The Americans: Here's What (Probably) Happened to Everyone After the Finale

(The following contains major spoilers for the series finale of The Americans. Read at your own risk.)

The Americans' series finale was one for the ages, a heartbreaking but inevitable end for the Jennings as their family unit pretty much disintegrated. But hey, they all made it out with their lives, at least.

As great of an example for how to end a series as the finale was, it didn't answer all the questions you probably have. That was intentional; there were no flashforwards into the future to show us the ultimate fates of each character. Things were left very ambiguous for the viewer to make up their own mind as to what happened next, and in a conference call with The Americans masterminds Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, they said that over and over.

"We want to walk a sort of fine line there, because we're very reluctant to impose too much of our thought process on that where we really want to let the scene speak for itself and the audience have their own moment with it, because we think everyone is going to view it differently," Fields said of the finale scene. Neither would say what happened to Paige or Henry, either, instead putting it on you to decide.

But just because they left it open to you to figure out what happened to each of these characters, it doesn't mean you have to do all the hard work and think of things yourself. This is where I come in, because I know what happened to every major character in The Americans after the finale.

Philip Jennings

Where he left off: Staring off into a Russian metropolis, collectively sad over the loss of his children with his wife Elizabeth (Keri Russell).

What (probably) happened to him after the finale: Spies who are taken out of the field for good can go a few directions, but it's not uncommon for them to remain in the intelligence field in some capacity. A cushy desk job with the KGB likely had Philip's (Matthew Rhys) name on it, where he'd use his experience behind enemy lines to stay in the Cold War.

But that doesn't mean he took it, and given Philip's waning attitude toward the fight for the Motherland when he was working, it's likely he got out of the sector completely. Philip was becoming fond of America in the pilot episode of The Americans, and those feelings never really left him, no matter how much borscht he ate. No, Philip opened his own line dancing bar, Honky Tonk Phil's, right in the heart of Moscow, where he could robotically step out pre-planned routines to country music all night long. And if you say the passphrase ("Do you have a McDonald's Happy Meal?"), he'll take you in the back room where you can peruse his black market Levi's and cowboy boots.

Elizabeth Jennings

Where she left off: With Philip, back in Russia saying they'd get used to being there.

What (probably) happened to her after the finale: The final line of dialogue in the series belongs to Elizabeth, who in Russian tells Philip, "We'll get used to it." Elizabeth is going to have a much easier time back home than Philip will, and what she tells Philip in those final moments may as well translate to, "Let's get back to business!"

Though she toyed with a change of heart toward the end of Season 6, Elizabeth isn't going to stop working for her country. But a desk job wouldn't work for Elizabeth, who does her best work in dangerous situations. She's continuing the fight by getting involved in training young women to be spies. It's cathartic for her as it's what she was doing with Paige (Holly Taylor), but without the American teen rebelliousness of her daughter. It's a much easier job than before, but she still gets to hit people in the face. Win-win!

Paige Jennings

Where she left off: The eldest Jennings child stepped off a train while her parents continued on to Canada, choosing to stay in America rather than go to Russia.

What (probably) happened to her after the finale: Paige was my favorite character on The Americans so I am not taking this lightly. Her decision to stay in America was a risky one, to say the least. There's no way that she's not brought in by the Feds, and unlike her naive bro, she not only knows that her parents were spies, she was a spy herself! And she was a witness to at least one of her mom's murders! She has plenty to hide, and there's no guarantee that this brownie scout of a spy can withstand the FBI's interrogation process.

She does, however, have dirt on Stan (Noah Emmerich) as she's the only person in the Western Hemisphere who knows that Stan let them go. Could she reach an agreement behind closed doors with Stan to avoid anything severe by having him protect her? Could she, with Stan's help, sell the idea that she too was unaware of her parents' job? Paige was never dumb -- except for that time she hitchhiked and almost got raped (oy, Paige!) -- so I wouldn't count out a treaty with Stan.

Paige will certainly visit Henry (Keidrich Sellati) either immediately or after the heat dies down, and then she'll have to face his wrath (assuming Stan also told him that she was a spy). It will be rocky going for a while, but their relationship will heal as they're the only family they have now. After that, it's back to a mostly normal college life for Paige, where she's free to go to bars and talk to cute government interns, or beat the sh*t out of them, without any parents breathing down her neck. Her call. She probably also has "With or Without You" playing on loop.

Henry Jennings

Where he left off: At hockey practice, getting metaphorically checked into the boards by learning the truth about his parents from Stan.

What (probably) happened to him after the finale: How would you feel if your whole life was a lie? BUMMED. He probably finished hockey practice and decked somebody as an outlet for his anger. In fact, Henry definitely went through an angry teen phase after learning the truth, and was no doubt a nightmare for Stan, who was left to watch over him.

And being at a fancy pants East Coast boarding school, Henry fell into underage drinking and drug dabbling while he questioned what his life was worth if his parents and sister couldn't even tell him the truth. He'd get kicked off the hockey team, fail classes and be expelled from school for fighting. What, you thought this would be a happy ending for him? In no universe does Henry shrug this off.

However, with Paige and Stan supporting him, Henry rebounds, gets his stuff together and using his love of video games, becoming an integral part of the coding team that would put out one of the greatest video games of all time: EA Sports' NHL 99! Way to go, Henry!

Stan Beeman

Where he left off: Sorting through the ashes of his life as everything crumbled around him, but keeping the secret that he let the Jennings escape.

What (probably) happened to him after the finale: Poor Stan. His hunch was right all along, and his best friend and neighbor was a Russian spy. Ouch. Stan would keep that secret of letting them go to his grave, continuing to work with the FBI in counterintelligence. In fact, Dennis would feel so bad for ignoring Stan's hunch that his neighbors were spies that he'd give Stan a promotion!

That would eat away at Stan, and his guilt would be unleashed on Renee (Laurie Holden), who was outed as a maybe-spy by Philip as his parting words to Stan. Renee would end up not being a spy (c'mon, she was only in there to raise your paranoia), but Stan would break up with her anyway because he couldn't take the risk.

With no girlfriend and a turbulent relationship with Henry as he spirals downward following learning the truth about hi parents, Stan goes back to EST and finds himself again, quits the FBI and opens one of D.C.'s first holistic healing centers. His positive mental attitude is key in getting Henry back on track, and he still hosts Thanksgiving with Henry and Paige to this day. Awww!

Mail Robot

Where it left off: Delivering mail in the FBI offices.

What (probably) happened to him after the finale: New technology would be the Mail Robot's downfall, and it would be decommissioned shortly after the events of the finale. Now it's being used as an ottoman in the FBI's chill out lounge. Truly, the saddest ending of the series.

The Americans is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and FX+.