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This first scene has the sort of slinky sexiness and allure Ive come to expect of an espionage drama.
Real, of course, isnt a fixed stage onThe Americans,but a forever mutating beast.
Itseasy to get lost in the arch reconstructions of Elizabeth.
Russell is a performer who speaks volumes in the quietest, most fleeting moments.
She doesnt fit neatly into the harsh strictures of Method acting, either.
Her performances are beguiling, and difficult to pin down.
(Arguably a crucial reason behind the intense reaction when Felicity cut her flowing curls in season two.)
OnThe Americans,the answer to the question of who you are is complicated by love.
Love of country, love of family, love of self.
Elizabeth puts her love of country first.
Gregory is killed at the end of the first season in a police shootout.
In the fourth season, Gregory is brought up again in a scene that encapsulates Russells tremendous skills.
At least shes alive.
Philip is shocked by the realization that Elizabeth still thinks of Gregory.
Russells scenes with Rhys in particular demonstrate herquicksilver complexity.
At times shes distant, blunt.
Other times her silence offers the chance for a more genuine love or understanding to bloom.
This season, their marriage is the most stressed its ever been.
Season four explored a dimension previously unseen in Elizabeth: how she handles a genuine friendship with another woman.
A relationship like this requires something more elusive from Elizabeth than simple lust or outright brutality.
The friendships that take root between women dont have the same cultural scripts as a love story or seduction.
They take more elaborate forms, which means more risks.
When shes with her, her smile is wide and bright.
As Elizabeth marches toward the final moments of this assignment, pain twinges at the corners of her expression.
The easy smile melts from Elizabeths face, replaced with a grim determination.
But Russell consistently depicts Elizabeths calculations and hardened outlook with precise empathy and care.
The Young-hee story line ends in utter emotional devastation.
The last we hear of Young-hee is a phone call.
On the other end is Young-hee, her voice rising with worry.
She notes that her husband seems different, although she cant discern the particulars of his mood.
But most noticeable is her loneliness as she asks where Patty has gone.
Its a brief scene, but it exemplifies the clarity of emotion Russell is able to communicate.
Yes, Elizabeth is often blunt, rough-hewn, and intense.
But shes never been predominantly icy.
Theres a fire to her.
In the sixth and final season, Elizabeths face tells a story more knotted and painful than ever before.
Elizabeth has always been a hardened woman, keenly focused on her task.
But Russell has, over the course of the series, teased out a desperation in the character.
This is a performance designed not to seduce, but to bruise.
