This Season Sucks

I gotta agree. My problem is with this season's structuring and feel. It lacks the excitement that sold me on this show in the first place. I don't find it all that intense like people keep saying it is. Hell, the stealth stuff felt more risky than this biological warfare plot.

I was on the edge of my seat during all previous seasons. This year, I'm not due to the significant drop in pacing and indifference to multiple arcs. And no, I don't need mission-of-the-week stories or immediate satisfaction, but it's come to a point where I'm finding it a bit too serialized with things dragging on and on and on (Nina, Tim, Martha stories).

It seems like for every person not liking season 4, there's someone saying, "It's a show about family and relationships, not about spying." Believe me, we know that, but myself and others think that previous seasons did a better job of balancing emotions with exciting spy shenanigans.

Absolutely. As I've said...it went from first to worst. It's utter tripe now. Strong characters have morphed into mush; obnoxious characters get top billing; the plots are all over the place. This mess can't end fast enough.

"Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in." -- Will Rogers

This season has been almost as bad as season two of Better Call Saul, ultra slow glacial pacing where little to nothing happens

How could "The Americans" be slow when the show is taking major characters out of the picture almost every week this season? Martha, Nina, Gaad, Young Hee, Don, and Elizabeth's alter ego friend of Young Hee have all been highlighted and given a stage exit that fits the script and the overall storyline.

They have also focused on four major storylines that show key characters evolving in ways that will increase conflict. Philip's questioning of the Centre's action has not only become stronger he has taken actions that clearly show he is just not "taking orders". Elizabeth has fought her internal conflicts of loyalty to her homeland and family, and to her own emotional ties versus the requirements of her assignments. She is one of the most complicated characters on any drama and she still performs at the highest level, whether it is reading Paige the riot act, taking out a potential rapist in a dark parking lot, or coaxing men to do whatever it is she needs. Paige has went from a young girl who exposed her family to being torn apart and her parents incarcerated to one who is reporting back to mom and dad on the FBI (through Stan's son) and on the family's major threat (the secrets known by Pastor Tim and his wife). Stan has hardened in the face of Gaad's death and now sees the Russians he is chasing (an living across from) as "animals". He is also showing signs of losing his professionalism by talking out of school to Philip, his own son, and Oleg.

No, the action is not as constant as it was in the first couple of seasons but the real drama continues to build.

No this season is FINE!

BABY STEPS! That is how the Game is Played.

Things take TIME. This is not a typical Hollywood Show/Movie.

I think some folks are possibly watching the wrong show type.


I literally came to the boards to discuss how this is the most fantastic season of The Americans yet. The emotional tension the characters are going through. The incredible endings to characters. The threads that have lasted for 4 years getting nudged and pulled.

Phenomenal.

...and people want this to get sped up. For what? To satisfy the need to know the ending of everything? As if this show has ever been fast. It's a slow burn folks, deal with it.

To each their own I guess.

It sucks but for different reasons - devoid of reality. 1983 is the hottest year of the cold war - the nuclear Able Archer drill, the hysteria around the deployment of the mid-range nuclear missiles - "cruise" and Pershing II, operation RYAN - the russians looking for signs of nuclear attack against them.

Instead, the Center lets their best agents to have a 7-month break and deal with bio-weapon issues - bio agents proved to be difficult to disperse effectively and were on the bottom of anybody's priority list.

Thus, the entire season was spent on the absurdly unrealistic execution of Nina,ridiculous death of Gaad, bio crap, an extremely dumb and pathetic MArtha (for a secretary of the head of counter-intelligence, she is absurdly unprepared and dumb).

Philip and Elizabeth are less and less realistic even on a personal level - the majority of Soviet illegals are devoid of morality. Those who develop morality, defect - as Philip was ready to defect in the initial episodes.

The creators sold out to Hollywood with this movie - "The Day After" and quickly forgot about the left wing journalist, who under KGB orders turned right wing in order to serve Moscow.

This is a period when 80% of what the left in America wants to happen in international relations is carbon copy of the official Soviet positions.

The creators essentially buried their heads into the sand - in order to finally be recognized by Hollywood and get some nominations.

In the politically realistic first season Hollywood pretended this show didn't exist - it was antithetical to Hollywood's own political bias.

This series was about the historical period integrated into the lives of two Russian spies. Now, it is a crappy family drama, with some members of the family being, by some weird coincidence, spies.

You know what I think is missing? One of the key points of interest/tension from the first seasons was seeing the FBI and the Rezidentura in counterpoint. You saw how things were unfolding on both sides and the counter-strategies. It was interesting. We've gotten much much less of that this season--I think to the detriment of the series.