[Filling the Space is a flexible column where our writers could vent, deconstruct, and work their way around the emotions brought on by TV, films, books, music, and key moments in pop culture. This isn’t meant to be analytical, but instead, a means of bringing our voice into a space on the internet where there’s often too much going on—a way to step into the sphere.]
FX’s The Americans wrapped in 2018, and I miss it the most when conversations about romance on prestigious television start to scatter around social media. The idea that a romantic relationship ruins the gravity of the show and cheapens it is such a strange belief when love is the one thing we all have in common. “We don’t have to relate to the characters,” people will argue, and while that’s true to some degree, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to. I certainly never related to Philip or Elizabeth Jennings and their lives as undercover Russian spies, but I could see the humanity in their love for one another right from the start.
And to this day, because of how raw the romance between the couple was, FX’s The Americans series finale is one that will likely always end up on most “Best Series Finales” lists journalists and fans alike make. A large part of this admiration also has to do with the fact that the series creators subverted expectations in the best way possible. I went into the show expecting multiple characters to die by the end because it’s what gritty shows like it in the past have done. But in the end, the writers found a different way to provide an achingly heartbreaking ending while still keeping all the main characters alive.
“Okay, Gissane, it’s 2025. Why are you randomly writing an article about FX’s The Americans?” Because it’s 2025 and creatives are still convinced that killing off characters is the way to go when wanting to shake up the series. Because it’s 2025, and every time I watch something now, I don’t let myself get attached in the same way because it doesn’t feel like characters remain in the driver’s seat after a few seasons. FX’s The Americans is and will always be an esteemed series because the characters were never sacrificed for the plot. From the very beginning to the end, it was always about what felt right for them.
When discussions fill the internet about complex characters and writing that honors them, I think about how many people don’t know Elizabeth Jennings and the masterful performance Keri Russell consistently brought to the role. I think about the space she was given to mess up, be angry, be soft, be ruthless, all while the creators provided nuanced storytelling to allow her complexities to feel profoundly human.
I think about how intimate the series was in portraying a flawed marriage that was at times toxic and other times breathtaking, giving viewers clear angles of all sides as we watched Philip and Elizabeth grow and evolve. I think about the fact that, in the end, it was a love story about the adoration parents had for their children, each other, and their country. I think about how, years later, we can still have discussions about every little moment that led to that final scene, why it mattered, and how it felt enormously earned. So yeah, I miss FX’s The Americans. Maybe it’s time for another rewatch.
First Featured Image Credit: ©FX