'The Americans' Review: Ambiguous Endings Prove Immensely Satisfying in a Standout Series Finale — Spoilers

Episode 10 was aptly titled “Start,” and though the creators swear they don’t intend on making any spinoffs or revival seasons, the series finale is one of the more open-ended in recent memory. So many questions were left somewhat up in the air, with only the slightest of indications given as to how viewers should interpret what’s next. Is Oleg (Costa Ronin) bound to rot in jail while his son grows into a man? Did Claudia (Margo Martindale) make it back to Russia? What will Stan (Noah Emmerich) do about Renee (Laurie Holden), who, let’s face it, is totally a spy — that last look sealed it for this critic. And what about Paige? What will she do after she’s done sipping Claudia’s leftover vodka? What motivated her oh-so-painful choice to get off the train?

As viewers bid the series a collective dosvedanya, IndieWire is taking a look at where things stand at the end, but also honoring the little things done consistently well throughout the series — the bits we’ll miss most now that it’s all said and done. Some of it will be hard (like choosing to leave Henry behind). Some of it will be much harder (like Paige choosing to stay behind). So without further ado, let’s get brutal.

So, Who Died?

As with every episode of “The Americans,” just about any actor who appeared on screen provided work worthy of dissection, but Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich’s confessional demands dissection. For one, it took the utmost confidence to entrust such lengthy, weighty monologues on two actors; trust established over the course of six seasons working with Rhys and Emmerich. So much information came out in that parking garage, and so many emotions had to be considered by both Weisberg and Fields, who wrote the episode, and Rhys and Emmerich as performers.

From the time Stan yells “Hey” to the moment the car exits the garage, the scene runs just over 12 minutes; that’s 12 minutes of talk, largely between the two men, and their dialogue has to convincingly move Stan from a place where he’s about to arrest the Jennings to a place where he allows them to escape. First, Stan earns their confession. He’s in the driver’s seat, asking the questions and getting the answers he’s been fearing.

But what’s clear, even then, is that Stan may not be in control of the situation. Yes, he has the gun, but Philip and Elizabeth have him outnumbered. They’ve escaped worse situations than this, so when Philip digs deep and starts confessing to Stan, he’s not just trying to save his family. He’s trying to save Stan, too.

That’s not what gets them all out of the garage safely. Stan doesn’t feel threatened. He just feels heard. He trusts in their friendship enough to let them go, and that trust is built through Philip’s words, of course, but it’s conveyed through a remarkable performance by Rhys. Look back at the way he says, “Stan, I have to abandon my son.” That’s as heartbreaking a line as Philip could ever utter, but Rhys doesn’t crumble or take an extra beat or use it to beg Stan for mercy. He says it plainly, with a slight crack invading his voice that reveals the pain he’s in at that very moment. Rhys hits every one of those notes throughout. He doesn’t try to do too much with the scene, nor does he just utter the words. Rhys finds the honesty Philip has been searching for throughout the series, and he pours it out in that garage.

And yet, the harder part might be Stan’s. Emmerich doesn’t get half the words Rhys does, and he’s the one viewers are watching intently to see how he feels toward his former friends. It was Emmerich’s slight raise of the eyebrow after Philip says, “I wish you would’ve stayed with me at EST” that brought this critic to tears — on the third viewing. He’s so present throughout each beat of each lengthy monologue, and it pays off huge. Without these two actors, it’s not that the scene would’ve flopped — the entire series would’ve fallen apart.

U2 sets up the train scene, but it doesn’t play during its most intense moments. Considering how much time spans under Bono’s iconic melody, it would be easy to assume it kept going while Philip and Elizabeth’s disguises were inspected by border guards. But it cuts off as their train comes to a stop and is boarded. The silence creates additional tension: If the song kept flowing, its momentum could’ve indicated that things were going to be OK. The music would keep playing and the train would keep rolling.

Instead, fans had to sit in silence as the two parents — wisely sitting in separate seats — were cleared by the guards. The lack of non-diegetic music added a cold reality to the scene, but when it kicked back in was when the heartbreak really hit: As U2 wailed away, Paige is seen standing on the outside of the train. “The Americans” has used music at an expert level throughout its run, and they chose and cut “With or Without You” perfectly — a song made famous by “Friends,” for Pete’s sake.

It lent the train scene unspeakable power, and fans will be debating why, exactly, Paige chose to get off for years to come. But thanks to everything working around her, the series itself will also stand the test of time.

Grade: A

“The Americans” is streaming in its entirety on FX Now.