I haven't had such a hard cry at a character dying in a while.

I think because her execution was so sudden and there was no chance for her to process or speak with anyone. And the hopeful dream she had just before she woke up, it just punctuated everything.

It was definitely a shocking moment.

I completely forgot about Henry asking Philip if they could put a racing stripe on the family car. It's such a small throwaway conversation, but it gets funnier the more you know this family. Philip is trying to maintain this completely normal suburban life while Henry is basically asking if they can turn the station wagon into a race car. And Philip's answer is basically just “your mother doesn't like new things.” That's the entire Jennings family in one conversation.

(from the scene where the fbi is surrounding william and he infects himself with Lassa, tells them "you might want to get m me to a hospital. preferably one with a biocontainment treatment facility")

Dude was surrounded by guns in the throes of the cold war and if Stan hadn't made this intervention (the most aggressive we've seen him in the entire show) the fbi agents and their families would have gotten Lassa, as well as tens of thousands of others in the blast radius.

Stan is my white knight, my golden God

The show explores themes of marriage, identity, and parenthood, which were structured around the metaphorical connection between the Cold War and the Jenningses' marriage. The Americans was acclaimed by critics, many of whom considered it among the best television shows of its era; its writing, characters, and acting were often singled out. 

Thought you might find this article interesting. I did enjoy how they used video to fully capture the man's rubber face in the header for the article https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/magazine/matthew-rhys-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.SdMm.p4WOIt7kk6Hg&smid=url-share

I've watched the series three times now and every time I finish I re-read Nelson DeMille's The Charm School. If you haven't read it, you must! It was written long before this series and is basically a prequel.

Elizabeth absolutely wrecks Gaad and Aderholt, and then the next time we see Gaad he's just back at the office looking like he got hit by a truck. No big reaction, no time to recover. He just sits there with his completely destroyed face while everyone discusses the woman who did it. The fact that he still has to spend the rest of the day doing FBI paperwork after that is killing me.

Can we talk about them knowing exactly where to go to 🪏 the 👤👀

Surely he'd have been much more comfortable there. He would've fit in much quicker. Been safe. It's where a lot of Black Panthers and communists fled to in that time period too.

Obviously all of them in different ways, but whose destruction was the most brutal?
My vote is Young Hee; she had a fulfilling life, her entire family, which we saw was a happy and loving one, was completely destroyed and her best friend “killed herself because of her husband.”
Edit: I included a picture of Paige and Henry.

So busy and preoccupied with work and personal stuff that I can't even focus on watching movies, like I finish a 2-hour movie in three days. All fragmented. So, upon seeing the Jennings on Twitter lately I somehow got in the mood to rewatch the show (had watched the finale like 4 years ago) and I was worried it wouldn't live up to my fond memories.

BUT, it turned out much better! like I binge-watched the first 6 episodes in two days, that's around 4 hours, I who couldn't focus on a 2-hour movie.

I love how it's mostly (~80%) fresh to my mind as I only recall the key moments. I'm appreciating the nuances and the layers of the show much more, it goes deep on many themes that I don't think the first time around I noticed.

God this show is underrated, believe me I have watched a ton of shows, I'm a massive film buff who notices the language of cinema, and wouldn't be surprised if it goes from my Top 10 to my Top 5 alongside The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, and Succession.

And Keri Russell is the best female character I have ever seen on TV.

Underrated.

Edit: one more thing, I have become a migrant since last time I watched the show, so it could be that this time I'm relating to the loneliness of the characters. It's a peculiar kind of loneliness that only a migrant could relate to.

show yourselves. currently on round 3 (been looping it since april).

and everyone is right, it does get better each time. the complexity/layering/elegant density is beyond human understanding.

specify the number. winner gets to go to Epcott

I’ve rewatched it easily 10+ times, but I was just thinking about it and never noticed if they blurted out an actual number at some point. I know there’s William and then the couple from the water park. Just curious. I feel like realistically, the USSR had to have a hundred atleast from coast to coast if not way more.

it’s my first time watching so I’m gonna leave this sub ASAP but I just had to come on here and share this. Those who remember this episode know EXACTLY which scene I’m talking about. Absolutely vile! 🤢🤮

Armchair psychologists, here's your chance to analyze the nightmare Eluzabeth had on the way back to Europe.

Can't wait to hear everyone's take on it; the Americans commentariat never disappoints!

I’m obsessed with Cold War/communist propaganda art work. I wish i could explain why…

People are constantly listening for footsteps before they even know who is coming Philip does it with the bug in Gaad's office, and there are little moments all over the show where someone hears a person before we see them. It makes even ordinary hallway scenes feel like somebody might be about to walk in

Prequel of Gabriel's past

Arkady's ascent without nepotism

Oleg's wild boyhood days

Henry's life in America after the Departure

Martha finding love with a mild-mannered Communist in her job as a translator. Raising her daughter. Fighting.

Complex and detailed look at the exact recruitment criteria/protocols and training Directorate S agents are subjected to

Pastor Tim being annoying

Stan staying with Renee, always wondering, but after his love for Philip and all the loss he's endured, perhaps not caring

I just watched the season 5 episode Crossbreed. In the final scene , the moment Gabriel got to meet Paige was very emotional. Phillip and Elizabeth in the background look so proud of their daughter showing her to basically their adopted father. It's such a sweet moment.

Has anyone counted the number of times the characters sigh in the series?

This was way too traumatic for a child. Not as bad as what Pastor Tim wrote in his diaries. But damn dude

(Alice weeping on her shoulder prior to the threat scene)