I saw the first episode of The Americans and I have to say I was disappointed. I really loved the premise and I liked the psychological/sociological side to the story (two agents who've been in deep cover here for many years, whose kids are 100% American, one spouse ready to cut ties to the motherland because he too has bought into the American Dream), but then it got all "action picture" on us (killing a stereotypically evil former KGB agent, etc.) and for me the plausibility went out the window. I guess I'm probably one of the few espionage aficionado who likes less action, more story and more character development (which is one reason Le Carre's Smiley novels are my favorites). I find the story of the real Soviet agents that the TV show is based on, the ones who were only recently discovered and who didn't kill anybody but simply lived double lives here--joining the rotary club, sitting on the PTA board, barbecuing with the neighbors, all the while gathering information for their handlers in Moscow--far more interesting than the fiction, most of which was pretty typical (and in my opinion pretty unimaginative) TV fare.
I saw the first episode of The Americans and I have to say I was disappointed. I really loved the premise and I liked the psychological/sociological side to the story (two agents who've been in deep cover here for many years, whose kids are 100% American, one spouse ready to cut ties to the motherland because he too has bought into the American Dream), but then it got all "action picture" on us (killing a stereotypically evil former KGB agent, etc.) and for me the plausibility went out the window. I guess I'm probably one of the few espionage aficionado who likes less action, more story and more character development (which is one reason Le Carre's Smiley novels are my favorites). I find the story of the real Soviet agents that the TV show is based on, the ones who were only recently discovered and who didn't kill anybody but simply lived double lives here--joining the rotary club, sitting on the PTA board, barbecuing with the neighbors, all the while gathering information for their handlers in Moscow--far more interesting than the fiction, most of which was pretty typical (and in my opinion pretty unimaginative) TV fare.
-Paul