Looking Back On THE AMERICANS Series: A Brutal, But Timely, Spy Thriller

There was a period of history in which the terms “communism” and “socialism” didn’t evoke the time that Justin Trudeau announced he was a feminist, or that he was going to set out a financial plan to improve the infrastructure of rural communities and public transport. Instead, people thought of masters of disguise shipped from the Soviet Union to infiltrate capitalist societies, and hand-wringing FBI agents trying to figure out who they were, saving the country from what they perceived as a threat.

That’s the period of history The Americans is set in. For those not in the know, it tells the story of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) – or Nadezhda and Misha, before the events of the series – a pair of Russian spies shipped to America to work on bringing socialism to the USA. Also, there’s Stan Beeman, an FBI agent and neighbour to the Jennings, a man trying to crack the exact operations the Jennings are working on.

In a world in which capitalism is regarded as a bad thing by most people, it seems strange for a show about people who’ll murder others to further the socialist cause to be popular, but the political issues never really feel at the forefront of The Americans, despite forming the backbone of the drama. Instead, if I was to encapsulate the entirety of the show in an elevator pitch, I’d say, ‘It’s a show about secrets and family dynamics, in which the elephant in the room is the parents’ double-life. If you wanted to be funny, you could call it ‘Spy Kids for adults’.

Political Messages in an Apolitical Show

But of course, the fact that the politics aren’t the primary aim of the show doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be spoken about. The majority of the show is set in America – with occasional flashbacks and short scenes set in Russia – and because of that, a lot of American culture (which, in the context of the show, is just capitalist culture—which makes sense, given that nearly every character lives and breathes politics) is seen through a socialist lens. The Jennings’ are the narrators, but the show has no audience surrogate. We’re supposed to understand what socialism is, and why it’s so admired by the socialist characters.

Among all the murder, corruption, and double-crossing, The Americans ends up criticising capitalism whether it intended to or not, and most of this is done through Philip’s character, and his son, Henry, and there’s no more overt point in the show than the episode, ‘New Car’. It’s exactly what it sounds like: he and his son go to a car dealership and buy a new car, and both the dealership and the car are displayed as if the scene was lifted straight from an episode of Top Gear. The dealership is clean, sophisticated, the car described as if in a sales pitch, and as Philip drives home and pulls up to the house, the roar of the engine and the sound of the stereo are the most prominent thing.

The point, of course, isn’t that the car is a desirable object. It’s that it’s very easy to be seduced (and, in fact, marketing is a concept based around selling you a lifestyle you don’t need) by the kind of lifestyle Philip often flirts with in The Americans; even if it conflicts with his core beliefs, he still wants the fast, shiny car, the expensive food, the needlessly large house, and that’s where the family dynamics come into play.

In scenes like this one, capitalism is lambasted as a system more concerned with making needless amounts of money than the lives of people, and a system in which luxury can’t exist without an inordinate amount of suffering and poverty. In the show, America is presented as a bright, comfortable place, where everything is available twenty-four hours a day, and Soviet Russia a place in which preparing your daily mails is a struggle. There are definite parallels between the two countries and the class divide in modern first world countries.

Family Dynamics

Elizabeth, Philip’s wife, sees herself as more devoted to the cause, and that may be true – at the very least, she’s less susceptible to the trappings of a capitalist lifestyle than he is, and she doesn’t hesitate to let him know: ‘Life in America is easier, not better,’ she says, which is a line that’s designed as much for the audience as it is for Philip himself.

It’s a show that strives to entertain; there are plenty of car chases, nail-biting surveillance, blood-pumping action and heaps of tension. Joe Weisberg, the show’s creator, understands exactly what makes a spy thriller show engaging, and the fact that he’s an ex-CIA operative adds a level of realism to The Americans which you wouldn’t find in in other shows of the same kind. It’s of the same breed as things like The Wire, Mad Men and more recently, Breaking Bad. Underneath all of the tension and propulsive storytelling, there’s a lot of thematic material to be mined.

Conclusion: The Americans

For me, the show’s takeaway is this: are the methods Philip and Elizabeth use to achieve their goals unethical? Yes. It’s a show in which the line between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is very much blurred, and practically every character is an anti-hero. But when it comes down to it, the fact that the narrative is presented through the eyes of the communist characters is very significant, especially in the moments in which you see them falter in their beliefs.

The Americans is a show that asks you to examine what exactly it is about capitalism that you like, the effect those aspects of it have on other people, and whether your lifestyle is ethical. It’s a struggle to adapt to a new way of living, but The Americans is a show that makes it seem worth it.

Have you seen The Americans? Do you agree with me? Let us know in the comments below!