theamericans | Entries tagged with conversation question of the week

Last week ABC premiered a Cold-War-era spy miniseries called The Assets. (You can read more about it here)

I personally looked at it and decided it wasn't for me because the Cold War wasn't really what attracted me to The Americans. This question is therefore twofold:

1. What were the things that attracted you to our show?

2. Do you intend to give this show a try? If you've watched it, would you recommend it to other fans?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

With 1982 drawing near, what do you think our chars' New Year's resolutions would be?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

It's December 23, 1981. What are our favourite characters doing for Christmas?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

Which two characters would you most like to see in a scene together in season two who haven't (or haven't often) had a scene together before?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

What real-life sociopolitical events would you like to see our favourite Russians dealing with in episodes in season two and beyond?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

Back in the pilot, Stan voiced to Sandra that he thought there was "something a little bit off" about Philip. To what extent do you think he still thinks that by the end of the season?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

jae

Since we're now done with the season one rewatch, Treon and I are going to resume the "conversation questions of the week" again next week (though we'll take another break around the time that things get especially nutty for Christmas-celebrating folks), to tide us over until the new season begins. We have a few already in the queue, but if any of you have good suggestions, we'd love to hear them!

treonb

As we get closer to season two and the writing period turns first into the filming period, and then the publicity period, a lot more spoilers are likely to leak out (or be leaked). What's your personal policy on spoilers: love 'em? Hate 'em? Do you feel the same way about spoilers for the Americans as you feel about spoilers for other shows?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The Americans has enough of a viewership to have been renewed for a second season, but the fandom for the show (people who make the effort to seek out other fans to talk about the show with, people who create their own fanworks about the show) remains quite small.

And so, this week's question: Why do you think that might be?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

This week's question: What's your least favorite season 1 episode?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The writers of this show seem to have a love for full formal names when it comes to the KGB side of the Cold War. Philip is always Philip, never Phil, and Elizabeth is never Liz or Beth either--and this despite the fact that Russian names all inherently have multiple alternate forms that everyone simply uses as a matter of course. The same goes for Robert, the other Directorate S illegal who we've met, and for that matter, for Gregory (who's not Russian, but whose own culture isn't exactly known for its lack of informal names).

Given this, the question of the week is a two-parter: one, what do you think the writers are up to with this? And two, any thoughts on an explanation for this that works within the world of the show?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

This week's question: What's your favorite season 1 episode?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The three main characters on our show are all living discontinuous lives: Philip and Elizabeth first as their original selves and now as Americans; Stan first as himself, then as a white supremacist involved in the movement, and now as himself again. Throughout those lives, though, things have happened to them that shape the way they think and feel about things, and those psychological responses can carry over into the next incarnation.

This week's question: How do you think that works for each of those three characters?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

Throughout the first season, we were introduced to various characters. For some we got extensive backgrounds, while others we learned to know through the eyes of other characters.

This week's question: Is there any specific character you wish you knew more about?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

In COMINT (1x05), Amador compliments Martha on her appearance. Martha complains (with Gaad present) that this is sexual harassment, and Gaad in turn rebukes Amador. But Gaad doesn't really believe what he's saying, and he lets Amador know that with Martha standing right there.

I felt that this scene gave us a short but very significant glimpse into both the time period and the characters involved. This scene helped set the stage later when we learned more about the Amador-Martha relationship.

This week's question: What were your impressions of this scene? What other scenes did you feel helped flesh out the secondary characters?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

In the pilot, Philip proposes that he and Elizabeth defect to the United States with their family. Nina, too, toys with the idea of defecting to escape persecution for her crimes. We never see inside their heads, though, so it's hard to know what exactly they're thinking over the course of the season.

This week's question: What do you think is going on with that--how do you think the Russian characters' (those two or any others') thoughts on defection change over time?

You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

jae

One of the distinctive features of the show is the 80s music that sometimes goes along with scenes that don't have dialogue. For those of you who are familiar with 80s pop, is there a song that strikes you as something they should use on the show--and if so, what sort of scene might it accompany? (If that question confounds you too much, feel free to respond with your favourite existing example of music used on the show instead.) You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The marriage at the centre of the show is the one between Philip and Elizabeth, but there's another marriage that looms large as well: the one between Stan and Sandra. Both marriages have problems.

So here's this week's question: To what extent are those problems similar, or are they entirely different? You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The two central elements of the show are the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth and their work. They are also parents, however.

So here's this week's question: How do you feel about the way the show treats these elements of their lives? Which elements of it work for you, and which don't? You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

treonb

The characters on The Americans have complicated takes on their position, which side they support in the American-Soviet conflict and why. Each one acts out of a differing mixture of self-interest and ideology, but some aren't aware which side they're really helping, while others have switched sides.

So here's this week's question: Did you change your mind about any of the characters as the show progressed? You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.

(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)

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Fan community for FX's The Americans

Entries tagged with conversation question of the week

Question of the week #23

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Conversation questions of the week: taking suggestions!

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