are alone with a secret, isolated in a strange land, for a
very long time, which means their bond extends beyond just the
offspring.
Even the kids (Holly Taylor and Keidrich
Sellati) are kept in the dark. This is done out of necessity, of
course. It’s hard enough for adults to live a double life and keep their
mouths shut; no one can expect the same out of children. But this makes
for a very uneasy family unit, as the kids are taught to be patriotic
Americans, and the parents can do nothing to correct these views without
risking exposure. In such a place and time as when THE AMERICANS is
set, the Russians are viewed as the enemy. That means the Jennings
children learn in school to be against the very things their parents are
devoting their lives to. Obviously, this creates some friction.
But as interesting as the family issues
are to ponder and discuss, they are merely one aspect of the show.
Phillip and Elizabeth are active agents. In the first episode, they take
down an enemy of their native state, and have to keep him hidden while
they decide what to do. This makes for some nail biting action sequences
and tense scenes as they try to keep the hostage unseen.
What complicates things even more is
that Elizabeth has a history with the particular scum bag with which
they tussle. This plays into her decisions and actions, just as the fact
that Phillip is in the dark plays to his. Even within this married
couple that have shared almost everything, there are still secrets, and
trust is not absolute, at least for one of the two parties.
I really enjoyed watching the interplay
between Rhys and Russell. There are so many layers to their characters,
and a great many factors must be taken into account in concocting every
facial nuance. These vary, too, by time period, as there are a few
flashbacks. The two stars are pros. They really keep viewers on their
toes, while also showing a believable and sympathetic couple of
individuals. Should THE AMERICANS ever turn into a war between them, I
honestly have no clue who I would root for. Better that they stay
together.
Yet, there is always that threat of a
division. They don’t go into the assignment on equal footing, and
limited by the amount of the past they are allowed to bring up, they
can’t ever be their true selves. It’s a rotten way to live, and thus
far, Phillip and Elizabeth have kept to their orders. The story told in
the series starts at a crossroads, and which path each of them choose
will determine whether they forge a stronger bond, or fall apart
completely.
Then, there is the added outside threat
of the feds who would very much like to catch them. One agent named Stan
(Noah Emmerich, White Collar, The Truman Show) moves in next door to
them, completely oblivious to who they are at first. Unluckily for the
Russians, his instincts are sharp, and it isn’t long before he gets a
tingling of suspicion. This is a story definitely not fated to play out
for many years, and the status quo between Stan and the Jennings will
not last long.
I am also interested to see what other
actors will bring to the table. The official website counts the
fantastic Margo Martindale (Justified) as a main player, although she is
not to be found in the first episode. We get a glimpse of Richard
Thomas (The Waltons) in this installment, and I hope he sticks around
awhile.
What is puzzling to me about this pilot
is, all of what I have just described sounds really, really cool. Yet, I
grew somewhat bored over the course of the hour plus. It’s not a bad
show, by any means, but it’s a slow moving one, at least, so far. Other
series have pulled off sluggish pacing and managed to keep things
interesting, but for some reason, the draw is lacking a bit here. It
will be interesting to see if this is just because so much time is
needed to set the story up in the first episode, or if there are larger
problems that make themselves known over the course of the season.
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