It’s been a few days since it aired but I feel like I must blog about the season finale of the best new show since “Homeland.”
“The Americans” had its season finale Wednesday, and it was a fantastic end to an incredibly strong first season (Spoiler alert for season finale here, but people, you really should’ve watched by now if you’re a fan).
What this show did in bringing us inside the lives of two Russian spies living in the U.S. in 1981 was sensationally entertaining, thought-provoking, and at times, scary.
What I loved about the finale is that of course not everything was resolved, but there were enough loose threads that you can’t wait for Season 2.
I loved that Granny fought with Elizabeth for so much of the season, knows that Elizabeth tried to have her reassigned, yet she still feels protective of her when she learns Elizabeth may be wanting into an FBI trap.
I love that the Jennings’ daughter is finally getting curious as to what goes on in her parents’ basement.
I love that Nina came clean as a double-agent caught by the FBI and now confessing to the Russians, and we really don’t know what she’s going to do next (she says she’s going to try to turn FBI agent/her lover Stan into a KGB supporter, but I don’t see that happening.
I also loved that it looks like Elizabeth is going to live even after getting a gunshot wound to the stomach from Stan in Phillip and Elizabeth’s escape.
So many great storylines, so well written, and Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are awesome as the protagonists.
If you’re not watching “The Americans,” I highly recommend catching up on episodes through OnDemand or the FX website.
It’s one of those shows that has a chance to be an all-time classic. The first season was that good.
**Here’s something that should inspire you. Jeff Bauman is one of the heroes of the Boston Marathon bombings. Bauman, if you remember, was the man who lost both of his legs in the explosion, but when he awoke in the hospital scrawled a note to police reading: “Bag, saw the guy, looked right at me.”
That may have been an important clue to police about how the bomb exploded; even if it wasn’t, it’s pretty sensational that even after his trauma, he was still trying to help.
Saturday night Bauman was a special guest of the Boston Bruins before their playoff game. Check out the chill bump-inducing video above (the good stuff starts at the 1-minute mark)
**Finally, it was another rough sports weekend for yours truly. Miserable performances by the Rangers and the Nets, but only one of them truly stunned me.
The Rangers, I sort of expected to struggle in this playoff series. It angers me that after four years under John Tortorella they still have no freaking clue how to run a power play. It angers me that they’re playing below their skill level against a team (Washington) that isn’t really that much better, yet looks 10 times better in the first two games. The Rangers have ONE goal in two games. ONE. You realize how hard that is to do against a goalie like Braden Holtby who’s not that good?
The Rangers aren’t dead, down 2-0 with Game 3 tonight, but they’re pretty close. I have zero confidence they’ll come back to win this series, but again, not really shocking that they’re in this spot.
The Nets, though… what a disgrace. They’re at home Saturday night, in Game 7, against a Bulls team that’s missing two of its top four players (Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich) and is on the road having lost its last two games in the series.
And the Brooklyn boys, with SO much to play for, with the intensity of the home crowd behind them … fell behind by 17 at the half and never completed a furious comeback.
Pathetic. No bloody excuse in the world to explain why the Bulls had so much more heart, so much more desire. Joakim Noah (above) destroyed all of the Nets inside players, and he’s playing hurt!
P.J. Carlesimo got fired as coach Sunday, but that’s not enough. This team needs a legit power forward, some better bench options, and they need a full season of a healthy Deron Williams (who was great in the playoffs).
What a waste of a first season in Brooklyn, to go out like that Saturday.
Wide World of Stuff 
Just getting to this post in Tuesday a.m., but for all the world, I figured Rangers would lose game 3 last night. Every time I looked up there was more NYR lackadaisical defense leading to a Washington goal. A foolish Ranger fan would feel excited after tonight. OK, their offense woke up, but the defense is more troubling.