"The Americans"

As part of my screenings for the SAG Awards I often get previews of series well into their later seasons.  So it was with "The Americans" which I had heard was good but never had the time for.  The screening of episode one of season six peaked my interest so I got the first season from the Public Library.  I watched the entire thing in a day and a half, unable to turn it off as it went from episode to episode.  It's bleak, and I don't always like bleak, but it is so incredibly well-done.  Big credit here goes to Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as the KGB spies living in Falls Church, VA during the Reagan administration.  Ms. Russell's character, "Elizabeth" is a true believer in her nation and her cause and she does what she needs to despite the cost.  But there the pain is there and it shows in the cracks and slivers which peak through an incredibly hard and determined facade.  Matthew Rhys betrays not a single inch of his British heritage and manages to transform completely from one false identity to the next.  It is almost as fascinating to watch as seeing his character Philip struggle with the faux marriage he has helped maintain for over 20 years.  This is Spy vs. Spy at its best.  As one character says (we) "Americans like to see everything in black and white.  All we know is gray."  This is a show which almost loses itself in the gray and it left me wondering about true patriotism and the price for defending one's nation.  Well-written, sad and powerful, I look forward to watching seasons two and three (also at the library) but am bereft to learn that seasons four through six are only available on streaming.  What will I do?