Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty
Starring: Keri Russell & Matthews Rhys
Network: FX
Airs: Wednesday’s 10pm
“Why is everyone so prompt in this business?,” asks Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) to his wife, Elizabeth (Keri Russell), two KGB spies living in the United States and who just missed handing off a high-profile Russian defector they kidnapped in the new FX espionage drama, The Americans.
Phillip and Elizabeth (no, that’s not their real names) live in a suburban house in Washington D.C. in 1981 and have two children who have no clue that their parents are spies trying to undermine the US government one mission at a time. However, the two secret agents bungled their latest mission and now have the high-profile defector as a prisoner in the trunk of their Oldsmobile Delta, parked in their garage. To make matters worse, the new neighbor who just moved in across the street is a suspicious FBI agent who notices almost immediately that there seems to be “something off” about Phillip.
Unable to contact the Russian embassy due to the manhunt for their prisoner, the pressure starts to take its toll on Phillip and Elizabeth who begin to argue over how to best remove their unwanted guest.
Overly dramatic yet suspenseful, The Americans is a well-crafted new series with a strong performance from its leading lady. Keri Russell shines as the devoted KGB agent who’s willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish her missions. She is the strongest agent between the couple and will put the mission and the love of her socialist Russia before her marriage, her children, and even her life. It’s hands-down the best role of Russell’s career. She’s sexy, loving, tough, and ruthless when her cover demands it from her.
Matthew Rhys delivers a solid performance as Phillip the devoted father and husband to his family who’s started questioning if he’s on the right side in the fight of the cold war which is beginning to heat up. Rhys and Russell have good chemistry as a couple who’ve learned to trust and care for each other over the course of 19 years, which wasn’t easy due to their marriage and lives being one huge lie for their cover as spies in the U.S.
The biggest problem in the show is with the directing and writing which tends to be over-dramatic in some scenes and even contrived. A perfect example of this is in the plotline of the FBI agent who just happens to move in next door and begins to suspect his neighbors after meeting them twice. Oh please, it’s almost as silly as the nosy neighbor who kept spying on Samantha and Darren in the 1960’s sitcom Bewitched.
Sexy, dark, and original, The Americans is an intriguing spy drama that hopefully will improve its writing in the next few episodes.
GRADE: B-
Follow Us On:
