20 Best TV Episodes Of 2018

2. START - The Americans

There are few tasks more difficult for a showrunner than to end a TV series, especially one that's had six seasons as captivating, surprising, and intense as The Americans. The FX show managed to finish in style, though, thanks to START.

This was the kind of episode you watch a series for. It pulls together things not just from Season 6, but the entire show, with callbacks even to the very first episode. A slightly extended instalment, the pacing never once falters; START is an absolute rush, but importantly, one that never rushes anything.

In typical Americans fashion, it'll leave you on the precipice of having a heart attack several times throughout, as characters interact and make decisions you'd ever predict, and that the episode itself is telling you to expect the opposite of. It's a fitting end to both shows The Americans had to be: the thrilling spy series, and even more so the riveting family drama.

Every box you could want to be ticked is; every outcome you didn't even know you needed is reached. Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg's script manages to subvert expectations, service fans' wishes, and conjure up a lot of emotion, led by the final stunning performances from Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. Above all else, it's a completely satisfying conclusion to one of the decade's greats, and a series finale for the ages.