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Previously on The Americans: Stan is looking into the murder of the Connors family, Phillip has to do something very difficult and mopes around about it (can't really blame him though), and Paige donates $600 to a local church and her parents go absolutely nuts. Also, it looks like we haven't seen the last of Andrew Larrick, who was quite dissatisfied when he found out what the Soviets were able to do with his help.
After Phillip's huge outburst in the last episode, things are quite tense in the Jennings' household. For once, Elizabeth is the one who is actually able to keep a hold of things. While she is usually the parent to blow things out of proportion, it would seem that she and Phillip have switched roles recently. That being said, Phillip is trying to make amends with Paige, without completely and totally disregarding everything that he said about "respect". It's a tough balance between and definitely an excellent example of questionable morals in the show. Paige, on the other hand, has a request for her parents and is quite a bit less directly rebellious (at least until her patience runs short). The request is one that you can be sure will displease her parents. Again, it makes for a very entertaining and thought provoking ideological battle.
On the intelligence side of things, Gaad and Arkady have a short lived bromance of sorts. While they accept the hell that they could both cause each other, they both respect each other, because of the restraint and skill that they both have. Mutually Agreed Destruction is an excellent way to put it. As I commented on a Chicago Fire episode that I reviewed recently, I enjoyed this story line because it was fairly insulated from the rest of the cast, but enjoyable. It's the politics of the Cold War that was so different from anything else and Gaad and Arkady's relationship represents this extremely well.
Meanwhile, the Soviets are attempting to gain information from a possible asset. Phillip decides that rather than to have Elizabeth "persuade" the man to give up the information that they should use Annelise to get the information that they need. Why you may ask? Pay close attention to the "Previously On" at the start of the episode and this will becomes clear. I don't want to say too much about this portion of the episode because it could be spoiler-ish.
Back on the other side of the intelligence field, Stan and Gaad are finding out more details about the Connors murder. Agent Gaad discovers something in the evidence that Stan recently had pulled out that could potentially lead Stan and the rest of the FBI to the truth. This is setting up to be a truly exhilarating final episodes of the second season.
Rating: 9.4/10
Favorite Lines (Feel free to guess who said what):
"Hey is Bobby there? Sorry Darlin' I must have the wrong number"
"He should have been a doctor."
"You ever take your briefcase with you on vacation?"
"Henry breaks into the neighbor's house and it's no big deal, but I want to be a better person and I'm the bad guy?"
"You don't know what's best for you."
Tune in to The Americans on Wednesdays @ 10/9c on FX Network. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episode.
