--- title: 'The Americans': Writers on That Death From the Season 3 Premiere description: Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg on why the reaction to the graphic scene reminded them of their responsibility as writers canonical: https://time.com/3688524/the-americans-season-3-premiere/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-29T22:49:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:02:39.373Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 'The Americans' Showrunners on That Shocking Death From Season 3's Premiere og:description: The series returned with a bang on Jan. 28 og:url: https://time.com/3688524/the-americans-season-3-premiere/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd380d6ac81aef057/69877cb35f570febeeb14fea/americans_301_20141022_0234_hires2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Americans_301_20141022_0234_hires2 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'The Americans' Showrunners on That Shocking Death From Season 3's Premiere twitter:description: The series returned with a bang on Jan. 28 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd380d6ac81aef057/69877cb35f570febeeb14fea/americans_301_20141022_0234_hires2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _The Americans_ Showrunners on That Shocking Death From Season 3's Premiere > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: The Americans - Official Season 3 Trailer 'Watching You' [Watch (HLS stream): The Americans - Official Season 3 Trailer 'Watching You'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9jh6Hv4v.m3u8) (1:00)  _Published 2015-01-28. The Americans - Official Season 3 Trailer 'Watching You'_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jan 29, 2015 10:49 PM UTC The Americans - Official Season 3 Trailer 'Watching You'  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jan 29, 2015 10:49 PM UTC **Spoilers for the Season 3 premiere ahead** _The Americans_ returned with a bang on FX last night. The first episode of the third season ended with Russian operative Annalise being strangled to death while having sex with Yousaf, a foreign intelligence operative, and her target. Fellow spy Philip enters the room too late to save her but then begins brokering a deal with Yousaf to cover up the incident. It was a reminder to audiences that the plot about Russian spies hiding in 1980s America continues to pack a punch. But it was also a reminder to the writers of the real impact of their fictional show. Before the premiere, several secret screenings of the episode were held around the country. Showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg monitored the reaction to these events on Twitter and noticed that several people were tweeting about a certain screening where a few men in the audience began laughing during the horrific death scene. The inappropriate reaction ruined the screening for many. “Then a couple people tweeted that after the screening, some women in the audience really took the guys to task for laughing during that scene,” Weisberg explains to TIME. “It was a really interesting reminder to us as writers of what powerful material we’re trafficking in. People have reactions after watching it—maybe some of those people aren’t mature enough to watch it. I’m not trying to shame the guys who were laughing, but maybe because someone told them off, it was a chance for them to learn from that experience.” In short, he concludes: “These aren’t just dumb TV shows. It means something to people.” Fields added that they look at sex and violence on the show as a way to reveal something about their characters and deepen their stories, not as a ploy. “The greatest surprise in that scene is what develops between Philip and Yousaf when Philip comes into that room,” Fields says. “They both brought such pain and realism to that loss that they were both responsible for.” The creators say Philip and Elizabeth will continue to face even stickier situations this season. That’s bad news for the Russian spies, but great news for viewers. [**_Read Next:_** The Americans _Puts Mother (and Father) Russia to the Test_](http://time.com/3683989/the-americans-review-season-3/) ## Transcript [00:00] The president was greeted by veteran Soviet [00:00] ambassador [ INAUDIBLE ] Visited the Soviet embassy [00:02] two of our condolences on the death of Leonid [00:05] Brezhnev. The operation is what's crucial because [00:09] what we do is for the good of the many. Don't let your [00:14] conscience get us killed. If you talk. Are now, [00:18] it will all blow up. But at least she'll know who she is. [00:21] [ MUSIC ] I need names. People working in the CIA. I've [00:21] got him! [00:30] Wait! They [00:38] should grab her, set up a roadblock, pull her over [00:40] before. It's too late. Excuse me, ma'am. [00:43] [ MUSIC ] [00:45] The [00:47] Americans. [00:49] Premieres [00:51] Wednesday, [00:53] January [00:55] 28th [00:57] at [00:59] 10. 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