The Americans
"At the height of the Cold War, married KGB spies pose as Americans in Washington, D.C."
- IMDB
I heard Winona talk about binging the show in an interview once and her enthusiasm kinda convinced me. If Winona vouches for the show, it must be good.
Season 1
I only knew the premise going in, and the only prediction I had was that maybe one of the main couple would be a full KGB loyalist while the other had gotten soft and hoped for a normal American life. That was basically established in the first half of the pilot, but it was a little more than that. Elizabeth seemed to have tried to disassociate from the family part of the job—like building up walls so as not to become emotionally attached while accomplishing missions. Philip is ready to desert the motherland at a moment’s notice and clearly has fallen in love with his fake wife. I thought this would establish some sort of season arc with Elizabeth slowly breaking down those walls, but they started coming down when she and Philip made love in the car.
Also—I checked the timestamp—I made up my mind 50 minutes in and decided I shipped them very very much. Paige is a cinnamon roll—if anyone hurts her… I want her parents to kill everyone in the KGB and FBI and then themselves. And Henry—I don’t know why, but I just want to see him punch a dude in the face so I can be like, “That’s their son, that’s their boyyyy.”
I like how, even though Elizabeth opened the door and has been falling in love with her husband, she still struggles to evolve her views during their missions. Philip has allowed himself to be Americanized in a way, and that actually makes him smarter, as he’s more open-minded and familiar with American behavior and perspective.
Philip may have his heart set on being a family man, but when he’s in the zone… I mean, he’s pretty damn good at this KGB stuff. He complains a lot, but he’s still focused when it comes to getting the job done.
They both take turns each episode being mad at each other for some reason, but their situation is so complicated that I’m not even mad about it. Elizabeth can say, “Bro, it’s just a job,” but her kids are not “just a job.” The family is not just a job. I could tell this would be the foundation of all six seasons.
It’s honestly kind of funny how anti-American I am with this show. I’m literally rooting for the KGB most of the time. I myself have fallen into the irony of the show’s title. Whenever the FBI takes an L I’m just like, “Whatever.”
An FBI agent being neighbors with the KGB is giving Walter and Hank. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is just too good of a plot device that’ll work really well later.
I literally wrote 3 essays on Succession. Elizabeth is giving Shiv. There was this quote from Philip that stood out to me: “We cared about each other, but we didn’t know how to be married.” That was literally Tom and Shiv, and that’s literally Elizabeth and Philip. Just like Tom and Shiv, the foundation of their relationship was not love but business. So now that they’re truly in love with each other, it’s a struggle to be a real married couple.
I got my wish, by the way. Henry didn’t just punch someone in the face—he whacked a guy’s skull with a bottle. It took six episodes. This boy is a crazy Russian and doesn’t even know it.
I also love how pissed Paige gets—these kids are crazy little Russians, and I love them.
This marriage to Martha is so messed up. It only gets worse. I’ll talk about it more.
In the season finale, the way she said “come home” in Russian had me falling like Dumbledore off the astronomy tower.
Season 2
The way Paige is so suspicious just because she thinks her parents are having affairs. Well… that one scene where she was looking for secrets and just found her parents having sex… girl, probably for the best that you stop this witch hunt that totally has a valid foundation, just for different reasons.
Now, I did do research at the start of last season. I’m in a world with convenient internet, so it was hard to understand how good the travel agency was as a cover. Apparently, it is a solid cover for those weird late nights or weekend conventions. The 80s were weird. But if even Paige has her doubts, maybe the cover is just slightly overused?
Paige rebelling through Christianity is such a funny plot to me. I get that some Christian churches are nice, but historically speaking, Christianity has often been more of a toxic cult than any other religion I know. So I get Elizabeth’s concern.
Henry - the criminal mastermind who broke the law to play video games - that was an underrated side quest.
Paige and Henry are so precious. They are my children. I love them so much.
Philip would stop if he could, but I’ll say it again—he is too good at being KGB. Like when he kills… it’s kind of hot. That being said, the killing starts getting to his mental health toward the end of the season.
Philip and Elizabeth have been a pretty functional couple this season, and it’s been great to see both in life and on missions. However, Elizabeth’s loyalty to Russia versus Philip’s love of his American life still causes tension between the good moments. All the while, Elizabeth is struggling as a mom while Philip fights a battle of morality.
Now that they’re a couple in sync, we’ve been given a lot of time to see them tackle parenthood. With Paige in her rebellious teen era, these crazy Russian parents have no patience, and it’s so funny to me.
Jared killed his family—bro, what the hell?
Don’t touch Paige. Elizabeth, don’t even think about it. Do not make me preach American values as an anti-American.
Season 3
Season premiere starts with a flashback of Elizabeth yeeting a young Paige into the pool.
Bro, Paige is too pure. Philip and I both agree—we don’t want her to be a killer or a sexual weapon like her parents for a country she has never truly been associated with beyond heritage. Elizabeth’s loyalty to her nation versus Philip’s desire to lead a normal American family has always been an issue, but it’s coming back to the forefront as they clash over Paige’s future.
I’m on Philip’s side. She’s American. She may have the same drive to make change like Elizabeth, but she doesn’t have the same background. Honestly, she may have her mother’s drive but her father’s conscience. If she is told the truth and groomed into the KGB, I just don’t see her committing the way Elizabeth expects. She’ll be in danger, and Philip will have to protect her.
You know that scene in Pride & Prejudice when Elizabeth is like “I absolutely hate you,” then Darcy almost kisses her and she almost kisses back? That energy—Philip and Elizabeth have it. Even when they argue, I’m like, “They’re going to hook up later anyway.” And sometimes they actually do.
The Martha situation—still messed up. Martha might still come in clutch, but the longer this goes on, the more doomed and sad her situation becomes.
The emo disguises—I have a screenshot. Please take a moment to appreciate those awful wigs. I love them.
The old lady in the factory really hit me hard. That had to be one of the saddest deaths. Even Elizabeth struggled with it. I was mentally not okay for a few hours. Properly traumatized.
I’m Hannah Montana—Paige is how Lilly felt. I wondered if Paige being dragged in would trigger Elizabeth to snap out of her loyalty to the KGB. Didn’t expect that escalation so soon.
Martha knows too—ahhhhh.
I’m conflicted about Paige’s confession. I’m glad she’s not okay with the Russian thing, but I’ve never trusted that preacher. Their relationship feels weirdly close.
Season 4
Philip is a killer, bro. That pastor better watch out.
Season 3’s finale felt like such a strong halfway point. Paige’s arc and Martha’s story both reached major turning points. There’s an underlying rise in tension—like everything is picking up in a big way.
Martha is so real. She knew something was off and was like, “I’m still in it.” I don’t know why, but I’d trust her with my life.
I know Philip’s main love is Elizabeth, but I think he still has so much empathy for Martha because he basically ruined her life in an irreparable way. I don’t know if he loves her the way he says he does, but he cares about her and tries to protect her—partly out of guilt, partly out of genuine compassion. It’s a very interesting relationship, and I’m shocked it lasted as long as it did.
Her arc ending with her seeking asylum in Russia as an American traitor is so messed up. I wonder what she would do if she ever saw Philip again. Would she ever be allowed back in America? Will her parents ever see her again? I never thought her story would go this far. What an insane arc.
This whole bioweapon storyline made me think about how countries have been researching biological weapons since World War II. Like… has anyone actually done anything about that? I know there are international agreements, but who’s actually following them?
Nina—she’s been such an interesting part of the FBI storyline. She gave us insight into the Russian side while also showing the consequences of betraying Russia. It’s fun rooting for the KGB when watching Philip and Elizabeth, but Nina reminds us how brutal that system is. Her ending was devastating. The way she was executed mid-plea while the guards treated it like just another day at the office was honestly haunting.
Usually I side with Philip on moral issues, but here… yeah, I’m with Elizabeth. Kill the pastor.
The mid-season time skip came out of nowhere. I hope they enjoyed EPCOT—I was really rooting for Henry’s dream vacation. Paige is dealing with the consequences of her actions with the situation she created with Pastor Tim. I’m not even mad, but it’s sad, and it probably makes her feel more alone than ever.
Guilt is starting to creep in for Elizabeth with the Korean family—and yeah, I felt that. They were so kind. Very similar to Philip’s situation with Martha. Elizabeth formed a genuine connection just to destroy their lives. I don’t even remember if the husband killed himself, but that storyline hit hard.
About two-thirds of the way through, I just have to ask—why are we so close to the Beemans? Being friendly neighbors was a good idea at first—casual cookouts, letting the kids hang out—but now it’s too much. Stan is way too close, especially with how easily he takes Henry in. It’s such a dangerous situation.
Season 5
The intro confused me—I genuinely thought they adopted that kid as part of a cover, and I was like, “That’s insane.” Then I realized he was an agent, and it made more sense.
Paige and Matthew—do not ship. I’m so glad Philip and Elizabeth shut that down before it turned into something worse, like using him as an informant. That would have been a disaster.
Goodbye, Grandpa. He was a solid character—usually had better judgment than the other handler.
Martha’s cameos gave her some sense of closure, which I appreciated.
Henry going to boarding school gives me mixed feelings. On one hand, you want him close. On the other, the KGB situation becomes way easier if he’s not around to notice things and potentially get pulled in like Paige.
Also, Henry basically infiltrated the FBI. He got a tour of the office. He was a few yards away from the desk of the woman his dad manipulated. He met the agent his mom punched. He saw the door to the room where sketches of his parents’ disguises are posted. That’s insane.
The Nazi-hunting storyline with Elizabeth got really dark. She did what she had to do, but you could tell it weighed on her.
The whole “two lives” tension is really strong here. They’re comfortable in America and have built a real life, but going back to Russia represents an escape from the KGB. And somehow, both options feel impossible.
Final Season
Everybody panic.
The time skip threw me off at first.
Paige is way more involved now. I like to think there’s at least some understanding of her role—like, please just observe and don’t make things worse.
Philip is semi-retired, doing smaller operations, while Elizabeth is fully committed and basically sacrificing everything for the cause.
This season feels heavy. Everyone looks tired, depressed, and defeated.
Stan really steps into his “Hank Schrader” role toward the end. I didn’t always vibe with him, but he became such an important piece in the final stretch.
Pastor Tim actually came through. As much as I didn’t like him, when it mattered, he stayed loyal to Paige even when it conflicted with his beliefs. Respect.
That final episode had me in tears. I was hoping Paige would stay for Henry, but seeing her on that platform absolutely broke me. I was sobbing. “With or Without You” is ruined forever—I can’t hear it without thinking about the Jennings. The way Philip and Elizabeth looked at Paige as they left… haunting.
The Cold War is ending, though, so maybe there’s a realistic chance for Paige and Henry to reconnect with their parents someday, especially with modern technology, it feels possible—at least with Paige. Henry… I don’t even know how he processes all of this.
Returning to Russia—Philip and Elizabeth are finally back in their homeland. After everything, they made it out alive. Together. It’s not a happy ending, but it’s a satisfying one. There’s a sense of peace in it.
I love them so much.
Overall
All the seasons kind of blend together, but in a good way. The show is consistently paced, well-written, and well-acted from start to finish. I loved the Jennings family the entire way through.
Philip and Elizabeth—I ship them so much. Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell delivered such a layered, complex love story. At its core, this show is about a marriage that started as a job and somehow became real.
I need to watch this again. I miss them already.
Thanks, Winona, for the great recommendation.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆