Spoilers ahead for the entire series.
From the interviews I read after the finale aired, one sentiment expressed by Keri Russell stuck with me. The creators wanted a "Russian ending," rather than a typically bombastic American one. And that's what they got. The final season of the show sees the full unraveling of Philip and Elizabeth's lives and work. Nobody important dies, but everyone has to live with the hard consequences, which is arguably worse for everyone involved..
After all that table setting in the last season, it was a little surprising to come back to a major time skip of three years. However, the new circumstances for everyone definitely helped liven things up. Philip has left the KGB and is running the travel agency into the ground. Elizabeth and Claudia are shepherding college student Paige along in her career as a novice spy. Henry is away at school. Stan has left the counterespionage side of the FBI and is still with Renee. Most importantly, it's 1987 and Gorbachev now leads the USSR, with the end of the Cold War just around the corner.
Philip and Elizabeth's arcs are riveting to follow, especially Elizabeth's realization that she can no longer trust her orders from the Center and how her constant lying to Paige catches up with her. Philip, however, gets that final monologue in the parking structure that's the highlight of the entire year. I'm going to miss watching Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys being miserable. It was also immensely satisfying to see Stan finally put the pieces together after so many years, though the triumph is short-lived, of course. Ultimately, he still felt a little shortchanged, with nary a glimpse of Matthew or Sandra.
I like that though there was a definite sense of finality to the ending, so many questions were left unanswered, and everyone is pretty much left in limbo. Paige remained a weak point, but at least we get to see her taking part in the action this year, and make her own choices. There simply wasn't enough Burov, and I'm still disappointed in where the series decided to leave him. It was good to see Margo Martindale return as a regular this year, though I missed Frank Langella. Also, as much as I wanted to find out what happened to many of the other characters, like Martha, I'm glad the cameos were fairly limited.
The production has never looked better, and the writing is the best it's ever been. There were no weak episodes this year and no loss of momentum from week to week. Also, it never felt like stories were being dragged out the way they sometimes have in the past. The big summit, the various missions, the defector, and even Stan's renewed investigation into the Jennings all paid off quickly and all played well. I especially enjoyed Miriam's Schor's character, a terminally ill artist who proves instrumental to Elizabeth's development. The story actually moved along so much faster than I was expecting, the ending came as a bit of a shock.
Thinking about how far we've come since the first season, "The Americans" became a very different kind of show, slower and more contemplative. I was never a big fan of the storylines involving the Residentura, or the ones set in Russia, but they were invaluable to establishing the mentality of various characters. The last few seasons were slower, but more dramatically fulfilling. Notably, the last episode was almost entirely free of violence. The show also avoided the trap of leaning too heavily on commentary. Despite recent developments, there was nothing that alluded to the recent election scandals.
Part of me can't help wishing for another season so we can see Philip and Elizabeth's transition to life in a new Russia, or Paige and Henry trying to survive the fallout of their parents' escape. However, it's probably a good thing that the show left me wanting more. "The Americans" is ultimately too murky and morose to be one of my favorites, but it is absolutely the best version of what it wanted to be. I'm glad I saw it through to the end.
And I'll have my Top Ten episodes list up in a few days.
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