They claimed they renewed it last year because of critical acclaim. I'd never trust the judgment of any critic that thinks this season is the least bit good. They were also losing Justified last year, so they couldn't kill their second best show at the time. The renewal of Tyrant is also a disaster, but they couldn't renew that and not renew this, you know (or the other way)?

What's the new drama slate for FX? I feel like there's at least one potentially good new show I've heard about, but can't remember for sure. And certainly they're ecstatic that American Crime Story is a winner, now the second best show on the channel. One more winner and they can 86 The Americans and Tyrant without any concerns.

I listen to a lot of podcast and every critic says its the best show on TV.

They have Legion, Y: The Last Man, and mini series Taboo. No dates yet.

It's almost like their TVs don't get Fargo, Better Call Saul, or American Crime Story, three shows that are literally dozens of times better than this borefest. Maybe they're using best as a euphemism for boring.

Legion is from Noah Hawley (listed as a TV movie), so that's promising. Not sure about Y: The Last Man's prospects, seems pretty niche. Taboo is the BBC production with Tom Hardy, so that might be good too, but obviously nothing for the future for them.

Kind of baffled by the hate ITT. This season has not been my favorite (so far), but it's still a very good show. Are you guys expecting like a huge plot twist or a character to die every episode?

im waiting for something to happen

Like what? Plenty of stuff has happened.

yes stuff happens, but every episode feels like theyre setting something big up and again again

I can't really say why, but I'm just not gripped by this season like I was before. They're setting things up that should build tension, but I just don't seem to care.

I like the show just don't think its a top 15 show for me.

They focus on the wrong things, and handle everything clumsily. It's a poor use of dramatic tension to set up end of the world type events and nothing happens. This show used to have tension, good dramatic tension (it was never boring), but now that everything is basically out in the open, it's lost all of that. It's like a will they won't they storyline where everything's blown once the relationship happens.

Having people know they're spies takes so much tension out of it, and the new tension they're trying to create by "fearing" being caught doesn't work at all, since I mean that's what the show's been all along. And Stan just looks like such the ultimate boob by being this close and not seeing all the signs he's been seeing the whole time, literally since episode 1.

The fact that the biggest thing that's happened this year is Nina's execution tells you all you need to know. That was an ancillary character who means absolutely nothing to the plot. We've moved forward a year, but somehow Oleg hasn't been able to move on from a character who was clearly playing him. Now Oleg will use his newfound anger over a traitor being executed to become a traitor himself or something.

If this were the first season of a guaranteed 6 season show, then maybe it wouldn't be as bad. It *should* be the last season of a 4 season show, and they're acting like they have all the time in the world.

Watch shows like Rectify and Better Call Saul, slow moving shows that never feel slow, because the stakes are always right. There are no stakes in this show, despite it acting like there are stakes, because there should be, but there aren't because nothing of any substance actually happens.

Agree to disagree I guess.

"Everything is basically out in the open" except with Stan/the FBI. Kind of the most high-stakes one. There is still quite a bit of tension surrounding the Pastor Tim storyline too, and with the FBI zeroing in on Martha.

Also, lol at Nina being an ancillary character. She has pretty much been the fourth most important character on the show since the beginning. She only means nothing to the plot if you ignore the effect of her storyline on Oleg and Stan. I may be missing something, but how was Nina playing Oleg? And if she was, did he ever realize it? It's not a stretch at all to believe that losing someone he loved, and that in his mind had redeemed herself to her country, would cause him to have a serious crisis of allegiance.

Having said all that, I do hope they wrap it up sooner rather than later, because the longer they draw it out, the worse it's going to get. But I don't think that's a legitimate criticism yet.

What's mostly funny to me is that they are just now concerning themselves about the issue of having children who will one day become sentient about their work and may not be on board with it. Tony Soprano's kids grew up to one day learn what he does but he's just making a living (killing). Why have kids in the first place? Your life's work can go down the drain the minute your first born gets a whiff. And there's no long term way of handling it other than killing her.

ya it doesn't really make sense that these characters would ever decide to have kids. if you argue its for their cover, well that seems a bit excessive and unnecessary. surely having kids has been a lot more harmful to their job than helpful

and based on the strictness of the training they received, it seems like they'd even be forbidden from having kids

so the story the show wants us to believe seems to be that they chose to have kids to help their cover. but that seems really stupid . the other option is that they were unplanned but that also seems really unlikely with how much attention to detail they have

so it basically makes no sense that they have kids in the first place

Meh, willing to suspend disbelief on the central tenant of the show (no worse than zombies, c'mon). What started out as a cover and the center's idea of future recruits of course makes no sense (even within the confines of the show's universe). That is the crux of the tension of the plot--**** we did this, these people love their children, like--well-children, now what do we do with them?

Like many shows, they've spent all this time with incredibly dangerous situations, but hardly any central characters have died. They are in a prolonged tease, with Nina being the first shot fired.

I'm entertained, I feel invested. I'm not a critic. I've come this far. I'd concur its been slow, probably trying too hard to drag out the tension. Enough that they should wrap up this year. This feels like part two of pretty much any movie trilogy--all set-up and rarely that great on its own (Empire Strikes Back being the obvious full-on success).

When I stop enjoying shows I generally stop watching.

have they ever said how many seasons its supposed to be?

Wikipedia says that writers "have been convened" for a 5th season.

I think this was brought up in an earlier season. The idea was that the kids would have a totally legit background so they could get jobs at the CIA/FBI/NSA rather than run a travel agency.

Wouldn't they check out the background on your parents too for such government organizations?

I thought this was the best episode so far this season. Some great acting, especially from Alison Wright. Hopefully this is all setting up an exciting second half.

How many eps this season? Weird that the gun was neutered.

It was obviously the best episode of the season because something almost happened, and there was actual real live tension throughout most of the scenes in the episode.

I was totally convinced something was going to happen until Clark took the gun (I don't think it was loaded, but I'm not sure).

I'm very close to tapping out on this show, they can't be serious that they've given us 6 straight set up episodes. There is also incessant foreshadowing of both Martha and Gabriel's deaths, but it never happens. How many times can you show two people taking pills, Clark pushing a cup to Gabriel (if I were Gabriel I certainly wouldn't trust I'm safe around Philip right now), or a gun shot? These are all clues to outcomes, but I have no idea when they'll be or what they'll be. What would Martha's medication do to someone in Gabriel's condition?

The actor playing Martha did a great job in the scene with Philip when he told her he was in the KGB...absolutely perfect reaction from her for the reveal. Then she blew it with her terrible overacting in the street that was largely ADR.

6 episodes in and we still have no idea what the point is of the Korean woman for Elizabeth. I think I might have figured out some connection, since the Russians shot down a Korean Air Lines passenger jet in the year the story's in right now. Still don't know what kind of connection this is going to have to the other story though. According to wikipedia, that was considered one of the most tense moments in the Cold War. It had the very unfortunate flight number of 007.

meh

yeah i think wednesday's show was the only good episode so far this season, and really the only one that can be considered on par with the quality of the early couple of seasons

plus, any episode where pastor tim isn't mentioned automatically goes up a few notches

Impressive that nunnai has watched two solid seasons of a show he hates.

How did William get his job? Philip and Elizabeth couldn't because they wouldn't pass an in depth background check. Why would he? He's my favorite character this season though.