'The Americans': Oleg's New KGB Boss Sums Up America's Problems in 2017

(Some spoilers ahead for the season 5 premiere of the FX original series “The Americans.”)

The premiere of “The Americans” Season 5 has seen some shakeups. For one thing, KGB operative and American technology specialist Oleg Burov (Costa Ronin) has left the US and his grudgingly respectful relationship with FBI counterpart Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). Oleg’s back in Russia, working some whole other aspect of Russian intelligence.

Up to Season 5, Oleg was one of the KGB resident spies in the Russian embassy, known to the local spy folks as the Rezidentura. Heading home to stay with his mother after the death of his brother in Afghanistan, Oleg’s been transferred to a different division. He’s no longer working on foreign intelligence or coordinating with spies to steal American secrets, as he has for the last four seasons. Now, he’s more of a internal affairs cop back in Russia.

Oleg’s job, as he’s assigned in the first episode of Season 5, is to investigate corruption in Moscow. In the US, he was more of an expert and coordinator, heading up the Directorate X division that was responsible for intelligence on America’s science and technology development. Now, he’s going to actually have to talk to people and do field work.

Specifically, he’s tracking down the double-dealers and bribe-takers that are affecting how food is distributed in the city. Oleg’s new superior (Oleg Stefan) thinks the major issue in the Soviet Union isn’t spying or the Cold War — it’s local corruption that’s damaging the communists. And it’s also contributing to regular Russians waiting in lines for food and struggling to get enough to eat.

Also Read: 21 'The Americans' Main Characters Ranked, From Worst to Best (Photos)

The potential trouble for Oleg is that he’s part of the upper crust of Moscow. His father is the Minister of Transportation, and even in the US, Oleg’s colleagues suspected nepotism got him his job in the KGB. Back home in Russia, his family’s wealth and connections means they probably know some of the people responsible for the corruption he’s trying to root out.

This is a particularly juicy new subplot given all the unintentional (probably) parallels to the real world in 2017 — what with the Russian scandal that’s been embroiling the Trump administration for months.

Oleg’s story looks to actually be the juiciest parallel of the new season because it deals with internal Russian politics rather than the Cold War spy conflicts he’s been enmeshed with for his entire time on “The Americans” thus far. Oleg’s new boss’s assertion that corruption at home is a bigger deal than whatever’s going on across the ocean is one that should ring true to us now. Donald Trump and Steve Bannon and Paul Ryan and Jason Chaffetz aren’t the way they are because of Russian influence — they were always like this.

Also Read: Republican Congressman Advises Poor Americans to Choose Healthcare Over a New iPhone (Video)

The alleged Russian connection to the Trump campaign and now administration is troubling to think about, yes. But it should be far more troubling to consider that all that’s really going on here is that our government is controlled by people who actually are Americans who were raised on American values.

In the context of “The Americans” and real history, Oleg’s new KGB boss is correct: The big problems in the Soviet Union have internal causes, not American ones. Just as in the United States in 2017, our biggest problems also have internal causes, not Russian ones.

23 'The Americans' Main Characters Ranked, From Worst to Best (Photos)

(Spoilers ahead, obviously)
The fifth season of FX's "The Americans" is upon us, and we're celebrating by ranking all the main characters. Plus Annalese.
FX
23. Matthew Beeman (Danny Flaherty)
I don't know what Paige sees in this dorkus.
FX
22. Henry (Keidrich Sellati)
He's grown up a lot over the years, but only physically. He hasn't grown into being a cool person or anything.
FX
21. Renee (Laurie Holden)
We're still waiting to find out what Laurie's deal is. She seems like she's way too much fun for super-square Stan, with her interests in skydiving and karaoke. That Philip suspects he's a spy goes to how weird it is she wants to hang out with Stan.
FX
20. Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich)
One of those guys who's really good at his job but otherwise completely sucks as a person. Just a dopey suburban dad who cheats on his wife.
FX
19. Frank Gaad (Richard Thomas)
Martha was a spy right under his nose pretty much for the entire run of the show, and then he got accidentally assassinated while on vacation in Thailand when some Soviets tried to turn him. Hard not to feel bad for the guy.
FX
18. Sandra Beeman (Susan Misner)
The victim of a classic storytelling trope: being the woman who is mad at her husband for working too much. But "The Americans" is a good enough show, at least, to add plenty more layers to Sandra's character as time went on. Becoming best friends with Philip for a while was pretty good.
FX
17. Annelise (Gillian Alexy)
She only appeared in four episodes, but earns a spot here for her part in the most insane scene on the entire show: when Philip has to kill her and then he and Elizabeth break all her bones so they can fit the corpse in a suitcase.
FX
16. Arkady (Lev Gorn)
Much cooler dude than Frank Gaad but got similarly duped. The spy boss getting outspied. Come on, man.
FX
15. Claudia (Margo Martindale)
The Spy Mom of "The Americans" is maybe a bit too stern for her own good. Maybe try being nice sometimes? Sheesh.
FX
14. Tatiana (Vera Cherny)
Great at doing spy stuff and climbing the Career Spy Ladder, but she broke Oleg's heart. We can't let that slide.

FX
13. Tuan (Ivan Mok)

The possible outcome of starting page down the spy path, Tuan certainly seems diabolical and capable. This kid comes off like a young supervillain. He may even be running a job on the spies, which proves how good he is.
FX
12. Pastor Tim (Kelly AuCoin)
Really novel character, being a Christian preacher who accidentally ended up being a Soviet collaborator, sort of. That hits pretty close to home in 2017!
FX
11. Paige (Holly Taylor)
It's easy to hate on Paige for being a dumb teenager, but she has started to put forth a good faith effort at becoming a Russian spy given she definitely never wanted any of this drama.
FX
10. Nina (Annet Mahendru)
Did the best she could with every conceivable deck stacked hard against her. She was always going to get shot in the face eventually.

FX
9. Hans (Peter Mark Kendall)
Sweet Hans. Not somebody who should have spent his life doing international espionage. But he's an idealist, and there's something to be said for that, but his split-second execution shows what it earns you.
FX
8. William (Dylan Baker)
This dude infected himself with the Worst. Virus. Ever. once he realized he was about to get captured by the FBI. Easily the bravest thing anybody's done on "The Americans."
FX
7. Chris Amador (Maximiliano Hernandez)
The man who was fridged in Season 1 so that Stan would get really mad and start his personal vendetta against Soviet spies. And his jealous paranoia about the new guy Martha was dating proved exactly correct. He was ahead of his time.
FX
6. Philip (Matthew Rhys)
He's toyed with betraying Mother Russia like a coward, but his endless supply of corny wigs and fake mustaches is too much to leave behind.
FX
5. Elizabeth (Keri Russell)
Loves Mother Russia so much that she'd probably murder her kids for it even though she might feel bad about it. Gotta admire that level of patriotism.
FX
4. Dennis Aderholt (Brandon J Dirden)
The absolute coolest and most '80s character on the show -- it's always a good time when he's in a scene. You just know he and Stan are gonna have some kind of faceoff eventually.
FX
3. Gabriel (Frank Langella)
Spy Dad, unlike Spy Mom, knows when to take his foot off the gas. If you have to have a spy dad, Gabriel is about as good as it gets.
FX
2. Oleg (Costa Ronin)
We like Oleg because he's one of the only characters who's pretty up front about what he's doing at all time instead of playing games like everybody else does. It's refreshing.
FX
1. Martha (Alison Wright)
You may be tempted to knock Martha for freaking out when she found out she had accidentally been spying for the Russians for years. But, look, you'd react the same damn way (some Trump voters excepted). Martha is a great person.
FX

1 of 24

They’re not all Americans, but they’re all “The Americans,” if you know what I mean

(Spoilers ahead, obviously)
The fifth season of FX's "The Americans" is upon us, and we're celebrating by ranking all the main characters. Plus Annalese.

View In Gallery