The Americans season 5 character report card: Oleg Burov

How would you grade The Americans season 5 for Oleg Burov? We look at how the season treated Costa Ronin’s character – and what’s ahead in season 6.

With The Americans season 5 having drawn to a close, we’re looking back at how the season went for each character and where they may head next—continuing with Oleg Burov.

Oleg (Costa Ronin) may have left the United States for season 5, but that didn’t mean he left the show. He had his own entirely separate storyline, investigating corruption within Russia and trying to mend fences with his family.

Despite his best efforts, not only did Oleg hit a brick wall with his investigation, but found himself the target of a KGB probe thanks to his extensive time in America. And while it was some of Costa Ronin’s best work on The Americans, both points of that story weren’t completely resolved by the end of the season.

In fact, Oleg didn’t even appear in the season 5 finale!

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So will he get resolution in the final season? Is there any chance he goes back to America or will he end the series stuck in a Russian prison? (We hope not.) His fate is perhaps the most up in the air of any main character.

PROGNOSIS:

We’ve long maintained that Oleg Burov is the secret weapon of The Americans, and it was really great to see him have a major storyline this season. Oleg has long provided the perspective of the wider KGB for the show, and in sending him back to Russia, the writers used him to expose the flaws and corruption of the Soviet Union in its own backyard.

He was essentially pulling back the curtain at home while Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) were seeing the cracks in the Russians’ work in the U.S. And that dual perspective made the overall narrative of season 5 a lot richer.

But at the same time, The Americans stumbled by not giving Oleg much of a resolution. He worked all season to ultimately be told his work was essentially for nought and he wasn’t afforded a scene in the season finale. Plus, we can’t help but miss the uncomfortable bromance that existed with Oleg and Stan (Noah Emmerich).

So what can the show do with Oleg Burov next season? Does it leave him in Russia to keep going on a still pretty open path, or bring him back to America where he can be a larger part of the final season?

Logistically speaking it would seem more prudent to have Oleg shipped back to the States so he can be there to sneak up behind Stan and/or become an ally as, presumably, everything goes nuts next season. Costa Ronin has been as big a part of this show as anyone in the last few seasons and ought to have a share of the last ride.

Or, if the show ends with the Jenningses finally getting to go home, wouldn’t it be interesting if The Americans tied both their KGB halves together and they met Oleg for some reason?

What if he somehow winds up getting promoted into some position of power, getting the chance to reform the system all while knowing it may be another losing battle? (If you’re a regular FX viewer, it would be kind of like Archer, where the one character went from being the KGB boss’s assistant to the head of the KGB. Just less funny.)

There are all kinds of options for Oleg Burov, but whatever happens, it had better be a sizeable part in The Americans season 6.

Next: Read our character report card for Stan Beeman

How would you rate The Americans season 5 for Oleg Burov? Let us know what grade you’d give Oleg’s season in the comments.

The Americans returns to FX in 2018.