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The Americans: An Evaluation of a Monogamous Relationship

 

       The Americans is a narrative that represents the Cold War. The show is about a couple named Philip and Elizabeth Jennings who are undercover KGB agents pretending to be a normal American couple. The Americans was aired on FX in 2013 and ended in March of 2018. This narrative portrays a couple in deep cover. This popular TV show reveals a story about the real life “illegals program,” a program that took KGB agents and established a life for the KGB agents in America. They did this to spy on the American government and the CIA. The people who participated in the “illegals program” had a full life established in America, no one ever suspected that they were KGB agents during the Cold War. They had children, jobs, and a regular American life. The agents that participated in the “illegals program” were revealed in 2010, with many people being arrested for their crimes. The Cold War greatly shaped American history, let alone world history. The Cold War took place between the long era of 1947-1991. The Cold War had a huge influence on international relations and formed many programs that have an important place in today’s society. This show can teach the world a lot about media and history. It can also teach the world about relationships. Elizabeth and Philip have an intriguing relationship, they were forced to pretend to love each other and forced to have children together for their cover. Human connections are an interesting perspective to look into. The relationship between Elizabeth and Phillip shows a forced connection. This can lead to further questions one might look into, can one learn to love someone? How do human connections form and what makes one person right for another? Through evaluating this, one can conclude that relationships are interpreted differently through male and female counterparts and there is a fine line for who is meant for each other and who is not.

       The Americans was created by an ex CIA agent, Joe Weisberg, who became an author. This is one of the many reasons The Americans might have accurately represented the Cold war.  Philip and Elizabeth's relationship shows how the actual people in the “illegals program” was formulated. They did not know each other at all and were matched up by the KGB. In season one, they start to have flashbacks of Philip’s and Elizabeth’s first meeting. They show Elizabeth sitting with the General in Russia when Phillip walks in, this is when they first met.  One can tell that Elizabeth is a lot more uncomfortable about the situation than Phillip. This can lead to one questioning the male/female dynamics in a human relationship. It took a lot longer for Elizabeth to get comfortable with Phillip. Looking through this perspective, one leads to evaluate how the female and male counterparts react in relationships. Being that Philip is more easygoing from the start, a viewer can conclude that males might not have as much as an intimate connection with relationships as women might. Men tend to detach themselves from the emotional part, just looking at the surface. According to T, Van Den Berg, and Engels in Effects of attractiveness and status in dating desire in homosexual and heterosexual men and women they talk about how men tend to detach themselves from emotional situations. The writers talk about how women dwell on things that are bothering them, making them more distant. They state “In contrast, women will from time to time emotionally sink into themselves. They may become negative and start to dwell on every problem which troubles them, including ones which have already been raised and solved before,” (T, Van Den Berg, Engels). This shows that in The Americans Elizabeth is emotionally dwelling in the situation of having to marry this random man, while Philip is emotionally detaching himself from it and not bringing the subject to mind. One can use The Americans as a basis on how male and females act in relationships. Analyzing this shows that there is a reason Philip took the situation differently than Elizabeth did. This relates to overall human connection and how these counterparts react.

       The Americans can also show one a basis of monogamous relationships through the act of human connection. Human connection is an interesting concept. There are many different aspects that go into human connection. Human connection evaluates how love might form. In season one of The Americans, even after many years of having children, one can tell that the couple is still not partaking in true love. It seems to portray the couple is in a loveless marriage, just staying in the marriage for the purpose of the mission. In one of the earlier episodes of season one, a viewer can still see a detachment on Elizabeth’s part from her partner, Phillip. Phillip wants to have a real relationship with her, but Elizabeth is still distant. In The Americans, scenes are shown where he tries to talk to her and Elizabeth pulls away. A viewer might question if love is learned through years while looking at Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship. Through looking at Philips and Elizabeth’s relationship in early season one, one sees that love has not been learned between this couple. There appears to be no real connection. This could stem from Elizabeth’s uncomfortableness in the relationship still being there even years into the relationship. Love is a tricky subject as many say, and these two show to not be right for each other.  In Gender Differences in the Consequences of Divorce: A Study of Multiple Outcomes, Thomas Leopold talks about the outcomes of divorce and what leads up to this. He goes on to portray a statement that many people have heard “But the truth is, you cannot make someone love you. You cannot force love, cannot shape love, cannot control love, cannot try to love someone into loving you back,” (Leopold). As stated, love can not be forced and this is exemplified between Philip and Elizabeth. This is also exemplified in The Americans when Philip is wanting love from Elizabeth, he can not force her to love him back. These characters were exemplified to not be meant for each other and they can not do anything about that. The Americans shows the world that not everyone is meant for each other and love can not be forced.

        The Americans is also a highly sexualized show. It shows scenes with sexual relations between the couple and outsiders. In season one of The Americans, it shows when Philip and Elizabeth first arrive to Canada as a new couple, still not knowing each other that well. They arrive in the hotel room and Philip wants to consolidate the relationship, Elizabeth is still unwilling to do this. Although there are many scenes where Elizabeth will use sex as a tool to get the intel she needs, she still does not want to partake in this act with Phillip. Analyzing this shows the way that men and women think about sex. It shows that men and women approach this topic differently in relationships. According to Schier and Blood in Momentary Desire for Sexual Intercourse and Momentary Emotional Intimacy Associated With Perceived Relationship Quality and Physical Intimacy in Heterosexual Emerging Adult Couples, they talk about how men and women perceive sex differently. Schier and Blood state “Her need to feel emotionally safe before the sexual moment cannot be overstated,” (Blood, Schier). They also state it is “the utmost form of vulnerability for a woman,” (Blood, Schier).  Meanwhile, a man does not think of sex like this. It is not a form of vulnerability like it is to a woman, no man needs to feel as emotionally secure. This is what happened between Philip and Elizabeth, since Elizabeth was forced into this relationship she did not feel comfortable with Philip at all. She was also very emotionally detached from him. Watching The Americans can show how a man and woman take sex differently.

        The Americans shows a complicated relationship between a man and woman that is forced. The Americans shows a loveless marriage that has a purpose for the mission. The Americans shows a couple that is made up  of two very different people. In one point in season one, there is a huge ordeal about staying true to Elizabeth’s and Phillips home country of Russia. Phillip starts to like America and Elizabeth thinks that this is an absolute betrayal. Some might say that no matter how different two people are, they can be forced to love each other. There actually is no real proof of anyone saying this. One can form large feelings for each other and care about one another through many years, there is no real evidence that this intricate feeling of love can be forced. One can fall out of love with each other, but they can not do the contrary.

     Even though some might say that people in a marriage can learn to love each other, there are many sources that show this is not true. There is a difference between love and caring. Love is a special thing that is supposed to be with people that are meant for each other. When one looks at divorce, there are such high rates. Many times couples will live with each other and have children with each other like Philip and Elizabeth did, but never will truly love each other. A person can greatly care about a person over time, but this is not true love, one should not be with this counterpart. When Schier and Blood talk about love in Momentary Desire for Sexual Intercourse and Momentary Emotional Intimacy Associated With Perceived Relationship Quality and Physical Intimacy in Heterosexual Emerging Adult Couples they state that “Love is about falling into something, someone where all the pieces just fit,”(Blood, Schier). Love is not a coerced act, it is something that just happens. This proves some peoples statement wrong on how love can be forced. Love is not forced and in Philip and Elizabeth’s case, Philip can not make Elizabeth love him.

     Analyzing the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip Jennings in the narrative The Americans, shows the dynamics of a couple. It shows the difference between how a man and a woman interpret things differently in a relationship. It portrays the tricky subject of human connection. Understanding these aspects lets one see how hard it can be to find real love in the world. Understanding these aspects can also better one by knowing the reasoning of why their counterpart might act in a certain way that they do. In this world there are so many people every day that struggle with finding love and the person one is meant to be with. This does not always happen. Understanding human connection and male/female dynamics in a relationship helps to put people at ease on the reasonings of one's misfortunes.

       The Americans is a show that shows the world relations during the Cold War. The narrative also shows acts of a couple that would have been in the “illegals program.” This show also demonstrates a dynamic of a forced marriage and the tolls it can take on a person. There is a difference between true love and forced love. There is also a difference to how males and females react to situations in a relationship. The Americans shows the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, they were forced into the relationship by the KGB and took deep cover in America. They had children together, but there was still no sign of true love. In Season one, 15 years after being paired, Elizabeth was still disconnected from Philip. Philip wanted more, but Elizabeth would not give this to him from day one. Analyzing the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth in The Americans shows the world today a forced relationship and the meaning of true love. Human connection is still something that is talked about today, and something that is still not completely understood. The Americans gives the world insight on this.

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Blood, Emily A. & Shrier, Lydia A. Momentary Desire for Sexual Intercourse and Momentary Emotional Intimacy Associated With Perceived Relationship Quality and Physical Intimacy in Heterosexual Emerging Adult Couples. Journal of Sex Research, 2016, Clarivate Analytics, Web, 07 Feb 2018.

 

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Leopold, Thomas. Gender Differences in the Consequences of Divorce: A Study of Multiple Outcomes. Demography, 2018, Business Source Complete, Web, 07 Feb 2018.

 

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