In 1990, US writer Joe Weisberg was asked to join the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). At that time, Weisberg intended only to be a spy. But after two decades out of the CIA, he reentered his former world with FX’s The Americans as a producer.

1990年，美国作家乔•韦斯伯格受邀加入CIA（美国中情局）。 那时，韦斯伯格只想做一名间谍。但是在离开中情局二十年后，他又重返“间谍”的世界，成为FX电视台《美国谍梦》的制片人。

The espionage¹ series is set in the 1980s when the US and the former Soviet² Union were embroiled³ in the Cold War. It revolves⁴ around two Soviet security agency spies, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), who pretend to be a US couple with their unwitting children in the northern Virginia suburbs while secretly helping⁵ the Soviets⁶ infiltrate⁷ the US. Their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Naoh Emmerich), happens to be an FBI counterintelligence agent who is trying to unmask foreign spies.

这部谍战剧以二十世纪80年代美苏冷战为背景，剧情围绕两名潜伏在美国的前苏联间谍伊丽莎白(凯丽•拉塞尔 饰)和菲利普•詹宁斯(马修•瑞斯 饰)展开。他们乔装成一对美国夫妇，与毫不知情的孩子们住在弗吉尼亚北部郊区，秘密协助前苏联势力渗透美国。他们的邻居斯坦•毕曼（诺亚•艾默里奇 饰）正是FBI（联邦调查局）反情报秘密行动探员，专门负责揭露外国间谍。

Weisberg’s four years’ experience serving for the CIA, what he learned in his training, and what he heard from other spies helped him make this story more convincing. In every episode, your heart will be in your throat as the couple courts danger in order to complete their mission.

韦斯伯格在CIA有四年的工作经验，他在相关培训中所学到的、以及他从其他特工那里听到的，都帮助他让该剧显得更加生动、有说服力。每每看到这对夫妻为了完成使命、身处险境时，观众们的心就会一下子提到嗓子眼。

Espionage isn’t a new television genre⁸. What makes The Americans stands out is that the creator brought a focus on family and relationships. Having pretended to be a married couple for a long time, Elizabeth and Jennings struggle with conflicting feelings for each other.

谍战剧并非新剧种，《美国碟梦》能脱颖而出是因为它关注了家庭和人与人的关系。剧中，伊丽莎白和菲利普因长期假扮成夫妇而对彼此产生了十分矛盾的情愫。

“The Americans is at its core a marriage story. International relations is just an allegory for human relations. Sometimes, when you’re struggling in your marriage or with your kid, it feels like life or death. For Philip and Elizabeth, it often is,” Weisberg told Slate⁹ online magazine.

“《美国碟梦》本质上是一个讲婚姻的剧。国际关系不过是对人与人间关系的隐喻。有时，婚姻中的挣扎，或与孩子的相处，都会让你感觉如同遇上了性命攸关的事。对于菲利普和伊丽莎白来说，亦是如此。” 韦斯伯格在接受美国知名网络杂志Slate采访时如是说。

Before The Americans, most spies and agents on screen were cold, as they invested more energy and time into their job with little attention being paid to their family. For example, because of his vocation¹⁰, 24’s Jack¹¹ Bauer lost his wife and had a tumultuous relationship with his daughter.

在《美国谍战》推出之前，荧屏上的间谍或特工大给人的感觉大都冷酷、不近人情，他们把更多的时间和精力投入到工作之中，却很少关注自己的家人。比如在美剧《24小时》中，杰克•鲍尔就因职业的缘故，失去了妻子，并和女儿关系紧张。

On Jan 28, the third season of The Americans opened with frictions¹² escalating¹³ between the couple as pressures from their job increased and they faced the toughest decision ever: whether to reveal their true nature to their kids and whether to let their 14-year-old daughter Paige become a spy. I believe the Paige dilemma¹⁴ is sure to push the series to a new climax¹⁵.

1月28日，《美国碟梦》第三季一开播，夫妻二人的矛盾再度升级，他们不仅要承受工作压力，还要面临最艰难的抉择：是否要告知孩子们他们的真实身份？又是否要让他们14岁的女儿佩吉也成为一名间谍？我相信，佩吉的困境将把本剧推向一个新的高潮。