Martha hosts an unexpected guest. Philip and Elizabeth must work a formidable Mujahideen commander. Paige acts out.
The tension has slowly but intimately been rising in several very personal ways all season long on The Americans. And now, that tension is starting to boil over in a way that could be very disruptive to Philip and Elizabeth's way of life and their respective missions. Each character is simply trying his or her best. But they all believe they have a right to stand up for themselves and what they want their futures to be. Sometimes the subsequent actions are very deadly while others only raise the tension and uncertainty further. This season has been wonderful. It has taken the character's emotions as the crux of the narrative. The threats that they are dealing with are of a very personal nature. So heading into next week's finale things are coming to their climax in several very interesting ways.Understandably, Paige doesn't know how to act following the information her parents have told her about themselves. Them being Russian spies is so disruptive to how she saw her life. She has a million questions. But the biggest betrayal she has felt through this whole experience is realizing just how frequently her parents have lied to her over the years. It really is daunting in hindsight to see just how much of their lives wasn't the truth. Paige always suspected that something was off - but she never expected it to be at the extent that the truth actually is. She simply doesn't know what to believe anymore. Her parents are telling her that knowing the truth brings a whole new level of responsibility for her. And yet, she is still unsure if her parents are being completely forthcoming with their answers. After looking at the sheer numbers of lies, it's hard for Paige to feel like she can trust her parents. So, it is understandable that she would want to escape that house and spend even more time at the church and with Pastor Tim's family. That's her comfort in a world filled with uncertainty. And yet, that prospect is also so scary to her parents because they don't know if they can fully trust her either. It's a very weird new dynamic in their relationship. One where trust has to be rebuilt while allowing each other to be open and accepting.
Right now, it is frustrating for Paige. She wanted to know the truth and that only exposed more lies. Philip and Elizabeth have such tremendous love for her. They want to share all of these family details. It's just hard for them because they have to ease Paige into what they do for a living. She knows about their true identities but she doesn't know the scope of what their missions actually entail. That's hard. They are trying to look out for her. They are still encouraging her to be a part of the church. But they are also trying to open up new possibilities for her that are better connected to their pasts. Elizabeth has been dealing with her dying mother all season long. Philip made that gesture of wanting her to see her mother one last time. It's a complicated situation that he is still very adamant about. And now, he also wants Paige to join Elizabeth so she can get a better understanding of her heritage. This kind of connection is what Paige has been striving for. This whole thing could be very beneficial to her. And yet, it's also very precarious trying to get back to the Soviet Union. Elizabeth and Philip are confident that the plan will all come together somehow. But they are also giving Paige the choice of what she wants to do. They are trusting her with that responsibility. Elizabeth poses the question and the answer will likely be revealed in the finale.
Additionally, things with Martha are getting even more intense for Philip and the FBI. Last week she got a couple helpful tips from Philip about how to fool Agent Taffet. She was proud that she was able to get through that interrogation. And then, Stan shows up at her apartment and wants to talk with her. Philip receives the warning not to go in. But throughout that entire scene, the tension level is elevated because these are two characters who are not usually interacting in this setting. At any given moment he could spot something that would reveal the existence of Clark - who looks just like his close friend Philip. Martha is able to get out of this situation largely unharmed but she is still physically shaken by it. Once again, she is certain that the agents know it was her who put the bug in Gaad's office. Stan's actions don't convince Philip that that is true. But it is still enough for him to mention the possibility of them having to run away together. That is never poised as a serious option because Philip simply needs her access and information. But to Martha, it is presented as a way out of this situation. She hears Philip continually say that he loves her. This offer of being able to leave is heartbreaking but also maybe a way out of this whole complicated mess for her. Thusly, she calls her parents and talks to them as if nothing is wrong with her even though she has been trapped so much this season.
Martha simply sees packing her bags and leaving town as a way to escape all the pain and uncertainty in her life right now. It's an option that Philip can't allow to happen. He needs to maintain control over her in order to keep her as a viable asset. She's hellbent on leaving and he needs her to stay. His profession of love was enough to assuage her fears over his identity earlier this season. But they don't hold the same weight now. Things have just grown too complicated for that to be enough for her. Now, he needed to reveal his true self to her. That is a very risky move to make for Philip. He takes off his glasses and his wig in front of her. She has now seen him as Philip instead of Clark. It's a move he hopes will help fix their broken relationship and get her to keep working for him as is. It really is the only move he had left to play. Whether or not it will payoff for him is a big question for the finale.
Those stories were all personal and intimate to the regular characters. And yet, Philip and Elizabeth still have a job to do with their other assets. Things are getting more precarious and risky for Elizabeth with Lisa and Maurice. They are now wittingly helping her obtain information at Lisa's government job. But Maurice is still being positioned as a wild card in this story who doesn't trust Elizabeth and who could jeopardize this whole mission. It's not abundantly clear how this story plays into the season's larger arcs. It doesn't have anything to do with the Mujahideen visitors. But it does continue to give Elizabeth assets to work with - who are just as difficult as the ones Philip has.
The episode's true brutality comes out of Philip and Elizabeth conning their way into a meeting with one of the Mujahideen visitors. They target the one, Abassin Zadran, who is the most firm in his cause and plant a seed of doubt in his mind about his two traveling companions aren't as loyal. They are able to spin this elaborate story about those two not being as committed to the cause as he is. They sympathize with the Soviets and that's why their regions haven't been as war torn as Zadran's. It's a very effective strategy. Before their meeting the next day, Abassin kills both of them which is the exact outcome that Philip and Elizabeth wanted. They couldn't possibly approach any of them to be work as an informant for the Soviets. So the next best thing was to eliminate all of them from the picture because it's unlikely Abassin won't have to deal with the consequences of killing the other two. And yet, it all hinged on Abassin believing Philip and Elizabeth were CIA agents and not Soviet spies. They are masters of going undercover. But it was profoundly difficult for them to sit and listen as he shared the story of what he does to communists who threaten his country. He will kill anyone loyal to the Soviets no matter what their age. That was chilling. Philip and Elizabeth hate this man and his morals but still recognize that they need him to better their end goal. That's what makes them such great agents and worth having so much discussion about them and their needs as people.
Some more thoughts:
- "I Am Abassin Zadran" was written by Peter Ackerman & Stuart Zicherman and directed by Christopher Misiano.
- Claudia also returns to help show a different side to Gabriel and his opinion over all the complications with the Jennings family. He really does sympathize with Philip's concerns. But he's still the voice of the Centre and what they require of their agents. But mostly, that scene was awesome solely based on the two of them complaining about the variety of options on the diner's menu.
- Are Claudia and Gabriel two old friends who've been through this profession together? Or was there something more between them?
- Everyone really is just comfortable leaving Henry home alone all the time, aren't they?
- Agent Aderholt really is pressing Stan for more information about his relationship with Nina. That is obviously building up to something. Could Stan actually be the one blamed for the bug in Gaad's office? Obviously, he didn't do it but the other agents reasonably could make a case against him.
- Oleg and Tatiana have to figure out a way to show the value of having a bug in the mail robot to Arkady - who just wants to end the operation because it's mostly just small talk on the tapes. Yes, it may all be a waste of time. But sooner or later something important might be said next to the mail robot that could really help the Soviets. It's a risk that Oleg and Tatiana want to take.
