On first consideration, “March 8, 1983” can feel like an underwhelming season finale for The Americans. Here is a series that has made a living off high-adrenaline climaxes following carefully-plotted stories. The slow grind and build-up across a dozen weeks made “The Colonel” and “Echo,” the previous two season finales, incredible forces of reckoning. What “March 8, 1983” lacks in the same brutal force, however, it makes up for in confidence and reflection. That confidence is a by-product of the critical response The Americans has received, rightly being hailed as FX’s premier drama (a distinction much easier to make with the conclusion of Justified). Viewers have taken to the series’ methodical approach, which doesn’t use the flashing lights of thriller tropes. Instead, the central characters are people worth getting to know and spending time with over years. Those close relationships between the viewers and characters (and between the characters themselves) give this…
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