MovieChat Forums > The Americans (2013) Discussion > just watched the season premiere

just watched the season premiere

posted 6 years ago by ADBruno1985 (3304)
3 replies | jump to latest

I'm behind because I wanted to rewatch the previous seasons in a marathon, and then I got busy, so got behind. So I still have five more episodes, hopefully will be caught up in the next day or two. Probably won't check back until after lest there be spoilers.

But a few takeaways from 6x01.

Not just this show in particular, but I feel like a lot of shows now tend to do shortened final seasons. I feel like this allows them to take a risk and make the last round feel a lot different, all the while keeping the writing a bit tighter. Plus, being shorter in addition to different, it will by default feel a bit more like an extended epilogue in case it isn't well-received.

Paige will turn out to be a lesbian.

Wouldn't it be bad for Philip to suddenly devote a lot more time into the travel agency? I guess he could say because the kids are gone, but it still might raise questions as to where he'd been previously spent so much time.

I hope Renee does turn out to be a spy of some sort. I feel like it'll feel better as a pay-off than as a red herring basically.

[–] Sandoz (2021) 6 years ago

A few comments on your comments...

"Paige will turn out to be a lesbian."

Um...what? You basing this on something you picked up from re-watching all the previous eps, or just wishful-thinking? I've noticed nothing about Paige's character that would indicate this.

"I hope Renee does turn out to be a spy of some sort. I feel like it'll feel better as a pay-off than as a red herring basically."

There's been speculation about this since Laurie Holden turned up on the show and, in earlier seasons, I could entertain the possibility of it being so. But now that we're near the finish, I really, REALLY hope they don't go this route for the shock value of her being a plant, at least a Russian one, because I don't think it would make sense to have kept her identity a secret from P&E since her presence would be an asset to them. And this show reveals all about it's characters, so why have hidden hers for so long?

And I disagree about a ten episode season being suitable for the finale season. I think any show as well-written as The Americans is can benefit from MORE episodes, not less. I don't know whether the ten episode limit was requested by the showrunners or if by FX. If it's the first then I can abide by it; it it's the latter, then it sucks.

[–] ADBruno1985 (3304) 6 years ago

Points for disagreeing on everything but politely explaining yourself instead of just being a jerk :)

Okay, my thought about Paige being a lesbian. Firstly, I'm a mostly gay dude, so it's really not about wishful thinking at all. The scene where she was watching a movie with Elizabeth and Claudia, it was mostly her outfit and haircut. She said something, I forget what, but I thought it seemed gay-ish. I'm caught up on episodes now and clearly I was wrong, just a guess from that moment (hey, a lot of self-discovery can happen at any age, especially that age, and a three-year time jump).

I guess I always kind of felt Renee would be a spy but also somehow be against Philip and Elizabeth. It'd be hard for that to be done well, but if it can be, that'd still be my preference.

No idea who decided to have it be ten episodes the final season, but that's long been the plan, so I think it's okay.

[–] winslow (1318) 6 years ago

The showrunners won't say if Renee is a spy, but one of them said there are clues in her scenes that answer that question. Really I believe he said that because he wanted something for people to speculate about after the show is long gone, like people do with the ending of The Sopranos. Anyway, to indulge, I think she is batting for the red team:

- that other spy who pretended to be Elizabeth and Pilot Phil's son threatened to report Elizabeth for breaking protocol. Elizabeth told him anyone with experience is gonna break protocol every now and then, and then she tells him to do what he's gotta do.
- early on with Renee, there is a shot of her staring at the Jennings' house. With the camera angle, they made a point to emphasize this. She may have been sent there to watch for signs they are about to defect, her job was to either stop them or send a message up the chain for someone else to handle the situation.
- she methodically pushes Stan to get her a job in the FBI building.
- in the finale, watching the house get raided after she hugs Stan, there are 2 shots from her POV that are clearly centered on the boxes they are carrying out. Her new task could be to get access to those files and destroy anything incriminating.