The Americans, Season 5, Episode 4, What's the Matter with Kansas?

This week’s episode was less dramatic than the preceding first three hours of the season but is still enjoyable without any cold-blooded executions.  Elizabeth and Phillip are ordered to actively pursue activities in “fly over country” concerning the grain tampering plot.  Stan tries to come up with a plan to help Oleg from afar.  Oleg adjusts to his new life in Moscow under the threat of exposure by the CIA.  Paige shows some initiative, which makes her mom more fretful about her possible exposure.  Henry, the forgotten son makes a brief appearance while Mischa, Phillip’s oldest son makes a daring journey to find his father and freedom. 

Phillip and Elizabeth meet with Gabriel to review the next phase of the grain operation.  Gabriel asks how their “contacts” did in Oklahoma; Phillip remarks that the woman “Marylyn” was fine but the man Norm needed to be “talked down.” (Perhaps Norm was tasked with getting rid of the lab director’s body.)  The old man shows them the photos and files on two individuals in upper management at the Agricorp Company in Topeka.  He notes they are both single.  Phillip complains that it’s a burden to travel so much to Kansas for this mission.  Gabriel suggests they go separately.  Elizabeth begins to explain how many situations they are currently managing; the Morzov’s, Tuan, the threat of Paige’s relationship with Matthew Beeman and Pastor Tim.  Phillip notes that Paige is “taking more time than usual.”  Elizabeth concedes she knows the importance of this mission. Gabriel remarks dryly that he’s sure they can handle it all. 

Alone together in the car, Phillip asks Elizabeth, “You think we are going to get fired?” Elizabeth replies, “It’s not funny.”  Phillip sighs, “I know.”  Measuring up to the Centre’s demands is something they are both concerned about.  Ideally, they want to retire on their own terms or when the Centre recalls them.

The next morning, Phillip stares out the window, concerned about a potential tree hazard in their yard.  Elizabeth makes toast as they discuss Henry, his math teacher has called them but they don’t know why.  Henry enters, complaining about the lack of Apple Jacks.  Elizabeth suggests he go to the store and buy some himself!  She hands him a piece of toast she made for herself.  Phillip confronts Henry about the math teacher but Henry pleads ignorance.  This irritates Elizabeth and Phillip. In frustration, Henry admits he “laughs” in class.  He throws out the toast without eating it, complaining it didn’t have enough jam.  Paige enters, seeing her brother’s wastefulness states, “I would have eaten that!”  Henry tells her to eat it out of the trash before exiting. (Paige, knowing about the possible grain shortage probably finds her brother’s behavior especially obnoxious.)  The three of them share a look when Henry leaves.

Oleg is introduced to a new partner at work.  The man, Ruslan, is known for his “advanced interrogation techniques.”  The boss suggests Oleg and Ruslan go back to the store from last week and see what they can accomplish as a team.  Oleg looks nervous about his new tough partner.

Phillip catches a flight to Topeka; he sports dark hairpiece and large framed glasses. Arriving at night, Phillip heads out to the local gym to chat up his mark.  She uses an exercise cycle with a Walkman and doesn’t seem keen to talk.  Phillip introduces himself as a man with business in the area and wants to know what to do in while in town.  She is distant, claiming she loves her work in logistics.  Phillip says his name is Gus; she introduces herself as Deidre Kemp.  She will be a tough one for Phillip to seduce. 

After work, Oleg finds his mother home alone reading.  She can see her son is upset. Oleg confesses, “I’m in trouble.”  Oleg first makes her promise that she will not tell his father.  She agrees to keep the secret.  Oleg explains that when he was in the United States, he trusted a man he shouldn’t have and said things he shouldn’t have.   Oleg states they are now trying to use blackmail to get him to do things that would land him in jail.  (or worse) Upon hearing this, his mother begins to cry.  She is still grieving for the loss of Oleg’s brother in the Afghan war, losing Oleg is too much for her to bear.  Oleg looks ashamed at the pain he’s caused.

Mischa prepares for his journey beyond the Iron Curtain.  He must trust two men who plan to smuggle him under the seat of a small sedan.  The men will transport a small refrigerator to give the young man some additional cover.  It’s going to be a long, claustrophobic ride.

Phillip returns from Kansas and meets with Elizabeth back at the travel agency.   Elizabeth tried to figure out why they need to meet with Henry’s teacher, it’s especially curious since he is not having problems with his grades.  Phillip is frustrated that all Henry wants to do is play video games and talk on the phone! (Again, it seems Phillip and Elizabeth don't know anything about typical American teens!)  Phillip is sarcastic about Deidre, “She has a real passion for logistics!”  Elizabeth hopes it’s promising. “If I don’t die of boredom first!”  Phillip replies. Elizabeth is going tomorrow, presumably to seduce her mark.

Mischa and the men arrive at a border checkpoint.  The men use the soccer game on the radio to distract the men.  It allows them to cheer, and honk while the car containing Mischa is inspected.  After a few tense minutes, the men are through. (Presumably to Italy.) The car continues on in the darkness.

Oleg and Ruslan confront the department store manager again.  She claims to not know the names of her suppliers, just as she did last week.  Oleg notes it is still curious how she can always get the best of everything.  The woman replies it’s because she’s so skilled at her job. Raslan approaches her, he threatens that she will lose her job, her apartment and perhaps even her husband’s job if she does not cooperate with them.  “Who’s going to take care of your children when you are in prison?”  At this, the woman breaks down and provides a name after Raslan promises the information will not be traced back to her.  Oleg clearly is more comfortable playing “good cop” but Raslan’s “bad cop” has yielded results.

Elizabeth shops at a health food store in Topeka wearing high-waist acid wash pants, a dark short wig and glasses, which would make Velma proud.  After spotting her man, she proceeds to spill her bulk food all over the floor. Elizabeth pretends to be shy and asks the classic "80's question, "What is carob?"  Ben is chivalrous and helps her clean it up while flirting with her.  Elizabeth says her name is Brenda and she’s in town for business and was hoping to go for a hike.  Ben proclaims himself the local hiking expert and plans to take her out soon. 

Phillip and Alexei share a pint of beer at a bar.  One on one, the defector seems less agitated.  Alexei remembers a drink they used to have in the Soviet Union, kvass, which is not available in the U.S.  He states it’s made from dark bread and has a cola-like taste.  He brews it now in his basement but he can’t get it to taste like back home.  Alexei asks Phillip became interested in flying.  Phillip shares he had a small toy as a child and used to live near an airfield.  He learned how to fly at age sixteen and entered the Air Force at age eighteen. There is probably some truth to these statements, in last week’s flashbacks young Phillip was seen playing with a crude toy plane.

 Alexei asks if he fought in the war and Phillip says yes, in Vietnam but only resupply missions. (Soviets view the American war as colonial aggression, therefore, it was too abhorrent even for Phillip to lie about.)  Alexei wonders if Tuan is his “natural” son but Phillip states they couldn’t have children so adopted him.  Alexei is concerned about how his family doesn’t seem to be adjusting to the United States.  Phillip commiserates that teenager boys are tough; Alexei notes his wife is not a teenager.  “If it wasn’t for my job, I’d blow my brains out!”  Phillip asks for details about his job.  “At work, they think I’m a genius!”  Alexei explains that transportation is not the problem in the United States that it is in the Soviet Union.  He states sometimes the grain goes bad due to lack of infrastructure to get it to markets.  Sometimes, they have to use horse-drawn carts on muddy roads. “System is broken!”  Phillip listens with interest.

Phillip waits up for his wife, watching a nature show about bees.  She seems tired from her day in Topeka.  She’s brought him back a little bottle vodka a man insisted on buying for her, despite the fact she told him he was married. (Again proving her skill at seduction, it is easier for women, however.)  Phillip notes Paige is babysitting for Pastor Tim on Saturday night.  Elizabeth describes Ben as “Full of himself, we’re going hiking this weekend.”  She rests her head on Phillip for support. Obviously, her mission was more successful than Phillip’s but she seems tired of the game.

Double date time!  Beeman and his new squeeze Renee meet Phillip and Elizabeth for an Italian dinner.  Renee brags about being a tomboy, a result of growing up with older brothers.  It seems something is a little too easy about her relationship with Stan.  Phillip gave her a skeptical look upon meeting her at the gym.  Stan seems really happy.  Elizabeth and Phillip make up boring background stories, Elizabeth is from Chicago, Phillip from Pittsburgh.  Renee has relatives in Pittsburgh but Phillip fakes his way through the knowing about the area.  Is Renee on to Phillip?

Oleg and Ruslan deliver their results to the boss.  The boss is impressed with their work as he reviews the information on the department heads involved with the corruption.  Ruslan points out the “weak spot” of on man, he has a son serving in Afghanistan.  They are asked to sit down; Oleg asks his boss if there isn’t “another” way.  The boss is bemused by Oleg’s “softness.”  Oleg explains families with children serving in the war are already going through enough hardship.  (This is especially important to Oleg, who’s lost his only brother in the conflict.)  The boss notes they do what “gets results.”  He chides Oleg; “We’re they soft at the PGU?”  Oleg replies, “It’s not about softness, it’s about doing the decent thing.”  The boss counters, “The decent thing is what’s best for the Soviet Union!”  He notes Oleg’s father knows about “tough decisions” and asks if Oleg has talked to his father about it.  Oleg notes he was sworn not to disclose to his family the nature of his work.  Sensing the tension between the two men, Ruslan takes the file and promises his boss Oleg and him will work together to form a plan for their mission. 

Back in Washington, Aderholt and Beeman continue their surveillance, camped out in a car during the day.  Aderholt relates he’s been thinking about Burov, and another case he worked in San Francisco.  Aderholt was trying to get the man to work for them, offered him cash but the man kept refusing.  Through their investigation, they discovered he was having an affair and threatened to blackmail him.  The man wanted to keep his family together, and worked with the FBI.  Coincidently, he ended up earning from the FBI.  The point of the story is everyone has something they would sacrifice themselves for, in Oleg’s case it’s probably his mother.  “We blackmailed the shit out of him and everyone ended up happy!”  Stan is silent but secretly hopes for a good outcome for Oleg.

Paige is instructed on the baby’s routine by Pastor Tim’s stressed out wife Alice.  Paige asks politely what happens if the baby doesn’t go back to sleep, “Panic!” advises Alice.  Pastor Tim asks Paige about volunteering at the food pantry. (Did they ever find the body of would-be rapist near the food pantry?)  Tim notes Elizabeth deserves credit for trying to be close with her.  Pastor Tim gives her a book of Marx to help her understand her parents better.  “I thought he hated religion?”  Pastor Tim states he was pretty clear on class and poverty issues.  The couple leaves Paige in a quiet house.

Phillip attempts to call Deirdre from a pay phone to attempt to ask her out on a date.  She rebukes him, unwilling to commit outside of her work schedule.  Is it possible she isn’t interested in men?

Ben and “Brenda” go on their nature hike date.  Ben relates his knowledge of birds and wildlife in the area.  He seems very easy to talk to and makes her laugh.

Paige checks on the little baby girl, the picture of innocence asleep in her crib.  Leaving the nursery, Paige begins to snoop through the Pastor’s things.  She finds an address book and some notes.  In Topeka, Elizabeth and Ben make out by the fire.  Paige heads upstairs to find a romance novel by Alice’s bed.  Ben removes Elizabeth’s glasses. (Like a romance novel cover!) Finally, Paige strikes gold.  She’s found Pastor Tim’s personal diary.  

Before Ben can “strike gold” Elizabeth stops the session of passion.  She says she likes him but “is a really bad planner” and has to go to work.  He asks if she has a boyfriend, which she truthfully denies.  She arranges to see him when she returns to town next week.  It’s unclear why Elizabeth didn’t have sex with Ben.  Is she simply trying to maintain his interest or is she developing conflicting feelings about him?  Usually, sex is just part of the job which Phillip and Elizabeth accept.  Back in Pastor Tim’s bedroom, Paige starts to decipher the diary.  

The assistant AG of the FBI meets with Stan in the “vault.”  Stan opens the conversation, “Do you remember that guy Vladimir Kosygin who has killed three years ago during the course of an investigation?”  The director does not.  Stan reminds him; Vladimir was kidnapped by a group of FBI agents and then shot in cold blood.  Stan admits he killed him. (This was after the death of his partner and Stan was searching for revenge.)  The director wants to know what Stan wants; does he want to be arrested, prosecuted?  Stan admits that’s up to what happens to Oleg Burov.  If the CIA refused to leave Oleg alone, Stan will go to the public and confess his crime and how the FBI executes innocent people.  Indignant by these statements the boss reminds him, “I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and unlike you, I haven’t forgotten what that means!”  Stan sighs, “Then I’m guessing you’ll keep quiet like the rest of us and find a way to make sure the CIA leaves Oleg Burov alone.”

Paige returns home from school to find her mom in the kitchen making lasagna.  Phillip is at work and Henry is at a friend’s house.  They discuss Henry, Elizabeth is curious about his long conversations on the phone with girls.  Paige notes that her parents have been traveling a lot.  Elizabeth turns on the sink faucet and motions her daughter to come closer.  Elizabeth speaks in a whisper, “It’s what we’ve been talking about, the grain thing.”  Elizabeth notes the “new sources” need to be developed, far away, separately.  Paige is curious about how her mom pretends to be different people.  (If she could see the wigs!)  Paige notes she’d be scared of someone finding out. 

Paige tells her mother about finding Pastor Tim’s diary and doesn’t get the approval she was hoping for.  Elizabeth chides her, noting “You can look different and sound different after doing something like that!”  Paige had hoped to use the information to gain compromising information about Pastor Tim.  (She’s a natural.)  Elizabeth notes her actions were smart and brave but she’s worried if Alice were to find out she would go straight to the FBI.  Paige replies, “I’m sorry, but I was there, not you.”

Oleg puts up his feet after a long day.  His mother comes to him in a bathrobe with her hair in a loose braid.  It is obvious she was once a great beauty.  She sits down with her son.  “A few years after I married your father, before we had you, they took me.  I was sent to a camp.”  Oleg is incredulous as his mother describes her five-year stay there,  “I did what I had to do to survive!” (This was probably in the post-war period under Stalin’s savage rule.  It’s possible she was forced to prostitute herself there.  It may be possible that Oleg’s has a different father.)  Her message to Oleg is clear; “Do what you have to do to survive.”  (Even if that means cooperating with the Americans.)

Mischa arrives at JFK in New York via TWA. He looks lost in the big modern airport.  He steps off the curb into a new world.

Elizabeth and Phillip speak in hushed tones about Paige’s stunt.  Phillip is very worried about her being caught.  Elizabeth shakes her head, “If there was something on him with a parishioner...”  She does admire her daughter’s smarts.  When asked about Kansas, Elizabeth doesn’t want to talk about it.  This peaks Phillip’s interest even more.  “I don’t know what to say about it, he’s nice, he talks about hiking and birds, he’s funny.  Phillip observes dryly, “You like him!”  Elizabeth replies, “I have to sit there and laugh at his jokes when he’s planning to starve an entire country!”  But is she trying to talk herself out of having feelings for him? The couple stares quietly together at the ceiling.

Next week’s episode shows Mischa meeting with Gabriel as he looks for his father.  Gabriel scolds him for speaking Russian.  Stan and Renee get closer and she probes him for details about his work.  Phillip suspects Renee could be a fellow agent.  Claudia and Gabriel discuss whether to allow Mischa to see Phillip.  

It seems clear from this episode, Elizabeth and Phillip are more concerned than ever about being caught. The scene with Elizabeth speaking in whispered tones with the faucet running was especially telling. The episode illustrated some of the tedium of working in intelligence.  Stan has long stake-outs with his partner, Phillip endures being rebuked by a surly woman from Topeka.  The for the Jennings danger is becoming acuter.  Despite all their precautions, they simply have too many things to balance.  Where will the couple slip remains to be revealed but Matthew, Pastor Tim or even the math teacher may tip their delicate balance into the free-fall of being caught. 

The Americans, Season 5, Episode 3, The Midges

The third hour of the season expands upon themes that have already been introduced; Paige’s relationship with Matthew, Stan’s conflict with the Bureau over Oleg and Phillip and Elizabeth’s latest mission involving a unique form of sabotage. As we wrestle with the current developments in our time regarding cyber attacks, it’s interesting to look back at how these different types of attacks were perpetrated in the pre-Internet era.  Midges, as we learn later in the hour, are small fly-like insects capable of decimating wheat crops.  Phillip and Elizabeth struggle to determine how the U.S. is planning to use these insects against the Soviets.  Do they merely wish to embarrass them by illustrating how they can’t grow enough food under a central planning system or is a more sinister action to starve out their competition?

The episode begins with a bowling match designed to further the friendship between Tuan and his pseudo-family with the Morzov’s.  (Roxy Music’s “More Than This” provides the background music.) The patriarch of the family continues to criticize his former homeland.  He begins with a story about how they used to go bowling in Gorky Park when Pasha was little, “But just like everything else, the Russians couldn’t keep that right. The system destroys everyone who tries to make a change.”  His wife angrily shoots back in Russian, “You’re the one who destroys everything!”  She continues her verbal attack about how they were made to leave unexpectedly in the night and “dragged along like luggage.” Alexei defends these actions, noting he would have been shot if they had discovered he was defecting.  His wife leaves the game to go find her son.  Alexei describes to Elizabeth and Phillip how his father disappeared when he was fourteen and was transported to a gulag in Siberia.  He and his mother traveled nine days by train to visit him only to be turned away after waiting there another two days. The came was full of starving men, infested with lice forced to do hard labor.  (Read a "Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by famous Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn for the full experience. )  His father died after fifteen years later in the prison camp.  Alexei never saw his father again.  “That is the Soviet Union I know.”  He adds cryptically with a smile. 

Again, Elizabeth and Phillip debrief Tuan in the car on the way home.  Phillip explains how the family was not told by their father that they were leaving the country with the assistance of the CIA. “How could someone do something like that?”  It’s an ironic line from Elizabeth, especially in the context of how close they came last season to having to seize their children and flee back to the U.S.S.R.  How would Henry and Paige accept being “dragged like luggage” to a place where they don’t understand the language or culture?  Tuan takes a hard line on Alexei and his family, “One day the U.S. will destroy the U.S.S.R. just like they did Vietnam!  I wonder what Pasha will have to say when that day comes!” Elizabeth is a bit startled by the youth’s assessment and adds they hope with their work (in the KGB) it will prevent that outcome.

After they drop off Tuan, Elizabeth and Phillip change out of their disguises at a warehouse type location.  Phillip is thinking about the evening and wonders, “How would we have done it if we would have had to leave?  Would we have told the kids before or after?”  Elizabeth doesn’t see their situation as the same as the defectors.  She claims Alexei left out of choice because he wanted to be a “big shot” in the United States.  She claims Alexei didn’t care what his family thought about leaving. (But, if his father was a political prisoner who died in custody, he may have had to flee.)  Phillip notes,  “He’s is buying his family big dinners at Brannigan's while planning to starve his people back home.”  They both agree he should be shot.  Elizabeth praises their “surrogate son’s” interaction with Pasha, making the Russian teen feel better by throwing “gutter balls.”  They agree Tuan has “great instincts.”  This leads Phillip to bring up Paige and Matthew.  “She can’t handle this, any of it!”  Phillip proposes telling Paige about their current operation, noting that compared to a major food crisis, boyfriend trouble will seem like a miniscule problem.  (Were Phillip and Elizabeth ever teenagers?  Sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.)

Paige is watching my favorite sitcom of the era, MASH. (About an early Cold War conflict, Korea.)  Paige wears a chaste sweater and her gold cross pendant and seems very mature for her age.  Phillip begins without preamble, “We think the United States is going to attack the Soviet Union’s grain supply!”  Elizabeth describes the greenhouse and the pests she discovered.  Paige is obviously shocked, “So nuclear weapons aren’t bad enough!”  Elizabeth describes the Soviet Union as the victim of this cruel bullying by a much richer country.  Phillip explains how their work could stop this dastardly action.  Paige begins to ask how they go about their missions.  Phillip notes that they have to “pretend” and befriend those people who can give them more information.  Paige probes further, “Aren’t you afraid that someone will call the police on you?”  They note they “take precautions.”  Paige can’t see how that is not simply lying and is obviously perturbed by this. “Is it hard to pretend to be other people?”  Phillip responds, “Yeah, sometimes it’s really hard.”  Do Elizabeth and Phillip even know who they are at the end of the day?  Sometimes they seem like mindless drones for the Centre, unable to feel or think for themselves as individuals.

Phillip readies himself for bed after a shower.  As he wipes the steam off the mirror, he has a flashback to his early life in Russia.  He remembers being a little kid in a crowded and dirty farm-like place.  A man walks in and hands some trousers to his mother for mending.  Young Phillip plays with a crude toy plane made out of wood. The contrast between his upbringing and life in America couldn't be starker.  

Oleg heads out to perform his duties as part of the new anti-corruption division.  He enters one of the better-stocked stores and asks to speak to the manager.  A woman meets him and Oleg displays his credentials and tells her not to be nervous.  She leads him to the back, to a store room filled with luxury items like chocolates and fruit.  Oleg begins to question her about who fills her order but the woman is skittish.  He notes, “You’re still nervous.”  Oleg admires the tangerines she was able to procure.  The woman refuses to name her sources.  As Oleg stands to leave, she offers him the bag of tangerines.  He admirably refuses the bribe.  As he leaves the store, we recognize Martha wearing a scarf over her head.  It makes sense that she would be shopping at the top Party stores but she looks thinner and alone. 

Phillip meets with Tuan at the decoy house to go over the security detail, which is still following the Morzov family.  The surveillance still doesn’t have a discernable pattern.  Tuan continues to speak loathingly of Pasha, thinking the teen is spoiled with a family who loves him and plenty of food.  Phillip notes that he was hungry back in his youth as well.

Stan and Aderholt confront a man at a diner. “Hello, Anatoli! We are from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In case you can’t tell from our suits!”  They request a few minutes of the man’s time, as he works for the infamous Soviet airline Aeroflot.  The man flees the establishment quickly without a word.

Gabriel meets with Phillip and Elizabeth to discuss the grain case.  Gabriel has received information that the insect specimen is a previously unidentified species related to a midge from Australia.  It can attack grain and carry spores that would further damage crops.  They have discovered the specimen was shipped to a lab in Oklahoma.  They don’t know whether the United States plans to attack the grain they export or attack Soviet crops directly.  Phillip reveals he informed Paige about this operation. Gabriel, thinking it will bring the family closer, approves of their move.  Perhaps he still hopes to recruit Paige as a second-generation agent.

Paige and Matthew are out on a date at a casual restaurant.  Matthew complains about his father’s new girlfriend.  He expresses how strange it is to have your parent dating.  Paige tells him she’s glad her parents didn’t date when they separated briefly.  Matthew can tell she is troubled by something.  He looks deeply into her eyes and asks what’s wrong.  “What is it, can you tell me?”  Under the table, Paige rubs her index finger and thumb together, the technique her parents showed her.  She lies to him, telling him she’s stressed about an upcoming paper for school.  Matthew offers to help her with it. 

Paige finds her mom down in the laundry room.  Elizabeth notes she likes to work down where it’s quiet.  Paige probes about the investigation.  Elizabeth tells her they have to travel to Oklahoma to check out some things.  (I guess the teens never have supervision? Henry is hardly ever home!)  Paige confides in her mother about her “awful conversation with Matthew.”  Paige feels guilty about lying to him, and how easy it was.  Her mother is obviously relieved.  “Do you think it would have been fair to tell him the truth, put that burden on him?”  Elizabeth has no problem putting the burden on her daughter.  Paige notices the hypocrisy of her mom’s statement, “So that’s how it’s going to be? For the rest of my life, I have to be fake with my boyfriends?”  Elizabeth cautions her, “Being in a relationship is complicated! You hold back, everybody does!”  But Elizabeth has Phillip and they do share nearly everything!  In fact, that has probably been the sole reason they’ve been able to operate all these years.  It’s sad that Elizabeth sees her daughter almost as just another asset she needs to manage.  Her and Phillip’s priority is always the mission, then the Centre lastly their own nuclear family.

Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.  Mischa arrives at a flat looking for a contact of his mother’s.  He discovers that the person has moved away.  The man of the house reads the letter from Mischa’s mother and tells the young man to wait.

Elizabeth and Phillip have arrived in Oklahoma City in a truck wearing western clothing fit for a rodeo.

A large brutal looking man appears, demanding a large sum of money to take him across the border to Austria. (The contact his mother knew has been arrested.)  Mischa tries to tell him the price is too high, but he has no one else to help him.  He’s forced to trust this man with his life.

Phillip and Elizabeth check into a hideous motel room.  Elizabeth turns on the radio that is playing Alabama’s “Your Old Flame.”  Phillip remarks how the open prairie reminds him of where he grew up.  “All this land, I wonder, why can’t we grow enough grain ourselves? Alexei, some of what he says…” Elizabeth doesn’t want to entertain Phillip’s doubts in their communist system.  She cuts him off, “Everyone has problems!”  She redirects him by playing up her blonde wig and cowboy hat. “Do you think they’re going to make me the queen of rodeo this year?”  She places the hat on his head as the song croons, “Those memories still upset you…” (Alabama's Old Flame) They begin to kiss but it’s interesting to hear the song go on about another, better, past lover.  Perhaps Elizabeth can’t shake her “old flame”, love of an idealized Soviet Union. 

Aderholt and Stan follow another mark into a men’s bathroom.  “Mr. Perotov, we want to talk to you about your work with Amicorp.”  The man looks at them suspiciously before he too flees without a word to the agents.

Oleg walks home from work at night.  A man walks beside him and says in English, “You missed the meeting. I’m sorry.”  He hands Oleg a small packet before walking away.  Oleg heads straight to his bedroom on returning home to his parent’s flat.  He discovers a note, again with a map and a cassette tape.  He places the tape in a small player.  He listens in horror to the recording of his and Stan’s conversation that confirmed the defector was still “one of ours.”  This collusion with the United States will result in his execution for treason if it is discovered.  Is there anything Oleg can do to save himself from the CIA?

The night mission begins in Oklahoma City.  A woman watches from her car as a “spotter” for Phillip and Elizabeth.  She signals the area is clear through short bursts of static on a walkie-talkie.

The couple enters the warehouse labeled Smith-Poole Research Laboratories.  The shine their flashlights on various terrariums filled with various insects.  It is eerily quiet except for the chatter of the smaller life forms.  Elizabeth looks at an area where moths flutter towards their lights.  Phillip looks at documents.  Elizabeth feels like she may see the midges they are looking for.  A short burst of static on the walkie-talkie alerts them someone is coming. 

A bearded man enters the lab, noting the moths are in an interesting, disturbing pattern.  Phillip and Elizabeth come out of hiding.  At first, the man thinks he’s being robbed.  He offers them his wallet and his car keys.  Phillip asks what kind of work they are doing there.  The man plays dumb, “I’m just a lab tech.”  Phillip looks at the man’s identification, which states his name is Randy and he is the lab’s deputy director.  “I’m sorry, I’m not allowed to talk about the work we do here.”  Phillip persists, asking whom the lab works for, “You really should tell us, Randy!”  Phillip uses some physical persuasion, ramming Randy’s head against the glass enclosure containing the midges.

Randy confesses they designed the insects from an Australia species. The midges are designed to eat wheat crops.  Elizabeth presses him about whom the lab is doing this work for.  “It’s a company called Agricorp. I just talk to various people, I don’t ask questions!”  Randy says he’s contracted to send eggs.  He attempts to get them the information from his Rolodex. (Memories!)  Elizabeth wants to know when the next shipment is going to be sent. Randy replies, “I don’t know.  We just breed the bugs they tell us!”  Elizabeth and Phillip close in around Randy.  Elizabeth notes, “You should have asked questions!”

In one swift motion, Phillip breaks Randy’s neck, killing him instantly. 

Roxy Music’s “More Than This” begins to play again, bookending the episode.  

“I could feel at the time there was no way of knowing, fallen’ leaves in the night who can say where they’re blowing, as free as the wind, hopefully learning, why the sea on the tide, has no way of turning (chorus) More than this, you know there’s nothing, more than this, tell me one thing.” 

The couple covers their tracks in the lab.  The woman in the parking lot observes as they bring Randy’s body outside and stuff it into the unfortunate man’s trunk.

Phillip approaches the woman’s car. “You okay?”  She says in a slight accent, “Yes.”  Phillip returns to Elizabeth, still out of breath.  “Should we tell Paige about this?”  What would Paige think, would she tell if she knew her parents killed routinely in cold-blood?  For Elizabeth is there anything “more than this?”

Next week finds Paige with a new set of problems.  She has found a diary that her mom fears may put the family in further danger.  Mischa continues on his journey West, crossing what appears to be a famous bridge in Berlin that divided East and West.  Oleg lives in fear in Moscow.  Stan and Aderholt continue their investigation of former Soviet nationals.  Was the diary Stan’s?  Is game coming to an end for Phillip and Elizabeth?

The Americans, Season 5, Episode 2, Pests

Last week ended on a dramatic note when Elizabeth executed her former protégé, Hans.  The penultimate season has already set a tone of suspenseful foreboding.  The Jennings'  have operated for over a decade without detection but despite their expertise, the circumstances are spiraling out of their personal and Centre’s control.  The Americans does an excellent job of keeping the tension wound tight around characters we care about deeply.   Paige continues struggling though her vulnerable teen years with an incredible secret burden.  (And you thought your parents were embarrassing!)  Stan misses his former boss Agent Gaad and despite being “enemies” is concerned about Oleg.  Elizabeth works to try to relate to her daughter while protecting the family.  Phillip feels isolated by his daughter’s willful resistance regarding Matthew.  All these emotional backdrops frame another hour of conspiracy and action, which begins after the events of last week’s night mission and ends with Paige learning her parent’s technique of handling their complicated lives.

Gabriel greets Phillip and Elizabeth after their biohazard mission to deliver the sample. When Gabriel asks, “Is everything all right?” the couple looks sober.  Phillip haltingly informs him that Han’s hand was cut and therefore he had to be killed.  Gabriel nods in jaded agreement with their actions but acknowledges that must have been difficult.  Phillip hands over the sample, remarking that William would have appreciated the irony that his body ended up being specimen.  Gabriel alerts them to the Centre’s latest fear that the United States is contaminating the grain the Soviets import. (As mentioned in last week’s recap, this was an era of crop failure in the Soviet Union and they were increasingly dependent on imports.)  Elizabeth is disgusted at the notion that the U.S. would contaminate food harming innocent people.  Pasha’s father is a consultant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will be making a trip to Illinois in the coming days. “The ‘Land of Lincoln.’ To think they once had a Lincoln, now a Reagan.” Gabriel observes. (Even the Soviet’s appreciated how Lincoln freed the slaves from oppression.) They part ways, with the Jennings driving home in silence.

Once home, Elizabeth and Phillip are horrified to find Paige missing from her bed.  They worry she may have stayed with the Beeman’s, which would be especially disastrous if Stan figured out they weren’t at home in the middle of the night.  Suddenly Paige emerges groggy from her closet.  She mumbles sometimes she sleeps there when she has trouble sleeping at night.  Elizabeth doesn’t respond but shows concern about her daughter’s mental state.  Being a teenage girl is hard enough without seeing your mom murder an attempted rapist right in front of you.  Elizabeth is keen to toughen her daughter up fast.

Oleg speaks with his new boss on his first day at in his new position with the anti-corruption division.  He relates a story about how the City Directorate of the Party invited him and his wife to a party.  When he planned to attend alone, they sent lavish presents to his wife, “samples of the delicious food” she would be missing.  In disgust, he decided not to attend the party.  Oleg asks, “Is it all really that easy for them?”   The boss agrees with a sigh and proudly boosts that they are the only division of government which hasn’t been corrupted.  He hands over files to Oleg to begin to investigate.

Phillip and Elizabeth arrive home.  Stan intercepts Phillip in the driveway and again tells him about the woman he’s interested in from the gym.  Stan is concerned he scared her off by stating he worked for the FBI.  Phillip observes women probably have a romantic notion about his job. “Maybe when we were chasing Capone or Dillinger, it’s 1984!”  Stan invites Phillip over to finish their discussion over beer.

Inside the house, Elizabeth unloads the groceries.  Paige arrives, informing her mom Henry is at the library, “allegedly, probably at the arcade.”  (Older siblings are naturally great spies!) Elizabeth suggests they have another self-defense lesson.

Stan notes that Matthew is busy applying for colleges, but not locally.  Stan wonders if his relationship with Paige would alter his plans.  Stan continues to tout how wonderful Paige is and that he’s happy about their relationship.  However, after spending more time with her he’s observed “that maybe everything is not all right in Paige land.”  Stan can’t pinpoint what the issue might be.  Phillip has a hard time controlling his alarm but tries to shrug off the concern. “She’s always been that kind of kid, Stan, always takes things seriously and Matthew is her first boyfriend.”  Stan agrees but he is also a man who trusts his own instincts. He's unlikely to forget his concern about Paige. 

Paige is punching a pillow wrapped in duct tape.  Elizabeth interrogates her about Matthew, asking pointedly, “Are you having sex? I don’t care if you are but it’s confusing, getting close to someone like that.”  Elizabeth states she doesn’t believe Paige would ever intentionally betray the family but if she’s emotional, perhaps post-coital, it may make her slip up.  Paige responds in a very typical way, “Fine, so I can’t just ever have a boyfriend ever!”  Elizabeth notes that she would be happy with Paige having a boyfriend but it can’t be Matthew.  Paige is angry but has already become skilled at hiding it. “I have homework.”  But Elizabeth insists, “No, let’s finish this.”  Elizabeth hopes Paige will channel her anger and become stronger. (Becoming more like her mother.)

Later that night Phillip and Elizabeth talk in the master bathroom.  “Hans hadn’t talked to his parents for years. His sister was visiting in three weeks and he was all excited about it.”  Like many parts of her life, this episode with Hans will not have any kind of closure.  Elizabeth says she finally talked to Paige about Matthew but knows she just made her mad.  Phillip relates his alarming conversations with Stan. “How long will it be before she slips up?”  They acknowledge it is just a matter of time before Paige may betray them as she has been spending way too much time next door.  But how can they forbid the relationship without causing more suspicion?

Stan is called into the “vault” to meet with his boss Wolfe and a man from the CIA. Wolfe assures him “It’s good news.”  The man from the CIA relates that Oleg is back in Moscow working for the KGB.  He notes it marks a good opportunity for them to get him “fully recruited.”  Stan rejects the idea that Oleg would ever “turn” and work for the United States.  Stan believes Oleg passed on information to him only because the bio-weapons program was dangerous to the whole world.  The CIA agent would like to use the tape Stan made of Oleg passing information about the Soviet “defector” who happened to be working for the KGB.  (Season 3 subplot, an outspoken critic of the Afghan war “defected” to the U.S., gained the trust of U.S. intelligence but was still working for the KGB.)  Oleg could be killed in the Soviet Union for this act of treason.  Stan angers, “I just don’t think you’re listening.  Burov would sacrifice himself before betraying his country.  He can’t be turned.”  The CIA agent asks how Oleg would feel if his parent’s lives were also in jeopardy.  (Dirty tactics!)  Stan is frustrated. “You’re going to get him killed, you know that? If you want something to do why not figure out who killed Frank Gaad in Bangkok and why?  Instead of going after the man who gave us the tip of the century and then went home to live his life!”  Stan looks at both men in disgust.

Four men drive through rural Illinois.  Elizabeth follows the car driving a large red truck wearing a hideous wig and spectacles.  Mr. Morzov marvels at the bucolic paradise from the backseat. 

Stan confronts Wolfe in the hallway, informing him he plans to go to Deputy A.G. to discuss the Burov matter.  Wolfe fires back, “You have a self-destructive tendency!”  Stan invites him to sit in on the meeting.  Wolfe declines, adding he advises Stan to leave the whole matter alone.

Elizabeth follows the men to a farm with many buildings.  The men get out of the car and enter a large greenhouse.

Phillip, in his blonde wig and pilot personae, removes a bird’s nest from the rain gutters at Tuan’s house.  He asks the young man about the agents who watch the Morzov’s home.  (Is the U.S. spying on Morzov because he defected and now works for the U.S. government?)  Phillip questions Tuan about how his cover story would hold up if he were to be interrogated.  Tuan is cocky, thinking he can easily convince a U.S. agent how he hates the communists for destroying his country.  They look at the bird’s nest.  Tuan reveals how he was adopted about age ten after being a “boat person.”  Tuan first lived in Seattle, with a liberal family but he always felt like an outsider, that the family was secretly proud of adopting a boat person.  (Makes you wonder if Angelina Jolie’s kids will ever tell a similar story about “trophy adoption.”)  

Paige studies at Matthew’s house.  He senses she’s upset.  Paige shares that she’s in a fight with her mom. “Everything always has to be her way!”  Paige’s complaints seem vague and she soon asks Matthew about what kind of relationship he has with his mother.  Matthew admits that his mom could be incredibly selfish.  Paige notes that she’ll be leaving soon in a few years and needs to start making decisions on her own.  Matthew says she already does.  Paige recalls when she first met Matthew, revealing that she had a big crush on him. “I can’t blame you!”  He adds playfully, moving in closer to her.  They begin to kiss and make out.  Matthew feels her chest and after a moment of protest, Paige gives in to the experience.  Things are continuing to move in the direction her parent’s fear.

It’s nighttime in Illinois by the time the men leave the green house. Elizabeth watches through binoculars at a safe distance away from them.

Stan meets with the Deputy A.G. in the “vault.”  Stan relates his concerns about the CIA’s intentions with Oleg Burov.  The Deputy admires Stan’s passion but states its now out of their jurisdiction since Oleg is now back in Moscow.  Stan knows that the Deputy could have influence over the matter; ultimately the President could even have sway over the situation.  The Deputy notes the Soviets don’t play by the rules, so they can’t either.  Stan pleads that Oleg was a decent man who trusted him and saw the bigger picture.  Stan doesn’t know what kind of organization they have if they punish someone like Oleg.  The Deputy notes it’s hard when you lose control over an operation but Oleg’s fate is out of his hands.

Elizabeth approaches the greenhouse that is secured only by a few gates and padlocks.  She enters to see a multitude of wheat plants.  The first section contains dead and withered crops.  There are some bangs, and the whir of a few fans, finally a click but no one else is present.  Elizabeth looks at another section of plants, which are green.  As she comes closer, insects start to bloom in the air, attacking the plants and her legs.  She looks at the insects in disbelief.

In the next scene, she is home in the shower, itching and washing the insect residue off her body.  She runs her fingers through her hair and her disgust is palpable.

Phillip and Stan wait for a squash court to open up at the gym.  Stan complains about work. “Something you can talk about?”  Phillip asks casually.  Stan notes, “No, it’s just sometimes I wish I ran the whole FBI!”  Stan tells Phillip about his date with Renee, she likes beer and knows more about sports than Phillip.  “It was like being out with the female version of you!”  (Oh my!)  Renee appears and Stan introduces them.  (Laurie Holden, from the Shield and Walking Dead.)  Stan asks her out again and she agrees.  Phillip definitely notices how attractive she is when she walks away!

Oleg makes his way home by foot in the dark.  A man in a dark coat who bears a strange resemblance to Steve Bannon is following him.  It’s likely the CIA.

At the travel agency, Phillip asks Elizabeth about her findings from the farm.  He wonders if Morzov knows about bugs, the six legged kind. Elizabeth says, “He knows he knows about wheat and what can kill it.” Phillip suggests that they “just get rid of him.”  But Elizabeth notes they will not be able to figure out what is happening to the crops without the man’s expertise.  I sense another awkward dinner with Morzov’s.

Oleg continues his walk home, being observed by an unseen eye.  A man in a long grey coat nears him, “Don’t look at me, and keep walking.  Stan Beeman sent me, we need to talk, privately and soon!”  A note is pressed into Oleg’s hand.  Oleg continues to walk but looks visibly shaken by the encounter.  Is someone going to warn Burov about the CIA’s plans to turn him or is this man from the CIA, using Stan’s name to gain trust?

Oleg arrives home to his family. His mom asks whether he’d like tea but Oleg excuses himself.  Alone in his room he looks at the paper that was passed to him.  It appears to be a map, with a meeting time of 21:30. (Military time for 9:30 pm)  Oleg sits down and rubs his face with his hands.  Oleg has little choice but to cooperate or be killed.

Elizabeth, Phillip and Tuan meet the Morzov’s at a family steak house restaurant.  (Judging by the decorations, it appears to be St. Patrick’s Day.)  Mr. Morzov marvels at the abundance of food and portions.  Again, his wife dislikes all his anti-Soviet talk.  Elizabeth continues to elaborate on their “life in Michigan” and with their busy work schedule, family dinners have had to occur at restaurants.  Despite trying to change the subject, Mr. Morzov continues, “If I want to say I hate Soviet Union, I can say it!”  He tells them his father was imprisoned for years for “just being alive!”  A tense silence follows.  Pasha complains to his father about his anti-Soviet rants.  His father wants him to speak English and be grateful for the United States for accepting them.  Pasha replies, “I’d rather die back home than live here!”  Elizabeth and Phillip need to pretend that they don’t understand the teen.  The father apologizes for spoiling the dinner.  Elizabeth says, “We understand.”

On the way home, Tuan asks Elizabeth what Pasha said at dinner.  Tuan reacts, “That’s such a stupid thing to say! My whole family died back home.”  He tells the story of how the Americans bombed his village when he was away with his grandmother.  Perhaps he envies Pasha for still having parents. He boosts, “I can get Pasha to do anything I want, he’s weak.”  They discuss the surveillance around the defector’s house. They hope it will disappear soon.  Tuan requests the leftovers from the dinner, perhaps to show he doesn’t take his full belly for granted.

Stan and Aderholt are doing surveillance in room with file boxes and a table littered with take-out.  They take notes.  Maybe Stan is being assigned grunt work by the higher ups after his disagreements.  Stan explains the issue with Burov in Moscow and how it bothers him. Aderholt notes it’s just a side of the job.  Their discussion soon turns to women and the latest hot spot in town; it has a see-through grand piano!

Elizabeth and Phillip pull in the garage.  Elizabeth states firmly, “I’m just tired of treating her like a God-damn kid!”  Both parents enter Paige’s bedroom and she immediately senses something is up.  Paige tries to tell them she was about to go to sleep but Phillip insists, “We just need to talk, it’s important.”  Elizabeth wants to “help her manage things so the relationship is safer.”  Both parents agree that sex will muddle things, even though Paige maintains she hasn’t had sex.  Paige gets defensive, “I’ll just be alone for the rest of my life!”  Elizabeth pauses, “Are you finished? There is something we can show you, a technique, which will help you control your emotions. If you can learn this thing, really master it, you can keep seeing him.”  Elizabeth adds that if she feels like she’s ever losing control in her relationship with him she should back off and just say she needs time to think.  Intrigued, and maybe a little frightened, Paige sits down on her bed.  Elizabeth instructs Paige to rub her thumb and her forefinger together, “To remember who you are and where you come from. Picture me and your father.”  Phillip adds, “It’s just a little thing but if you practice, it will always be there for you."  They approve demonstration of the technique.

Next week’s preview shows Aderholt and Beeman confronting a man in a diner.  Elizabeth and Phillip speak forcefully to a man from the greenhouse, demanding to know what they are doing there.  Paige learns from her parents that the U.S. is conspiring to contaminate the grain they export to the Soviet Union.  Paige appears stressed on a date with Matthew.  Her parents discuss how she may not be able to handle more secrets. 

This episode explored the theme of  “pests” both physical and psychological.  Stan is facing a crisis in his career.  He may be entertaining the thought of putting his personal life first for a change. One marriage collapsed in part because of his career, it seems dedicating his life to an organization, which he’s increasingly at odds with, bothers him.  Paige is pestered by her parents to give up Matthew, and failing that, told to hold her emotions tightly in check.  Paige wants to take refuge in her boyfriend, like she did once with her faith.  She dreams of a life apart, in a place where she will no longer have to defend her parents.  Phillip and Elizabeth are facing the actual pestilence in the episode.  But both Phillip and Elizabeth are bothered by their lack of control over their operations. Elizabeth is hurt by the loss of Hans but it’s a scratch she can’t afford to itch.  The adult characters can see the broader implications of their actions and neither picture is pretty.  I hope by the end of the series it will become clear that everyone starts in intelligence with high hopes and morality but it’s practice ultimately sullies it’s participants into a moral gray area.

The Americans, Season 5 premiere, Amber Waves

The Americans is back and seemly more relevant than ever.  This marks the penultimate season of the series and while I’ll be sad to see it end next year, I’m encouraged that the story does have an ending in mind.  To quote Neil Young, “It’s better to burn out than it is to rust.”

Last season brought the complication of Paige entering into her parent’s trust.  Paige has matured beyond being a little mother for Henry to being an actual asset who reports to her parents.  But Paige is an idealist.  She was deeply traumatized by witnessing her mother kill an attacker in front of the soup kitchen.  Her father has also changed, forbidding her from having a relationship with Matthew Beeman in a modern twist of Romeo and Juliet.  Paige can no longer escape to the refuge of the church because Pastor Tim must be managed lest he exposes the family’s secrets.  Between that and puberty, Paige has a rocky road ahead.

Meanwhile, the pressure is no less great for Elizabeth and Phillip.  Last season Martha nearly brought down the family and had to be exiled to Moscow.  The biological weapon project ended in failure when William was exposed and paid the ultimate price for his years of service to the KGB.  Oleg and Stan were held together by their love for Nina.  With her death, both men are grieving and lost.  Gabriel must decide when it will be time to retire this important couple.  Will they flee for a new life or retire and return to a country they hardly remember?

Despite the fantastic, suspenseful action of the series, it is the emotional investment we have in its characters which make it so interesting and compelling to watch.  It also feels current given the ongoing controversy about the president's praise for former KGB agent Vladimir Putin.  The critics continue to praise it, but it has yet to win an Emmy or viewing numbers of other FX shows.  It’s a pity because it is one of my favorite shows on television.

The episode opens in a high school cafeteria where Devo’s “It’s a Good Thing” plays in the background.  An Asian teen gets his lunch and seeks out another boy who is sitting at a table eating lunch alone. (This scene felt reminiscent of many a John Hughes movie.)  The American’s uses music from the era to illustrate plot points in more subtle ways.  The songs says, 

“Now let's have a great big hand

For everybody who can understand

Life's a bee without a buzz

It's going great till you get stung!”

The first boy introduces himself as Tuan and the seated boy replies in a thick Russian accent his name is Pavel or Pasha for short.  Tuan tries to make small talk with Pasha and appears very friendly.  Pasha’s answers are stifled due to his limited English.  The pair agrees to meet after school.

Tuan meets with Phillip and Elizabeth in a modern home.  Phillip is dressed as an airline pilot and Elizabeth is dressed as a flight attendant.  Tuan tells them about his meeting with Pasha.  It’s clear that Tuan is attempting to develop Pasha as an asset with Phillip and Elizabeth posing as his parents.  Tuan is probably much older than a high school student but has been sent to the high school to gain the trust of Pasha. (Again a call back to '80's movies Hiding Out or 21 Jump Street.)  

“America the Beautiful” is sung in Russian as a shot of combine harvester moves through the United States fields “of amber waves of grain.” (The episode’s title.)  The camera zooms out, up to the satellites and back down on the Soviet Union where the crops are decimated. (According to declassified CIA report from May 1983, the grain harvest kept failing to meet expectations set by the Soviet central government. The Soviet Union was reluctant to purchase surplus grain from the United States.  Four straight years of the poor harvest was a source of shame for the Soviets who didn’t want to admit they couldn’t grow enough food to feed their citizens.  It was an ongoing source of tension between the two powers.) Soviet citizens are shown waiting in long lines for very little food.  This scene of scarcity is contrasted at the KGB office in Moscow where a Party member picks up a rich Danish pastry off a silver tray to have with his tea.

Stan’s new FBI boss Wolfe (played by Peter Jacobson, House) calls him into the “vault.”  He tells him Oleg has left the Soviet Embassy and returned to Moscow.  What is not know is the reason for his departure or whether the Soviet’s know of his work with Stan and the FBI.  Wolfe T warns Stan that his “conscience” may be detrimental to his mission in the case of Oleg.

Tuan watches a western show on television as Phillip and Elizabeth arrive at his home.  Tuan notes he only watches the show because the other kids talk about it at school.  They quiz Tuan about Pasha.  Tuan reports that Pasha is not assimilating that well, he’s a loner and his English is poor.  Tuan thinks they could best work him by having dinner with the family as “neighbors.”  Tuan notes Pasha’s father hates the Soviet Union and wonders “Why would you have let someone like that defect?  I would have put a bullet in his head a long time ago!”  Tuan is a communist from Vietnam and apparently doesn’t suffer capitalist fools.

Oleg walks through an ornately decorated flat while thunder rolls in the background.  In the kitchen, Oleg’s mother makes tea.  Oleg picks up a technical magazine from the table and smiles.  He looks at a picture of his late brother in uniform.  His mother joins him and she apologizes for persuading him to return home.  She describes her grief as a feeling of being unable to breathe.  She tells her living son to “be careful.”  Oleg replies, “Of what?” (But he knows how dangerous his native land can be, especially for those who are suspected of colluding with Americans.) Mother and son share a grief-infused embrace.

Elizabeth and Phillip return home to Paige after she has shared a pizza dinner with Stan.  Elizabeth asks her daughter if she wants to watch the Winter Olympics with her but Paige declines. (At this time, the Summer and Winter Olympics occurred in the same year.  The ’84 games were the first time the Winter games had been held in a communist nation, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. In 1980, the United States famously boycotted the Summer Games in Moscow.)  It is probably because of this fact that Elizabeth is interested in watching the games.

Misha, Phillip’s oldest son, waits in a public restroom stall nervously looking at two passports. He proceeds to go through airport security in Moscow.  At “Passport Control” a uniformed man asks for his final destination that Misha states Yugoslavia for the purpose of visiting family.  It appears that the young soldier may be defecting to the United States to seek out his father.

Elizabeth and Phillip join their “son” Tuan for a dinner with Pasha’s family.  As they make their way down the street, it appears there is a man working on surveillance in a dark parked car.  Phillip is charismatic at dinner, spinning a tale of how he met Elizabeth and their lives in the airline industry.  Pasha’s father interjects on how much better their airline must be than the notoriously dirty and unsafe Soviet Aeroflot.  The father’s criticism of his native land doesn’t stop there, he complains of crowded living conditions, long lines for food and lack of technology for the majority of people.  (For example, it takes three years of waiting to receive a telephone for a household.)  The man describes the corruption of the system.  He now proudly works for the United States Department of Agriculture as a consultant.  Perhaps that is why the “Centre” has targeted him, they see his defection and work as being a traitor.  Will Elizabeth and Phillip take him out or turn his son against him?

Stan is cooking in the kitchen when Paige arrives.  Stan thanks her for helping Matthew with the transition to living with his father.  Matthew joins them in the kitchen and the teens' hug.  Henry knocks on the door and joins his sister for a cozy dinner at the Beeman’s.

In the kitchen of the Russian’s home, Pasha’s mother apologizes for her husband’s behavior.  While the woman will not admit she misses the Soviet Union, it’s obvious she doesn’t share her husband’s enthusiasm for their new capitalist home.  Elizabeth attempts to change the subject by discussing hobbies.  Elizabeth confides that they adopted Tuan at age ten from Vietnam and he had a hard time adjusting at first.  She advises the new immigrant to “be patient” about her son’s adjustment to their new life.  In truth, Phillip and Elizabeth are hoping to use Pasha as an asset and while they may desire better language skills, they hope to use the boy’s sense of alienation to turn against his newly adopted country.

Back at Tuan’s home, they debrief about their dinner.  The pilot/flight attendant cover is a perfect way to explain the couple’s prolonged absence from the home.  Tuan assures them he’s turning on and off lights in the home to keep the neighbors from guessing that he actually lives alone.

On the way home, Elizabeth notes sarcastically, “I can’t wait to have dinner with that family again!”  Elizabeth contrasts her experience growing up after World War II to the man’s complaints about scarcity of food and long lines. “We starved!  My mom always said she wasn’t hungry, but she was so thin…” Phillip recalls eating soup, which was basically hot water with a trace of onion.  Their shared experiences after the war might be one reason why they were eager to join the KGB and leave.  Phillip wonders if they may still have the chance to go home someday.  Elizabeth remains ambivalent.

When Phillip and Elizabeth return home they find Paige waiting up in the kitchen reading a John Irving novel.  Paige discusses dinner that night with the Beeman’s. “Were you working?”  she asks her parents.  Elizabeth confirms this but will not discuss any details.  Phillip asks what she and Matthew talked about and Paige appears defensive.  “We talked about Michael Jackson and gym class! Who cares!”  Paige confesses she can’t sleep, that she keeps seeing “that guy that mom murdered”  She asks her mother pointedly, “Do you think about it?” Phillip replies, “It gets better.”

At that moment, the doorbell rings and Stan arrives with a six-pack of Miller Highlife beer.  Elizabeth complains that Stan isn’t providing enough vegetables for her kid’s dinners. (She may kill people on a daily basis but she won’t feed her kids junk food!)  Paige and Elizabeth leave the men alone with their beer. 

Stan shares that he appreciates Paige and thinks her growing friendship with Matthew is a positive development.  Phillip bites his tongue and doesn’t voice his disapproval.  Stan raves about a woman he met at the gym, but he hasn’t spoken to her yet.  Stan’s plan is to go to the gym daily to see her and “get in the best shape of my life!”

Later in the bedroom, Phillip details his conversation with Stan to his wife.  On the subject of Matthew and Paige, he remarks, “He’s going to be heartbroken when it doesn’t work out.”  Elizabeth promises to talk to her daughter.

A train cuts through the snowy countryside of Yugoslavia.  Misha looks out the window at the darkness while a letter from his mother is narrated.  She explains her sadness and regrets in life and hopes that he will have a better life in the United States.  She says she always believed his father (Phillip) to be a good man.  It is unclear whether she is still living.

Oleg arrives at the regional office for Soviet intelligence.  The man who interviews him notes that Oleg’s request for a transfer BACK to the Soviet Union was highly unusual.  The man is frank about the current challenges the country is facing, shortages, inefficiencies, and corruption.  They are planning on creating a new task force to crack down on corruption.  He warns Oleg that the investigation will include high officials, including people Oleg and his family is likely to know and have been social with.  It is therefore very important to keep their work very secret.  He asks Oleg, “Are you a KGB officer first?”  Oleg looks at him fiercely, “Of course!”

Claudia and Gabriel walk together through a park in the rain.  Claudia informs him they believe Misha has defected and may seek out his father in the United States.  The conversation shifts to Phillip and Elizabeth and their recent “troubles.”  Despite their near exposure, Claudia is in awe of how they continue their service.  “Nothing scares those two!”  Gabriel, who has seen more of the pair, especially Phillip’s fragility, disagrees, “Everything scares those two.”

Elizabeth seeks out Paige in the teen’s bedroom. (Paige is wearing an Esprit sweatshirt, oh the memories!)  “I want to help you with your nightmares!”  She takes Paige to the garage.  Elizabeth pushes her, grabs her hair and then her wrist.  Paige is baffled and protests.  Elizabeth instructs her, “Do anything to protect yourself!”  She shows Paige how to make a fist.  Elizabeth wants to give her daughter the tools to defend herself.  While Elizabeth is much too secretive to discuss her own sexual assault, the memory of that it motivates her to teach Paige not to be a victim.

Oleg walks down the rainy streets of Moscow back to his parent’s flat.  It appears he might have someone following him.  Oleg’s father greets him warmly and asks about the job.  Oleg is tight-lipped, saying only that it went well.

Phillip is in the laundry room, close to where most of their spy equipment is stored.  They discuss new safe house addresses and other details.  Elizabeth reports that she taught Paige some “self-defense” and was pleased that her daughter is fast.  Phillip again urges his wife to talk to Paige about Matthew.  Elizabeth is vague, “I will.”  Does she not want to hurt their newly strengthened mother-daughter bond?

Gabriel greets Phillip and Elizabeth at his new safe house.  He explains what he knows about William’s final days and death. They all seem surprised at William’s loyalty, in the end, he infected himself rather than talk to the Americans.  Elizabeth marvels that William is a hero. Phillip adds sarcastically, “Maybe he’ll get a stamp.”  Gabriel notes that they still have something to do regarding dead scientist.  Gabriel shows them an aerial picture of a U.S. Army facility.

Phillip and Elizabeth, dressed in dark clothes, wait in a thickly wooded area at night.  A car drives slowly up a nearby road with its headlights off.  Phillip approaches the car; the man inside informs them they have twenty minutes until the next security pass.  More men emerge from the woods and met up with Phillip and Elizabeth.  One cuts through the high chain link fence and the group enter the secure area.  Phillip studies the aerial photo as the team tries to orient themselves.  Hans, the young South African is one member of the team.  Animals can be heard; an Army Jeep passes on the road but does not see the fence has been breached.

The team silently goes to work, laying tarp and getting out shovels.  The men start to dig a large hole. One man walks up a knoll to keep a lookout on the road.  It seems like hours have passed.  The men and Elizabeth take turns digging.  Elizabeth and Phillip share coffee from a thermos. The hole appears to be at least six feet deep; a rope ladder is dropped down to assist with getting in and out of the hole.  Finally, a man strikes a hard metal box with a bright biohazard label.  The box is opened with the use of a blowtorch. Those in the hole don masks and thick gloves for protection.  The box is opened to reveal the corpse of William, wrapped in thick plastic with a note stating, “Do not burn!”

Phillip carefully opens the body bag using a scalpel.  Elizabeth stands next to him as he removes several inches of tissue from William’s thigh area.  Elizabeth bags up the specimen and hands it to Hans.  Hans accidently falls and cuts his hand with the scalpel which had just been used to cut the sample.  The wound has punctured his gloves but he assures Elizabeth that “It doesn’t hurt.” (These are first audible words spoken this entire scene.)  She assures him it’s okay.  Hans turns to climb the ladder out of the hole when Elizabeth shoots him in the head using a gun outfitted with a silencer.  They quickly place his body on top of William’s and close the metal box again.   

It’s a brutally jarring end for Hans and the first episode.  While it’s easy to understand that Hans had possibly been infected with a lethal bioweapon, which had to be contained, Elizabeth’s cool efficiency in dispatching him is remarkable.  There was a time when it was clear he had romantic feelings for her, and he was always an eager student.  It’s hard not to feel sorry for him, in that last moment he trusted his mentor that it would “be okay.”  But perhaps this illustrates the steely resolve Elizabeth feels about her own mission and life as an agent.  If faced with exposure (to U.S. law enforcement) would Elizabeth and Phillip kill themselves?  It’s unclear why they had to obtain the sample in the first place, but it will likely be sent back to the Soviets for research. 

The preview of upcoming episodes continues to develop the storyline with Paige as well as Gabriel suggesting the United States is sabotaging the Soviet’s grain supply.  Stan is approached about “turning” Oleg.  Elizabeth and Phillip will have to endure more meals with Pasha’s parents as his father continues his anti-communist rants.  It's a chilling start to what is bound to be a suspenseful season.