The Americans TV Review

The Americans - "The electricity stays on, the food is good, what's so bad about this place?"

Highly intriguing, FX delivers another promising drama, set in the cold war during the 1980's suburbia America. Philip & Elizabeth are masquerading as a typical American couple whilst secretly working for the KGB, spies on enemy soil. This type of show could only work on a cable show where the censor doesn't ruin the very adult themes. We're only one episode deep and already there is an abundance of rape, torture, murder, kidnapping, pedophile lynching & hand to hand combat. These violent themes aren't present just to shock the audience they're there to drive the story & the story is fascinating.

Keri Russel plays Elizabeth who is a cold, blunt instrument of the motherland Russia whilst her fake husband Philip played by Matthew Rhys is a more relatable human being who is torn between doing his duty and defecting to the Americans for an easier life, this decision weighs heavily on the marriage. They also have two biological children which complicate matters further. What the show did wonderfully was it refused to display any sort of affection or love to the children, they exist purely to sell the typical American family picture. Maybe I'm just overly cynical but it's a terrific element to the show, really drives home the state of mind these two spies share.

All the while the FBI is hot on the trail of KGB spies planted in America as President Ronald Reagan's paranoia deepens. And "who da thunk it" an FBI agent just happens to move into the same neighborhood as Philip and Elizabeth played by Noah Emmerich setting the tension level to off the charts. Have they been made? Are they on 24/7 watch? The writing is especially terrific, very fluid and action packed, never a dull moment.

The show also includes flashbacks to the 1960's in soviet Russia where the two meet and train as KGB officers as they prepare to infiltrate America. This gives a very necessary insight into their characters which in a way humanizes them. An emotional relief for the audience. It is an engrossing story, interspersed with great moments of tension, decadence, and charm (who would've thought Phil Collins and Fleetwood Mac could make such inspired choices for background score?). The writing is top-notch. Matthew and Keri are excellent casting choices, since portraying enemies as genuine people is not as easy as it looks. A very positive start from the show's makers. 4/5