Monthly Archives: June 2016

WTA 66- The Americans Season 4 Review

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:47:52 — 49.8MB)

Well, that was an AMAZING season of TV, wasn’t it? The Americans just gets better and richer each year, and Season 4 ranks as one of the best of any TV show in recent memory! It was so good we had to break it down with the big events and our thoughts on the characters and their story arcs. It was so big we had to ask our friend Kathleen aka alternakat to join the fun!

And we do have one exciting bit of news via The Hollywood Reporter: the Television Critics Association has nominated The Americans for three awards, including best actor Keri Russell, Best Drama, and Best Program!

We love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please send them to us! You can email text or audio feedback to watchingtheamericans@gmail.com or signal us (we have replaced the operator!) at 919-907-0542. Follow us on Twitter @WatchAmericans. Please like us on our Facebook page Watching The Americans. And if you do enjoy the show, kindly rate us or better yet rate and review us in iTunes!

WTA 65- Feedback For Persona Non Grata

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:15 — 40.3MB)

As this has been the best season yet of the Best Show on TelevisionTM we expected more of the finale than ever before! Did it deliver the goods? You will find out our thoughts on The Americans thrilling Season 4 Episode 13 “Persona Non Grata” that aired June 8, 2016. It was written by showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg and directed by Chris Long.

This is Episode 65 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 64 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

There is a smattering of history and tech for the finale! We start by listening to Leonard Cohen sing on his amazing single Who by Fire on New Skin for the Old Century,while getting our snacks ready for Super Bowl XVIII! Then we drive over to the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in our boss new Chevy Impala! Then it’s a ton of your incredible feedback! You guys rock!

We do love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please keep sending them to us! You can email text or audio feedback to watchingtheamericans@gmail.com or signal us (we have replaced the operator!) at 919-907-0542. Follow us on Twitter @WatchAmericans. Please like us on our Facebook page Watching The Americans. And if you do enjoy the show, kindly rate us or better yet rate and review us in iTunes or Stitcher!

WTA 64- Season 4 Episode 13 Persona Non Grata

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:56 — 38.3MB)

This is Episode 64 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 65.

Pravda is reporting the following… What’s Alan Watching? Well, it’s ‘The Americans’ bosses stating ‘We hope they’ll still trust us two years from now’! Then NPR tells us how ‘The Americans’ solved the eternal TV problem of the surly teen, and we have two from The New York Times: the Season 4 finale and what lies ahead plus a chat with Dylan Baker on the finale and his character’s monologue, and we set you up for the long cold wait ahead of us with Vulture’s fan fic that takes us inside the mind of Henry Jennings!

As season finales go, this was a real slow burn of The Americans! William prepares to make a drop of the lassa virus and goes to meet Philip in the park. Stan, Dennis, and a swarm of FBI are waiting, follow him, and move to take him before the drop. Cornered, William breaks the vial and exposes himself to the deadly pathogen. He is taken to a containment facility at the USAMRIID and left in isolation to die. Stan and Dennis sit outside, asking him questions as they watch his demise. In a delirium, William reveals a few details about Philip and Elizabeth without naming them. Since William has been taken by the US, Gabriel tells Philip and Elizabeth they should pack, get the kids and prepare to return to the Motherland as heroes.

Meanwhile, in Moscow Mischa, Philip’s son with Irina, has been detained for speaking out against the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan. He is told if he remains quiet, he may leave. He does so and goes to his grandfather’s apartment where he finds his mother left him money and falsified passports and instructions to find his father, a travel agent in America. Arkady meets with Agent Wolfe and the assistant Attorney General and is told they know about his activities, accuse him of murdering Agent Gaad, and inform him he has been designated persona non grata and 48 hours to leave the country. Tatiana tells Oleg she will be staying with the rezidentura now that Arkady is leaving, and Oleg reveals he is returning to Moscow. Pastor Tim and Alice have their baby. Paige and Mattew watch the Super Bowl together, and Paige initiates a make-out session but they are interrupted by a returning Stan. Philip and Elizabeth return home unsure as to their next move. Philip goes over to get Paige, gets some good-natured ribbing by Stan about wedding plans for their kids, and as he walks her home forbids her from continuing with Matthew!

Remember that we do love to hear your thoughts about The Americans so please keep sending them in! You can email text or audio feedback to watchingtheamericans@gmail.com or signal us (we have replaced the operator!) at 919-907-0542. Follow us on Twitter @WatchAmericans. Please like us on our Facebook page Watching The Americans. And if you do enjoy the show, kindly rate us or better yet rate and review us in iTunes!

WTA 63- Feedback For A Roy Rogers in Franconia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:17 — 40.3MB)

Paige has summed everything going on this week with one perfect word: “great.” Not how she means it though! It was yet another amazing episode, with repercussions of murder, surprising encounters, and stupendous reveals! All that in The Americans in Season 4 Episode 12 “A Roy Rogers in Franconia” that aired June 1, 2016. It was written by showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg and directed by Chris Long.

This is Episode 63 and contains our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments. Please check out Episode 62 to get the news and our episode breakdown and analysis.

We have tons of cool history and tech for the episode! Roy Rogers means many things to many people, and in this show we can eat at Roy Rogers while remembering actor/cowboy Roy Rogers. Franconia has multiple meanings too, from the Franconia of our restaurant to the original Franconia in Germany, which isn’t too far from Smolensk. We can also discuss our fave soap General Hospital, and learn more about Bauman Moscow State Technical University. For tech we fly through a Stargate using a Centaur-G Rocket! And then it’s time for your incredible feedback!

WTA 62- Season 4 Episode 12 A Roy Rogers in Franconia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:27 — 36.3MB)

This is Episode 62 and contains the news and our episode breakdown and analysis. To hear our history, tech of yesteryear, and feedback segments stay tuned for Episode 63.

Pravda reveals lots of good news courtesy of eagle eyed listeners! @VirtueBinta found that Gothamist is reporting that the studio home of ‘The Americans’ may be doomed by the Gowanus Canal cleanup. Our friend Michael H. sent along a story from Deadline that Brandon J. Dirden will be a series regular in Seasons 5 and 6 and another from People announcing that Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys have welcomed their first child together!

Then it’s episode discussion time! We begin with the aftermath of the assault and death from last week as we arrive home with Paige and Elizabeth, who are comforted by Philip. Dennis follows leads and discovers a bug in the FBI mailbot. The FBI arrests the person collecting the device and intends to pursue the lead further. Oleg has been offered a position in Kenya with a newly-promoted Tatiana who makes an offhand remark about potentially killing many people. Oleg is troubled and calls home to his mother, and later when Stan gets a call from him. They meet and Oleg reveals there in an agent in the bioweapons program. The FBI doggedly pursues leads until they arrive at William as the likely culprit. William has second and third thoughts about giving the virus to the Centre and Gabriel convinces him to do so. Paige shares a kiss with Matthew and tells her parents information about Stan she got from Matthew. Her parents admonish her to stop and let it go. They tell her they are obtaining a weapon for the Motherland, and she says “great.”

WTA 61- Rob Yang Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:30 — 31.7MB)

Sometimes a new actor joins a show and makes an immediate impact! Rob Yang has done just that as Don Seong, the target of Elizabeth and the KGB in Season 4 of The Americans! Rob joins us from the West Coast and talks about being a fan of the show, getting the role of Don, and his experiences on the set. We highlight in particular the episodes “The Day After” and “Dinner for Seven”. Rob also tells us about moving from the world of high finance to comedy and then acting, and a special project he has put up on YouTube. Plus he also answers many of your questions!

WTA 60- Suzy Jane Hunt Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:31 — 20.3MB)

It took a couple of seasons to finally see Alice shine, and man was the wait worth it! We get to talk to her alter ego aka Suzy Jane Hunt about her role on The Americans, in particular the most recent episodes “Dinner for Seven” and her standout episode “Munchkins”. Suzy joins us from a really hot undisclosed location and chats about her role on the show, the evolution of her character, what’s really going on in Alice’s head, fun times on the set, and of course, what’s Alice and Pastor Tim’s last name! Plus she answers many of your questions! And who was Moonbeam anyway?