S06.E10: START

[Tara Ariano]

  Quote

In the series finale of The Americans, the Jenningses face a choice that will change their lives forever.

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[EtheltoTillie]

Thank you for using the correct plural of Jennings. No one does because it sounds so awkward. 

[Moose135]

Well, that sucked...

[Shriekingeel]

Hated it.  

[jjj]

Oleg, no, left in a cell..... He deserved better.

I simply cannot believe, "after all this time," Stan, that you let them go.

Well, it was an ending -- but so many questions remain.

Edited May 31, 2018 by jjj

[dubbel zout]

I'm satisfied. I know a TON of people won't be, but I am.

[FormerMod-a1]

I wonder how long it took Philip and Elizabeth to get to Russia.  Can they tell Arkady about the KGB plot?

[TaurusRose]

That was crap.

[JennyMominFL]

You’re wrong. It was great

Edited May 31, 2018 by JennyMominFL

[Primetimer]

But before they can get there, will Father Andrei rat them out? Will Stan confirm his suspicions? Will everyone get too squishy about how to deal with Henry? It's all in our series finale EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP!

View the full article

[FormerMod-a1]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:33 AM, jjj said:

Oleg, no, left in a cell.....

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At least he's alive.

[Pickles]

Will Paige have a normal life? Can she have a relationship with Henry? 

[CaliCheeseSucks]

The garage scene was great - and Rhys' performance was, in a nutshell, why I hung on to the end.

But overall, an underwhelming conclusion. 

[zibnchy]

That was perfect except for the lack of Martha. Otherwise perfect. I have no idea what show you all were watching.

Edited May 31, 2018 by zibnchy

[Natalie25]

It feels unresolved. I would've preferred less time on the escape and more time on fallout/reactions from others. Maybe a montage of their life in Russia.

[AimingforYoko]

"I would've worked in a factory." [Pause] "Managed a factory." Never change, Liz.

I was slack-jawed when they drove out of that parking garage. I saw, but I couldn't believe it.

[SunnyBeBe]

I AM THRILLED that Philip didn't die, but, I am a little shocked that there weren't any chase scenes, close calls and shooting.  

No doubt in my mind that Renee is a spy.  The look she gives after Stan hugs her in front of the house.   

[jjj]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:33 AM, aquarian1 said:

I wonder how long it took Philip and Elizabeth to get to Russia.  Can they tell Arkady about the KGB plot?

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Well, and Arkady is expecting to be picked up himself -- I thought it might end with that.  

[SeanC]

A surprisingly straightforward ending, after all that.

Once Philip raised his suspicion to Stan about his wife, the endgame for that became really clear to me, i.e., it's meant to be a lingering thing that Stan will be stuck wondering about.  Poor Stan.

Logically, Oleg should be fine.  After the coup against Gorbachev is aborted, the loyalists in the government (including his father) would negotiate to get him out.

[TexasGal]

I loved it. It’s just too bad we had to struggle through the dreck of last season to get this.  They could have advanced everything so much more but it was wasted.

[crgirl412]

Is Arkady going to protect them? 

[Marianna]

If the implication is that Paige gets away with it and gets to stay in America, then that is the worst part for me. Plus Renee. Otherwise, it wasn’t what I expected at all, but I still thought it was great. 

[GCcyclones]

At first pass, I’m ok with it.

Loved the garage scene with Stan, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige.

Wanted an epilogue to see what happens to Paige.

[Erin9]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:35 AM, crgirl412 said:

Is Arkady going to protect them? 

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Of course. And they can give him everything about the coup. 

[scartact]

I liked it. It stayed exactly true to how the show has progressed from season one to now.

[Umbelina]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:33 AM, aquarian1 said:

I wonder how long it took Philip and Elizabeth to get to Russia.  Can they tell Arkady about the KGB plot?

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Arkady already knows, but yeah, I wonder if they will speak openly.  If not, several soviets will want Elizabeth's head.

[crgirl412]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:34 AM, TexasGal said:

I loved it. It’s just too bad we had to struggle through the dreck of last season to get this.  They could have advanced everything so much more but it was wasted.

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1000000%!!!!!!

[RedHawk]

“It feels strange.”

”You’ll get used to it.”

That’s what they said to each other when we saw a flashback of them in the cheap motel room on their first night in the USA, wasn’t it?

ETA: Thanks to fellow poster TheArtandSound, I learned that my memory of this was incorrect but their last words as they begin their new lives in Moscow are still a good callback to their first night in the U.S.

Edited May 31, 2018 by RedHawk

[kay1864]

Apparently Renée wears full makeup to bed. 

[Marianna]

Well, also, the implication is P and E live happily ever after in Russia.  But aren’t they in the same danger as Arkady?  Why not just flee to ... well, anywhere else on earth?

[SunnyBeBe]

So, I guess they cut out that scene from the trailer that shows Renee's car parked on the street with a police car blocking it.  I bet they just decided to not confirm it with an arrest.  Stan's been though enough, I guess. 

[SailorGirl]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:36 AM, GCcyclones said:

Loved the garage scene with Stan, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige.

Wanted an epilogue to see what happens to Paige.

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The garage scene was the best of the entire episode.

I wanted some Stan resolution . . . does he just live with knowing he betrayed his country? Does he just not give a fuck anymore? Does he live in turmoil the rest of his life? WTH STAN???

[TAG42481]

Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't that.  I'm going to have to chew on that for a bit.

After the confrontation in the parking garage, I started to think that Stan might be the one to die.  Might kill himself because of regret.  Then ... nothing.

[FormerMod-a1]

The looks on Eliabeth's and Philip's faces when they saw Paige outside the train.  Such an emotional gut punch.  

[crgirl412]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:36 AM, RedHawk said:

“It feels strange.”

”You’ll get used to it.”

That’s what they said to each other when we saw a flashback of them in the cheap motel room on their first night in the USA, wasn’t it?

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hmmmm...... good thought!!

[kay1864]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:36 AM, GCcyclones said:

At first pass, I’m ok with it.

Loved the garage scene with Stan, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige.

Wanted an epilogue to see what happens to Paige.

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ITA.  Although I imagine there's not much they can charge Paige with.  Not even "harboring a pair of spies".

[Mumbles]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:34 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

No doubt in my mind that Renee is a spy.  The look she gives after Stan hugs her in front of the house. 

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Yeah, up to now she always looked kind of vapid and dopey. When she was watching the agents go in and out of the house, she looked hard, and kind of smart.

[Bannon]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:33 AM, Pickles said:

Will Paige have a normal life? Can she have a relationship with Henry? 

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Yes, if she gets incredibly lucky, and A. Stan never gets caught or talks and B. The FBI never finds any of the cars Paige was in, on operations, or Claudia's apartment, and Paige never left any hair or fingerprints in them. Why not? The show went Full Stupid at the end.

[MisterBluxom]

E won't be able to get American cigarettes in Russia. She won't be happy.

Edited May 31, 2018 by MissBluxom

[WritinMan]

It was an OK, but not a great finale.

I really thought Philip and Elizabeth were going to die, so I am glad that didn't happen.

The scene in the garage where Stan confronts them was one of the best scenes in the series.

Disappointing that we got nothing about Renee.

Paige continues to be stupid. It's nice when shows are consistent. She can't possibly have any sort of life here on her own.

Edited May 31, 2018 by WritinMan
Typo!

[jjj]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:37 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

So, I guess they cut out that scene from the trailer that shows Renee's car parked on the street with a police car blocking it.  I bet they just decided to not confirm it with an arrest.  Stan's been though enough, I guess. 

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I wondered about that -- maybe it was a scene from another episode -- it was in the season trailer. 

[KBrownie]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:33 AM, jjj said:

Oleg, no, left in a cell..... He deserved better.

I simply cannot believe, "after all this time," Stan, that you let them go.

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That's the most ridiculous part of this entire thing for me.  Why is Stan made to look like a complete and utter fool and end of betraying his country for two people who get off totally scot-free for all the horrific things they did in the name of theirs?   Awful.  If they were really worth it, they would have never left him to do it.  He obviously wasn't worth it to them.  They sure weren't willing to sacrifice shit for him, but he becomes a turncoat.  All for some true love conquers all bullshit.  

[Bubbetv]

Ugh Paige You Ignorant Twat.

You know you're burned, so go back to the same town, to the safehouse...to do what? Burn the only other comrade you know? Drink vodka and wait to be taken to jail for the cause? Arrrgh

[Cardie]

Who would have thought we'd have a finale with no one dying and a sort of happy ending for Philip and Elizabeth. If this had been a network show, I would totally believe that Stan couldn't shoot them but The Americans always seemed edgier and headed for tragedy. Oh well, fooled me. I'm sentimental so I didn't mind them escaping back to the USSR, from a narrative, not a moral point of view. They did lose their kids and it's not clear what anyone's future will be. Paige, drinking vodka at Claudia's, didn't seem headed anywhere good. In the end, emotions won out and everyone chose who and where they wanted to be. Stan is ready to accept Renee even though she might still be a spy, just as his friendship for Philip overrode his duty to his country.

Poor Oleg did not desrve to be the one big loser. 

[SlovakPrincess]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:34 AM, SeanC said:

Logically, Oleg should be fine.  After the coup against Gorbachev is aborted, the loyalists in the government (including his father) would negotiate to get him out.

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Thanks for this!  I’m going to tell myself that’s his real ending!

Overall, I think it was a fitting bittersweet end.  Philip and Liz have each other ... but they had to leave their kids  :(

The only problem for me was Paige’s ending   — really, what is she gonna do now??  

[Mumbles]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:37 AM, aquarian1 said:

 

The looks on Eliabeth's and Philip's faces when they saw Paige outside the train.  Such an emotional gut punch.

 

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Agreed. This was the first moment in the entire series that I realized Elizabeth loved Paige, and didn’t just think she was part of her cover.

[mattie0808]

Well...

The writing pretty much stayed uneven to the end, and the acting remained SO UNIFORMLY EXCELLENT that it almost didn't matter. Almost.

I'm having a hard time with Stan letting them go.I really thought they'd shoot Stan (purposely not killing him, but I couldn't see how else they'd get out of the garage). I cannot BELIEVE they just left Renee as a troll to the viewers. I cannot BELIEVE they weren't recognized on the train!!! And weren't we waiting for photos from the park of Phillip? I really need to try to wrap my head around Phillip and Elizabeth just going home while Oleg spends the rest of his life in SuperMax. I'm really disappointed there was no flash-forward at all.

GodDAMN does Rhys deserve all of the Emmys. Every single one. Good on Phillip for refusing to ruin Henry's life more than necessary, and his speech to Stan was really something else. I was surprised by Paige, and since she didn't go to Henry or into hiding, don't know what to make of it. Kudos to whoever called U2/With or Without You. So many great scenes and moments, but the plotting...? I don't know...

Edited May 31, 2018 by mattie0808

[SunnyBeBe]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:39 AM, jjj said:

I wondered about that -- maybe it was a scene from another episode -- it was in the season trailer. 

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With a car like Renee's?  And how they paid such attention to her vehicle?  hmmm...

What Stan will do is to let her get her job at FBI and then leave a trap for her.  Something she might think is secret info....see if she bites. 

[crgirl412]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:36 AM, GCcyclones said:

At first pass, I’m ok with it.

Loved the garage scene with Stan, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige.

Wanted an epilogue to see what happens to Paige.

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A nice epilogue would've been totally awesome!!  I think we deserve it especially after the waste of the second to last season and having to cram the ending.  

Edited May 31, 2018 by crgirl412

[KBrownie]

  On 5/31/2018 at 3:35 AM, Marianna said:

If the implication is that Paige gets away with it and gets to stay in America, then that is the worst part for me. Plus Renee. Otherwise, it wasn’t what I expected at all, but I still thought it was great. 

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But why shouldn't she get to get away with everything?  Her murderous parents, who did way more than she ever did, got away with everything they ever did.  Why shouldn't the same be expected of her?  She's no less deserving than them if they can get away and it's a-okay.