Alison Wright on The Americans

Alison Wright - IMDb

She's an English actress who has delivered an acting tour de force all season. The series itself always has me on the edge of my seat. If you're into Cold War-era spy fare like TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, I encourage you to check out FX's series The Americans which is now in its 4th season. The series brilliantly explores both the trade-craft and the emotional toll exacted on spies by the secrets they're required to keep.

A recurring theme is the dilemma faced by a married couple of spies born in Russia living in the US who are raising soft & bratty American kids at the height of the Cold War. The KGB has designs on the kids but the duty-bound parents do everything possible to keep them out of the agency's grasp. To me, the series succeeds at using teen aged actors where Homeland lost its footing. The couple's daughter Paige and Alison Wright's character Martha are both wild cards with the potential to unwittingly bring down the entire house of cards.

The Americans

Updated On: 4/28/16 at 04:26 PM

Agree with everything said so far.



You have to really feel sorry for her predicament . It is a shame it is only limited to 12 episodes a season and you have to wait what seems to be an eternity for a new season.

And as I have stated in another thread Ruthie Ann Miles from The King and I at Lincoln Center is very good in it as well and very funny!

This is the one show that I must watch Live, commercials and all! In the beginning, I thought Martha was just a dumb ridiculous character, but over the seasons, I have come to feel for her and love her, thanks to Miss Wrights performance. She could easily have sank the whole show if played by a lesser actress.

"I will say that, as good as I think this series is, I don't think it's quite at the top tier of prestige cable drama - your The Wire, Mad Men, Sopranos, Breaking Bad level. This has become far less of an issue in this current season, but I do find that prior seasons sometimes suffered from a very "episode of the week" syndrome in which a small storyline would unfold over 1, 2 or 3 episodes and the secondary characters involved would quickly disappear."

My feeling is that the show's done an exemplary job of balancing the more limited with the more prolonged plot lines. The mix of the two seems particularly well suited to the breadth and scope of Philip and Elizabeth's work assignments. It's also offered the show to perspicaciously and objectively cover a lot of the era's political conflicts. And there's been no shortage of featured characters who have been in it for the long haul.

Having said that, I've also been aware that the show has been distinguished by some "episode of the week" narratives (or close to it). But I haven't minded it. For me it's almost subliminally added to the series' retro appeal.

The only thing I find the least bit worrisome about the series is that so many of the Washington exteriors look so very Brooklyn.

henrikegerman said:
Having said that, I've also been aware that the show has been distinguished by some "episode of the week" narratives (or close to it). But I haven't minded it. For me it's almost subliminally added to the series' retro appeal. "



What a great observation, henrik! I never picked up on that - and, perhaps it's not intentional at all - but I do like your interpretation.

Might we see a new plot line open for Martha in Russia, perhaps involving Anton Baklanov?

HOLY, COPPERFIELD! What an episode. I've read some complaints about the pace of this season. Personally, I've enjoyed a bit of the slow burn, but I always had faith the creators would bring that simmer to a boil and, boy, did they ever. I literally yelled at my tv tonight. One crackling, brilliant scene after another. I mean...

...wow, just wow. And as for the consistently great performances, until this ep, I thought our leads were getting a bit outshone by Alison Wright and Annet Mahendru this season. But after tonight? Forget it. This has to be the most interesting couple on television right now. Keri Russell, especially, was just incredible. The wave of emotions she rode in a single episode - it's truly astonishing. How cool, too, that an episode that Matthew Rhys directed became, in a way, a showcase for Keri Russell - probably an indication of what a generous and supportive performer he is. What an interesting way they've chosen to clean house mid-season. I can't wait to see where things go.

There was another good interview with her in the Hollywood Reporter last week in which she shared a rather startling statistic:



"Three out of four women committed suicide within 24 hours of finding out that their spouses were actually plants and that they married them for the KGB or for the Stasi in the German cases — and not because they had found out that they were working for the KGB or for the Nazi's but because they had found out that the man had never actually loved them."

HorseTears said: ...wow, just wow. And as for the consistently great performances, until this ep, I thought our leads were getting a bit outshone by Alison Wright and Annet Mahendru this season. But after tonight? Forget it. This has to be the most interesting couple on television right now. Keri Russell, especially, was just incredible. The wave of emotions she rode in a single episode - it's truly astonishing. How cool, too, that an episode that Matthew Rhys directed became, in a way, a showcase for Keri Russell - probably an indication of what a generous and supportive performer he is. What an interesting way they've chosen to clean house mid-season. I can't wait to see where things go.







"Horse, You are right on! After they kill Nina I was so upset I didnt think I could watch anymore. To me she was the shows secret weapon. But wow, Martha, Paige and Elizabeth have turned up the heat. These 4 women must be the best girl team in TV. Sorry hboGirls! I have never seen anyone look so intimidating wearing a skiing vest as Keri did when Paige came home from the Pastors! And the way she yelled at Paige was so scary, I would have peed in my pants it was so frightening!

I do not know if you know but Keri is having Matthews baby! They have been living together since shortly after show started! You can see the love the way he directed her as you said above.

Updated On: 5/6/16 at 09:39 AM

Do not see much love for the series @ Emmy time

When I watched the HBO film on Anita Hill I thought Allison was more deserving of better written roles. I hope they come her way. I wonder if she does comedy?

I wonder if we will ever see her again on the show?