The Americans Finale: A Heartbreaking Train Scene

On May 30, 2018, The Americans concluded its six-season run with an episode that left an indelible mark on television history. Titled “START,” the finale of this Cold War spy drama delivered a masterclass in emotional storytelling, particularly through its unforgettable train scene, where the Jennings family faces a devastating fracture. Accompanied by U2’s iconic 1987 song “With or Without You,” this moment encapsulates the series’ themes of identity, loyalty, and sacrifice, earning widespread acclaim and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Americans, created by Joe Weisberg, follows Soviet KGB officers Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), posing as an American couple in 1980s Washington, D.C. Over six seasons, the series explores their covert operations, their marriage, and the impact of their double lives on their children, Paige (Holly Taylor) and Henry (Keidrich Sellati). The finale, set in 1987, brings their story to a close as their identities are compromised, forcing them to flee the U.S. The train scene, where Paige makes a pivotal choice, stands as the emotional climax of this journey.

In the scene, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige board a train bound for Montreal, having evaded FBI surveillance after a tense confrontation with their neighbor, FBI agent Stan Beeman. The family’s plan is to return to the Soviet Union, leaving Henry behind at his boarding school, a decision that already weighs heavily on them. As the train passes through border security at Rouses Point, New York, the tension is palpable. Then, in a gut-wrenching moment, Philip and Elizabeth look out the window to see Paige standing alone on the platform, having chosen to stay in America. The silence of the scene, broken only by the train’s rumble and the swelling notes of U2’s “With or Without You,” amplifies its emotional devastation.

Paige’s decision is rooted in her complex emotional journey. Having learned of her parents’ true identities as teenagers, she has grappled with their espionage and the lies that defined her upbringing. In an interview with Gold Derby, Holly Taylor explained that Paige’s love for her brother Henry is a key factor—she cannot bear to abandon him forever. Additionally, Paige feels betrayed by her parents’ secrecy and lacks trust in them. The prospect of starting over in the Soviet Union, a country where she cannot speak the language, fills her with dread. Her choice to step off the train is both an act of defiance and a reclaiming of her own identity, choosing the life she knows over an uncertain future.

The use of U2’s “With or Without You” elevates this scene to a transcendent level. From the 1987 album The Joshua Tree, the song was a massive hit during the year the show’s timeline concludes, making it a historically fitting choice. Its lyrics—“See the stone set in your eyes / See the thorn twist in your side / I wait for you”—reflect the Jennings’ internal conflicts, torn between their loyalty to the KGB, their adopted American lives, and their family. The song’s theme of being unable to live with or without someone parallels Philip and Elizabeth’s anguish as they lose Paige, and Paige’s own liberation tinged with loss. Showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg meticulously selected the track after testing hundreds of songs, ensuring it supported the scene’s emotion without overshadowing it.

The song’s significance extends beyond its lyrics. Bono wrote “With or Without You” about his struggle to balance his musical career with his marriage to Ali Hewson, a personal conflict that resonates with Philip and Elizabeth’s efforts to reconcile their roles as spies and parents. Furthermore, The Joshua Tree grapples with American identity, described by Bono as “mythic America and real America” in an NPR interview, aligning with the show’s exploration of cultural and ideological divides. The song’s cathartic wail, as Bono’s voice soars in the closing moments, mirrors the panic and heartbreak of Philip and Elizabeth as they watch Paige fade into the distance, and Paige’s simultaneous sense of freedom and isolation.

The train scene’s visual and auditory elements create a lasting impression. As the camera captures Keri Russell’s face pressed against the train window, her eyes filled with shock and sorrow, the image becomes inseparable from Bono’s closing wail. Critics have noted this moment’s power, with The New York Times suggesting that hearing “With or Without You” may forever evoke Russell’s expression. The scene also pauses on other characters, such as Stan gazing at his possibly spy wife Renee, adding layers to the song’s theme of conflicted relationships.

The finale, and particularly the train scene, received widespread praise, though not without some controversy. The episode won Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Lead Actor for Matthew Rhys, reflecting its critical acclaim. Reviewers lauded its emotional depth and restraint, with Vulture calling it a “bittersweet ambiguity” that perfectly closed the Jennings’ saga. However, some viewers, as noted in an Entertainment Weekly review, found the ambiguous ending narratively unsatisfying, craving a more definitive resolution. Despite this, the train scene remains a standout, often cited as one of television’s most memorable moments.
The broader impact of the scene lies in its encapsulation of The Americans’ core themes. The series has always been about the cost of espionage—not just in terms of violence, but in the personal toll on relationships and identity. The train scene, with Paige’s choice and the U2 soundtrack, distills this into a single, heart-wrenching moment. It reflects the Jennings’ dual lives, their sacrifices, and the irreparable fractures caused by their choices. The song’s generational resonance, tied to U2’s 1980s activism and spirituality, further ties it to the era’s cultural landscape, grounding the scene in its historical context.

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