The Americans: Each Main Character’s First & Last Line In The Series

FX’s The Americans is among the greatest television dramas of all time. That’s because, with The Americans, nothing was wasted. Every shot, every line, and every twitch on an actor’s face is used to communicate something, often without saying much at all.

So, from monologues to monosyllables, these characters’ first and last lines serve to communicate where they start and finish in the overarching story. Some, like Arkady and Aderholt (and, to an extent, Philip and Elizabeth), reflect the futility of the war itself. Others reflect a character’s unchanging status, like Henry Jennings. And then there are those rare ones that offer light at the end of the tunnel, like poor Martha’s somewhat happy ending.

10 Arkady Zotov

“Prime Minister Thatcher and Defense Minister Nott arrive tomorrow.” – “Yes.”

When viewers first meet Arkady, he’s discussing plans for KGB operatives to undertake. This introduces the character by setting up his role as deep within Russian intelligence.

His finale line is a simple one, but, in context, it’s very heavy. Arkady meets with Oleg’s father to inform him of his son’s arrest in America, and to tell him that he won’t be coming home anytime soon. His father asks if the mission failed, then, and Arkady responds with a simple “Yes,” confirming that it was all for nothing.

9 Dennis Aderholt

“We were testing for prints on the list of names, but the CIA took custody of it before we got anywhere. They won’t even tell us who the names are.” – “We’re watching the house, travel agency, Paige’s apartment. We’re watching Henry at school, too. He’s the only one who’s there. I’m sorry. I gotta…”

When Dennis Aderholt is brought on board in season three, he’s literally thrown right into the action. He and Gaad are tailing a disguised Elizabeth, who promptly knocks Gaad unconscious and throws Aderholt in front of a motorcycle before escaping, leaving them to desperately continue the search.

In a way, Aderholt ends where he began, which is searching for the Jennings. Only this time, he knows for certain who he’s looking for.

8 Elizabeth Jennings

“Seriously? The President?” – “We’ll get used to it.”

When audiences are first introduced to Elizabeth, she’s working. She’s undercover in a bar, flirting with a member of the FBI, feeding him drinks, and acting completely awed by everything he tells her about his job in U.S. intelligence. Elizabeth’s work is a huge part of who she is, and she’s good at what she does.

It’s fitting that Elizabeth, the true protagonist of the show, get the last word. She and Philip finally have their cover blown and must flee to Russia, where they haven’t been in about 20 years. They choose to leave Henry behind, and Paige elects to stay back as well. They’re empty-nesters in a country that is both their home and completely foreign to them, and Philip remarks that it “feels strange,” to which this is Elizabeth’s reply.

7 Frank Gaad

“Agent Beeman, do you think there’s any chance that Timoshev is still alive?” – “And if I don’t want to listen to you?”

Gaad’s introduction is in the midst of the plot in the first episode, wherein the FBI has lost their asset, defector Timoshev. This introduction cements him as a man about his business, always focused on the job at hand.

His final words in the show are also the last Frank Gaad ever says. While vacationing with his wife after retiring, some Russian men enter his hotel room. They demand to speak to him, and he orders them away. While trying to flee, there’s a scuffle, and he falls through a window. The shards of glass cut his stomach and he bleeds out.

6 Henry Jennings

“Maruk got two goals and an assist last night versus L.A.” – “Okay. Bye, Dad.”

Henry’s a pretty normal kid even if he’s a bit oblivious to what’s going on around him. When Henry is first seen, he’s just talking to his dad about hockey.

Henry’s last scene is pretty heartbreaking. Philip and Elizabeth decide that it’s best for Henry if they leave him behind and allow him to remain ignorant of their true identities. While fleeing the country, they stop at a payphone to contact Henry for what could very likely be the last time. They tell him how proud they are of him, and he’s a bit confused by the emotional nature of what appears to be a normal phone call. Philip tells his son he loves him, and this is Henry’s response.

5 Martha Hanson

“Fine, Clark. Would you like to come in?” – “Orphans?”

Famous last words. Martha developed a relationship with Clark, one of Philip’s personas who pretended to work for the CIA. She falls in love with him, and they go so far as to get married. It’s all a sham, and Philip uses her to get information from the FBI where she works.

Martha’s story ends on a happy note, which she deserves after all she went through. Martha wanted children after she married Clark/Philip, and he, of course, declined. She didn’t understand at the time, but it all made sense when she found out who he really was and that he was using her. She’s forced to relocate to Russia for her own safety and lives a lonely, unhappy life there, permanently separated from her country and her parents. When Martha is last seen, her language tutor takes her to see children from an orphanage playing in a park and tells her that they want her to be happy, knowing that a child is what Martha wants.

4 Oleg Burov

“I was trying to get familiar with American music. Rod Stewart? Passion?” – “Can you get that into your thick head?”

The introduction to Oleg shows a young, cocky man, one who got his position due to a certain degree of nepotism in the Russian government. His youth and seemingly carefree attitude both charm Nina and rub her the wrong way. However, Oleg grows up a lot over the series and proves to be smarter than Nina initially gives him credit for.

Oleg’s last lines are delivered to Stan, after he’s been arrested at the drop site where he was meant to get information from Philip that could change the future of relations between Russia and the U.S. The full quote is, “I can spend the rest of my life here. I don’t know. But think about it. I have… friends, a family- my father, my mother, my brother who died in the war- and all of us want a better future, just like you. Peace. Food to eat. All the same things. Do you think it doesn’t matter who our leader is? I’m telling you this is why I’m here. This is why I risked all of that, my wife and my baby- even though you told me not to. Can you get that into your thick head?”

3 Paige Jennings

“Let’s go, Henry.” – “I can’t.”

Paige’s first line establishes her as a responsible older sister. Since the nature of Philip and Elizabeth’s work keeps them away from home a lot, Paige is often responsible for Henry. She loves her brother very much and is motivated by that love.

Paige says her last line to Elizabeth when she offers her the payphone to say a last goodbye to Henry in the series finale. This foreshadows her later choice to stay in America with her brother, who she’s always looked out for.

2 Philip Jennings

“I don’t know. Think about something else. Take deep breaths.” – “Feels strange.”

Philip’s first scene has him talking a recruit through a risky operation. They have to kidnap Russian defector Timoshev before he can give the Americans any useful information.

As Philip and Elizabeth look upon Russia for the first time since they left 20 years before, Philip reflects briefly on all that’s happened. He wonders if he made the right choice to become a KGB officer, and ponders on the strangeness of being back in Russia without their children. Elizabeth’s reply: “We’ll get used to it.”

1 Stan Beeman

“I’ll tell you one good thing about bank robbers- they speak English. They got me in beginning Russian four days a week.” – “I know.”

Stan is introduced on his first day back from working undercover in the debut episode. He’s complaining about having to learn Russian, but he has no idea just how entrenched with Russians he’s about to become.

After discovering that his friends are the Russian spies he’s spent years looking for, Stan chooses to let them go. He plays dumb when confronted with the truth back at headquarters, but lets the hurt show. When Aderholt apologizes for having to try to arrest his friends, explaining that he has to do it, this is Stan’s response. He knows everything now, and none of it is good.

About The Author