For its second season, The Americans abandoned what essentially was the main focus of the show and re-directed it to a new purpose. The first season was about two people who had been in a loveless, arranged marriage who were starting to love each other. While the first season was great, the Jennings leaving each other only to reconcile had already become repetitive. Returning to that well would have made the show seem stale and out of ideas.
That is probably why the marriage is basically an afterthought, a comforting presence in times of increasing turmoil. The marriage is seen as sound and a rock to guide the Jennings while multiple threats are thrown their way. The love the two share is no longer in doubt. If anything, it may be suggesting that falling in love may have been the worst thing to happen to them.
The next logical step to take for a show about a Russian family in America during the Cold War is exactly what step the show took. They made it about their love for the kids. In the first episode, a family of four gets shot and killed, with the exception of the son. (I really think this portion would have been more effective if they had introduced the family in the first season, but alas). It forces them to look at what life after they're gone looks like with their children.
And that's pretty much how the rest of the second season is framed. They seemed to commit more murders, put themselves into higher risk jobs, and expose themselves to people like Andrew Larrick - really the show's first villain. The tension and the risk seemed ever escalating and increased with each episode.
Another impressive feat pulled off by The Americans is that this season felt more cohesive and less standalone. The spy plots seemed connected each episode. They are working on stealth planes most of the season and each mission more or less connects to that basic framework. They also inherit the turned informant of Emmet and Leane Connors, Fred. With the addition of Lucia, a possible mentee for Elizabeth, and you have basically every mission the Jennings had in the second season.
It's a little misleading to only have talked about the Jennings, because a rather large part of this season was also the deteriorating relationship between Nina and Stan. Nina became a regular just as much as the Jennings while Stan kind of just sat in the corner making smiley face emoticons to Nina while secretly making sad face emoticons to himself.
One of the weaknesses to this season is that they really destroyed Stan's character for me. I mean the third season could clearly rejuvenate him and it's not like any of the the things he did were irrational - I get why he did them. He just doesn't look good at all doing them. First, he takes advantage of the situation he's in and gets with Nina while the dynamics of the relationship are clearly him as a superior. It's the same reason bosses aren't supposed to date their employees, except it's like ten times worse because Nina's life is at stake. On top of that, he cheats on his very faithful and - as portrayed by the show - really sweet wife. I mean his wife seems pretty great if not exactly as exciting as Nina. He's not exactly irredeemable, but let's just say that when he got what was coming for him, I wasn't feeling bad for him at all.
Meanwhile the big twist was shocking, but the more you think about it, the less sense it actually makes. Maybe it's because I'm... you know.. not crazy, but I don't think a girl could get me to KILL MY PARENTS. Maybe turn on America. I don't know, it's just hard to buy. Oh and not to mention that the prospect of trying that again on the Jennings makes no sense when they picked a new inexperienced agent over very experienced, skilled field agents. Then there's the practical things - a gun going off in a hotel three times doesn't elicit any alarm? This show is portrayed as realistic so these things kind of make everything fall apart.
That's not the type of thing to destroy a show - well I guess it did for Homeland for me - but it certainly puts on a damper to an otherwise great season. And it looks like they will be framing the third season in the light to convert Paige. I'm much more interested in the Phillip/Elizabeth argument as Elizabeth seems to think it'd be ok to get Paige in this life while Phillip is very much against it. But if there's too much meddling from the Soviets, it'd be distracting because it's just hard to accept that they would alienate their highly experienced and highly successful agents because they want a completely inexperienced, probably unreliable possibility. Doesn't add up.
But that's for the next season. This season was 12 episodes of greatness followed by a tension-filled finale that will probably be worse on second viewing (like Jared Connors speaks for 5 minutes or more when he has a bullet in his neck and he's explaining the twist), but I am no less high on this show than before. I still think people should watch this as soon as they can because I'm getting a little tired of the low viewership.
Grade - A-
Playlist
1. "Stay High" - Tove Lo (Habits Remix)
2. "Klapp Klapp" - Little Dragon
3. "Stress" - Justice
4. "Get Free" - Major Lazer ft. Amber
5. "We're an American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad
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