Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 18 sepTember 2018
Avid fans of 'The Americans' hope Emmys Cold War will thaw

By JOCELYN NOVECK They're still surprised they
Associated Press were able to stick to it. But
NEW YORK (AP) — In the there they were, shooting
end, after six seasons of the final season, with the
murder most foul, high- same idea — that when it
stakes espionage and all came crashing down,
international intrigue, it and it happened fast, that
somehow felt perfect that Philip and Elizabeth didn't
the climactic scene of "The lose their lives or even their
Americans" should happen freedom, but something
in the most mundane of breathtakingly profound
places: a parking garage. nonetheless: they lost their
There was no bloodshed, children, to the American
and not a single bullet fired. life they had to flee.
"Just four people talking in Taylor saw the script only
a parking garage," says a week and a half before
executive producer and shooting. "Like all of us, that
co-writer Joel Fields. But final script left me speech-
that scene, and the much- This image released by FX shows Matthew Rhys, left, and Keri Russell in a scene from "The Ameri- less," she says. Not just the
acclaimed series finale it cans." parking garage scene,
anchored, was deeply true Associated Press where they finally faced off
to the ethos of a show that with FBI agent (and neigh-
was never really about ac- Rhys and Keri Russell, aka former President Barack tinderbox state of U.S.-Sovi- bor!) Stan, or the scene
tion anyway, despite the Philip and Elizabeth Jen- Obama, whose fandom et relations. where Paige shocked her
body count or the sweep- nings. (It has won two guest led to a state dinner invi- That was 2013. A lot has parents by getting off that
ing themes at play. It was acting awards for Margo tation for Russell and Rhys. happened since on the train to Canada, but all of
about a marriage. The Martindale.) Avid fans of Other fans, according to U.S.-Russia front, of course, it.
show became big by go- the series are rooting for the show, include Cana- and more recently, "The "I could never have
ing small. the KGB spy couple, who dian Prime Minister Justin Americans" became thought of that ending my-
Monday's Emmys will be the did lots of REALLY bad stuff Trudeau, U.N. Ambassador known as one of the more self," she says. "You conjure
TV academy's last chance but were still always the Nikki Haley, and the current topical and relevant shows up your own theories and
to honor the FX spy drama ones you cared about. head of the CIA, Gina Has- on TV. talk to your castmates and
which, after being passed Is it time for the critically pel. But flashback to the end of your friends, but none of us
over in major categories adored but Emmy-ignored "For unknown reasons this the first season, when rat- came up with anything like
during its run, is up for four, series to finally get its due? show flew under the radar ings weren't at their best. that. They managed to sat-
including drama series and This for a show whose fan for a while, and that was The question arose as to isfy every storyline."
acting nods for Matthew base includes, famously, something we scratched whether the show should Well, not EVERY storyline.
our heads about," says Eric go broader, becoming Fans still have questions.
Schrier, president of original more of a traditional spy se- Was Renee, Stan's wife, a
programming at FX. But he ries. The writers say FX chief KGB spy or not? What's go-
says the critical response to John Landgraf told them ing to happen to poor Hen-
the show has been gratify- he'd thought about it, but ry at boarding school? Will
ing, as have other awards, decided that would "de- Stan pay for college? (They
like AFI and Peabody hon- stroy the very thing that's didn't exactly get to work
ors. Schrier says the "best making the show good," out the details.) And will
marriage I ever made" (be- Weisberg says — the inti- the imminent collapse of
sides his own) was match- macy of it. "In a lot of ways, the Soviet Union mean an
ing series creator and writer I think that's when we re- eventual family reunion?
Joe Weisberg, a former CIA ally found the voice of the The writers don't like to
agent, with co-writer Fields. show." speculate, saying that the
Weisberg says the two are Actress Holly Taylor, who answers are really in the
now "walking around in a played daughter Paige hands of the audience.
constant state of relief" that Jennings, says the cast felt They're just happy that
the show worked the way the same way. "I was ex- "there seems to be a gen-
it did. "Not only could it be cited that they kept it true eral consensus that we
a disaster from the get- to themselves, wrote what didn't (mess) things up at
go," Weisberg says, "but it they wanted to write," Tay- the end," Weisberg says, us-
walked a pretty fine tonal lor says now. "I think that's ing a spicier word. "People
line. It could have turned what made all the differ- care so much about these
ridiculous at any time." ence to real fans of the series and invest so much in
Not that the premise was show." them." Taylor says she's still
ridiculous: It was based on It was also around then getting questions. "Recently
real-life sleeper spies who that the writers essentially I posted a vacation picture
built lives in the United decided how the show from Montreal, and some
States, had children, posed would eventually end (stop people wrote, 'So Paige
as normal families. Though reading here if you're still made it to Canada after
"The Americans" was in- catching up!) They began all?'" She herself assumes
spired by the 2010 arrests of a "furious amount of writ- that Paige has moved far
10 Russian sleeper spies in ing" and ended up with a away from the espionage
the United States, the show long document — they call business, "but you never
was set in the Reagan era, it their bible — mapping out know. Maybe in the spinoff,
to more easily convey the each character's journey. she's in the FBI."q