The Americans (TV Series) March 8, 1983 (2015) User Reviews

Strong finish to series 3

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 19 February 2021]

Paige continues to struggle with family life and Phillip takes some brutal steps to solve a problem.

Like so much of The Americans I can't say I enjoyed the episode, but appreciate how well crafted it is and admit to being thoroughly compelled by the events depicted from start to finish.

I won't mention story details not to spoil, but it's safe to say that Phillip, Elizabeth, Stan and especially Paige have their share of strong plot lines and character moments. Similar to the series 2 finale, it has the next series very much in mind with how it finishes on a scene that throws out another hook for audience to make sure they keep watching.

As ever, all cinematography, editing, writing and in particular the performances are superb. Holly Taylor, Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell and Frank Langella are all excellent.

This show needs a longer season

[bongoz · 23 April 2015]

I love this show, and I really loved this episode - writing, acting, direction, production all on point. On its own it would have been a magnificent episode, up there with "...Electric Sheep" and "Stingers".

My only problem (and reading many external reviews, not just mine) was that it felt "abbreviated" for a season finale. Seasons one and two of this show ended with tensions, but they felt self-contained and complete, so that we could pick up the stories a little down the road when the next season started. In contrast this season ends with some genuine (dare I say "standard") dramatic cliffhangers, so we just have to hold our breaths for nine months to find out what happens next.

Which is why this finale just seems out of tune with the other seasons this way. Also (and again, reviews show I'm not the only one), I really felt gypped that Martha wasn't in the episode, especially after the last scene of the previous episode!

So I wonder (just idle speculation now), what if this was meant to be a finale for the series, not the season? If there had originally been a scene where Martha, guilty about Clark/Philip, committed suicide (as so many victims of "Romeo spies" did in WWII and the Cold War), it could have been a reasonably complete (though unsatisfactory) series finale, knowing that the spies would be caught. Without such a scene, there's enough (though still unsatisfactory) to bridge over into a another season.

The announcement that this show would get a fourth season came rather late in the production cycle. Are we seeing a last-minute edit job to turn a series closure into a season cliffhanger?

I only knocked one star off for the finale issue. All in all, fantastic show, fantastic season, and really, really can't wait until season four!