The Americans - March 8th, 1983 - Review: "An Evil Empire"

Previously on The Americans: Stan is convinced that he can trade Zinaida for Nina, Nina is on a mission of her own, Paige knows that her parents are spies, the FBI knows that their office has been bugged, and Paige and Elizabeth are off to Russia to visit Elizabeth's mother one last time (against Gabriel's wishes).

     Going into this episode I was really concerned that the last scene would be in the airport with Paige and Elizabeth leaving to Russia. Because of this worry, I was relieved to see that this was actually the very first scene in the episode! Starting off with arguably the best story of this fantastic season finale, I'd like to talk a little about Paige and Elizabeth's travels. We got to see Paige and Elizabeth bond more than ever before which was really a joy to see. I really liked Elizabeth and Paige discussion about Elizabeth's paranoia that they were being followed. By the time we get into season four, we may learn that it actually wasn't paranoia at all (this is just speculation), but regardless, it showed Paige what a toll the spy life has taken on her parents. While this obviously gave Paige a better perspective on the lives of her parents, it also showed Paige how little she really knows about them. That being said, Paige learned a lot more about her parents in this episode, a lot more than I suspect Henry ever will. Watching Paige react to the way that Elizabeth responded to seeing her mother for the first time in many, many years was quite revealing. I'm not sure what Paige was thinking at this exact moment, but I'd imagine it went something like, "OMG. THIS is my family?". I was somewhat surprised that while Elizabeth's mother was the focus of this side of tonight's episode, she did not have much screentime. With as much as this episode had going on though, I wasn't all that surprised.

What I was surprised about in this episode was Stan's incredibly stupid and misguided plan to save Nina. Obviously, we've known for awhile that Stan was planning something like this, but I always imagined that there would be more depth to his solution. Instead, Stan basically laid it all out on the table for Agent Gaad, demanded that international affairs work in his favor because he said so, and implicated himself in a high profile espionage investigation. With the exception of Walter White on AMC's Breaking Bad, I have never seen a character with the ability to outthink himself as much as Stan did in this episode. On top of admitting to running an outside operation with a Soviet government official, Stan took the express route all the way up to suspect number one in the bugging investigation. In the midst of his pleas to remain at the FBI, Stan even admitted that he's not sure if he would trust himself. Out of all of this stupidity, Stan, somehow, managed to get out of it all relatively unscathed. My only complaint about this, is that it just felt a bit too easy. At the same time, I am willing to suspend disbelief in order to appreciate the major upgrade that Stan's story received in this episode. Bravo for (as Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter would say) "sheer dumb luck!" Stan.

     Also receiving an upgrade in this episode was Sandra Beeman. It looks like she and Philip could become dramatically closer in the next season, which is not something I would have ever predicted, but really like the idea of. While a romantic relationship between the two could be boring, it would create a number of interesting moral debates. Philip could argue that he should get close to her to keep an eye on Stan, while Elizabeth could point out that Stan is completely clueless and it's unneeded. Both of these are fair points and I hope to see them and other arguments investigated thoroughly next season. If the writers choose to make this a singular event and not something that recurs next season, I will have to admit to being a bit disappointed because Sandra won't have anything to do except pose for pictures for Henry. What if Philip and Sandra get together and Henry finds out?!?!? Not only would this give him something to do other than play video games or study, but it would almost certainly complicate his friendship with Stan.

     Back in Russia, Nina's mission is turning out to be the only thing more boring than Stan's love life. Considering all of the really cool things that the writers could do with Nina in her current position, it's really disappointing to me that she has had so little to do all season. When I talked to Annet Mahendru earlier this year, she said that Nina would be a lot more isolated from other characters this season. I had no idea the level of isolation involved though! Nina has not interacted with a single other main character all season. While I aplaud the notion that Nina can carry her own story, I have found myself looking for true significance in her actions all year. Her last scene of the season was just an insignificant discussion with Anton that didn't do anything for her character or the story. Her character and her story are in need of major upgrades next season for sure!

     Philip's decision to frame another man in the FBI office for the bug was less of a central story than I expected going into the episode; Martha is not even featured once in the entire finale. While Philip executed a super smart plan, you have to wonder how Martha is going to respond to the news. Martha is not a strong person (she was unwittingly married to a Soviet spy for nearly a year and a half before she suspected a thing after all) so I have to assume that her reaction to the news that Clark Philip was actually responsible for setting everything up will not go over well. It will also be interesting to see how much of a pivotal character Martha is next year, since the "Clark" charade is over now. If Sandra Beeman takes more of a central role in the show as I suspect, I'm guessing that we could see a decline in Martha sighting in The Americans next year, but, again, this is just my speculation.

     The Best for Last: Like the writers of The Americans, I chose to save the best scene of the episode for last. I was absolutely shocked to see Paige actually divulge the secret to Pastor Tim. In all honesty, I have to say it's a really ballsy move for the writers to go down this route. Not only will we have to deal with the implications of this reveal immediately next season, but Paige is going to have to live with the repercussions of her actions. As soon as Philip and Elizabeth discover what has occurred, I suspect that Pastor Tim will be involved in some sort of accident (I'm speculating a lot in this review!). In addition to all the different possibilities that Paige's reveal brings to the next season, I really liked the way that this scene was setup. Juxtaposing Elizabeth and Philip reacting to Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech with Paige slowly deciding to tell Pastor Tim everything was a fantastic cliffhanger and a heck of a way to end a season.

9.8/10 - This was a great finale. Both setting up next season and delivering a satisfying conclusion to certain story elements that have been pivotal to this season, the finale was exactly the way to close out a year.

Unfortunately comrades, the season is over, but rest assured that The Americans (and my reviews of The Americans) will be back next season. I hope you've all enjoyed this season's episodes and reviews. Until next year, thanks for reading and I'll see you in season four.

About the Author - Brandon Rowe

Brandon is a Computer Science major at Fresno State University and has been a SpoilerTV writer since his sophomore year in high school. He enjoys watching an extreme amount of television and movies and is currently reviewing The Americans, Falling Skies, and True Detective. Brandon also managed the "In the Hot Seat" competition here on SpoilerTV in 2012 and is planning on doing it again in early 2015. Feel free to use the Facebook, Twitter, or G+ links below to contact him.

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