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I actually checked the spindle of discs to make sure it wasn't once I saw them arranged like that. Holy smokes, what's happened to our beloved home market

Fully caught up now. The highlight of the show for me is Noah Emmerich, an actor who never really stood apart in anything I'd seen him before so his talents here are a bit of a revelation, despite coming from a familiar face. Not to say he's the only one pulling his load here though, it's pretty tops acting-wise.

I liked a couple of the guest spots in S2, mostly John Carroll Lynch and Lee Tergesen...

Spoiler

Funny that he played two (quite different) gay military men on two shows last year, as well as his nice spot on this past season of Alpha House.

Some nice choices in music, particularly the original version of Peter Gabriel's "Here Comes The Flood" and of course "Twilight Zone". The jury's still out if I'll warm up much to Pete Townshend's "It Must Be Done", though.

Anybody else watch Wednesday's season premiere?

I thought it was excellent, especially for the way it evoked contemporary social and political issues through its staid-yet-lurid period piece lens.

Some interesting future conflicts and complications have been seeded--some explictly, others in a slightly more subtle way--as well, and, as always, I love the way it aligns the spy and family anxieties and plays them off of one another for dramatic effect.

They certainly started the season off with a couple of jarring sequences, which was unexpected for a show that's often far more restrained. The episode's bookends were probably among the most tense sequences that the show has put together during its run so far.

Does "far more restrained" include things like

Spoiler

FBI agents summarily executing Russian nationals

or has the show actually dialed itself back to some semblance of historical and procedural reality since the often histrionic first season?

No, it remains a fictional TV drama.

Renewed for a fourth season

Season 1 was uneven, its portrayal of Russians embarrassingly laughable and the 'I love you, I love you not' melodrama stupid, but I have to give this show a lot of credit for getting better and better with season 4 being perfect.

It's been an emotionally brutal string of episodes, but the clearing of the decks so to speak should make the last two seasons that much more fresh.

Other than that

Spoiler

I'm really hoping they kill Pastor Tim.

Uh, the Emmys finally realized this show exists in a huge way. Noms for Best Series and Actor / Actress

The Vulture with a fine appreciation of Russell's work on the show.

domino harvey wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:06 pm Uh, the Emmys finally realized this show exists in a huge way. Noms for Best Series and Actor / Actress

***5 years and 2 posts in the thread later....***

As others have mentioned, this show didn't/doesn't get much love. Somehow I missed the boat, until very recently. Shame on me.

I notice that the complete series is on a terribly packaged dvd set, but not blu-ray thus far.

Noiretirc wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:37 am

domino harvey wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:06 pm Uh, the Emmys finally realized this show exists in a huge way. Noms for Best Series and Actor / Actress

***5 years and 2 posts in the thread later....***

As others have mentioned, this show didn't/doesn't get much love. Somehow I missed the boat, until very recently. Shame on me.

I notice that the complete series is on a terribly packaged dvd set, but not blu-ray thus far.

Yes it's easily one of the best shows of the last decade. The lack of a blu-ray is annoying but as it was an FX show I'm not holding my breath for one. At least with the other FX shows I've watched there has been a lack of consistency with home video releases. It doesn't seem to be a priority.