Quite simply the best show on T.V. Based on true cases of Americans who were sent her by the Soviet Union to spy on the country. These people speak flawless English, live the American Dream life and have kids and play soccer and all the while they are sending secrets back to Mother Russia. Mathew Rhys (a British Actor) and Keri Russell and American actor play the couple with the dark secret. The have two great children and live down the street from an FBI agent. They kill, they corrupt locals to get to the secrets of the Cold War and all the while they are "running a travel agency" and playing with their kids. If you have not watched the show start from the beginning (it is free on Amazon Prime) and catch up. I never miss an episode and I find the humanity of this show compelling. There is truly nothing else like it on T.V.

The Americans is one of the best shows that we've binge-watched in the last several years, and season 2 does not disappoint. Conflict arises, tensions are high, and how long can these two really keep their life a secret from their maturing children? The whole premise is unique, the POV is "the antagonists", there's drama, sex, scandal, you name it. The investigative and spy work of the 80s sets The Americans apart from the modern DNA, camera, and technological advances of today's shows.

All seasons are available for streaming if you have Amazon Prime. It's been a real treat for us, enjoying this show commercial free and with such ease.

So that was good enough for me. As a layman citizen I have no idea what is allowed and goes on in the intel community, other than the recent books by ex US intel community persons.

I'm appreciative and have greater respect and faith in our, and in any countries' intel bureaucrats and personnel.

If I hadn't read the recent books by Clapper and Hayden and other intel and FBI persons, and all the recent years of good non fiction podcasts like ex CIA acting director's Mike Morell's podcast, and the SpyMuseum podcast, I'd not have learned how important it is to have "our" best smartest dutiful citizens thankfully do careers in US govt agencies.

Every country deserves their best most dedicated citizens work in their government, that's what I've learned.

This is a really great story, following two “deep cover” Russian spies in America...I know, you probably don’t think you’d root for Russian spies, but you will! The wife is idealistic, the husband more cynical about the Russian system...they are portrayed as 3-dimensional characters, not cardboard cutout heroes or villains. BTW, the time period is the 80’s and they have two teenagers and an FBI counter-intelligence agent as a neighbor and friend. Being set in the 80’s means that today’s easy answers (cell phones, computers, the Internet, etc.) are not available to them...they have to use dead-drops and human contact...a nice twist!

It is likely a couple of Soviet moles would be as neurotic as this pair trying to live their dream of changing the world while residing in the bowels of the American Dream and each episode bears this out. The convenient coincidence of having a similarly neurotic FBI agent living close by provides irony but is hard to swallow. The emerging theme here is that humanity is frail and in constant need of community, so the writers are having a ball comparing Soviet ideology, EST and with the introduction of daughter Paige's fascination with evangelical Christians, religion. It's almost too much to take in, what with the murders, fisticuffs (sorry, skinny little Elizabeth couldn't punch out Yosemite Sam if he was asleep) plot turns, twists and silly surprises. Phillip and Elizabeth come apart and get back together on a predictable level that is increasingly ridiculous. When they question each other about loyalty, love, commitment or the future, the usual response is "I don't know." Nobody is happy, the sex is grim or frenetic by turns and what little laughter occurs is more like a grunt of surprise after being punched in the stomach. These are miserable ideologues without any hope of redemption. They prove only that intelligence is but a hammer, yett they are prone to brain someone with it rather than build a better world.
I keep watching in the vain hope that they will one day wake up.

Good acting. The Russian speaking actors were almost all native speakers of the language. This was such an important casting choice. It makes the viewing experience very authentic. The story is believable if over the top at times. The two main characters weave the threads of their personal narratives in and out of the espionage, violent acts, sexual exploits, general exploits, and family life. I had no notion of how hard a spy must work until I watched this series.. lol! All that sex with people they really do not find attractive. The bodily injuries, death everywhere. *sigh*. I think I could use a break from this series. It is very unrelenting in its depiction of violence and personal betrayal in the name of patriotic duty.

This season of The Americans is even more brutal and heart-wrenching than the first season. The beliefs of the married couple who are Russian spies posing as "normal" Americans are sorely tested. The pace of the episodes is generally fast, you have to be on your toes to keep track. Some scenes feel a little slow and preachy, but the show does a good job of showing the dramas of relationships (family, couples, employees and bosses, enemies) and also giving a fairly credible sense of the political climate. The Residentura (Russian embassy) seems like a more traditional, formal version of the FBI headquarters. There is a hierarchy in both places, and moles in both as well. Some characters come and go, and yet we get a sense of their reality (like the American traitor, Fred, who plays a very brief role but comes across as a solid character with a tragic destiny he's more than willing to accept). The Russians at the embassy each have their agendas. Nina is an intriguing character--trying her best to survive. It's never clear whether she really loves the FBI agent, Stan, or is merely playing him. But it could be a little of both, one feels. The children also play an important part in the story, as their parents try to raise them to fit in as Americans, but struggle with conflicting values as they kids reach adolescence. Most involving, perhaps, is the complex relationship between the two main characters, who were paired in an arranged marriage to serve as spies, but grow to care about each other despite the job duties which belie the typical view of a happy marriage.

I enjoyed this season, and look forward to the next with trepidation. I don't know how much more tragedy I can take, but it's kind of addictive.

"The Americans" continues to be one of my favorite television series. Set in the last years of the Cold War, it follows the lives of KGB agents under deep cover inside the United States. They've been here for years, running a business and raising a family. They are right next door OMG THE ENEMY!!!! And they're just like us.

We seem to enjoy shows that ask us to empathize with horrible people, and the main characters in this show really are horrible people, regardless of what one thinks of their politics. But they're also the family next door. They aren't gangsters without morals like The Sopranos. And they aren't acting simply out of self-interest, like Walter White from Breaking Bad. They are highly trained operatives doing what they feel they must for their country, which adds a new layer to this antagonistic protagonist sort of show.

The writing is brilliant. The acting is brilliant. There doesn't seem to be any need for weak plot filler to take up space because the main story isn't strong enough to last a whole season. Everything in this show informs the viewer about the characters and their mission, and about the struggles they face trying to carry it out.

On a personal note, as someone who would be just a few years older than the oldest kid, Paige, the show does a great job of recreating the look and feel of the 80's. They concentrate perhaps just a little too much on reminding you of certain bits of music - Ultravox, Yaz - but at least it's good music, and it is stuff you'll remember if you were around at the time.

The Jennings are the people we were taught to fear growing up, and it's very fun to look back now with a sense of "Here's what was going on right under your nose the whole time." It's also fun to catch yourself rooting for the safe escape of a KGB agent, and then wonder why you aren't hoping they all die horribly in a fire.

This is a great show that solidly captures that old Cold War spy novel feel, combining it with a family drama sensibility. I can't recommend it enough.