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The Americans - S3 of the KGB spy drama - Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys - Wed on FX

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Schrade

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LDleYJF.jpg

That...looks like Andrew Dice Clay when he was young.
 

Aiustis

Member
I just started watching the show and now I'm proudly up to date. I had absolutely no interest in this show based on the premise, but I'm am absolutely hooked. Just blew me out of the water; I don't even binge watch shows like that.
 

Disgraced

Member
I just started watching the show and now I'm proudly up to date. I had absolutely no interest in this show based on the premise, but I'm am absolutely hooked. Just blew me out of the water; I don't even binge watch shows like that.
Same, I just finished not too long ago. It's an S-rank show, and it could be legendary if it aces it all the way. On the contrary to you, once I did a little reading I figured I'd enjoy it (I love spy fiction, history, and '80s music). Although, what I didn't expect was identifying with the themes of marriage and family so strongly. A lot more people should watch, there's a lot to learn from this show not only historically and politically, but regarding personal relationships just as well. I can't wait for March.
 
- Fashionista talks with the costume department about S4
THE AMERICANS

Season four of the retro spy drama kicks off right where season three ended: April 1983, when President Reagan declared the Soviet Union "the evil empire" and Paige (Holly Taylor) ratted out her spy parents to her pastor. "Everyone’s in crisis and I think they feel that they’re fighting for their survival," says costume designer Jenny Gering, who established the looks and direction for season four. (She co-designed the first episode with Katie Irish, who took over for the rest of the season.) Hence, a darker, cooler palette for Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and more leather. "In regards to what's going on in her life, I think she needs to feel protected," Gering adds. "She's being, in some ways, attacked from all sides. These fabrics, these textiles are her armor."

Last season, a morally conflicted Philip (Matthew Rhys) said he wanted out of the spy game. "He is craving normalcy, so he seems a bit more flustered and perhaps less focused," hints Gering. "I think it's possible that there could be some wardrobe slip ups with him." And we know those covert operative disguises are critical elements of Philip's missions. On screen, there's no break going from season three to four, but in real life, months had passed — presenting a new challenge to the costume designer. "Over the summer, Keidrich Sellati, who plays their son Henry, grew six inches," Gering laughs. "So that meant, of course, a totally new closet for the kid."
Dammit, Henry.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
I'm disappointed the Mail Robot doesn't have a character poster. I can't believe this is going to be back in a little over two weeks. I might rewatch the last two episodes before the premiere to give myself a refresher.
 
Seems to be a trend lately, which is made especially annoying when the show starts on bluray. I'm not going to "drop down" to the inferior format, studios. I should just learn to wait for full series sets, though even then there's no "blu" guarantee.
 

Sober

Member
That makes no sense. Was it like this for the previous seasons to come out on dvd first then bluray down the line?
 
That makes no sense. Was it like this for the previous seasons to come out on dvd first then bluray down the line?
They were simultaneously released for previous seasons iirc. It's been a recent trend by a few networks to cut the blu-ray releases for shows that don't move a lot of units.
 

Sober

Member
Maybe. I guess it sorta makes sense in some heads that streaming/VOD/digital has kinda taken over for HD releases that you don't need to justify a HD release of a show on a physical format that doesn't get that many viewers. Sucks though, cause I just recently moved to BRD so I was kinda hoping to start collecting certain shows and was hoping BRD would be a good option. Guess I should rethink that.
 

IronRinn

Member
So excited to have this back, but because of moving I think I may miss out on watching the first few episodes when they air. Gonna miss hangin' with my Communist peeps. :'(
 
First review I've seen:

- Slate.com review:
The fourth season of FX’s Cold War spy drama is a bit of a step down, especially from the near-perfect second and third seasons. Primarily, this is because at this point it’s gotten hard to hide the show’s carefully stitched seams from view. This season is an even slower burn than usual, with even more balls hanging in the air. Secondary characters drift in and out seemingly because they are narratively obligated to make appearances. Even the tensest scenes have a whiff of familiarity. These are the expected, unavoidable signs of aging in any TV show, let alone one that maintains such a precarious balance of tones and moods.

But noting that The Americans is showing some signs of wear isn’t to say that the show is no longer stylish, delightfully off-kilter, panic-attack-inducing entertainment. Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell continue to do spectacular work as Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, the sleeper KGB agents thrown into a sham marriage and family that has become increasingly emotionally real.
Some minor spoilers in the full article.
 

Aiii

So not worth it
I wish reviews would disclose how many episodes they got for review.

Especially with the current era of 10~13 episode seasons that have a season-long story to tell I find a lot of reviewers get it wrong because they judge the first 3 or 4 episodes, which is like reading the first act of a book or playing the first 3 hours of a game and then reviewing it.

I haven't read the full review yet, but seeing those quotes seems very indicative of an opinion based on just seeing the start of storylines, and not the full picture.
 
- Variety: ‘The Americans’ Star Matthew Rhys Sticks Up For His Character at Season 4 Premiere
Much of season four is driven by the internal conflict of the Jennings’ daughter Paige, played Holly Taylor, who at the end of the last season told Pastor Tim about her parents’ double life. “She’s very confused as to whether she should trust her parents — she’s grown up with them all these years and they’ve never done anything to hurt her,” Taylor said. “So she has that reason to trust them, but at the same time, she doesn’t know how to do that anymore because she’s lost a sense of who they are.”

Weisberg and Fields are so deeply committed to historical accuracy that they consult a calendar to make sure that the television programs the characters watch did, in fact, air on the date an episode takes place. So while they occasionally joke about letting the Russians win the Cold War, as they’ve begun planning the end game for the series they’ve strived to stay as truthful as possible. They’ve recently begun planning the end, and Fields thinks they will do “five or six” seasons in total.
 
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