Television Thoughts: The Americans

A new television series started this past Wednesday. I had been seeing commercials for it even as far back as while watching the past season of Sons of Anarchy. Didn’t pay all too much attention at first. I thought “ho hum, Russian spies – how good could that really be with no more KGB?” But later I realized this is a period piece. It takes place in 1981, towards the climax of the cold war, just before the Soviet Union collapsed under it’s own idiocy ( or before Saint Ronald Reagan spent them into the poor house – however you want to go with that one).

The show centers around Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings. Typical suburban couple with two kids and a mortgage and jobs – everything but the white picket fence actually. Though they look and act like a married couple for all intents and purposes, they are not. They are Soviet spies. Part of the KGB S-directorate (if you remember much about the cold war, that was the rumor of KGB sleeper cells living and working in the good ol’ US of A).

Their kids (teenage daughter and pre-teen son) of course know nothing of their parents’ true identities.

The pilot was at times fast paced and at times seemed to be a bit slower. But in true FX original programming fashion, it was anything but boring or generic. From the opening scene where Elizabeth is “coaxing” information from a high-level white house employee (and not violently, I might add), to the closing scene where Phillip – dressed up as a left-over from the 70’s beats the crap out of some guy who earlier in the show made some sexual remarks about Phillip’s daughter – you never got to a point where you thought “isn’t this over yet?”

Whether it continues to be as good as the pilot only time will tell. For now though, it stays on the DVR record list.

Oh, yeah and the music was great. A very good and nerve wracking kidnap and escape sequence was set to Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”, and other scenes paired against music of the times made the music seem like a character all of it’s own.

Four Days In

Four days now into the new year and it seems pretty much like the old year. Not that I ever remember the new year being all that different from the old, ever. Each year of course does bring new challenges and experiences. As does each month, and each week and each day.

We did get some snow on new year’s ever, it is still covering a good portion of the ground. That’s good. I don’t mind the cold so much, but I’ve always been of a mind that if it is going to be cold, it might as well snow. I love the snow. It’s bright whiteness covering all the dead vegetation we have all winter long. Looking immaculate and pure. At least at first. The snow left on the ground still now four days along is looking rather dull. It’s lost it’s luster. What lines the roadways is of course brown and dirty from the exhaust and road grime that coats it.

Good news though, Monday and the rest of next week is supposed to bring us warmer weather. Mid 40s and above. Looks like it’s time to pull the cover off Ruby and fill her tank this weekend for the anticipated rides to work this coming week.