After a seemingly endless hiatus, the Americans returned
this Wednesday. For the first three
seasons the spy couple has appeared somewhat invincible. But now, two insiders have learned the truth. Their dangerous lives just became more
complicated. Who will pose the larger
threat, Paige or Martha? Or will the FBI
and Stan Beeman finally put the pieces together and realize the KGB lives next
door? Let’s find a blonde wig and find
out!
A young teenage Phillip fights with several other boys in a
secluded alleyway. Phillip grabs a rock
and starts beating another boy’s skull in, appearing to kill him. As he recalls wiping the blood off his face as
a boy, he wakes wiping his face in the present next to Elizabeth. He sighs as his wife asks him, “You okay?” He answers, “You’re right about Martha. I have
to tell her about Gene.” Phillip gets dressed as Clark to visit his other
“wife.”
When Phillip arrives at Martha’s, he watches her sleep for a
moment before waking her. He touches her gently, his Clark disguise removed. Martha wakes up and asks if everything is
okay. Phillip says, “No.” He turns on the lamp and informs her she’ll
hear some disturbing news soon, “Gene will be found dead in his apartment and
it will look like a suicide.” He
continues to explain, “A recorder will found there. It was the only way to
protect you.” Martha realizes what he’s
implying, HER recorder will be found at Gene’s making it look like he was the
one who bugged Agent Gaad’s pen. Martha becomes emotional, “What have I done;
what have you done?” Phillip assures her
it was the only way to keep her safe. Martha
exits the bedroom, distraught and crying.
Paige stares vacantly at the television. She hears her mother come downstairs and
offers to make coffee. Elizabeth guesses
her daughter is still jet-lagged from their trip to East Germany to see her
mother. Paige notes she heard her father
leave at three in the morning and asks whether he was working. Elizabeth explains he was meeting a source. Paige asks if it was dangerous. Elizabeth
assures her daughter they have to work in secret and gaining trust is an
important part of the job. She adds
their work is making the world a better place in an attempt to appeal to her
daughter’s idealism. Paige says she’s not hungry, rejecting food and perhaps
her mother’s story.
Phillip has stayed with Martha overnight, probably to
properly gauge her reaction to the news. He asks if she is feeling up to going
into work. She feels she must go.
Phillip looks at their wedding photo in which he is wearing his Clark
disguise. Phillip informers her he will not be able to come to her place
anymore. She will go to his apartment,
which he obtained last season to maintain his Clark identity and shield her
from his bigamy. He promises things
won’t change between them. Will her
devotion to him be enough to continue to keep his secret?
Stan has spent the night with his new girlfriend from Est,
Tori. Stan bemoans the fact he has to
leave to go to work. He says he knows he “rubs some people the wrong way.” He jokes one boss is ready to give him a medal
while the other would have him executed. Tori dives into her pop psychology and
encourages Stan to “speak his truth” at work.
Stan doesn’t think that will fly at the Bureau.
Paige waits for her classmates to finish saying the “Pledge
of Allegiance” before entering her class.
Is it a symbolic nod to her parent’s nationality or perhaps she fears
the others will sense her discomfort.
Gabriel meets with Elizabeth and Phillip at his flat. He is very upset about Elizabeth’s
un-authorized trip to Germany to visit her dying mother. He tells them he chose to come out of
retirement to work with them, but will quit if they defy the Centre’s orders
again. Gabriel discloses a project he’s
been managing alone concerning biological weapons. He notes both the Soviet Union and United
States claim to not have biological weapons but both countries are producing
them in secret. He has a supplier of
pathogens named William who might need their help. Gabriel tells them the product is a strain of
meningitis and vaccinates his spies on the spot. He elaborates that William has been in the
United States a long time by himself, he had a partner but things didn’t work
out. The old man observes, “Not everyone
is as lucky as you.”
At the secret weapons facility, Nina speaks to Anton about
her first days at the site. She recounts how cozy she found the room,
especially after having endured prison. She was happy with the solitude but she
knows it is different for Anton who had a family. Anton admits he was a “shitty husband.” He was picked up the night he was out having
an affair. A uniformed officer calls
Anton away from Nina.
Paige confides to Pastor Tim at his office in the church. He attempts to make her more comfortable by
reminding her he is used to hearing secrets.
He offers to have her parents come in to speak with him and her
together. Paige balks at the suggestion,
“They’re not like that, talking won’t help.” Pastor Tim thinks of another tactic, imploring
Paige to ask her parents specifically about their work. He assures her they will “figure it out.” What motivates Pastor Tim? Is he sincere in his advice to Paige or is he
hoping to expose her parents and win custody of her when they are imprisoned?
Phillip and Elizabeth share a meal at a terraced restaurant.
He sports a blonde beard and wig and she has matching short blonde hair. They joke about Henry’s use of cologne,
finding it ridiculous. They note a brown
haired man passing and Phillip urges Elizabeth to abort their contact. They duck into a garage storage area and
remove their disguises. Elizabeth
questions why he left, asking if he saw something. Phillip explains it more as
an intuitive decision. Elizabeth questions if he’s okay. Phillip insists he’s
fine.
Phillip attends an Est seminar and is being guided by the
instructor. He remembers himself as a
young teen, at a market being pursued by bullies. He tells the audience they used to steal from
him. In his mind he sees himself beating
the boy to death. The leader asks how he feels. Uneasy, first he says “angry” and then
“strong.” The man probes him to go
deeper into his feelings and Phillip admits he “didn’t need to hit him that
much.” The leader notes that Phillip was
the one who was bullied and he shouldn’t feel sorry for his anger at the
bully. He asks Phillip if he ever talked
about to the boy about it later or asked for forgiveness. Phillip says slowly, “He moved away.” The crowd applauds. The scene was reminicent of Jesse’s story
about the “dog” he had to put down in Breaking Bad when hiding his story of
cold-blooded murder to his therapy group.
Phillip has dinner after the group with Sandra, Beeman’s
ex-wife. She states she was moved by the
story he shared and notes it’s very hard to do Est without emotional support. Sandra encourages him to tell Elizabeth about
the program. He laughs at the
suggestion. Stan’s new girlfriend Tori
sees the pair from afar. Sandra offers
him her support, “I see you.”
Martha works tensely at the office. Agent Gaad receives a phone call in his office
then comes out and commands her, “Get Walter Taffet on the phone now, and tell
him to meet me in the vault!” She knows
they have Gene’s body and his “confession” about the bug.
At the Soviet Embassy, Tatiana dictates a memo regarding
using the “directorate S” resources. (The illegal spies like Phillip and
Elizabeth.) Ambassador Arkady knocks on
the door but she refuses to let him in. He
orders her to open the door and she instructs him she can’t and to call Col.
Umanev if he has any questions. The
ambassador is frustrated that Tatiana can keep secrets from him about her
activities and orders.
Elizabeth listens to reel-to-reel tapes in the secret room
in their basement. She has tapped Pastor
Tim’s phone line and hears mundane conversations regarding parishioners. Phillip enters the room to talk about Paige. He’s concerned about her behavior after
learning the big secret. They head off
for another meeting with the biological weapons man.
This time Elizabeth and Philip stay in the car and wait. Phillip sees their contact walking alone. Elizabeth notices a possible surveillance team
in a green station wagon. This time she
aborts the meeting.
Anton and Nina speak at his workstation. He explains he was shown a prototype of the
(Stealth) aircraft and he had to formulate the design from it. He fears if he has not recreated it correctly
he will be executed. Nina offers him
emotional support. Anton notes the hardest thing about his separation from his
only son. He reveals, “Sometimes I
picture myself as dust, not knowing anything.” This vision of emptiness
comforts the scientist.
Martha comes to Clark’s apartment after a rough day at work.
Phillip is there to greet her. She
cries, “They know he’s dead!” Phillip
reassures her they are safe. He’s made
up a sofa bed for her. She asks, “Did he
know it was going to happen?” Phillip
describes Gene’s apartment as being “childlike” due to his toy robot
collection. (Today, he would just be considered a hipster.) Phillip describes Gene’s demise as “easy and
fast.” Martha tells him she has to know
the details, even if it’s difficult.
Phillip tells her he’s been remembering parts of his youth and wonders
which experiences have “made him this way.” Martha assures him its better for them to not
have secrets. Phillip promises he won’t
put her in danger again but requests the reports from a particular surveillance
team. (The one blocking their meeting with the biological weapons operative.)
The former ambassador Vasili summons Nina to his office. He reports
the results of Anton’s prototype were encouraging. He wants updates on her
relationship with Anton. Her freedom is contingent
on his success. She describes him as an
unusual man who cares about his work. Vasili presses her for details and she can’t
call him a friend or lover. Nina says
she feels like his student. She presses
him to allow her to see her husband.
Martha retrieves the surveillance files and photocopies
them. The office is abuzz with rumors
about Gene’s suicide, some insinuating they saw it coming. Martha stares out
blankly as she works. Stan observes her working and finds an excuse to visit
with her. He says, “I know you liked Gene.” She replies coolly, “I guess you never really know a person do
you?” She watches Stan closely as he
walks away through the glass embossed with the FBI logo.
Arkady and Oleg talk about “Operation Zephyr.” Arkady wants
to know how Oleg gets alone with Tatiana. Arkady asks for Oleg’s strict confidence then
asks, “Does she do anything that doesn’t make sense?” Oleg shrugs and notes nothing makes sense at
the embassy.
Phillip presents Elizabeth with the surveillance reports he
has received from Martha. The first
night they attempted to meet, there was no one following him. However, the
second attempt there was a team in a green station wagon, as Elizabeth had
observed. Phillip seems embarrasses his instinct was wrong. There are no teams assigned that night so they
can attempt another meeting.
Tatiana and Arkady discuss what he learned about her orders
from Col. Umanev. He asks her how long she has been assigned to Department 12.
(The Directorate S or illegal spy division.) She states she can’t tell him. Arkady is frustrated he is not trusted with
this information.
Elizabeth and Phillip head out to meet the biological
weapons man on foot. They spot him on a
bench and they use a code about him walking dogs the previous nights. William
tells them the lab has a new contract with Fort Detrick and explains he is
under increased scrutiny at work. He
hands them the sample and instructs them to keep it refrigerated. They ask him if it’s similar to meningitis. William says, “It is to meningitis what
bubonic plague is to the common cold. It causes a disease called glanders. Tell
him (Gabriel) I send it with love!” They
part ways. (According to the CDC website, glanders produces flu like symptoms
common in horses or humans who are around horses and/or horse meat. But, they
could have been trying to develop a strain, which would pass to humans.)
Returning home, Stan calls out to Phillip in the driveway.
Phillip quickly slips the glanders sample into his front jacket pocket. Stan is upset because he heard from his girlfriend
Tori that Phillip was having a cozy dinner with his ex-wife. Stan pushes Phillip in the chest, near the
biological sample. Phillip tries to
explain he and Sandra are just friends. Stan
may have a new squeeze but he still has feelings for Sandra. He yells, “Screw you Phillip!”
In the garage, Phillip carefully removes the sample from his
pocket. It is housed in a mint tin and
he holds the vial containing yellow liquid up to the light. Fortunately it’s still intact. He switches the garage light off.
The premiere added a different dimension to Phillip’s
character by providing a glimpse into his violent past. It’s hard to look at
him as “the good guy” knowing he’s been murdering for a long time. Elizabeth seems to think she can still
recruit Paige into the life of espionage.
Phillip seems too distracted by Martha to worry about his daughter. No one
is innocent in this series. Both the
United States and the Soviets did create and store biological weapons during
the Cold War. It’s frightening to know
these samples probably still exist and could fall into the hands of people more
willing to use them. (Like Assad or ISIS.) Martha seems to have made a decision to be
loyal to Phillip/Clark. But how long
before Stan can crack her now that she knows the truth? Looking forward to lots of twists and intrigue
this season.
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