# The Americans Season 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2015, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097 "2015-01-28T09:03:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/721 "2015-03-29T18:29:35Z")
Both of them care much more for their family and kids than anything. When the KGB did their ill advised test, Elizabeth beat the shit out of her _handler_, because they had pretend threatened her kids…Philip was much more sanguine. Its just that most American (and Canadian ;)) viewers seem to be projecting their own patriotism onto Philip, he likes the US, but as he himself stated, “So what?”. He fits in. He uses that to help him do his job as well as possible. The only time he spoke about defecting was in the pilot, in special circumstances, where they seriously were at the risk of being caught,and the Pilot is an excellent example of [Early Installment Weirdness](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EarlyInstallmentWeirdness), he never again suggest defecting, even when he has the possibility to for instance when transporting Baklanove(and the KGB seems woefully unprepared in the Pilot, unlike the crazy ready they have been since), ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/722 "2015-03-29T18:35:17Z")
> [@twuest](#): > > Following up on the DVR issue, I found an article that might brighten the moods of the show’s fans. At least for Season 2 anyway, there was quite an audience bump for The Americans thanks to DVR viewership. This is the most recent article I have found so far. The only problem is that even with a significant bump from DVR’s, the live numbers are still so low that it might not matter. > > [Time-Shift Heroes: Orphan Black and Other TV Shows That Thrive Belatedly](http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/most-time-shifted-tv-shows.html) The Americans is pretty much the poster boy for shows people watch after a few days and FX is a network which relies heavily on this. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/723 "2015-03-29T20:14:19Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The Americans is pretty much the poster boy for shows people watch after a few days and FX is a network which relies heavily on this. I’m not sure I understand what you mean. I’m guessing you mean that most people record The Americans on a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) or PVR (Personal Video Recorder) box but then only get around to watching it a few days later. Is that right? ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/724 "2015-03-29T22:46:54Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I read up\_the\_creek’s blog and have a few remarks about it. But in my typical style, these remarks are extremely long and so I’m enclosing them in a spoiler box so as not to make this thread somewhat ugly with something that many of you might consider “off topic”. > > However, many of you may not feel that way. So, I figured it would be best to avoid angering the group who would not appreciate a very long post about a blog from some other web site. But, it was really a great blog and so here is the link to it - for those of you who might enjoy reading it: > > [https://clevertelly.wordpress.com/2015/03/](https://clevertelly.wordpress.com/2015/03/) > > I read your blog for S3E9, “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” > > . As I read your description of the scene between Clark and Martha coupled with their new “paradigm”, it confirmed my original thought that Martha has to be completely nuts to accept any such arrangement. After all, her entire life is at stake here. She has spent her entire working life at the FBI and she is ready to just toss it over and spend the rest of her life in prison just so that she can have a husband? And it’s only a part time husband. More than that, it’s only an imaginary husband. So many times, I have heard people say “they have to work at marriage”. But Martha actually has to work at forcing herself to believe that her marriage is real. > > We have never seen Martha behave in a really crazy way. But given that she has that gun in her drawer, I sense that must be coming. In order for anyone to go along with such an arrangement, they have to be a real screwball. IMO, this is the single most interesting relationship in the entire 3 seasons and I expect something extremely dramatic to result from it. So, I fully agree with you spending so much time in this blog discussing that. > > I think the following paragraph summed things up very well: > > “And the deal she has made with herself? She’s in denial. She doesn’t want to be alone. Above all, she loves this man - whoever he is.” > > I didn’t realize The Center was putting Martha to the test and that was an additional element causing P to be angry with TC (The Centre) and with Gabriel. I am happy when I learn things that I hadn’t previously realized. It may sound like a silly point. But it’s an important point to me. > > The following paragraph confused me: > > Walking with Gabriel, P instinctively senses danger for Martha and spells it out, E doesn’t miss a thing and notes the change in tone. > > I didn’t notice E “not missing a thing” and “noting the change in tone”. But as I recall it, when you said: > > "Later, while fetching water for Betty, E comments “It’s only natural you developed feelings for Martha”. > > I recall P became visibly angry at that and said, “Thanks for your permission” to E. She replied, “I didn’t mean it like that.” But I didn’t understand. It seemed to me the writer failed to explain just how she did mean it and what the resolution would be (if any) for P & E. > > I’ve never been married. But I sense there is a lot of anger shared by most married couples and the often just “swallow the anger” - meaning they just pretend it doesn’t exist - for the sake of the marriage. Anyway, I don’t expect you to reply. I just want to say that exchange confused me and I still don’t understand it. It may be due to the fact I’ve never been married. > Consider the following paragraph: > > “If this were real estate, an enormous stretch of beach front would be afforded to E’s conversation with Betty Turner, …” > > The above paragraph sounds quite lovely. But I don’t understand the analogy. Did you mean the writer should have spent more time dealing with the conversation between E and Betty? Does “an enormous stretch of beach front” mean “a large portion” or did you mean the conversation was something very beautiful - like a beach front. I didn’t understand that. > > Finaly, here are some random notes I made. > > . As I watched the “scrabble scene”, I noted that P was unhappy. But I never stopped and thought enough about it to understand all that was going on. > Your analysis as to what P was juggling and “the bitch slap” made the dynamic much more clear to me. So, thanks for that! > > . I really liked your insight into Hans and “the wrong cause”. I hadn’t thought of that before and it added a nice element. > > . I’m always catching typos. I guess I have an “editor’s eye”. Here is one for you: > "Hans wants rid of … " I think you meant "Hans wants to get rid of … " No? > > . I loved your paragraph on “Stan and Ollie”. That was just magnificent. A real LOL moment for me. That convinced me you have real talent as a writer. > I have often daydreamed about becoming a writer. But I don’t have the talent. I can see that now. I don’t know whether to thank you. But I am very > impressed with your level of talent. IMO, it is excellent! > > . I was confused by your Notes. When you talked about using the dictionary, I felt the need to look up those words as well. I remember looking up > “paradigm” a long time ago. All I remembered about it was that it confused me. > > It still confuses me. Here is what I found in [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com): > > NOUN > > 1. Grammar. > a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme. > a display in fixed arrangement of such a set, as boy, boy’s, boys, boys’. > > It seems to me one would have to be a freaking genius just to understand that. But I don’t think that was the meaning you were using. > > Here is meaning I think applies to your blog: > > 1. an example serving as a model; pattern. Synonyms: mold, standard; ideal, paragon, touchstone. > > or maybe it was number 3? > > 1. a. framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodology that are commonly accepted by members of a scientific community. > > It’s not important to your blog or the show. I’m just unhappy that I couldn’t remember what the word meant even after looking it up. Of course, it was about 20 years ago. > > In this case I’m guessing it meant that Martha and Clark are both now thinking of their relationship in a new framework. > > [PARADIGM Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paradigm?s=t) > I guess the only negative reaction I had was your use of the word “paradigm”. Wouldn’t there have been a simpler word you could have used that most of a TV audience would understand? > > I know it will sound elitist, but a TV audience consists of a cross section of the population and it seems to me that only the top ten percent of the population walk around knowing what “paradigm” means. > > Or maybe I’m just unhappy that after looking it up 20 years ago, I couldn’t remember what it meant and had to look it up again. And it still confuses me. Yikes! I’m guessing that will sound very sad to anyone reading it. > In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading your blow with the idea that I would try to offer you some advice on being a writer. In the end, I realized how stupid that was because you are obviously very talented far beyond any imaginary daydreams I have ever had about being a writer. But I had a lot of fun while reading your blog and writing this comment about it. > > I did add my email addy to the place where it said, “Follow Blog via Email”. And I left a reply too. Do we not get to see what other people have left in that “Reply” box? > P.S. A very minor point: > > It is a very minor point. But it’s about the writer (Joshua Brand) and not about your blog. If someone is writing something for the general TV audience, why use a reference to “Dreaming of Electric Sheep?”. I would guess one could come up with many different titles that refer to a “Mail Robot”. Why use something about “Dreaming of Electric Sheep?” I would guess that only a tiny fraction of the general TV audience would have ever heard of the writer “Phillip Dick” or of his book, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”. I could be wrong about that. But it seems to me that author as well as his books (like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) would only be familiar to the group of people who enjoy Sci-Fi stuff and that is not necessarily the same group of people who would be attracted by this kind of TV show. I have a bad feeling about this point and my little voice is telling me that I would be better off just to forget it. But I remember that the very first thing I thought after watching this episode was that I had a negative reaction to this writer and so I feel the need to ask you whether my point about referring to the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” in the title of this episode might be a mistake. Or do you think I’m just nit-picking about that? Or would you reply that it is just too minor to squawk about? Hi Charlie Wayne, holy smoke, Charlie! That’s the longest list of comments and questions I think I’ve ever seen! I will try to answer as much as I can but it would take me hours to cover everything so I am going to have to be picky … I’m glad you liked Stan and Ollie – that’s definitely my idea 😃 On Martha; I think one of the things about her now is she can be calmer, she finally knows where she stands and all the little doubts she had have gone away. She knows everything Clark was telling her was a nonsense and I think she’s actually kind or relieved. "Hans wants rid of … " I think you meant "Hans wants to get rid of … " No? – yes, good catch. Thanks! About using “beach front” – what I mean was the scenes between Elizabeth and Betty was were right across act 2, the whole central section of the episode, the heart of the ‘development’ even. Almost a ring-fenced piece in itself. “paradigm” – yes, I know what you mean but sometimes it’s pretty much the perfect word. I’m still thinking what else to use … Yep, Martha and Clark are now both seeing the marriage very differently – it’s a lot more complex now and I don’t think the marital power distribution isn’t the same. "Dreaming of Electric Sheep?”- I think it’s just a bit of fun, really. The show is scattered with technology to remind us of the era, some of it worked some didn’t … it’s kind of fun to think of the mail robot as an android … Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment on the blog. It’s not attracting a lot of comments so every one is very valued. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/725 "2015-03-29T22:52:51Z")
Fwiw, on ratings, I saw somewhere FX are committed to 5 seasons. The numbers are obv. disappointing but I do think this show is worth so much to FX in terms of credibility and status to them - and maybe just the fact they get mentioned at Emmy time really helps pay the bills for The Americans; it’s like masses of free publicity of the station. Anyway, I can’t remember where I heard that but I have also seen photos posted by the showrunner of sets being covered in sheeting (as opposed to being dismantled) at the end of shooting S3. Fwiw, I think we’re safe for some while yet 🙂 By the way whover posted on here about Twitter and Alison/Martha is totally correct. Both she and the showruner retweeted me last week when I sent them an idea for S4 - yay me ! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/726 "2015-03-29T23:12:36Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Fwiw, on ratings, I saw somewhere FX are committed to 5 seasons. > > The numbers are obv. disappointing but I do think this show is worth so much to FX in terms of credibility and status to them - and maybe just the fact they get mentioned at Emmy time really helps pay the bills for The Americans; it’s like masses of free publicity of the station. This is a fair point. I recently read something, probably in EW, where an FX executive was proudly touting that the two big names for tv awards are now HBO and FX. In terms of nomination counts, HBO is #1 by a huge margin, then FX is (way behind) at #2, then everyone else is way behind FX. There is something to be said for subsidizing loss leader shows to make your brand. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/727 "2015-03-30T09:16:01Z")
Problem is, as frustrating as this is to most critics, _The Americans_ is not getting a lot of Emmy love either. I really hope that changes, because it would help provide FX branding incentive to keep it around, beyond just the ratings bottom line. > [@AK84](#): > > He might not believe in Sov ideology, that does not follow that he hates his country. On this board we have had American, several of them former servicemen display quite a lot of distaste for American government policies, yet no one thinks that they are going to committ treason. > > Philip has been shown as caring quite deeply about the USSR, when he killed those Mujahideen representatives in the second season premier, he looked quite pissed off when they said they had killed lots of Russians, the whole Afghanistan sub plot, the insistane that his son play ice hockey. Right, this is a really good point. I assume you didn’t mean to say “Afghanistan” (a landlocked country) in relation to the sub though? He was definitely hit hard, like he’d been kicked in the stomach, when he heard about the sailors who died on that sub. **Twuest** , interesting about those DVR numbers, and that it’s one of the only shows on TV that gets watched on DVR \*more \*than live. I wonder if there is something it’s competing with at the same time, or if there’s some other reason? Personally, though I’ve been a cord-cutter for a few years now, I was an early adopter of DVRs (way back about 15 years ago IIRC) and once I had one I basically stopped watching almost anything live. If I was \*really \*looking forward to something, I’d still start it 20 minutes in, so I could skip the commercials. But in general, I stopped paying attention to scheduling, so it seems bizarre to me that things like counterprogramming and lead-ins are still so important to networks in 2015. > [@AK84](#): > > The only time he spoke about defecting was in the pilot, in special circumstances, where they seriously were at the risk of being caught,and the Pilot is an excellent example of [Early Installment Weirdness](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EarlyInstallmentWeirdness), he never again suggest defecting, even when he has the possibility to for instance when transporting Baklanove(and the KGB seems woefully unprepared in the Pilot, unlike the crazy ready they have been since) Excellent point. It’s almost a rule, really, that stuff in a pilot that has never shown up again is not rock-hard canon in a sense. But what did you mean about Baklanov, and the KGB being “crazy ready”? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/728 "2015-03-30T09:35:35Z")
By Sub plot, I meant, the lesser plot of the Afghan war as opposed to the main story. Good point about the submarine loss though, that did affect him. In the pilot, the KGB could not help them with the defector in their car trunk. In the main series, we have seen that the KGB is ready for most contingencies, including (ridiculously) arranging a car accident on demand. Realistically, they would have been able to send someone to extract the defector. Bakloanov, is the Jewish scientist who was trying to get Philip to defect after he was caught. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/729 "2015-03-30T10:34:24Z")
Ah okay, gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/730 "2015-03-30T10:52:19Z")
re Emmys - fwiw, I think there is definitely a feeling (sometimes) that _it’s_ time has come (to be acknowledged). I think there is a general sentiment that it is that time for this show. > [@AK84](#): > > He might not believe in Sov ideology, that does not follow that he hates his country. On this board we have had American, several of them former servicemen display quite a lot of distaste for American government policies, yet no one thinks that they are going to committ treason. > > Philip has been shown as caring quite deeply about the USSR, when he killed those Mujahideen representatives in the second season premier, he looked quite pissed off when they said they had killed lots of Russians, the whole Afghanistan sub plot, the insistane that his son play ice hockey. Yep well, people generally aren’t willing to die for ideology - as in go consumerism! yay capitalism! People do stuff because they have become emotionaly invested in their country. I make no further comment on that. Philip has always been about the people. For him and for very many Russians the USA was a pro-active threat to his people - I guess we’ll see that more starkly in the final episide when Ronald Regan makes his “evil empire” speech. It might not make too much sense from this side and 30 years later but the Soviets really believed the US was gearing up for war, even nuclear war. Good call on the submarine! ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/731 "2015-03-30T11:03:05Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > re Emmys - fwiw, I think there is definitely a feeling (sometimes) that _it’s_ time has come (to be acknowledged). I think there is a general sentiment that it is that time for this show. I hope you’re right, but veteran Emmy watchers Dan Fienberg and Alan Sepinwall make the case that if a show gets past its second season without being treated as an Emmy contender, it is unlikely to ever get on the Emmy voters’ radar. (Similarly, once they do decide a show is worthy, they tend to cling to it long past its “use by” date, and that also crowds out newer and better shows from getting consideration.) But the critics are beating the drum louder than ever, so maybe the voters will be browbeaten into paying attention–let’s hope. > [@](#): > > It might not make too much sense from this side and 30 years later but the Soviets really believed the US was gearing up for war, even nuclear war. It wasn’t just the Soviets. I remember in the early '80s reading about opinion polls which found that a solid majority of Boomers believed that the way they were going to die was in a nuclear holocaust. There was the movie _The Day After_, Sting had a hit with “The Russians”, etc. I remember thinking this seemed strange at the time–I actually thought Mutual Assured Destruction was a pretty good deterrent–but most younger people then were pretty pessimistic. > [@](#): > > Good call on the submarine! Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/732 "2015-03-30T11:28:07Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Problem is, as frustrating as this is to most critics, _The Americans_ is not getting a lot of Emmy love either. I really hope that changes, because it would help provide FX branding incentive to keep it around, beyond just the ratings bottom line. The Emmys aren’t the only awards to brag about. The quote I mentioned isn’t confined to just Emmys; the FX executive was talking about the entire awards season. (Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, etc…) On the [IMDb page for The Americans](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2149175/?ref_=nv_sr_1), it says: Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 6 wins and 31 nominations. That’s 40 total nominations, which is the metric the executive was touting. 40 nominations is a fairly significant number. Sure, it’s not Game of Thrones (329!) or even Veep (79) but it’s not nothing. For comparison with other FX shows: 221 American Horror Story 78 Louie 67 Fargo 60 Justified 57 Sons of Anarchy 40 The Americans 23 Archer And now we can see why Ryan Murphy has carte blanche to churn out garbage like AHS: Freak Show without concern of ever getting cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![MsJinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@MsJinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsJinx)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/733 "2015-03-30T14:53:28Z")
RE: ratings, DVR viewing In my area (Mountain time), The Americans does not air until 11 p.m. (same with Justified), so not possible to view it ‘live’ if you have a day job. We watch it the following night. ---
**Author:** ![twuest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@twuest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twuest)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/734 "2015-03-30T16:03:53Z")
For those who might not remember (not sure of the average age of posters here), but Slackerinc has it exactly right about the nature of the time. I graduated high school in 1982 and the possibility of nuclear war did hang over our heads. It was a real concern, and Slacker gives some good examples. I remember the stir Sting’s song “The Russians” caused…although if memory serves, that single was released a little later…I think in 1985. In addition, according to Wikipedia “The Day After” remains the highest rated TV film in history. I think half the country tuned in when it originally aired. Adding to the frosty US-USSR relations at the time, paranoia was the order of the day throughout Soviet leadership, and they feared an American first strike could come at any moment. At one point during the Able Archer excercise of 1983, the Soviets put their nuclear forces on alert, believing the excerise conducted by NATO was a ruse disgusing an imiment attack. As one poster mentioned earlier, this would be an excellent idea for an episode of The Americans. I’ve always thought the Reagan assassination attempt show was one of the better episodes, but then again I tend to be more interested in the political implications of the show’s situations as opposed to the personal. Governmental reactions to various events are far more interesting to me than Martha’s sex life. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/735 "2015-03-30T22:19:45Z")
> [@twuest](#): > > \ > In addition, according to Wikipedia “The Day After” remains the highest rated TV film in history. I think half the country tuned in when it originally aired. > \ I can well imagine why half the country would have tuned in to watch that show. But I’m also certain they would not have had any idea what it was about before they watched. If they did, I don’t think they ever would have scooped up enough interest to have watched it. It was just too depressing. So very, very depressing - I’m sorry to say. That show scared the living bejeepers out of me when I saw it. For those people who may not know, it was about some kind of mistake that resulted in both countries (American and Russia) exchanging nuclear missles. The next day, many cities in the USA remained heaps of rubble and it was pretty much of a miracle that anyone could ever have carried on with any kind of life after those missles hit. I can’t imagine how anyone could ever have lived in such a heap of rubble that resulted from nuclear missles hitting cities in the modern America. Remember, these were not the early A-Bombs that were equivalent to 13K tons of TNT. These were H-bombs - far more powerful and they caused far more damage. There would be nothing remaining of any of those cities that could be described as habitable. Nothing that could be suitable for people to live in. It was enough to make most adults cry. I know that I am not ashamed to admit that I cried after watching that movie. Sad to say, I cried good and long and hard. Anyway, I would have been interested to see what people would have done after such a catastrophe. It would be a freaking miracle if anyone managed to build any kind of dwelling that enabled them to carry on with the lives of their families. I kept a copy of those films. But I can’t imagine ever feeling like watching them again. Oh my gosh! Talk about scary. That film was pretty much the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. I’m sorry. But that is the truth. As far as this TV show goes, how in the world could this show ever continue after such a disaster. Where would people live? I can’t imagine this show changing into one where people go and dig themselves into underground bunkers. We have seen several shows like that in the past and they are all so very hoakey and not at all thought provoking or entertaining. They are all pretty much really ridiculous and not at all interesting. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/736 "2015-03-31T19:12:53Z")
Hey Charlie, I owe you a PM - really busy atm, will get back to you later, just popping in to say: \*\* FX Renews The Americans for Season 4 \*\* > **[FX Renews The Americans for Season 4](https://www.tvguide.com/news/fx-renews-americans-for-season-4/)** ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/737 "2015-03-31T20:05:37Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Hey Charlie, I owe you a PM - really busy atm, will get back to you later, just popping in to say: > \*\* > FX Renews The Americans for Season 4 > \*\* > [FX Renews The Americans for Season 4 - TV Guide](http://www.tvguide.com/news/fx-renews-americans-for-season-4/) Yippee!! The Americans and Justified are my favorite two shows on TV. Justified is in its last season, so I’m thrilled that this show is being renewed despite the marginal ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/738 "2015-03-31T23:23:08Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Hey Charlie, I owe you a PM - really busy atm, will get back to you later, just popping in to say: > > Yippee!! The Americans and Justified are my favorite two shows on TV. Justified is in its last season, so I’m thrilled that this show is being renewed despite the marginal ratings. I appreciate that. But I understand all too well how these things go. So, please … no need for you to be concerned about me. The fact that this wonderful show has been renewed for another season has left me overjoyed. I have seen it said so many times in this thread … “I just love this show” I can’t think of anything else to say. You have brought me much much hapiness. Oh. Happy. Happy. Joy. Joy. Thank you 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/739 "2015-04-02T03:04:55Z")
So Stan is right about Zenaida and Paige now knows her parents are Soviet spies. :eek: I wasn’t expecting the latter reveal until the season finale; tonight seemed almost anticlimactic. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097/740 "2015-04-02T03:14:34Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > So Stan is right about Zenaida and Paige now knows her parents are Soviet spies. :eek: I wasn’t expecting the latter reveal until the season finale; tonight seemed almost anticlimactic. Right? It did and it didn’t in ways. I was gripped when they were telling Paige they were Soviet spies. But then the silence from her, after, was frustrating. Then she calls her pastor and decides not to say anything, but it doesn’t mean she won’t in the future. I’m thinking her pastor is gonna see the business end of Phillip’s black gloves again. And this time, it’ll be for reals. Then end shot of Paige putting two and two together with Stan was nice and disturbing. It really put what the Jennings are doing close to home. So, that was a stirring note to end the episode on. Also… is it just me, or have they been showing their son’s Tandy football game a lot. I’m starting to wonder if that’s going to be used in spy-craft somehow? Chekhov’s Football Game? It also seems Stan had a flash of suspicion about Martha too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-americans-season-3/711097.md?page=38)