The Americans, Season 4 Finale, Persona Non Grata

The final installment of the season was a rollercoaster of events and emotions.  It appears that some major characters will be exiting the narrative.  There are several candidates whom may qualify as “persona non grata.”  The ending leaves many possibilities for next season, but major change seems inevitable.

Dennis and Stan wait in a parked car staked out near William’s residence.  Inside his dim apartment, William dons a mask and gloves to prepare the Lassa virus sample for transport.  Phillip drives a Volvo sedan wearing his dark wig, glasses and mustache.  William is cautious while handling the small vial, encased in metal and placed in a small, lined, tin box.  Once the vial is secure, the scientist exhales loudly; then he dresses to leave, placing the vial casually in his jacket pocket.  Whatever doubts he had regarding this mission, he seems to believe this will be his last action before his triumphant return to the motherland.  Outside, Stan notices the light in the apartment has been switched off and watches closely for William to emerge.  Phillip continues to drive to his meeting with William.  Stan notes the make and model of William’s car.  He tells the FBI teams, “Get ready to move!”  Stan and Dennis slowly follow William’s Impala.

Elizabeth brings in laundry to her daughter’s room.  She observes Paige studying and asks her to make room for her on the bed to lie down.  Paige hesitates before speaking, “If we’re in danger, maybe I should learn how to defend myself.”  Elizabeth smiles, “I can teach you a few things.” (An observation, the laundry room is where they used to hide all their spying activities.  Now, Elizabeth brings the laundry to Paige.  Is it a symbol of the secret?)

William parks and exits his car.  Stan sees William and parks their car a safe distance away.  Phillip notes several cars following him and continues to drive.  William crosses the street and a woman appears to be following him on foot. (It is the same woman seen last week.)  Phillip sees the woman and is probably concerned they are being followed.  Stan wants to move in on William before he enters the large dark park.  William sees Stan park his car and runs into the park.  The FBI is now in pursuit on foot.  Phillip walks to a park bench and waits.  William briefly tries to hide under a bridge, but soon hears the authorities have caught up with him.  He removes the sample and pierces his hand with the glass vial.  The cops spot him and yell at him not to move.  William instructs them not to move any closer and orders them to get him to a hospital with a bio-containment facility.  Phillip, unaware of his colleague’s situation, walks back to his vehicle believing William has missed his meeting with him due to a change of heart.

At home, Phillip tells Elizabeth that William failed to show.  Elizabeth observes Stan didn’t come home that night.  Phillip has an alternate meeting with William the next day in the afternoon.  Elizabeth tells her husband she talked to Paige about her hometown. “Do you ever think how it may be totally different now?”  Phillip admits he doesn’t think about Russia much.

In a Russian prison, a young man named Mikhail Semnov is led to a meeting with an official. (Phillip’s son from the relationship with his childhood sweetheart.)  The official notes contemptuously, that the young man has many important friends. Mikhail has been accused of “engaging in anti-Soviet activities” since he returned home from the Afghan war.  His main crime is speaking out in public against the war. The official offers him two choices; stop speaking out or be declared “mentally ill” and serve eight years in a mental facility.  If he stops, he will be released because of his “important friends.”

Stan and Dennis watch William from a room above his sealed hospital surroundings. Stan introduces himself and asks if there is anything they can do to help.  William laughs cynically, “There is nothing anyone can do, in a few days my insides will ooze out through my orifices.  I’m dead, it’s an unusual feeling.”  Dennis asks, “Would you like a Coke?”  William laughs at the absurdity of the offer, especially a Coca-Cola, the most American of all soft drinks.

Arkady meets with Oleg.  The younger man informs him he wants to go home; his mother needs him.  Arkady is saddened by the loss of his brilliant colleague  He warns Oleg he’ll be bored in Moscow.  Oleg is resigned to a boring career, “It’s okay.” The men shake hands.  Arkady praises him, “You’re a good son.”

Paige is in the kitchen when Elizabeth returns home with the dry cleaning. (Is this a symbol of “work” brought home, like the bioweapon?)  Paige informs her Alice had her baby, a girl.  Elizabeth thinks they should go as a family to visit them, but Paige worries it’s too soon.  She asks her mother if she wanted visitors when she was an infant.  Elizabeth replies they didn’t have many friends.  Paige decides to visit Alice solo, and the family can visit when she returns home.  Paige asks if her father is working.  Elizabeth says he’s at a class, called Est where you “think about yourself.”  Paige offers to make dinner.  She again assumes the role of caregiver for her exhausted mother by cooking and making the decision about the visit.  (Elizabeth was also a mother to her mom growing up; they are continuing the “Old World” dynamic.)

At Est, Phillip is speaking about his career as a “travel agent.”  He states when he was young, he thought it would be the perfect job, but admits he chose it not knowing if he would like it.  He admits he doesn’t enjoy his work anymore; it gives him a “sick feeling.”  Its interesting how Phillip is honest about his feelings in Est, just not honest about the context.  The instructor encourages him to quit.  Phillip feels commitments he’s made and people he loves and trusts trap him. (Which does sound strange for a travel agent.)  The instructor challenges him, “It’s okay to let yourself down? You ain’t that important!”  The wild thing about history is the small pieces don’t seem all that important in retrospect, but small pieces make a collective whole.  Who would have imagined all the work of these fictional characters would serve a country destined to fall apart a decade later?

Elizabeth and Phillip meet with Gabriel at his home.  They are concerned about William.  It seems apparent the authorities have him and Gabriel is worried William will talk.  They turn to Phillip who probably knew him best. Phillip concedes he “bitched and moaned a lot,” but isn’t sure if he would betray them.  William has been to Gabriel’s home and they must consider everything he knows about their operation may be discovered.  The trio leave Gabriel’s house.

Mikhail has been released and makes his way through a dirty, dilapidated building. His grandfather leads him through the crowded flat to a room where they can speak privately.  From under a mattress, the older man retrieves a parcel wrapped in brown paper.  The package was left by Mikhail’s mother and contains money in several currencies and three passports of different nationalities.  Mikhail has questions about his mother’s whereabouts, but his grandfather doesn’t know her location.  The young man asks about his father (Phillip).  The older man tells him his wife saw them kissing through the window; he was a young man, like Mikhail.  Mikhail offers his grandpa some money from the pile, but he refuses.  The older man asks how he plans to find his father.  Mikhail knows he’s a travel agent in America, but that is all.  He tells his grandfather he needs to know his father.  Mikhail gathers up his belongings and leaves the flat. (Possibly forever.)

Arkady has been called for questioning by Stan’s boss Wolfe and the director of the FBI.  The men question Arkady about William, an operative known to be working in their “Directorate S” program on bioweapons.  Arkady denies any knowledge of him. (He maybe telling the truth, Tatiana was in charge of the operation.) Arkady notes bioweapons are against the treaties, but Wolfe states the United States is only involved with working on antidotes.  The director notes he will bring this issue to President Reagan and he will discuss it with Andropov.  Wolfe outlines the crimes he suspects the KGB of committing: bugging Gaad’s office, having an agent marry a secretary to obtain secrets and killing Agent Gaad.  Wolfe states, “It’s the lowest thing I’ve ever seen!”  They inform Arkady he has forty-eight hours to leave the United States.

William is dying in his isolation room.  Dennis and Stan continue to observe him from the windowed room.  Dennis asks, “Are you in pain?”  William notes the virus reaches the fever state quickly.  Dennis asks if he can call someone for him.  William is bitter, “I’m an unwelcome guest, and there’s no one.”  Stan observes his agents probably know he’s in custody, but don’t know if he’s given them information. Dennis asks, “Do you like what you do?”  William states at first the job made him feel invisible, like having a superpower.  He initially felt like “the star of my own movie.” Later, he describes how the invisibility became a curse of loneliness.  “The absence of closeness makes you dry inside.”  Stan asks if he still is committed.  William states it’s all he has left.

Gabriel meets with Elizabeth and Phillip at a public location where American flags wave.  Gabriel notes they’ve been in danger so long it’s hard to know when it’s too late. He advises them to take their family and return home.  He notes Phillip’s heart has not been in the work for some time.  He tells Elizabeth, “You had a good twenty years, the job was never meant to last forever.”  He theorizes they are in immediate danger of being arrested, and urges them to go home, pack and leave for a safe house.

Leonard Cohen’s beautiful rumination on death, “Who by Fire?” plays in the background during the following montage.  Paige holds Alice’s baby, smiling.  Phillip and Elizabeth return to their car after their meeting with Gabriel, sitting in stunned silence.  Paige coos at the baby.  Elizabeth looks close to tears.  Arkady drinks alone at the embassy as the song continues, “Who in solitude? Who by his own hand?”  A large statue of Lenin points down to Arkady.

Oleg approaches Arkady’s office but Tatiana advises him not to enter.  “It’s a shock, he’s a good man.”  Oleg smiles and reminds her Arkady is not dead.  Tatiana reveals she has been asked to fill Arkady’s position “temporarily.”  Oleg notes she would have done well in Africa.  He holds out his hand, telling her he’s returning home to Moscow.  He admits he didn’t want to tell her like this.  She looks at him sadly acknowledging the end of their relationship. “You’re a good son.”  Oleg notes Arkady said the exact same words.  Oleg walks away down the empty hallway.

William breathes jaggedly.  Stan and Dennis look tired.  Blood starts to ooze from William’s mouth and nose.  William speaks, “They always wanted more, more information, more samples. Wanted me married.”  Dennis stares down at the dying man.  William says he tried to make his marriage work, but they always fought.  “I wished I could have been like them: couple kids, American dream.  They’d never suspect them: she’s pretty, he’s lucky!”  The viewers cringe as he describes Elizabeth and Phillip, but the FBI agents are no closer to knowing their identities.  William could be describing anyone.

Elizabeth and Phillip finally return home in the snow.  Henry has been watching the Super bowl by himself.  The 1984 game was the most lopsided game ever.  L.A. Raiders crushed Washington 38-9.  It is also when the famous “1984” Apple commercial aired. He tells his father, “We lost, and it sucks!” (Phillip is likely thinking the very same thing about a very different topic!) Phillip apologizes for missing the game, using “work” as an excuse.

Next door, Paige and Matthew have watched the game, but are far more interested in each other.  Matthew notes he and his father used to watch sports together, but their relationship suffered when he learned his father was cheating on his mom. (With Nina.) Paige notes “People are stupid”, but thinks it’s good to view parents as human.  Matthew says he’d like to return to the innocence of being a little kid sometimes.  Paige notes she used to think her father was having an affair, he worked all the time with lame excuses.  She even told her mom her suspicions, but her mom insisted she trusted him.  Paige observes, “They’re just people, shit happens.” On that existential note, the teens begin to kiss.  Matthew even reaches for “second base.”

Phillip and Elizabeth sit in their bedroom motionless.  Phillip asks if they should start packing, “Get the hell out of here!”  Elizabeth replies, “Maybe, I don’t know.” Phillip acknowledges it’s hard to picture their children there, especially Henry.  Elizabeth notes Stan has arrived home.  Phillip notes Stan missed the Super bowl and he is a big sports fan.  Elizabeth is heartened that there aren’t five FBI cars next door.  So, their cover hasn’t been blown, yet.  Elizabeth orders Phillip to go bring Paige home.  She peers out the window intently watching the house next door.

Phillip arrives and Stan grins, whispering, “Matthew and Paige weren’t watching the game!”  He teases Phillip about paying for the wedding since he’ll be the “father of the bride.”  Phillip asks the teens about the game and they provide vague answers. Stan arranges a game of racquetball for next Tuesday.  Will Phillip be gone by then?

Outside the house, Phillip seethes at Paige.  “I don’t want you to see him!”  She begins to protest, but Phillip states cryptically, “You have no idea, NO IDEA!”  Elizabeth watches her daughter and husband come home.

The season ends with confusion and turmoil.  It’s not clear if and when the Jennings will run.  Mikhail may add another layer interest to the story, defecting at a time when his father may be returning home.  Paige and Matthew are the FBI/KGB Montague’s and Capulet’s.  Poor girl, she just wants a normal boyfriend. Will the show follow Oleg and Arkady back to the motherland?  Is Arkady in trouble for failing to keep Tatiana’s program hidden.  Did William say anything else before he died?  Stan came home in a good mood, but if he knew about Phillip he wouldn’t be making racquetball appointments!  It was a good finale with realistic cliffhangers. (Unlike Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.)  We know who’s alive, but don’t know what’s next.