The Americans S:6 | E10 START

The Americans Podcast

This episode of The Americans podcast serves as a retrospective celebration of the series finale. Host June Thomas interviews lead actors Ke

Key takeaways

• Kerry Russell and Matthew Rees discussed the tragic 'price' paid by the Jennings: abandoning their children.
• Noah Emmerich shared vital acting advice regarding maintaining focus on performance over technical set issues.
• The actors reflected on the heavy emotional toll of characters Henry and Paige being left behind in the United States.
• Matthew Rees recalled a high-intensity screen test where he had to endure a physical slap from Kerry Russell without flinching.
• Brandon J. Dearden explored the intersection of faith and patriotism through the character of Agent Adderholt.

Main topics

• The Americans series finale analysis
• Character fates of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings
• Behind-the-scenes acting anecdotes

Notable quotes

They paid in the worst way, which is so the tone of the show, I feel. I thought they got it so right.

Conclusion

A poignant and nostalgic farewell that honors the craftsmanship and em

Transcript preview

Speaker 6 (0:00) What's up, y'all? I'm Joel Anderson, and I'm here to tell you about the new season of Slow Burn. For season three, we're looking at the creative lives and the tragic deaths of Tupac Shakur and the notorious B.I.G. Biggie's brilliant. He was someone who just outright was like, I'm lyrically superior and I'll take your girl. And Tupac, the son of a Black Panther who came up in the Bay Area. He had every bit of street bona fide that he would ever need as a Black Panther baby. But for whatever reason, Tupac thought that that wasn't enough for him. They became the faces of a deadly rivalry between two rap scenes. I truly believe that Pac really thought that Biggie tried to have him killed. The two of the most famous performers in the world were murdered within a year of each other, and their killings were never solved. The worst thing that happened to hip-hop from that era was keep it real. Keep it real got a lot of people killed. Slow Burn Season 3, Biggie and Tupac, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (1:02) The following podcast contains spoilers. We strongly recommend you watch the episode of The Americans We're Discussing before you listen to the podcast. Speaker 1 (1:13) Adderholt has extreme faith in the United States of America and the promises that it will offer. He's totally bought into this idea that everybody can be equal. And so what he's representing is his faith in this country. And Father Andre has his faith in this church. But both of these entities are larger and bigger than themselves. But both of these men are putting themselves on the line to ensure. that other people have the opportunity to express their faith in those respective higher powers. Speaker 5 (2:10) Welcome to the Americans podcast for the sixth and final season. I'm June Thomas, managing producer of Slate Podcasts and your host for the series, which goes behind the scenes of the show. Today, we'll talk to Kerry Russell and Matthew Rees about their thoughts about what happened to Elizabeth and Philip Jennings in the series finale. We'll also hear how Noah Emmerich and Brandon J. Dearden felt about their characters' final moves. And at the end of the episode, we'll hear the actors' strongest memories from their years on the show. But first, here are Kerry and Matthew. A Speaker 8 (2:46) pop singer sparks an anti-gay movement. That campaign Speaker 6 (2:50) was a kick in the teeth. And boy, now we've got to get our act together. And we have to really fight for our rights. Speaker 8 (2:56) A drug made from apricot pits gets touted as a cancer cure. It's got cyanide in it. And that's how it works, according to the people who say it works. Utter nonsense. All of those events, and a whole lot more, happened in 1977. Speaker 8 (3:14) I'm Josh Levine, the host of Slow Burn Season 4. On Slate's podcast, One Year, we'll introduce you to people that changed American history. Speaker 6 (3:24) Everyone was coming to Washington, and all of them were coming with some of the most rootin' tootin', scientifically produced cavalcade of recreational drugs you could imagine. Speaker 8 (3:37) One Year, 1977. Wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (3:47) Today we've said goodbye to Gowanus and I'm on the phone with the stars of the series, Kerry Russell and Matthew Rees, to discuss the season finale and the series finale. Hello, Kerry and Matthew. Hi, June. Hello. Do you remember how you felt when you learned how the show was going to end? Speaker 7 (4:03) Yeah, when I actually read the final episode, ironically, I was on a train to Washington and I just remember being incredibly sad. Speaker 2 (4:10) What about you, Kerry? Actually, I was behind on reading my scripts and I had this... I'm talking about this giant break in a day. And I thought, you know what, I'm going to take eight, nine, and ten, and I'm going to go to this. Speaker 2 (4:27) delicious restaurant that I love so much. Speaker 1 (4:29) And Speaker 2 (4:29) I'm going to sit at the bar because it was like their dead time, like three o'clock in the afternoon. And I'm going to order a giant glass of red wine, expensive red wine, and I'm just going to burn through them. And I read through them all at once. And I was doing that thing where you kind of like start tearing up and you're trying to cover your face a little bit with your hand to like act casual and normal in public. And I could have never dreamt what they were. creating, but I think it is so right on. And I think, I think we were having this discussion with Tommy Shlomi, one of our favorite directors, and he had read it. They let the guys let him read it ahead of time. And I thought he said something really interesting, which was, he said, you know, you go through this whole story and this life with these two people who you are rooting for at points, obviously. But he said there is a part you want them to pay. On some level, you want them to pay. And in a way, they've paid the worst price because they've had to give up their kids for now. I mean, obviously, we know that, you know, history, maybe they'll be able to the wall comes down and, you know, things happen and maybe they can go back. But they paid in the worst way, which is so the tone of the show, I feel. I thought they got it so right. What do you think, Matthew? I agree. The Speaker 7 (5:57) whole thing with Henry is what I didn't account for. And I think it's what kind of takes your breath away because you're so not expecting it. And it's such a universal kind of sorrow that people can relate to immediately. You mean Speaker 5 (6:12) abandoning their son, essentially? Speaker 7 (6:14) Yeah. But Speaker 5 (6:15) it's also they kind of do it out of kindness, right? Speaker 7 (6:19) Absolutely, which is what makes it so moving. Speaker 5 (6:22) I mean, you're right that we know that at least two or four years, depending, you know, there's another chance. But he's going to be left as damaged goods. He'll never really be trusted. It's such a terrifying prospect for that boy. What did you think when you read it? Me? Oh, I was mostly focused on Paige. But afterwards it was, hey, wait, what about Henry? Yeah. He's got Stan, I guess. Speaker 7 (6:45) Yeah, he's fine. He's fine. Speaker 5 (6:47) Paige decides to stay in the States. In her case, she's got much more agency in the decision. And just three episodes earlier, she told Elizabeth that she wasn't afraid to die, but she was afraid to be alone. And yet she essentially chooses to be alone. That really surprised me. How did you respond to that? Speaker 2 (7:07) Well, it's devastating. It is so devastating that this child that you sort of... Speaker 2 (7:16) You know, like every parent feels like given everything to. And of course, it's not necessarily what you want. It's everything you want. And then they look you in the face and like kind of say, I'm not doing that. And it's devastating. And to lose them both. Also, story-wise, just like on a realistic level, what happens to her? Because now the FBI know everything. So what, she's going to go through this whole process of lying and say she doesn't know? And then, like, what does that mean for her? You know what I mean? Because she does know everything. And where will she take that? It's just, it's so complicated. And obviously, story-wise, sort of meant to punish Philip and Elizabeth, right? Yeah, Speaker 5 (8:03) she knows everything at the same time. She kind of knows nothing. Speaker 2 (8:06) Right, because it was all maybe fantasy in a way, right? That's kind of how I thought of it. Or like a need for this closeness with a parent whose parents were sort of absent for so long. Speaker 5 (8:20) Well, and Philip and Elizabeth, they return to being Nadezhda and Misha. They're starting over in a sense, but America has obviously changed them in all these years.