That was actually a huge issue for me in season 1 of this show ... since Elizabeth and Philip are the two main characters, then presumably, we're supposed to be rooting for them, at least to some extent. But I found both of these two to be so closed off and cold and spy-like in season 1 that I didn't feel motivated enough to really be on their side. As a matter of fact, but the time season 1 ended, the only person I really WAS rooting for was Nina Sergeevna.
I certainly wasn't rooting for FBI agent Stan, that's for sure. Vlad-murdering, extramarital affair-having schmuck Stan. KGB or not, by the end of season 1, when Nina turned the tables on Stan and started playing him for a change, I was cheering at my TV screen. Nina was a sympathetic character to me, because she was forced into the situation with Stan and the FBI against her will. She was put into an impossible position, and she did what she had to do to survive. And Stan had turned into such a douche by the end of the season that her betraying him was totally justified from my point of view.
Now, onto season 2. Which, thank goodness, has been a massive improvement on season 1 in terms of my ability to connect with and care for the fate of Elizabeth and Philip. They're still complex and extremely flawed people, but they feel like real humans now instead of the spybots they seemed to be in season 1. The show is better on all levels for me this season, really. I still think Stan's a schmuck, but I'm o.k. with that. I don't need to root for him to enjoy this show.
What about miss Nina though?? A friend of mine started watching The Americans at the beginning of season 2, and skipped season 1 out of laziness and a desire to avoid shelling out the cash to purchase season 1. This is obviously NOT a move I would recommend, but some people do these sorts of things. It has me wondering - if someone watched season 2 of The Americans without having seen season 1, would they look at Nina as a "bad guy"? All they would know is that she's a KGB agent who is totally playing Stan, and "cheating" on him with even-more-douchey Oleg.
I haven't entirely been able to figure Oleg out this season, nor have I figured out Nina's relationship with him. Her sudden change of heart with him and decision to jump into bed with him in "Arpanet" was kind of odd to me. Was she just turned on by the way he helped her pass that polygraph? I can only assume so. Regardless, it made me wonder if this might be the point where I would stop liking her.
But interestingly, from that point forward, Nina and Oleg seem to have legitimately developed an emotional bond. By the time he gave her that money to escape in the most recent ep, "Operation Chronicle," I actually found myself feeling genuinely touched at the sweetness of this pivotal scene. I believe an audible "aaww" might have even emerged from my mouth. Which is extremely impressive, given what a pompous jerk Oleg has been for most of the season.
Anywho, we'll see where they take these characters from this point forward. Will I still want to root for Nina? Will Oleg continue to grow on me, or will he turn douchey again? Only time will tell. The season 2 finale has not yet aired at the time I'm writing this. In any event, Nina has got to be a very good example for why you should never jump into a show like this midstream.
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