August 11, 2017

FX's "The Americans," False Identities, and a Real-Life Canadian Citizenship Conundrum

FX Network's The Americans is a well-done series about the lives of two KGB agents living undercover in Washington, DC during the 1980s, raising a family and carrying out their mission. The show examines both the personal and political costs of such choices, and it's very good at drawing us into its fictional world.

But there' are real-life counterparts to the lives of the show's characters, Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, and their children. They are Canadian born Alexander and Timothy Foley, who have discovered that their names are those of two dead Canadian babies, and their parents are two Russian spies. The Canadian government is attempting to strip them of their Canadian citizenship, on the theory that because their parents were "employees of a foreign government," the boys could not obtain Canadian citizenship legally. Alex has won his case on appeal to regain his citizenship, although the Canadian government can still appeal. Tim is still fighting his battle in court. More here from Maclean's.

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