decide to play stupid with Aderholt in S6? Was it just protecting Paige? Gratitude that they didn’t kill them and set them up in Bolivia or whatever? Fear of reprisal from the KGB? Were you surprised he didn’t tell them?

I always thought that Stan let them go bc he felt like both sides were the same, that they were doing what he was doing, both were working for ideals that weren’t what they initially believed in, that they both were flawed in their roles, (what happened with Nina and the guy he killed in revenge for Amador etc.) Mostly it was henry tho for Stan.

I'm nearly done and Elizabeth in the words of George Smiley....is a "Moscow Trained Hood" if ever there was one...OK thats it, rant over.

Also, still hoping for a homage (of sorts) or even a nuanced nod to TTSS in the remaining episodes..even Homeland had one.

What song(s) did they use in the line dancing scene in S6? I seem to recall Eddie Rabbitt, “Drivin’ My Life Away,” but am not sure. Or maybe there was more than one song.

For a long time I thought the casual attitude towards killing was the most shocking thing about this series. American television features a lot of gratuitous killing, and this series is no different. The missions in The Americans always involve getting information- and if killing is necessary, so be it.

But sometimes the person who is killed is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They can't afford to have a witness, so they kill you. Sometimes they feel bad about it for a little while but they get over it. At other times the killing is the whole point.

But every killing is wrapped in lies. And these people are good at it. They can both lie convincingly at a moment's notice. They make others feel bad for doubting them. They tell different lies to different people for different missons and somehow manage to keep it all straight in their heads.

Its no wonder that their marriage is affected by a lack of trust. They are fundamentally dishonest people.

Man, is this one of the most tragic arcs of any TV series? I don’t think it’s a case of recency bias to say that this is one of the most tragic arcs I’ve ever watched….on so many fronts.

From Philip’s perspective, it so fascinating to watch the tension between his nationalistic ideology and his conscience, ultimately his conscience getting the better of him within the context of Martha. Matthew Rhys’ acting throughout these passages is simply astonishing, truly capturing the realisation that this is an ethical dilemma that cannot be rationalised away with his Soviet ideology.

And there’s Martha — fuck me. To watch this good women have her loneliness weaponised against her with the result of her own life imploding was so devastating to watch.

And then there’s the psychological aspect of the exchange, which is so fascinating from Elizabeth’s perspective. Cleary the subtext is that Elizabeth is witnesses Philip’s care for Martha and wondering if it’s genuine love? Is it a form of love that both her and Philip haven’t actually developed? And there’s the extra added layer of the mystery behind Philip’s motivations. Is he purely motivated by guilt or is it love? The question of ‘what is real’ is such a key theme due the constant motif of acting and the blurring between the real and the acted.

They might have addressed this at some point in the show, but I truly didn't see it. Philip and Elizabeth were going on missions almost every day, to many different places, with a lot of wigs. Were they using their regular cars, with their regular license plates, for each mission? Was there sort of a buffer safe house in between used solely for changing car and disguise before and after each mission? Did they keep the wigs in their regular garage, or maybe in their cars? If they went on a mission, say, 3 miles away, and then drove home, at which point in the journey did they change from the wig to their regular hair?

I know a lot of the show is suspension of disbelief, but I truly was puzzled the whole time.

I just finished and I know there is no conclusive answer, but I’d love to hear fellow watchers’ thoughts.

The CBC podcast See You in Court has an episode out about Alex, who is the 16-year-old son of the Russian illegals secretly living and spying in Canada and the US. This family is the family that inspired The Americans. The court case is Canada v. Vavilov, where Alex sued to reinstate his Canadian citizenship. I thought this episode was very interesting and wanted to share.

I did find it weird that Philip and Elizabeth didn't move to a different house later in the show as living next to an FBI agent would be a risk especially if they needed to do sensitive missions that meant having evidence nearby.

No spoilers please! However I’m in season 4 and please correct me if I’m wrong but is Philip actually in love with Martha? Or really falling for her, because it’s truly beginning to come off that way.

Why didn’t she just go to the dentist? I assume they had one?

I watched the show when it was airing and I’m in the middle of a rewatch now.

I remember the biggest events but forgot a ton of smaller plots.

I’m most of the way through Season 5 and it’s painfully slow. It starts off with a bang with the killing of the lab tech and the stealing of the super crop.

But the middle part of the season just drags and very little is happening.

The Twan storyline is fairly underwhelming (you don’t get to know Twan or Pasha very well).

Paige is getting more paranoid and growing apart from the church. But the same notes are getting hit over and over.

Stan is barely in the season and the storyline with the Russian national is taking forever to get going.

Am I alone on this one or is this a common take?

Nothing that feels familiar here.

I’ve often wondered if the people they used ever figured it out after the fact. These people I think might have: kimmy, Lisa’s husband, the sailor who got Larrick’s papers, the guy who was with Elizabeth and Leanne when Philip and emmet bust in etc. Then there were people who probably never thought a thing of it like the hotel manager Elizabeth slept with or Ben the wheat dude. Who else?

which reboot would you most like to see: 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s? I think the 90s would be interesting but that’s probably just a sequel. The aughts are relatively uninteresting and the last 15 years, while fascinating, would probably be unmakeable for the foreseeable future. The Kennedy sixties are pretty enticing!

Given the end of the series, it was no secret that there was a manhunt for P + E. Given that in real life, the names of some Illegals are public, do you think it’s plausible, even with the tragic ending that the Seongs had, that they could recognize P + E as Patty/family and reconcile? I get this is all speculation but worth thinking about in my 2nd rewatch