From the start, The Americans felt like something special. Telling the story of two KGB spies posing as an suburban couple in 1981 America, the show had a compelling hook and an attention-getting star – Keri Russell as a Russian spy! Could it live up to expectations? The answer was a loud yes, as a great pilot episode announced this was a quality show right out of the gate.
Creator Joe Weisberg and his fellow executive producer, Joel Fields, deserve a lot of credit for so deftly juggling The Americans’ different elements so well. In other hands, The Americans could have collapsed or just come off goofy or outright ridiculous, as we followed Elizabeth (Russell) and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) and saw their insane lives – running a travel agency as part of their cover, raising two kids (who they had in the first place in order to sell the lie) and, you know, going on various spy missions, complete with elaborate disguises, which often involve having sex with or killing various people.
But the scenario, as heightened as it was, felt genuine and engaging the vast majority of the time throughout the first season. It felt real and the Jennings were characters easy to invest in and care about – all the more notable given they are, ultimately, The Enemy, working against the United States.
An invaluable reason for this investment was, of course, thanks to the performances. Russell and Rhys are simply terrific in The Americans, playing two people who are asked to do the unthinkable time and again. She’s the hard-edged one; much more militant, much more strict. He is quicker to turn to sentiment or be affected by emotion. But both are very smart and very skilled and Russell and Rhys sold all of these qualities. We bought it when Elizabeth and Phillip were growing closer and sharing warm, genuine moments, while also believing these two could perform amazingly dangerous acts – and also be utterly deadly in a fight. It’s a tricky mix that not every actor could pull off so well. Continue reading THE AMERICANS: SEASON 1 REVIEW – THE SPIES NEXT DOOR