The sixth/final season of FX’s captivating Cold War spy drama, The Americans, opens in 1987. At the end of last season, Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) told her husband Phillip (Matthew Rhys) to quit the spy business as his heart was no longer in it. Now he is working full time at the travel agency, which is going through some financial struggles. Elizabeth is now stressed out and smoking a lot, having to handle things all by herself. In 9 weeks there will be a nuclear arms summit between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in DC. Elizabeth is working undercover as a hospice nurse for a dying artist, Erica Haskard (Miriam Shor), in order to get close to her husband Glenn (Scott Cohen), one of the negotiators for the Americans. She kind of resents Philip for just enjoying life and getting time to visit their son Henry, who’s away at a boarding school where he’s happy and playing hockey. And there’s another wedge that’s about to be put in their relationship. Oleg Burov (Costa Ronin) returns to the U.S. and sets up a meeting with Phillip, telling him that there are people in the country who don’t trust Gorbachev to make the right decision. These people see the summit as a way to disarm the Soviets, and they want to eliminate Gorbachev before he makes such a deal. Oleg’s people suspect that Elizabeth is involved, and he asks Philip to spy on his wife and report back on what she is up to.
Paige (Holly Taylor) is living off campus and going to college, but at the same time, she’s learning the ropes of the family business, and getting a crash course in Russian culture and history from Elizabeth and Claudia (Margo Martindale). She’s put into the field with Elizabeth, but is constantly making mistakes that Elizabeth needs to secretly cover up to avoid discouraging Paige. Paige quickly discovers the gruesome, manipulative and dangerous world she has just entered. And while she still questions things, she also starts to embrace this new life. Meanwhile, the Jennings’ neighbor, FBI agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), is finally headed for a run-in with the Jennings as things are coming to a head. He and partner Dennis Aderholt (Brandon J. Dirden) still have the unsolved case of husband and wife Russian spies to deal with. As Stan puts the pieces together, will he finally realize that the spies he has been looking for all this time were just across the street?! And if so, how will he react to this major deception and betrayal?
Over the years, The Americans has done the seemingly impossible task of making American viewers care about and root for a family of Cold War Russian spies. Elizabeth and Phillip are just like any other people. They are just trying to do what they feel is best for their country, and give their children the best future. In this final season, the series is just as exciting and captivating as ever. Phillip, who has found himself increasingly leaning towards the American way of life over the course of the series, is reluctantly sucked back into the dangerous world he thought he had escaped, and is now being asked to spy on his own wife. The tensions are at an all time high as the fate of Mother Russia hangs in the balance for Elizabeth, who is much more devoted to the cause than her husband. Meanwhile, Paige is quickly becoming more like her mother, while also coming to terms with some of the horrible things her new job requires.
In addition to the show’s fantastic writing, the series does an excellent job of recreating the look and feel of the 1980s, and the selection of music really complements and enhances the drama on screen. Much of the show’s quality is also due to its phenomenal cast. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys really make you care about these characters, and root for them, despite them being the enemy. Their off-screen chemistry translates back into their characters, and you really feel the history and love between Elizabeth and Phillip. This season Holly Taylor really comes into her own as Paige enters the spy world and for the first time witnesses first-hand what exactly her mother does. She has really transformed from the innocent child who questions everything to a commanding young woman.
While I found the final season to be extremely satisfying overall, the final episode left me wanting a few more answers. The writers of the series have purposely left some things open to the interpretation of the viewer. Even in post-series interviews, they refused to provide concrete answers. While I found it a bit disappointing that we don’t necessarily know exactly how each character’s story ends, the finale does provide emotional closure for each of them. The series has always does a great job of making you feel and care about the characters, and this final season continues to do so while also ratcheting up the tension and excitement, culminating in two amazing, emotional music montages. I don’t think fans of the series will be disappointed with these final 10 episodes.
As with previous seasons, this final season of The Americans has received a DVD-only release. Despite not being in HD, the picture quality still looks quite good, just a tad duller than the original HD airings on FX. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and makes nice use of the stereo and surround channel to add excitement and ambiance to the on-screen action and drama. The show’s tense score and wonderful selection of ’80s music also sound excellent. The ten episodes of the sixth/final season are split across three DVD discs, each offering a Play All option. The discs are packed in a standard DVD keepcase without a slipcover. The bonus material includes 6 deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, and 22 minutes of featurettes with the cast and creators of the series. After the series finale aired, there were at least two separate panel discussions with the entire cast and creators—I was a little disappointed to see neither of those included here.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (8:46:34)
- All 10 episodes of the sixth/final season:
Disc 1: “Dead Hand”, “Tchaikovsky”, “Urban Transport Planning”
Disc 2: “Mr. and Mrs. Teacup”, “The Great Patriotic War”, “Rififi”, “Harvest”
Disc 3: “The Summit”, “Jennings, Elizabeth”, “START” - 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- Closed Captioned
Extras:
- Deleted Scenes (8:34)
Collection of 6 deleted/extended scenes play back-to-back: “601 Scene 26” (:37), “602 Scene 44 Extended” (5:04), “604 Scene 67 Extended” (:40), “605 Scene 39” (:44), “606 Scene 23” (:41), and “609 Scene 13” (:44) - Gag Reel (5:40)
fun montage of the cast having a great time on set—there’s lots of dancing, laughter, forgotten lines, faulty props, misbehaving children, and general hi-jinks. - Inside Looks (21:51)
Collection of promotional featurettes with the cast and creators of the series. Participants include writers/executive producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields, and stars Keri Russell (“Elizabeth Jennings”), Matthew Rhys (“Philip Jennings”), Keidrich Sellati (“Henry Jennings”), Holly Taylor (“Paige Jennings”), Margo Martindale (“Claudia”), Noah Emmerich (“Stan Beeman”), Costa Ronin (“Oleg Igorevich Burov”), and Brandon J. Dirden (“Dennis Aderholt”). Play All, or select from:- First Look (3:38)
The cast and producers talk about where the characters are at the start of the sixth season and what awaits them in these final 10 episodes. - The New Agent (1:52)
A discussion about Paige’s recruitment and education with Claudia and Elizabeth. - Double Agents (3:24)
Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich talk about stepping behind the camera to direct episodes. - The Jennings (2:22)
A look at the family at the center of the series, and how their relationship problems are universal. - Hidden Messages (3:08)
Executive producer Luke Colson and art director Henry Deleon talk about creating the show’s title sequence. - The 80s (2:24)
The cast talk about the design, fashion, and technology of the 1980s that appear in the series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage. - Favorite Scenes (2:37)
The cast and producers share their favorite scenes from the series. - Saying Goodbye (2:24)
The cast and producers talk about saying goodbye to the series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage.
- First Look (3:38)
Final Thoughts:
The Americans has been one of my favorite cable dramas over the years. It is beautifully acted, and really well written. It is a wonderful mix of exciting, tense spy thriller and captivating personal/relationship drama. This sixth/final season provides a thoroughly entertaining, solid conclusion to the series, though it ultimately leaves some of the character/story resolutions up to the viewer. FOX’s DVD release provides solid picture and sound and over 35 minutes of bonus material. Fans of the series will definitely want to pick this up.
