Anyone else here watching *The Americans*, produced by FX Networks? I’m _loving_ this show, early 1980s Cold War spy biz in the U.S. (And so nice to see Matthew Rhys doing stuff beyond the limitations of Brothers & Sisters.) 

One of the things I like most about this is revisiting this part of the ’80s again (also it nearly coincides time-frame wise with my own espionage WIP, Site 3). BUT….and yes I have to pick this nit:  Why oh WHY do they let anachronistic language slip through? they’re so busy re-creating the era, from telephones to hair styles, to ads and tv news… Why then, does one character suddenly say to another, “Do me a solid…”    Suddenly it’s the 21st century again? This hits like a cold splash of water on the face, completely rips me out of the immersion of the show.  As does background bar chat, woman talking to another patron (voices only, heard): “He’s such a tool!”  Well yay for your ad-libbing bar chat Ms Extra, but TOOL was not used in slang in the 1980s. Twenty years later, yes. Late 90s, even.  1981, no. WTF.  

Why are they not vetting the dialog and miscellaneous chat with the same stringent eye to quality they are bringing to the production design? There’s no excuse for this. Feh, I say, FEH! I get really perturbed (obviously) at anachronisms that destroy the “you are there” moment when being fully involved in a narrative.  I think that’s one of the cardinal sins any storyteller can inflict on their audience. 

OK. That’s my big disgruntlement with this show—and I admit on the scale of things, that’s not the biggest deal. The rest of it is golden, so this show is quite a gem. As long as one is prepared to instantly mental-erase their occasional dialog missteps. _La-la-la-I-can’t-hear-you!_

Have you seen this show? What do you think of it?

#theamericans  #spies 

http://www.fxnetworks.com/theamericans.