The Day After's premiere back in November 1983 gave American audiences a look at the horrors not only of a nuclear war but of the aftermath. When all is said and done, what happens to those left to deal with the fallout - figuratively and literally? It's a grim and tragic story, one that undoubtedly left its mark on the country. Tonight's episode of The Americans, sharing its name with the television film, took a relatively restrained and subtle approach to integrating this impact onto its characters, as it so often does with any of its plot points.
The sequence with everyone - The Jenningses, Stan and Matthew, William, Oleg and Tatiana, Arkady and Young Hee and Don - watching made for difficult viewing, with the scene cutting between the odd shot of the film itself and each character's reaction to what they were seeing. There were some great choices from director Daniel Sackheim here, choosing to focus in particular on two characters: Stan and Paige. For Stan, dealing with this kind of thing is his job. Yes, he hasn't exactly dealt with nuclear devices (yet), but he has been involved with the newest kind of warfare. And while access to Echo isn't quite a nuclear bomb, it's not too much of a stretch to go from one to the other.
That it came not especially long after Martha's betrayal (while it may have been seven months, it will still live long in the memory) only adds fuel to Stan's anti-Soviet fire. As Gaad told him last week, he can't forget who they are. After this, it seems unlikely that will ever happen: The threat of nuclear annihilation that now lingers over his conscience will probably push him firmly into doing whatever it takes, regardless of the thoughts about Oleg he expressed last week.
For Paige, this whole ordeal leaves her in an odd position. On the one hand, she loves her parents, regardless of who they are or how many times they shout at her. But they are Russian spies. They lie for a living. Their whole existence in the United States is a lie. So when she wonders whether the Soviet Union are capable or willing to do a thing like that, it's essentially wondering if her parents would be, irrespective of what they tell her. Certainly, that's the route I imagined the show going down; instead, we got something slightly different as Paige first wondered whether her parents' job actually makes a difference before suggesting that she hopes they're together when it happens. It’s a grim thought, particularly given her acceptance that this will happen, but it’s somewhat fitting given that Philip thinks like that too.
Strangely, though, it seemed to be Elizabeth for whom the film was most affecting. For all of the thoughts that go around suggesting she is the coldest, most emotionless character on the show, season four has really gone out of its way to try and change that belief. That was none less apparent here, showcased in two scenes in particular. First up was her silent, blank contemplation of what she had just watched, which took place both as she sat in the company of her family and when alone with Philip. It’s partly her public appearance that has led to the belief that she is emotionless, but even here, she couldn’t cover her shock and, to some degree, remorse. Yet the mission and her attitude towards it didn’t change as she refused to accept Philip’s suggestion that they should do as William suggested and not report back about the Lassa virus. Her calmer, less passive aggressive response does however show both how deeply the film did affect her and how far she and Philip have come since the first season and, to an extent, the previous episode: Once upon a time, Elizabeth reported her fake husband for suggesting such a betrayal; now, she quietly talks him down, pointing him to the realities of the job they’re doing and the world they live in.
On to the main event, as Elizabeth finally put the Young Hee operation into play, drugging Don and staging the scene to give the illusion that the pair had slept together. And this was an incredibly difficult moment for Elizabeth. She and Young Hee have become friends over the past six episodes, and so betraying her isn't an easy task. The pair were far closer than she and Lisa were, and while she had no restraint in dealing with her when the situation required it, her experience of murdering her 'friend' left its mark. She’s dealt with so many assets in the three and a half seasons that one might imagine “what’s one more?” But on a very basic level, Young Hee is to Elizabeth what Martha was to Philip. Obviously, they weren’t married nor did ‘Patty’ share much of her 'real life issues' with her, but Young Hee provided a release, a way to spend time away from the harsh realities of her job, even if getting close to her was part of that job. It’s basic human nature to become close to someone with whom you spend that much time and whom you share simple common interests with. Elizabeth has succumbed to that, much as it may irk her.
Had she and Young Hee not become such close friends, would she have actually slept with Don or would she staged the scene as she did? It’s impossible to know for sure. But that this spy, who has used sex as a weapon in the past, took the other way out is a huge moment. As much as Keri Russell’s ever excellent microexpressions illustrated that to perfection, it was the two montages that really stood out in this regard. The first, set to Yazoo’s (or Yaz, as they were known in the United States, who have a song featured for the third time after last season’s ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Only You’) ‘Winter Kills’, showcased Elizabeth’s growing distress as she searched for some leverage on Don that would allow her to proceed without ruining her friend’s life. There was a tragic irony to the upbeat nature of the second, Peter Schilling’s ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’, a stark contrast to the guilt Elizabeth expressed doing this terrible thing, and Russell’s regretful look as she pulled the covers over herself displayed her awareness of what she has done and, despite knowing how important this is for the cause, how horrible this makes her as a person. In a just world, Russell gets an Emmy nomination for that scene alone. To top it all off, she delivers the very simple final line bordering on tears: “I’m gonna miss her.” Such is life to have felt affection for another, but it’s such an unfathomable thing for a spy like Elizabeth that this very remark is a massive turn in her established personality.
I have no idea what we’ve done to deserve television as fantastic as The Americans’ fourth season, but I’m incredibly glad that we’re getting it. The Day After was yet another sublime hour of one of the best shows around.
Notes:
- Paige began learning to drive, and by the end of the episode (a few days after the opening scene, at most), Philip entrusted her to drive the Camaro. As someone who is currently learning to drive, I’m reluctant to believe that Paige progressed her abilities as quickly as she did or that Philip would allow his daughter to drive his highly expensive car at any stage during her learning.
- Oleg and Tatiana are having sex! That took me by surprise. Oleg also shared a fascinating - and terrifying - story about how their technology is so far behind that had a duty officer not lied about a series of supposed incoming missiles (that were in fact sunlight reflecting off clouds), they would be in the middle of a nuclear war, before wondering what he would have done in that situation. Some nice work from Costa Ronin as always.
- Tim is going to Ethiopia and wants to sit down with the Jennings family when he returns. Paige seems to be doing a good job working him.
What did everyone think of The Day After? Leave your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote in the poll below.
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