The Americans: The Final Season (Spoilers) pt. 4

[red snow]

1 hour ago, RumHam said:

Someone upthread posted that it would be 90 minutes. As for not waiting an extra week, you could use a VPN to fake being in the states and watch it online the day after or whenever they put it up. It's not illegal or anything like outright pirating the episode would be. Though personally I don't see how pirating an episode from a free channel is any worse than tivoing it and skipping the commercials. 

Edit: By the way I totally don't buy the "Stan's (girlfriend still or wife?) is a spy" thing. She encouraged him to leave counterintelligence and then hung around for three years while he was only working that one russian couple. The KBG didn't seem to know about that couple's duplicity until they sought asylum. 

I didn't realise it streamed for free - will definitely look into VPN option in that case as I use it for better netflix options already.

[Jaxom 1974]

4 hours ago, Dragon in the North said:

I get that, but there are just so many logical explanations to explain his suspicions. Like, with the cigarettes, Elizabeth could have been ashamed of her addiction and was hiding it from her neighbors, as well as her kids. I’m not against him being mildly suspicious, but he broke into their house and took his suspicions to Aderholt.  I also didn’t like how he zeroed in on the pastor and questioned him as if he knew Pastor Tim was hiding something. And this all begs the question of why now. Stan’s had so many conversations with Henry, so many conversations with Philip, and none of this has come up before? I don’t know, I just feel that this all happened way to fast. I don’t mean to complain, and I still love the show, it’s one of my favorites. I’m sure the finale will blow me away. This is just something that bugged me.

Whether you feel it's a bit contrived or not, no one of it is really out of established character.  Stan has figured out similar things with intuition and a bit of luck.

All of these pieces, they've been there all along, and part of him probably has always wondered in general. Now some other pieces are clicking into place and jogging memories of past evidence and he's put it together. That the other illegal in Chicago was a treasure trove of info helps as well.

Ultimately, it might have been better to have it worked out over more than 3 episodes...but it also had to be Stan who figured it out...

[RumHam]

I think they've handled Stan's suspicions reasonably well. this season he's starting to consciously recognize all the circumstantial evidence that's piled up over the years.  Most of which he probably subconsciously absorbed at the time.

I think in the car ride he finally realizes something is wrong be cause he remembers his own failures as an absentee father and husband. The only reason he worked  long hours and never got to know his son was because he thought he was protecting his country. Who would do that for a travel agency? 

So then he thinks about the Jennings trips for the first time and it eats at him. He knows he is right and it's all starting to click, but at the same time he has no actual evidence.

[lady narcissa]

Well I really have no idea how this show will end.  I had always assumed one or both would die and at least they'd be caught and either imprisoned or exchanged back to Russia but after this last episode I'm almost thinking its equally plausible they will get away with it and we will see them living somewhere else as Americans.  So really anything goes at this point.  I'm somewhat surprised based on the previews that they are taking Paige with them and at least going after Henry, if anything gets them caught, that will.  We shall see, I'm looking forward to it.

I knew that this show wasn't entirely fiction, i.e. that there were some people planted here that inspired the idea, but I guess I didn't realize how closely it was inspired by reality but I've been seeing some articles about this family this week:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5778329/Son-Russian-spies-fights-Canadian-citizenship.html

https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/will-supreme-court-hear-case-of-sons-of-kgb-spies/

The reality takes place a little later than the tv show since they came over in the 80s whereas Paige and Henry are already tween/teen in the 80s.  But similar in the since the younger boy like Henry most likely didn't know and the governments suspect the older son like Paige did know.

[Mladen]

Ladies and gents, since tonight is the last episode and given that we do expect a lot of twists and turns, let we all agree on the spoiler policy, at least until Sunday. Let we not spoil anything to people who will come into this episode as ignorant as we are now  

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

I'm heartbroken for Stan and Henry.  And I kind of feel shitty for Oleg. 

Also what was the song when they were in the woods?

[Mladen]

So, there was a lot of buildup. And, boy, did they deliver the drama.

Spoiler

1. The way Stan handled Jennings was painful to watch. Especially when Paige stepped forward. The breakup of friendship, Phillip changing tone from facade to his normal self is wonderfully done by Matthew Rhys. Noah Emmerich did amazing work in portraying someone who has to contemplate such betrayal and to put it into the context. I was waiting for the comeuppance to come when he appeared but that was reserved for other moments. 

2. Leaving kids behind was probably the most gut-wrenching thing. I always remember how people praised Lena Heady's performance when Joffrey died, but tonight, when Elizabeth realized that Phillip has a point, that Henry should stay, was far worse and emotionally devastating. And then, Paige... For a split of a second I thought she was caught, but then when I realized that she decided to stay on her own, it was, when is this going to end.

3. I sincerely thought they would get killed in Russia. It would be the greatest irony of all. But, the episode was "Start" of new lives for all of them. And even if our answers are not answered, we know the life continued... Which brings me to...

4. U2. With or without you. It is my favorite 1980s song and it was used perfectly. 

5. Overall, this series ended as subtly as it began. It didn't give us some great killing scenes, the usual fireworks, but it brought emotions. And, in my case, that was all I needed. 

 

[Winterfell is Burning]

The series finale delivered, and oh, boy, how it did. It wouldn't be fitting if this ended in a blood bath, although how it did it was just as cruel- effectively, the Jennings family is dead: Henry possibly will never see his parents again, Paige almost certainly won't see them or Henry, and effectively they will never use their family name again (I can't imagine Henry won't chance his). 

Meanwhile, Oleg will either be executed or spend his life in prison for trying to save the world, Henry's life is destroyed, Paige will be a fugitive until she's almost certainly caught in the not-so-distant future, and the people formally known as Phillip and Elizabeth are essentially prisoners in a country that is now alien to them.

[Tears of Lys]

Oh, boy.   

To see Oleg in prison, Arkady telling his father who then has to tell his mom, after having already lost one son, wracked me up almost as much as Philip and Elizabeth having to leave their kids.  So much nuance in the unfinished statement by Philip to the effect that Colonel whoever told him it would be a hard life, but . . .

And Stan with Henry, having to explain things to him.  And that parting gesture of Philip's, cluing Stan in on the fact that his sweet wife might be one of them.

An almost perfect series (really, I'd have to search hard to find any wrong notes) comes to a gut-wrenching conclusion. 

[Ran]

What an episode. Beautiful soundtrack selections, too. So poignant. Hats off to everyone involved in this criminally underwatched, under-feted show. 

 

Spoiler

In regards to the fates of various characters, it seems clear to me that Oleg is unlikely to remain in prison for a "long" time. With Arkady Ivanovich on the winning side, he'll surely petition Gorbachev to make all efforts to recover Oleg for his instrumental role in uncovering and defusing the plot against him. The Americans have it from Oleg what was going on, and if the Russians come clean and confirm ... I don't know, I expect to see him out in a couple of years, if not sooner.

Paige is going to have some very tough questions put to her. She probably should not lie about things (though she should leave Stan out of it, especially the garage encounter!), but it's obvious she was very low level and was basically pulled into it as a minor so ... I think any dreams of working in government or civil service are out the window, but unless they pin some of her mother's murders to her (and I don't see why they would), she'll probably just spend the next decade being monitored by the FBI.

Henry is going to have it rough. Poor kid. I do suspect Stan will step in and cover the rest of his tuition, though, because that's the kind of guy he is. 

 

[Mladen]

2 hours ago, Ran said:

What an episode. Beautiful soundtrack selections, too. So poignant. Hats off to everyone involved in this criminally underwatched, under-feted show. 

Truer words couldn't have been said... And the song... The song... It broke my heart to million of pieces.

Spoiler

 

I have to say that 11-minutes-long scene of Stan confronting Jennings is probably the best way this series could have handled the moment. It was not some crazy chase, shooting guns or explosion. It was talk between two friends. Two men who found themselves on the opposite sides of the world's politics. And it was amazing segue into Stan letting them go. And Phillip trying to help him one last time, probably even doing more damage than goods. Of all the fake things in their lives, Phillip's relationship with Stan was a real one. And that is what made all the difference in that garage.

Also, kudos to actress playing Renne. Her last scene will be talked for days and months to come. And we will never know...

 

 

[RumHam]

Well that did not disappoint. The garage scene was great but I'm not sure how I feel about Stan actually letting them go.

I still say it makes no sense for Renee to be a spy. Surely there are targets higher up that Stan for that kinda monitoring? Plus as I said earlier in the thread she encouraged him to leave counter-intelligence and obviously didn't tell the KGB about the one russian case he worked for the last three years. But of course Philip doesn't know that when he warns Stan about her.

[Mladen]

14 minutes ago, RumHam said:

 

  Hide contents

Well that did not disappoint. The garage scene was great but I'm not sure how I feel about Stan actually letting them go.

I still say it makes no sense for Renee to be a spy. Surely there are targets higher up that Stan for that kinda monitoring? Plus as I said earlier in the thread she encouraged him to leave counter-intelligence and obviously didn't tell the KGB about the one russian case he worked for the last three years. But of course Philip doesn't know that when he warns Stan about her.

 

Spoiler

 

Remember Martha? She was much lower on the FBI ladder and yet she was targeted.

 

 

[red snow]

Wow. Just finished the last 2 episodes and it's rare that a film/show leaves me in a sense of awed wonder. That was pretty much perfect and even though I was worried they weren't leaving enough time to wrap the show up it turned out they had exactly the right amount of time. In many ways low key but with some of the tensest moments I've endured for a while.

Thinking back on the show it's been consistently great throughout. The production values are brilliant and the the core cast have been amazing. It may not have been my favourite show in any given year but it was always in the top 10 (usually top 5) and probably has to go down as one of the most consistently great shows of the decade. It's sat itself comfortably at the top of this year and I'll be impressed to see it knocked off by any other show this year as it cashed in on all it's seasons with this one.

Really interested to see what the creators do next because there is genuine talent present to make such a consistent show. And I'll be very interested in seeing what Matthew Rhys and Kerri Russel do next as they've more than proven themselves here. Part of me would like to see them in a show together again but with a different dynamic eg as antagonists.

Bravo.

[red snow]

There's some really good interviews doing the rounds with the central cast and exec producers. Worth a read.

[RumHam]

1 hour ago, Risto said:

  Hide contents

 

Remember Martha? She was much lower on the FBI ladder and yet she was targeted.

 

 

Yes, but she was the secretary of the head of the FBI's counter-intelligence division. Being manipulated by an agent who was working on a lot of things. I really doubt Renee is sneaking out at night and handling other missions. Plus the KGB already tried to flip Stan and failed. 

But the main thing is that it makes no sense for Renee as a spy to encourage Stan to leave counter-intelligence and then stick around for three years while gleaning no useful information. Plus there's Gabriel's response when Phillip asked him about it a couple seasons back. 

[RumHam]

30 minutes ago, red snow said:

There's some really good interviews doing the rounds with the central cast and exec producers. Worth a read.

Quote

“But in the long term they may not have the right friends,” adds Fields, “In terms of their longer history, that has not yet been written.”

Am I reading too much into that? I know it's way too soon but I can't think of another top tier drama that was more ripe for some form of follow up. Which obviously would be a spin-off about the mail robot enslaving humanity. 

[Annara Snow]

19 hours ago, Arch-MaesterPhilip said:

I'm heartbroken for Stan and Henry.  And I kind of feel shitty for Oleg. 

Also what was the song when they were in the woods?

I'm not sure which one you mean, but the only two songs (other than the instrumental music at the end) used in this episode were "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits and "With or Without You" by U2 (and were they used effectively, especially the latter one... my upcoming top 10 list of best use of songs on The Americans gets some reshuffling).

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

3 minutes ago, Annara Snow said:

I'm not sure which one you mean, but the only two songs (other than the instrumental music at the end) used in this episode were "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits and "With or Without You" by U2 (and were they used effectively, especially the latter one... my upcoming top 10 list of best use of songs on The Americans gets some reshuffling).

Brothers in Arms, thank you. I'm going to miss how they used music. 

[Annara Snow]

8 hours ago, Winterfell is Burning said:

The series finale delivered, and oh, boy, how it did. It wouldn't be fitting if this ended in a blood bath, although how it did it was just as cruel- effectively, the Jennings family is dead: Henry possibly will never see his parents again, Paige almost certainly won't see them or Henry, and effectively they will never use their family name again (I can't imagine Henry won't chance his). 

Meanwhile, Oleg will either be executed or spend his life in prison for trying to save the world, Henry's life is destroyed, Paige will be a fugitive until she's almost certainly caught in the not-so-distant future, and the people formally known as Phillip and Elizabeth are essentially prisoners in a country that is now alien to them.

So can we drop the spoiler tags now?

This finale was the definition of bittersweet. You've listed some the bitter things (the ending had me teary eyed from the moment Paige stayed, to the shock of E and P - and that dream: what a great, heartbreaking use of the paintings... also, Stan will forever be wondering about Renee, just as the audience does... Philip may have wanted to help, but he just screwed him over more), but here is the 'sweet':

- While Oleg didn't get to deliver the dead drop, Philip and Elizabeth (aka Misha and Nadezhda) got back home, welcomed by Arkady, and they have no doubt informed him about the anti-Gorbachev faction. (We know that there was a failed coup in 1991 - we can imagine that in the fictional world of the show, the info they provided helped.) So, Oleg's mission was not a failure (and since him contacting Philip and Philip talking to Elizabeth helped Elizabeth make the decision to not kill/stop Nesterenko's assassination, you may say it was already not for nothing).

- Though losing their children is heartbreaking, Philip and Elizabeth still have each other.

- And Philip may get the chance to meet Misha, his other son he had never met before.

- Stan and Henry at least have each other.

- Also, I'm pretty sure Oleg won't be executed. Sadly, he will be in prison for quite some time. But we can hope that he eventually gets released in a few years time (come on, Arkady! Work on it!)

If someone told you that no one will die in the finale of this show, would you have believed it? But it still managed to break our hearts.

 

BTW, I finished my rewatch of season 4 right before I saw the series finale. So now I'll rewatch seasons 5 and 6. I've been rating each episode on the scale of 1-10 (the lowest rated episode was the Pilot with 7... another season 1 episode was 7.5, everything else was 8 and higher). I expected season 4 to be no 1 and season 3 no 2, but they ended up being the same. I had almost forgotten how great S3 was throughout.

Season average ratings (on the scale 1-10):

Season 1 - 8.89

Season 2 - 8.86

Season 3 - 9.27

Season 4 - 9.27

Now I'll see how I'll like season 5 on a binge (I liked it, but it was weaker than the other seasons) and if season 6 will top seasons 3 and 4, which may very well be the case. I thought episodes 5,7,8 and 10 were all perfect.