FX’s “The Americans,” entering its fourth season this
Wednesday, March 16th, has moved beyond traditional dramatic
plotting and structure to become something more akin to a novel. Layered in
ways we only see in our best television, “The Americans” transcends its
espionage show genre to become something more relatable while never forgetting
to also be a wildly entertaining story of spies and the people trying to catch
them. Each season of “The Americans” has evolved into something greater,
deepening the themes of regret and anxious dread. At this point, these are the
driving forces for Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), a man haunted equally by
ghosts of his past and ghosts of those he’ll have to kill in the future. His
daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) now knows he’s a Russian spy undercover in 1980s
America. He has started attending EST meetings, which have brought repressed memories to the surface, and forced him to question his purpose. Is he a killer
or a loving father? Can he be both?
“When you do what we do, it’s very easy to lose your bearings,”
says Gabriel (Frank Langella), the handler for Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings
(Keri Russell). To say that Phillip has lost his bearings would be an
understatement. Always the more reticent of the suburban spies, he opens season
four pulled between a violent past and his desire to protect his daughter. At
the end of season three, she not only learned the truth about her parents but
told her spiritual leader, Pastor Tim (Kelly AuCoin). In any other
circumstance, someone who knew the truth about the Jennings would be killed,
but they can’t eliminate their daughter’s Pastor, for practical not just moral
reasons—Paige would certainly know and it would make inducting her into the spy
game that much more difficult. So, Phillip and Elizabeth have to go on in a
world in which they know someone knows their secret.
As if that’s not enough tension, Phillip has started having
memories of a murder he committed at a young age, inspired by the EST meetings
that he’s been attending. Those meetings have also drawn him closer to Sandra
Beeman (Susan Misner), which inevitably catches the eye of FBI agent Stan Beeman
(Noah Emmerich), who is still trying to get Russian Nina Krilova (Annet
Mahendru) back from the USSR while also dealing with the revelation that a bug
was placed in his office. As they try to get closer to the inside woman of the
FBI, Martha (Alison Wright) comes to terms with the truth she learned about
Philip’s double identity.
On top of all of this, the Jennings are tasked with meeting
with an informant (the perfectly cast Dylan Baker) who is dealing in
biochemical weaponry. In the first episode, he passes them a vial of something
called Glanders, which is deadlier than the bubonic plague, and protected in a
tiny vial and bubble wrap. For the first few episodes, it becomes a brilliant
symbol for the impending doom that faces the Jennings on a daily basis as they
can’t get rid of it and it could kill them any minute now. It’s the bomb in the
middle of the room—their guy in the Members Only jacket sitting at the counter
who could be waiting to shoot Tony Soprano.
“The Americans” has become an existential spy drama. It’s a
show about identity, family, marriage, and free will vs. the safety of doing
what you’re told—all wrapped in the fabric of an ‘80s spy movie. Over three
seasons (and four episodes I’ve seen of the new one), we have watched Philip
Jennings, one of the most fascinating characters of modern television, implode.
He is a man caught between duty and family, far from a typical TV anti-hero. We
have seen, and these new episodes include, Philip commit cold-blooded murder of
innocent people. And yet the writers of “The Americans”—and the wildly underrated Rhys—keep us engaged
in this story, concerned for the future of two people who are essentially
trying to bring down the United States from within. And yet they are also us.
They are father, mother, friend, co-worker, husband, wife—as well as being spy
and killer. It is that depth of character and nuance in the writing that
elevates “The Americans,” along with its willingness to offer stunning
narrative developments. It’s never easy to tell where “The Americans” is going,
but I’m now convinced that when we close the final chapter of this televised
novel we may finally appreciate one of the best shows we’ve ever seen.
Note: The third season of “The Americans” was just released on DVD if you need to catch up. Special features include deleted scenes and “The Cold War for Paige.”
