I watched it and I liked both of the "American" characters played by Kerri Russell and Matt Rhys from Brother's & Sisters. I just feel that the show is a little sad . Looking back on 1980 or 81 when it is supposed to be where they are living, a whole lot has changed in our country.
Back then a woman could stay home or choose to work ,while the man earned enough to support the entire 4 person family + a dog if they wanted. Now it takes two just to make ends meet , month to month. Back then we had a space program that everyone looked up to and the country had pride in it. Now the shuttle program is in mothballs and in museums and no real plans to do anything in the near future. Back then we had strong union jobs and a person could get a manufacturing job with just a high school education and earn a middle class life. Now you can have a 2 or 4 year degree and end up working in a Walmart making a little more than minimum wage. OF course this was all before we had a"global economy" or NAFTA and we were a pretty much closed economy where we competed with just ourselves. Now we compete with all of the world and low waged workers working for pennies a day. Back then we had low deficits and now we have deficits as far as they eye can see.
I was just getting started in a management job in 81 and now I am retired from the state of Texas with a pension and working a security job to supplement my income , making strangely what I made back when I worked at Safeway doing the management job ,except it is now 32 years later. Back then it was all about the promise of a great life and looking forward to what it would bring and now it is all about trying to get out of all debts and trying to get to the end and saving for retirement.
I don't know if I will keep watching this show ,because I know how it will end. The Americans won the cold war when the Soviet Union fell apart in 91. But the real question is : At what cost did we win it and what did we really win? I think it cost us all, much more than we are willing to admit.
