Reasons to catch up on the Americans.

Downside: You have to pay per episode for past seasons, but it’s a bargain. Trust me.

1)   You will gain a deep appreciation of Phil Collins’ “Something in the Air Tonight.” It may become your favorite song. This could be seen as a pro or a con.

2)   Like me, you may have started watching the show and gotten turned off by just how dislikable to protagonists (Phillip and Elizabeth) are. They are basically “good Nazis”-- just following order to do unspeakable things. Walter White and Tony Soprano are angels in comparison (exactly why they seem so much worse than, say, a mob boss, is hard to say. It could be because one of the baddies is female…).  Anyway, time to come back. The truth has been sinking in for awhile, and the good Nazis are starting to realize they have been good Nazis, and are owning up to the damage they’ve done.

3)   The immigration and cold war themes have been a strong part of the show, but they are taking a back seat to universal themes of loyalty and trust. It’s interesting that the charms of 1980’s USA don’t really tempt Phillip and Elizabeth that much (beyond a pair of cowboy boots in the pilot). This is not an immigration drama about coming to adopt one's new country. There is a lot about questioning one’s upbringing and the legacy of one’s parents, which we can all relate to. Maybe the way that parents try to instill their own values in (potential) opposition to those children are acquiring is still part of the immigrant theme, but you certainly don’t need mto be an immigrant to appreciate it.

4)   If you are a developmental psychologist, or just a human being, the show is hitting classic developmental processes. The conflict between self-interest, family, and group. Identity development. Parenting. Transition to adulthood (a lot of good adolescent development). Not so much about cognitive development, but lots of good clips to use in class…

5)   It’s a great illustration of Haidt’s challenge to traditional theories of moral development. Demands of loyalty are serious business here, loyalty to family and to country. General human rights, principles of justice and equality, are there, but not unchallenged.

6)   Americans has always had resonances with other peak TV shows, especially Mad Men.  Many of these shows are about conflicts between self-interest (or authenticity) and societal demands (or community). This week, May 9, we get a Westworld link too. Now you have an excuse to watch both.

7)   Also this week:  A pretty powerful and sympathetic portrayal of religion and ritual. You don’t see a lot of attention to the humanizing aspect of religion (sacred values, respect for people). Nice to see religion as something other than dogma.

8)   You may not like spy movies because the espionage thriller stuff leaves you cold. The Americans has some great action/tradecraft/spy adventures, but ultimately they are less exciting, suspenseful, and powerful than characters’ conversation. It’s like the action sequences are a break from the tension.

9)   If John leCarre revolutionized the spy novel by showing that espionage was a form of intimacy, The Americans is doing a double-reverse by showing that intimacy is a form of espionage.

10there was a lot of talk about relevance of the show given the investigation into Russian influence in the election. Not sure how deep that goes. Maybe a more direct commentary is about bad jobs and absence of middle-class security. There is an increasing focus on the idea of Pillip and Elizabeth working dead end (literally) soul-crushing jobs. The jobs are no good for them, and are hurting their family (work stress causing home stress). They don't see better options, and worry how their kids will fare.  Come to think of it, we don't know where the Jennings get their health insurance...