The Americans sixth and final season approaches...

I think that also about his suspicions about Renee to warn him.

 

despite my reservations about the plausibility of an FBI agent letting killers go, his respect for Oleg is just enough to make me think he would made that choice...given all the other factors. man, what a fascinating show. gonna have to watch this again, and i don't usually watch stuff more than once.

 

I can't remember if this has been stated here yet, but remember that Stan went into the garage with suspicions about the Jennings and not "fact" that they were actually the Russian spies that they were. We can all agree that his suspicions in his mind were very true to his thinking and mindset, but they were just that, suspicions. The fact that Stan and Philip and his family were friends, probably added some modicum of doubt if the Jennings were truly the heinous beings he thought they were.

Remember he left his FBI buddy on a hunch that maybe he should stake out Paige's apartment, because if he felt it was a real solid deal (that the Jennings were who he thought they were), wouldn't he have talked to Aderholt and pushed harder to actually pursue the Jennings for what they were (I know he couldn't because they really didn't have any tangible proof at that point, nor did they have actual probable cause other than conjecture - and he did mention his fears to Aderholt in a previous episode, but I guess they weren't enough for the FBI to take serious action against the family).

Stan was acting "rogue" at the point he entered the parking garage, and if it turned out the Jennings weren't who he thought they were (we knew as viewers of the show, but Stan didn't know yet - just had a hunch), couldn't he have been acting "illegally" in doing what he was thinking of doing. I know that searching the Jennings house on his hunch about Chicago, etc an episode or two before the finale was most definitely illegal (I am not a law officer, so I am making that assumption).

It wasn't until Philip spilled the beans, that it all became very real to Stan - and other emotions took over at that point in time.

In addition, it wasn't until he got back to FBI headquarters, after he let the Jennings leave, that he learned of the fact that the FBI had tangible proof that the Jennings were the culprits, and they could go after them legally.

So back to my original point, Stan went into the garage on a calculated (and somewhat informed) guess about his neighbors, but didn't (from what I might believe) have the proof to actually take them down at that point, therefore he went in on his on volition.

 

Yeah, I'll rewatch it, and probably soon, too, because now the wife wants to see it.

I kept telling her how good it is, but she bowed out. Now she's hearing it from her friends, so she regrets not watching it with me.

She's going to flip over that whole Martha arch!

 

my wife and i are already talking about watching the whole thing from the beginning. i want to wait a bit and let it settle though.

if the showrunners are at all interested in a sequel, i vote for a show focusing on Stan, w/ Henry and Paige in supporting roles.

 

SPOILER ALERT!

Don't forget that just before Phillip got in the car, he gave Stan the "one more thing" that Stan's girlfriend Renee might also be a Soviet spy, but they weren't sure. I think he was so stunned by that -- and understood that Phillip cared about him and was concerned he would be hurt -- that was the final tip of the scales in favor of letting them go.

Man, think of the unanswered questions after this final episode:

• What happens to Paige? Does she assume a new identity and start her life all over again? She certainly has the skills (and passport) to do it. Or does she go back home and turn herself in?

• What happens to Henry? How will he deal with the double-whammy of finding out his parents were spies all this time, and now they've abandoned him forever?

• Will the KGB find out that Elizabeth killed the other spy in Washington to stop them from interfering from the summit? And if so, will they kill them both?

• What happens to the Russian government official's son, now in a holding cell for espionage?

• Will the FBI get wise and fire Stan for not realizing his friends and neighbors for many years were the biggest spies in Washington?

• What will happen to beloved Hollywood character actress Margo Martindale? (She can always go back to Bojack Horseman.)

• And what happens if Phillip and Elizabeth bump into Martha (the FBI secretary he married, betrayed, and dumped a couple of years ago) in a Soviet supermarket?

 

Loved the series but absolutely hated the ending.

I think the series built up a lot of goodwill over the years because of its lead actors, original concept and execution. But the series finale was beyond weak. My main peeves:

1) After being a veritable killing machine all season with no morality or conscience , far beyond what she had done before, she listens to the tape of the Russian negotiator not selling out Russia, and thus decides on the spot to betray and disobey all her KGB training and loyalties. A "peace, love and understanding" switch goes on in her head?

2) Do P&E not realize that going back to Russia after she 1) not kill the Russian negotiator against orders and 2) kill a fellow KGB agent on a mission, they are not going to be welcomed with open arms? And the border crossing into Russia without documents was way too easy. "Hi, we are undocumented KGB agents just coming home!!!"

3) The US Border Patrol agents are beyond stupid. And what is Paige going to do now? She does not have the survival and undercover skills to make it on her own without being picked up by the FBI. She will be picked up and then what? Tell the FBI how Stan let the whole family go in the name of world peace?

4) But worst was the garage scene. Stan does not need to kill them, but does not even really try to arrest them, which is what he should be doing. It should not have been a "Do I kill them now or I have no other choice but to let them go?" situation for him. Arrest them! But Stan lets himself be talked into letting the biggest catch of his career go because... they are the only hope for world peace? Stan lets himself be sweetly talked into letting 3 Russian spies go, when catching them was the biggest FBI operation going.

Stan (the character not the actor) has always been the weak link in the show. He is shown to be passive, indecisive, not very bright (maybe that was message the writers were sending when his partner gets promoted and he does not. Stan is only good for looking at garage invoices). Those seem to the his first wife's gripes about him when we first meet him. She wanted a strong man and Stan always was a wet noodle. So it was easy for Phillip, knowing Stan, to talk him into letting them go. I don't know how Elizabeth kept herself from killing him right there and then, he must have offended her professional standards. When my wife and I realized that was what was going to happen we almost quit watching the show. I am sure Stan is going to spend the rest of his life thinking "Was I really that stupid?". So low is his self esteem that it seems he rather live with a potential Russian agent than be abandoned by a woman again. The writers used his weakness as a lazy way to give everybody a Go Free card.

 

Do you have any lesser peaves other than your main ones? I would like to read those, as well.

 

If vegafleet doesn't mind, I'll add one: Stan openly lied to his superior about not seeing Paige after he left the stakeout to observe her apartment. For an FBI agent, lying to a superior is tantamount to a criminal act. When directly questioned, his training would've been to answer truthfully, divulging what he knew and his rationale for doing it.

I do like this series ...have followed it since it's premier in spite of occasional slow pacing and unevenness in how characters behave..., but the ending seemed more like an appetizer than a main coarse. The garage scene was actually quite good (IMO) even given the unlikely outcome, but I didn't care at all for the (too) long night scene discussion between Elizabeth and Phillip in Russia near the end. For an extended episode designed to end the series with a bang, there should've been more tension and less time padding.


Cat

 

To respond your fourth point, the way I look at the stand-off is that P&E would never be taken alive; Stan was going to have to kill them to stop them. Philip knew this, which is why he says "Now I'm going to get into this car" - he judged correctly that Stan would not be able to pull the trigger on his family.

I agree about Stan being a "weak" character and a poor FBI agent; but I don't see this as lazy writing - in my view this makes him an interesting and realistic character. His patriotic thanksgiving speech was a projection of the man he wanted to be, but letting the Jennings get away is a reflection of who he really is. He has proved himself to be, to use the crude words of a poster earlier in this thread, as lovesick and gullible of a bitch as Martha, and he deserves his fate.

I would criticize the "saving the world" aspect of the plot this season, corny and implausible, like the political/espionage framework for almost every season, but this aspect of the show has always been more of a pretense.

 

Like Stan han't lied before.

 

So....I stopped watching this show over a season and a half ago. While recognizing it's good points, the pace of the show simply lost me. I'm not a fan. It seems obvious that all the high praise for this episode, here and elsewhere, is by its loyal fans which is perfectly normal. So here's some thoughts from a non-fan. I found myself thinking that although I hadn't watched for so long, I felt like I hadn't missed a thing story-wise, I had zero questions about what was happening. Not sure what it says about a show, that you can miss over a year and a half and not be lost or confused plot-wise. Seemed like a there was a lot of musical segments with people staring off into space, felt over-used. Stan was a bigger dope than usual, the most brain-dead law enforcement officer since Barney Fife! Although the parking lot scene was the highlight of the episode, maybe of the entire series, it wasn't Stan's finest moment. I'm trying to remember the show where most of us hated the daughter, well, that's how I've always felt about Paige. The continued focus on her character was one of the primary reasons I bailed as this actor never convinced or impressed me. And than there's the ending. For the multitude of fans, it held deep meaning. For me, I thought it might've been better if the driver loomed behind them, than a black screen! Or maybe have them inexplicably wind up working the Alaskan pipeline. Yeah, for this non-fan, that ending ranks right up there with THOSE endings! As far as all the speculating about what happens afterwards. I can't help but think that Stan would wind up in a cell next to his Russian buddy. And that the kids weren't going to ride off into the sunset happily ever after either as I'm sure the feds would've gotten a hold of them. But maybe not in this show as the FBI was consistently portrayed as little better than the Keystone cops! Anyways, I know I'm in the minority here but....

 

I agree with some things you've wrote, but not not with others (which doesn't really matter). Nevertheless, fantastic write up!

 

I like to hear reasoned criticisms on any thread, too often threads around here become celebrations, and you feel like you are pissing in the punch bowl if you offer an opposing viewpoint. I tend to agree with you that the musical montages went on too long, likewise I wasn't a fan of the "dark" scene earlier this season, it was a bit too self-consciously edgy. The espionage-focused areas of the plot has always been shaky (I almost gave up after season two) - what always kept me coming back was the acting of Rhys and Russel, and Rhys was exceptional this season.

 

Produced by JJ Abrams' Bad Robot company.

 

1) but that rings true to how that sort of thing happens. "Praxis", as it were.

2) it's historically the case that KGB agents given orders to return to the USSR did so dutifully, sometimes knowing that they would face severe punishment for mission failure (although at least some of them were executed for their missteps, a consequence they may not have anticipated.) but I'll grant that this point does not easily square with the previous one.

3) hey, the Border Patrol isn't infallible. You bring up good questions about Paige, and Stan. But they don't make Paige's decision to get off the train implausible.

4) moral dilemmas like the one in the garage don't follow a sure course, or a straightforward decision path. That's what makes them dilemmas. And claiming that Philip and Elizabeth "go free" is an oversimplification, I think.

 

Sorry if my long post sounded angry, but I had just finished watching the episode and was very frustrated. That's it? But I still stand by my pet peeves.

The garage scene was the equivalent of The Walking Dead last season finale where Rick does what he does with Neegan. Just not believable or logical in the internal logic of the series universe. Big "C'mon man! You got to be kidding me!" moments. The writers surprise you but not in a good way.

 

I see both sides of the garage scene. It was well-acted. . . but was it the best denouement for the four characters? I personally wanted the Jennings to get a little bit more of what's coming to them. . . . It can be argued that is waiting for them in Moscow, but that was hardly even hinted at. . . . Didn't seem a realistic ending, but it didn't ruin the series for me or anything.

I am definitely going to miss the show.

 

Thanks for asking!

Too much in the previous 2 seasons was about Paige's feelings. Too many shows seemed to be about "How is Paige feeling? Is Paige sad today? Is she OK? Is she upset today? Is Paige sleeping ok? Does Paige need to talk to somebody? How is Paige really feeling?". Too much of that padding to kill time. She was never that interesting of a character.

For the longest time when my wife and I started an episode we would say "Let's find out how Paige is feeling today!"

 

I never felt that was padding or even annoying as Paige's knowledge and then the pastor's knowledge of the Jennings' secrets was very very dangerous to Philip and Elizabeth AND this was their daughter, causing them anxieties on both sides of the issue. This added an underlying tension to the show that felt realistic to me.

 

The acting was always good (Henry and Stan's son aside). They should have had a scene inside the getaway car where Elizabeth says to Philip "Is he really that stupid?"

 

I think back to the finale of the original Fugitive, which still stands for me as one of the best finales of all time. Why? Emotional resonance. Kimble was a character that was impossible not to identify with. Gerard, I also identified with his situation. A bunch of stuff needed to happen in that finale to make it work, and all of the moments happen. There was a surprise character, but that character needed to exist to move Gerard to a place he needed to be, to keep Gerard from being the fall guy or patsy of the piece.

The Americans finale did not reach that level. Why? Would any particular ending have worked? There seem to be three most likely endings. The Jennings are captured/killed in a small bore way, they're captured and killed in a big way (Bonnie and Clyde, Butch & Sundance), or they walk away.

Producers chose the third. I might have chosen the second. I know it doesn't mesh with the usual format of the show. I still would have preferred it. I think I would have been more tolerant of Elizabeth's Hero Ball turn if she'd actually died in a big finale. Having her do that in a contrived (to me) way and walking away did not work.

The first ending would have put the FBI as the heroes of the piece. That's not how the show was written, so it would be underwhelming. The ending we got has the flaw of the Jennings being unpunished, and the "optimists" even cheering on reunions that will happen in just a few years! Where I lean more towards Claudia & Co. bumping them off. I watched the show, but I do not identify with the Jennings. Surely everyone with that childhood in USSR didn't grow up to be assassins.

I think there were a fair amount of contrivances in the last few episodes, with the way things were written with Stan and the FBI, where it felt a little contrived. Perhaps that wouldn't be so problematic were the ending more emotionally resonant.

 

When Stan says something to Aderholt like "If I see that guy I'm going to kill him", after seeing the sketches of Philip & Elizabeth - what do people think, is he just putting on a brave show for Aderholt, or does he really regret letting them escape? If I recall correctly, the sketches were from the priest that had married them, and wouldn't tie P&E to any specific crimes that Stan didn't know about earlier. Does he realize know that he's been played by Philip?

 

It's not that Stan was incapable of lying, but it's improbable that he'd lie to a direct question from a superior. It's the same as lying under oath.

It was probably just cover. There was no professional risk to Stan making that declaration knowing how unlikely it was that he'd ever see Philip again. Stan's biggest concern was gravitating to his girlfriend after Philip told him in ernest that she might be a Russian agent. Given Stan's recommendation for FBI employment there'd be no avoiding his own complicity if she was revealed to be a spy.


Cat

 

So, is it too early to envision the “deluxe collectors edition” of the complete series? Remember Breaking Bad in the meth barrel?

I’m thinking we get a mail robot with all the discs included (and maybe a wig or two). Anybody else?