“The Americans,” a new show on FX,
offers a different perspective to the U.S. and Russian conflicts that occurred
during the Cold War. It’s very rare that a show focuses on the “bad guy.” A
possible example of this would be “Breaking Bad,” a drama that centers on a
Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned meth dealer. “The Americans” takes it
a step further, giving the characters little for us to sympathize with,
something that delivers an interesting dynamic but also condemns it to a
probable small viewership due to the challenge it presents.
The Americans revolves around two KGB
spies, Elizabeth (Keri Russell, TV’s “Felicity” and the recent “Dark Skies”)
and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys, TV’s “Brothers and Sisters”), stationed in
American pretending to be average, suburban citizens in the early 1980’s. Throughout
the first four episodes, there have been flashbacks to the main characters’ pasts
in order to allow the viewer to see how they became KGB agents. In the show’s
present time, Elizabeth and Phillip are shown dealing with missions, attempting
to assimilate into American society while still remembering their origins, and
finding time to concentrate on their children who don’t know their parents’
secret…all while living next door to Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich, “The Truman
Show”), an FBI agent.
Although the show has great
writing, acting, and a believable sense of realism, “The Americans” seems to be
lacking in an area that I can’t really explain. The show is good by all means;
maybe even great. But I’m becoming less enthused to return each week. If you’re
familiar with “Mad Men,” you might know what I’m addressing. “Mad Men” is
essentially a perfect show. But it’s not very exciting and can sometimes be a
chore to watch. There’s also something else that really concerns me about “The
Americans”…we already know how the Cold War ends. The lack of mystery could have a largely
negative effect on the show.
I’d definitely recommend catching
an episode or so of “The Americans” if you have the time. I’d try to start with
the pilot, which is pretty great by pilot standards. There’s a large chance
that “The Americans” could eventually become something big and maybe even win
an Emmy or so. But there’s also a possibility that the show could alienate its
audience what with the main characters being enemies of our country, lose
viewership due to disinterest, and get canceled after the first season. It will
be interesting to see what becomes of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment