Which interesting no one actually seems to have said! Both George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill get credited for variations of that quote! (Can you tell what rabbit hole I went down this morning?!)
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Interestingly, a question from last night’s episode of the UK version of The Weakest Link:
In language, what word is both the name of a metal on the periodic table of elements and a common slang term for police officer.
Since the wonderful Betty White has left us, I’ll mention here that one of the funniest and fun shows ever was “Hot in Cleveland”. “Golden Girls” always takes top mention and we loved it, too. But if you’ve never seen HIC give it a chance if you can find it to stream.
A weird note, yeah I’m weird like this. White’s last name in the show was Ostrosky. Last night on the ABC News right after the report on her and onto a completely different subject of New Years celebrations and Covid, I swear the next person interviewed had the last name Ostrosky!! So weird. To me.
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We’re watching The Silent Sea on Netflix with subtitles. I recommend it if you like sci-fi dystopian stories. There are 8 episodes.
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Tonight I had a chance to watch my DVR from Sunday night of Around the World in 80 Days on PBS with David Tennant as Phileas Fogg. I enjoyed it and will watch the rest of the eight episode series. It already has substantial differences from the 1956 David Niven/Shirley MacLaine movie, which I also enjoyed.
I also streamed the second and third episodes of Station Eleven on HBO Max. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep going after the first episode, which seemed “ripped from today’s headlines.” But I’m very happy I continued - found it riveting.
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question for anyone who has finished The Americans.
Does the series have a real ending to it? a finale?
or does it just stop? getting antsy here watching it - and trying to decide if i want to look up the the ending and be done!? thoughts? thx! the characters are so awful; yet you cant help but root for them too.
Like most multi-season shows, yes and no really. Most seem to leave open the possibility of a follow on series. I would recommend that you do not peak ahead - the ending is worth watching it “fresh.” I’ve watched it multiple times.
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Yes. A real ending. Actually quite good in my opinion.
If you haven’t already you might want to listen to the podcast for the Americans produced by Slate. Slate had an inside access because one of the creators is the brother of a Slate head honcho.
They had everyone from the creators, actors, set design people ( fascinating since they were obsessed with accuracy), the translator of Russian dialogue, to a real life former Russian spy embedded ala The Americans into the US. The most fascinating thing about him was that his undercover job was to work for IBM and he loved it so much ( the challenging work, the camaraderie, the well stocked cafeteria, the pleasant office space) it made him want to defect).
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Yes, there’s a real ending to the Americans and a good one as maya says. Intense. During one of the finale scenes I’m not sure I was even breathing!! Don’t cheat and look ahead!
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I just finished Call My Agent! which I highly recommend. The last episode, though, felt like a series finale, but thanks to Google, I see they are planning a Season 5. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I prefer when a series ends when it feels right (e.g This is Us or Ted Lasso) as opposed to dragging on past their sell-by date (I’m looking at you, Shonda Rhimes).
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Echoing everyone. Don’t peak! It has a real ending. I thought it was just about perfect.
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OK - you all have encouraged me to stay strong through the ending. if it just ended - like the series was cut without a finale - then it’d be different. THANKS!! I like the idea of a good ending; whatever that may be.
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Have to add my agreement to this because it’s one of the best show series finales I’ve ever watched. Some of the mid seasons I thought lagged a little but it definitely finishes strong.
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The Americans - we are in the middle of it and it is our favorite show in a while. I stop when I see the title in this thread. No hints please.
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Mums the word!
We had quite a discussion last fall about spoilers and the consensus was to not put them in this thread - even for those shows that ended several years ago and where the finales were trumpeted all over the news.
Saying “absolutely watch to the end of The Americans” is not a spoiler 
. I had been watching along with my husband a few years ago and couldn’t believe when he lost interest. But it did allow me to binge full speed ahead!
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It had a very satisfying ending, in my opinion. Worth watching to the conclusion.
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Agree. Very good.
My only nit to pick with the Americans was in one of the first episodes, in a bar, the waitress was listing beers and she said “Stevens Point beer.” Well, it is Point Beer, from Stevens Point, Wis. It’s also very unlikely it was available in Washington, DC in the 1980s as they didn’t ship it to many places outside central Wisconsin, especially bars.
It made me search for other inaccuracies as the series went on. I’m sure it was a hollywood writer just throwing it in but not really knowing the product.
Oh well, still a very good series (once you get over the gore).
Listen to the podcast. This is one of the most accuracy obsessed shows I’ve ever seen though it’s possible that early on they didn’t have the resources to do that.
The NYT writer Masha Gessen a native Russian speaker did the translation into Russian. All the Russians on the show ( other than the leads) were native speakers. The production would scour e bay and estate sales for period authentic home goods and even products like a can of pledge. They went to Russia to find furniture and accessories to stage when the script involved a home in Russia.
By the way The show was filmed and writers room was in Gowanus Brooklyn. Joe Weisberg one of the creators who wrote many of the episodes was a CIA agent for several years in the late 1980’s. He lived in the DC area during that time.
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Watch some of the interviews with Matthew Rhys (Philip) and you will be amazed to hear his Welch accent! On a side note, a graduate of the city where I work is part of the costume team for the show. I do love seeing the fashion as well as the housewares of the 80s like Corelle dishes.
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