The Americans on FX

It was brutal. This season has not been up to the same level as other seasons, but that scene is among the most powerful they've done.
It is up there with Elizabeth and the old lady overdosing on the heart medicine.

Second best scene of this season also was Elizabeth's - checking her phone message from her friend wondering what happened to her.

 

So does everyone agree that next season is going to be Philip vs. Elizabeth? I can see that happening, but it also seems like they are pretty close to the same page for once. Both are over being the tip of the spear for the faceless, and sometimes inept, Center. They recently got "officially" married. They both feel like they are losing grip on their children, who are going in two very different directions.

The more I think about it, the more it feels like it is going to be the Jennings vs. the Center/KGB. Philip and Elizabeth disagree on a lot, like killing the lady and her husband, but they agree on the most important stuff to them - getting out of the killing business and taking care of their kids.

 

The difference is that Elizabeth wants to retire and go back to Russia like Gabriel and be hailed as a hero to the cause for the rest of her life.

Philip wants no part of that, for him or his kids.

 

I don't know of it'll be Jennings vs. Jennings or Jenningses vs. KGB or Jenningses vs. KGB and the FBI.
But I'm looking forward to the end game.

These first five seasons have really set up the ending nicely.

 

Yeah, I've found this season to be a slog a lot of the time (hell, even that dinner-table nazi-killin' seen felt like a partail rehash of mailrobot repair lady's death scene). But it's definitely set up some exciting places to go.

That was the last straw for Philip. He said no more killing innocent people, and there was *zero* ways to justify killing her husband. That look he had on his face the whole time? We've all seen it. That's a guy who plans on finishing his shift and never showing up again.

I think the people who say we are setting up Philip vs. Elizabeth are right, although not necessarily in a Spy v. Spy way. Just that they are going to be deeply at odds about what getting out means. The whole thing about Philip being reluctant to let Henry go to board school while Elizabeth is willing to say good riddance falls into place now.

 

I think 'slog' is a little harsh, but this season has not been up to the very high standards set by the first four seasons.
It's a little flabby and meandering. I've just come to expect such excellent story pace from this show.

 

An interesting question to me: If P and E went back to Russia, how long would they stay married? I'd assume they would leave the kids, who are almost 18 anyway. Without the kids or the job to tie them together, I don't think they'd last long.

 

It just felt like a rehash of season 4 to me. Philip is angsty. Paige is stressed. Stan is adrift. Moscow really wants them to push the boundaries to get the McGuffin.

Just swap out Nina's OITNB for Oleg's boring crime procedural.

 

what year is it? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Does the USSR collapse before next season ends?
Elizabeth helps Philip fake his death, she goes back to Russia with Paige and he goes to Portland.

 

We are still in 84 or 85 iirc. Not getting to 89 unless they do a huge time skip

 

The first four seasons I would watch and not have the laptop going, surfing the ipad, whatever. This season I've been watching but after the first two episodes it's been 'ok what else should I do, too.' Even if I don't watch the Oleg scenes, I don't feel I'm missing anything because I'm not reading the captions.

 

It's spring of 1984, I believe.

Will be interesting to see if the timeline of the show makes it to spring 1985, which saw the ascension of Gorbachev.