The Americans – 2.06 – Behind the Red Door – Preview

   The Americans are really killing it this season. Last year, their first season was one of the best of the year (if not the best). It’s always remarkably written, acted and directed. This show is so unique, and I love it.
   I’m a big fan of spy shows, but The Americans really raised the level. I’ve never watched a show so clever and realistic about its espionage. And the characters are so real too. Philip and Elizabeth are brilliantly written, their internal torn between their mission and their lives in America is perfectly shown.
   But, secondary characters, such as Claudia, Nina or Martha, are also profoundly well written. They support Philip and Elizabeth’ story but they have their own distinct personalities, they just don’t adapt when it’s convenient for the story. The writers have a clear idea of who their characters are, of their different psychologies, not that many shows have the same setting.

   Those are the main reasons The Americans is one of my favorite show. (I love the costumes so much as well). So, this week, the new episode “Behind the Red Door” will demonstrate how outstanding this show is.
   “Behind the Red Door” will focus on Philip and Elizabeth getting closer to Andrew Larrick, who might be Emmett and Leanne’s killer and on Stan dealing with Oleg’s request and its consequences.

   I’m liking Stan’ storyline this year. Last year, I must admit I wasn’t a big fan of Stan. I didn’t like how he treated his wife and Nina, and he was getting way too close to Philip and Elizabeth. But this season, he finally admitted his love to Nina, it was huge for his character. His wife and him don’t share much anymore, so it's comprehensible for Stan to express his love to his mistress / source.
   But his feelings for Nina put him in a dangerous and complicated position. Now Oleg knows about Nina, Stan’ situation is at risk. At first, I wasn’t a big fan of Oleg either but I’ve changed my mind. He is very efficient and for now, he got everything he wanted. He's more interesting than Arkady. Oleg will ask Stan specified documents. So, Stan will be in a critical position. Will he betray the FBI for love ? Will be betray Nina for his country ?

   The Stan part will be a big part of the episode, but here what else you can expect from “Behind the Red Door” :

• Elizabeth will have a strange reaction to Martha’s revelation from last week about Clark being a animal in bed… I knew it would affect Philip and Elizabeth’s relationship, but not that way.
• Philip and Elizabeth will meet Andrew Larrick… It will be tense.
• One death ! It’s not a major character and it had to happen.
• Philip and Elizabeth will receive a new mission from Kate, and it’s a very dangerous one. I’m really excited about it. It involves exposing the American government’ secret actions to the American people.
• Paige ! She will make a decision that will surprise her parents once again, but at least this time, she will talk more about it. She finally opens up to her parents.
• Nina will have a surprising and strong’s reaction after someone’s request.
• Sex ! Expect a couple of hot scenes. My favorite was Philip and Elizabeth’. I love that sex isn’t just shown for nudity but it has a real meaning. It’s comforting and nice to have the ability to share intimacy with someone else, in that crazy tense cold war situation… And also, it can be used on secret spy missions !
• Philip and Elizabeth will need assistance from a character we have met earlier this season. I was glad that character is back. There is a very interesting relationship starting here.
• Claudia ! She is back ! I love that woman so I’m so thrilled every time she is on screen. And this week, she came with a shocking revelation ! I’ve never expected that from her.

   “Behind the Red Door” is a great episode. It’s a nice following to everything that happened before, it really makes the beginning of the season so coherent and it also sets the story for the next episodes. The quest to find Emmett and Leanne’s killer leads to surprising places, and I can’t wait to see where it will end. And by the end of the episode, we will desperately want to watch the next one.

   Some quotes for “Behind the Red Door”. Guess who will say them :

“Today, you call me a liar”   “What kind of wild animal ?”   “Am I not allowed to change ?”   “I don’t need that many lessons”    “Is that what you want ?”     “She graduated High School yet ?”

    Don’t miss “Behind the Red Door”, on FX this Wednesday !

About the Author - Romain Ossust

I'm 27 from France, living near Paris. I love a lot of TV shows, (this is a non exhaustive list) : Orphan Black, True Blood, Dexter, Weeds, Person of Interest, Criminal Minds, 24, Ab Fab, Carnivale, Lost, The Americans, American Horror Story, Once Upon A Time, Desperate Housewives, Glee, Ugly Betty, Scandal, Looking, Sleepy Hollow, The Walking Dead, Raising Hope, Orange is the New Black, Grey’s Anatomy, HIMYM, Girls, ...
For SpoilerTV, I'm reviewing The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Looking, Continuum, Sleepy Hollow, The Americans, True Blood & Orphan Black