Anyone watch the FX series The Americans

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by kwadguy, Jan 31, 2013.

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  1. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    Some churches do use "Pastor" as a title of the leader of the congregation (or more than one congregation). And as you note usually with the last name. As Tim's church doesn't seem conservative and seems rather youth-oriented and though baptism is featured in a way that may suggest a Baptist affiliation, there's no denomination mentioned. . . I think the term "Pastor Tim" shows we're dealing with a minister of a progressive, perhaps small non-national/international church.

    It really is interesting the dynamic. . . Tim and his wife know the secret. . . an FBI agent joins them for dinner. . . man even nerves of steel must be bending a bit.
     
  2. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

    It returns March 7.
     
  3. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    Wow, that teaser was unnerving. I have to admit, given what's been happening in the U.S. lately (Russian meddling in our election), watching "The Americans" this season is going to have a different vibe...
     
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  4. Kubricker

    Kubricker Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow…

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Can't wait!

    When is Fargo 3 set to air?
     
  5. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Couldn't make it through the first season. An interesting premise, but I would have liked it better if the "Americans" didn't always come out on top. Not that I'm being a flag waver here. I just like a show where they keep you guessing about such things. (Yes, I know the "Americans" cannot get caught because the premise would collapse. But I think having more back and forth would have been more interesting. It was like watching Perry Mason or Mission Impossible.) Perhaps it got better in this regard in later episodes. But I didn't want to wait a few seasons.
     
  6. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    This spring; I don't think a date has been announced. With a cast of Carrie Coon, Ewan McGregor (playing twins!) and Jim Gaffigan (!!) -- it should be something.
     
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  7. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    If you're still intrigued by the premise, you should give it another chance. The Americans is one of the rare shows that really does get better each season. Sure, the seem to "come out on top" consistently -- as soon as they don't, the show's over! -- but they have setbacks all the time, and as the seasons go on, the "victories" seem to come at greater emotional and mental costs. They are also inching inevitably towards disaster, and the tension of how close they are to being exposed is increasingly unbearable. In this current era of way too much quality TV, this is definitely a show (imo) that you should make the time for.
     
  8. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Carrie Coon?

    You just got my attention, maybe I need to go back and start watching this show
     
  9. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    Just to be clear -- Fargo is an anthology show, so the cast changes every season. Carrie Coon (and McGregor and Gaffigan) are all on the upcoming Season 3. But the first two seasons were excellent -- and I never thought I'd be able to describe the TV adaptation of one of my favorite movies of all time that way.
     
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  10. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    I guess I wanted a bit more cat and mouse on an episode-by-episode basis. It seemed to be all cat and no mouse.

    Also, I don't subscribe to the "love to hate" view of entertainment. As bad as many of the characters were in Breaking Bad, for example, they had some redeeming quality (even if small) that didn't make their character a total turn off. Even Tuco was funny, at least. I found the leading characters in the Americans to be sheer evil - more like the final season of Breaking Bad, which I did not enjoy as much as the earlier ones. I'd put Fargo in the Breaking Bad category. Game of Thrones mostly in the Americans category. It's a personal preference, and when I watch a show my gut determines where I draw the line (sort of like Justice Stewart's view on pornography - "I know it when I see it.").
     
  11. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    Even their teasers are brilliant.
     
  12. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I hope at least one of the twins that McGregor plays is not a space alien.
     
  13. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    The father in The Americans is assuredly no more evil than Walter White. He is a conflicted character, part trained killer, part soft-hearted husband and father who would like to end it all and retire to a normal life.
     
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  14. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    Well, I tried. I would argue that the two main characters aren't "sheer evil" and that maybe you didn't watch enough to see their full characters develop -- and also that there are plenty of other characters on the show who are good or are trying to be. If you could watch Breaking Bad, I don't see how The Americans would get caught in your filter. But hey, if you're not into it, you're not into it. There's plenty of other TV to watch. :thumbsup:
     
  15. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Almost four years on, I figured we should remove "new" from the thread title. Carry on... :thumbsup:
     
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  16. Kubricker

    Kubricker Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow…

    Location:
    Atlanta
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  17. Jamey K

    Jamey K Internet Sensation

    Location:
    Amarillo,Texas
    We started watching The Americans about a month ago, and blew through the seasons, over a weekend.
     
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  18. Kubricker

    Kubricker Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow…

    Location:
    Atlanta
  19. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

    I missed the premiere. Forgot all about it. Oh well. Thank goodness for on demand.
     
  20. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    This show is dark. I mean literally dark, like someone turned off all the lights, and washed out all of the color. It looks like it would have looked on a 1984 TV. Are they taking lessons from the NCIS crew? And then when they showed upcoming scenes, everything looked normal. Rant over.
    Season 5-has it been a year already?
    I haven't heard "That's Good" by Devo in years.
    I want to know how they knew where the body was buried.
    The economy in storytelling of this show is remarkable. I am constantly reviewing previous recaps to catch up on everything, because this show demands that you pay attention, something I sometimes have trouble with.
    The attention to period detail, is as always, on point, especially clothes.
    So glad TV's MVP, Margo Martindale, is back.
    As soon as that one dude fell and got cut, you knew his fate. I won't say who it was, but we've seen him before. Elizabeth is stone cold.
    Elizabeth teaching Paige self-defense? Yes please.
    I fear Matthew is not long for this world by getting close to Paige.
    Wow! Henry grew.
    Those Fargo promos. That's the only show I'm looking forward to seeing more than this one.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2017
    mrjinks, Prophetzong and Sean Murdock like this.
  21. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

    I'm glad the original theme song is back. The themes were essentially the same, but there were few descending notes that were added to the theme in season 2 or 3. I forget which season it was. Most fans probably didn't notice.

    It was a good episode, but my goodness, that digging scene was really drawn out. It felt like the scene lasted a good ten minutes, though it was probably closer to five.

    My favorite aspect of the series overall is Paige and how she is coping with her life since discovering who her parents really are. She certainly can't be blamed for being upset. She was raised to be an American as part of her parents cover. They essentially exploited her and Henry, raising them both as true blue, patriotic Americans, never refuting fervent anti-Soviet sentiments, and in turn, leading Paige and Henry to believe that Phillip and Elizabeth shared the same anti-Soviet sentiments like most Americans at the time. Suddenly, Phillip and Elizabeth spring the truth on Paige and essentially throw her world view into chaos. Everything she's ever believed is turned upside-down.
     
  22. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I missed it too. Damn.
     
  23. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I don't find the day scenes dark, but a lot of shows push the envelope in darkness. Criminal Minds is much darker (in tone and in video levels). This is supposed to be a pretty grim, realistic show, plus it's a period piece set 30 years ago, so I think they have the creative freedom to go for an intense look. I don't have a problem with seeing any of the details, even in the really tough, gritty nighttime shots.
     
  24. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    You're certainly the expert in this area. The picture on my set may lean darker which this show just magnifies. It was odd when the coming attractions seemed "brighter" to me, but maybe those were just daytime scenes. I don't know how Criminal Minds has lasted as long as it has; it makes American Horror Story look like the 700 Club.
     
  25. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I just watched the first episode of Americans last night and I thought it was fine. Peak whites are clearly at 100, so everything else is just in a "darker/real/dramatic" range, totally within the tolerance for broadcast TV. It's perfectly acceptable. Get your set calibrated and I bet it'll look better.

    The volume of the show is a little low in comparison to the commercials and programs, and I don't like the FX channel's tendency to put their program graphics in 4x3 safe action (like the TV-MA rating and all that stuff), which is ridiculous in a day and age when 16x9 is the norm.
     
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