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Previously On The Americans: Something weird is going on with Jared, Paige is joining a protest against nuclear weapons, Nina is facing a threat from her own people while Stan tries to get her out of it, and Kate used her last message to Phillip and Elizabeth to get Jared out. After last week's fairly slow installment, The Americans is back to it's usual excellent television as Elizabeth and Phillip attempt to fulfill Kate's odd last wish. We know that Phillip and Elizabeth want to keep Jared safe, but the real question is why he is in such danger. The child of any Soviet spy would clearly be in danger, but why Jared is being singled out after his parents death is a little bit of a surprise. I don't want to say to much on this front since I believe it could end up shaping the season finale, but I can say that this episode features Larrick driving around tracking something, in a scene that really reminded me of No Country for Old Men.
Martha is present in this episode and is turning out to be a truly resourceful asset, however much a fool. When I spoke with Matthew Rhys last week he mentioned how successful the operation with Martha has been and how it is contrasted with the obvious ridiculousness of the situation. In other words, ridiculousness is success. As for a small teaser, Martha figures out a huge secret in this episode that you will not want to miss!
In other disguises, Phillip and Elizabeth are meeting with Fred to request something that is extremely risky. This episode will truly test everyone's loyalty and devotion, not only to their countries, but to the overall cause.
Back at the embassy, Nina isn't the only one having trouble making her loyalties clear. Something that Stan said earlier this year really stuck with me. After Fred said he would never betray his country, Stan responded definitively, "No one ever imagines they will.". While Stan is clearly a steadfast American, don't be surprised if he does anything for the wrong reasons. His relationship with Nina has truly compromised his judgement and he isn't really seeing clearly.
Rating: 9.2/10
This episode of The Americans doesn't feature a lot of action which I would normally complain about, but this episode sets up a lot of story lines nicely. It has all the questionable morals that The Americans is famous for and should make for an excellent season finale next week!
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.
