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Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell find their characters pushed to new limits in a season aiming to break one of them, if not both.

“The Americans” has always been a show about questions. In the spy genre, questions arise all the time. Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? Why? For what purpose? But creator Joseph Weisberg has also been quite adept at allowing each of his first two seasons to be summed up by a central, thematic question — and then answering them through the most trying of circumstances.

The first season of Weisberg’s “marital drama through spies’ eyes” focused on the not-so-basic concept of how two KGB agents ordered to live together, work together and pretend to love one another (and have kids together) could actually fall in love by traditional romantic standards — in other words, how could such a marriage work? Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys) built a sexual tension comparable to the risks taken in the field, vetting the positives of falling in love versus the dangers it could bring to their war against the U.S. Their path to each other was fascinating because, in so many ways, they were already there, but not in the way most important to a successful marriage.

After resolving that the good outweighed the bad — in a rather brilliant example of the “love conquers all” mentality — Season 2 brought about a new challenge for the suddenly authentic couple. What happens to a real family built around falsities? As their children grew older, they were also more exposed to their parents’ secret world. A couple became a family, but what happens to the couple when the family is threatened? Continue reading Review: ‘The Americans’ Season 3 Asks How Far Is Too Far For Family

“The Americans” picks up pretty deftly from where last season’s cliffhanger left off, while advancing that storyline at a relatively slow pace. Mixing the micro and the macro, the FX series grapples with questions surrounding the central couple’s daughter, while finding the Soviets in near-panic mode over the Vietnam-like quagmire that Afghanistan threatens to become for them. Throw in the arrival of Frank Langella in a supporting role, and it’s a solid start to a show that, despite its flaws, has quickly grasped the mantle of being perhaps the network’s most-heralded series.

At the close of season two (and SPOILER ALERT if you’re not caught up), the two Soviet spies operating in the U.S. as a married couple, Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell), were presented an unsettling proposition, or really ultimatum, from their handlers: Begin training their 14-year-old daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), to join what amounts to the family business. Continue reading TV Review: ‘The Americans,’ Season 3

When The Americans returns, it will do so with marriage at the center.

The FX spy drama, which comes back with its third season on Jan. 28, will follow the relationship between KGB agents Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell) when the Soviet Union readies to recruit their daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor).

“Our goal this season was to do a different kind of story, to take a married couple who are committed to one other, who want to make the marriage work, and ask the question: what happens when two people are truly respectful of their partner, yet have a conflict over the most important thing in their lives?” said executive producer and writer Joel Fields Sunday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “Everybody can relate to that — it just happens to be a little heightened with this two.”

A wedge is driven between the couple, once again, when Elizabeth entertains the idea of indoctrinating her daughter. Phillip, who values Paige’s safety more than anything, struggles to understand his wife’s unfailing allegiance to the Center. Russell, however, was hesitant on stage to say who her character would choose if it were to come down to her children or her country.

That degree of patriotism — the kind that would even suggest that loyalty to one’s country is more important than a parent’s relationship with their own kids — is a largely unfamiliar notion, and may make it difficult for viewers to feel empathy for Russell’s character. But the creators don’t think the idea is so far-fetched, noting a couple of historical examples of young people being recruited to the KGB by their parents. “Maybe there’s a different parenting style there,” Fields suggested, with creator Joe Weisberg adding: “We’re so used to in real life the kids coming first these days. It’s getting a little irritating.”

Any scenes revolving around the marriage are Russell’s favorite, and she feels that the martial challenges are what make The Americans relatable. “That’s when I love the show, when [it poses] real, vulnerable questions that are probably true to most people,” she said, adding as an example of such honest moments: “You’re not always into your spouse.”
Mere hours earlier, FX chief John Landgraf called the third installment of the period drama the best yet and acknowledged that he’d like to see the series run at least five seasons, something more awards recognition could help. “I sure would like the Emmys to step up and take notice,” he said. “I think that would be really helpful for the show.”

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

The Americans star Keri Russell is sticking up for her onscreen alter ego when it comes to Elizabeth and Philip’s conflict over daughter Paige’s future and whether she should become part of the second-generation legals program.

While Philip is staunchly against the idea, Season 3 (premiering Jan. 28 on FX) finds Elizabeth spending more time with Paige at her church in order to get closer to her.

“I don’t look at it like I’m recruiting this teenager to do what I do and turn tricks for strangers,” Russell explained during a Television Critics Association winter press tour panel. “She’s this mother watching a daughter being indoctrinated by someone else. If she’s going to be indoctrinated by someone, it’s going to be me. She wants it to be important and about socialism.”

Russell added that Elizabeth’s actions “come out of great love for her daughter and wanting her to be a substantial human being. How do you navigate the world if you don’t know who you are?”

“It feels like a huge injustice for someone to not know who they are,” she added. “I feel like that’s a worthwhile argument.”

The discord between the husband and wife over the subject matter will continue to weigh on their marriage in the new season.

“Every time Philip rejects the idea of telling [Paige who they are], it’s that weird marital dance of Elizabeth feeling rejected by Philip,” Russell said. “You’re rejecting everything I am.”

The conflict between the marrieds is “really relatable” even if one isn’t a spy, Russell argued. “Raising children is an incredibly emotional experience. You each, as individuals, have different views on it, obviously, and it’s everything to you.”

Source: http://tvline.com/