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The Americans on FX

12K views 141 replies 46 participants last post by  phrelin 
#1 ·
#80 ·
Or the human biology for that matter. THAT long in the trunk something shouldda stunk! I thought for sure when the trunk was open and the new FBI neighbor came up it was over.

Don "still toss aside the creative license fopaws and the show was quite good" Bolton

MysteryMan said:
Because he looked too clean when they let him out of the trunk. He was also too spry for a guy who was bound and gaged and in the same position all that time. He should have had severe muscle cramps. The writers need to brush up on the human anatomy.
 
#82 ·
#84 ·
#85 ·
Maruuk said:
...Let's just stop the straw man routine...
You first.
Are attractive women often utilized as a significant factor in production values by TV productions because they know it boosts ratings? Do refs blow pass interference calls in the end zone?
And is the pope...retiring?
 
#86 ·
One of the reasons I like this show is its historical context. The Soviets were paranoid for a reason and had reasons to disdain the American experience based on a variety of perceptions. This Smithsonian Magazine story Eleanor Roosevelt and the Soviet Sniper indicates the experiential distance between Americans of the time and the Soviet population. I would suggest reading the whole story, but here's some excerpts:
Lyudmila Pavlichenko arrived in Washington, D.C., in late 1942 as little more than a curiosity to the press, standing awkwardly beside her translator in her Soviet Army uniform. She spoke no English, but her mission was obvious. As a battle-tested and highly decorated lieutenant in the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division, Pavlichenko had come on behalf of the Soviet High Command to drum up American support for a "second front" in Europe....

...Eleanor Roosevelt asked the Ukranian-born officer to accompany her on a tour of the country and tell Americans of her experiences as a woman in combat. Pavlichenko was only 25, but she had been wounded four times in battle. She also happened to be the most successful and feared female sniper in history, with 309 confirmed kills to her credit-the majority German soldiers....

She graciously fielded questions from reporters. One wanted to know if Russian women could wear makeup at the front. Pavlichenko paused; just months before, she'd survived fighting on the front line during the Siege of Sevastopol, where Soviet forces suffered considerable casualties and were forced to surrender after eight months of fighting. "There is no rule against it," Pavlichenko said, "but who has time to think of her shiny nose when a battle is going on?"

...Soon, the Soviet sniper had had enough of the press's sniping. "I wear my uniform with honor," she told Time magazine. "It has the Order of Lenin on it. It has been covered with blood in battle. It is plain to see that with American women what is important is whether they wear silk underwear under their uniforms. What the uniform stands for, they have yet to learn."
If you read the whole piece, and it is a very good story, it helps to understand the context of the character Elizabeth Jennings played by Keri Russell and some of the other Soviet characters.

And, of course, 70+ years after Lyudmila Pavlichenko's visit we have just progressed far enough to let women have combat roles.
 
#87 ·
I think the built-in strength of The Americans is that we already know the back story and how compelling that is. And I think trying to show a slice of how that might have gone down is a clever idea rich with possibilities. I was really rooting for them to hit a homer on so fat a pitch. After ep 2 I am not sure the writers are up to that task, even when given such a great platform as a jumping-off point.

And since the wall came down 24 years ago, maybe the 18-34 demo doesn't even have that context.
 
#88 ·
Wait until you've seen episode 4. It provides at least some historical context and produces a change in the relationship that is the primary story arc. But I hope at least some in the 18-34 demo have more context.
 
#89 ·
I look forward to this show each week, it challenges me to pay attention so I can follow the plot line. Now if I can just get the DVR to stop recording the same show twice (though I suppose a safety net in case the kids delete it on me is good).
 
#90 ·
BosFan said:
I look forward to this show each week, it challenges me to pay attention so I can follow the plot line. Now if I can just get the DVR to stop recording the same show twice (though I suppose a safety net in case the kids delete it on me is good).
Is it actually recording the same episode twice or is it recording the episode and its corresponding "Three-Minute Replay"? My Series Link is getting both the episode and the "Three-Minute Replay".
 
#91 ·
Ah, you are correct, it is the "three minute replay", now it makes some sense.
 
#92 ·
I kind of like that 3-minute replay thing. It keeps me in the loop. It worked for Rescue Me and is working for Justified. It would not surprise me if other networks start doing this. Of course the key is if they can sell time in it. If I were a major network I would provide this gratis to affiliates and let them run it as a filler whenever (and force my O&O stations to air it).
 
#93 ·
Maruuk said:
This isn't about dating, this is about eye candy in 2D when you have a choice from the most beautiful women in existence. I can look at average-looking late 30-somethings all day long in real life. This is supposed to be a fantasy world, and I expect fantasy-level eye candy matched with top-notch acting. The Americans comes up way short on all fronts.
Actually, it's not supposed to be a fantasy world. It's supposed to be DC in the early 80s.

Maruuk said:
Jeez, I apologize for my heterosexuality "fellows". We don't have our "Stonewall" for straight pride as you do.

But seriously, any given bunch of guys are going to disagree about who's hot and who's not. And I'm still watching Downton Abbey, and they just killed off the only hottie in the entire series, so I'm not ALL bad. 8^>

I'll be sure to give Barbra Streisand an extra hand when she performs at Oscars this year.
Just because every waking moment of a man's life isn't dedicated to the next woman he can see doesn't mean that he isn't secure, or proud, or whatever in his sexuality. It just means at some point he grew up. I think maybe you're looking for Playboy or Spice. they're a little further up the dial from FX.
 
#95 ·
Catching up on it this weekend.

So in this series, they're going to reproduce every notorious spy event of the last 50 years, all done by this one couple.

The show is interesting, but so far nothing that hasn't been done before.
 
#98 ·
Drucifer said:
Catching up on it this weekend.

So in this series, they're going to reproduce every notorious spy event of the last 50 years, all done by this one couple.

The show is interesting, but so far nothing that hasn't been done before.
Hmm... I must of missed the series where the heros of the series are KGB spies set on taking the United States government down.
 
#101 ·
It seems that the fact that they are not heroes to an American audience but are the bad guys is sort of what the whole thing is based on.

Was Tony Soprano a hero?
 
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