The Americans doubles down on showing, not talking, as it kicks off its final season

Vulture

"If watching a TV show is like being in a relationship, The Americans is the closest thing to a domestic partnership that modern TV drama has ever given us," says Matt Zoller Seitz. "If you live with a lover long enough, you know them so well that verbal explanations become unnecessary, in bed or out. You can get across a question or an intention, or signal appreciation or disapproval, with a look — or a refusal to look. You can tell what mood the other person is in just by seeing how they close the door and hang up their coat when they walk in. You can feel what the other person is feeling. Whether you choose to say something depends on whether the partnership is doing poorly or well, and how willing you both are to live in reality. The Americans, which begins its sixth and final season Wednesday night on FX, understands this dynamic, and its deep investment in the physical details of marriage may explain why so much of its premiere is dialogue-free."

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