This week’s installment was a powerful shift in the intentions of several primary characters. As I had predicted, the final hours of this season will set the course for the final trajectory of the show. Themes of faith and patriotism loom large as justification for adultery, blackmail and possibly bullying a teenage boy to suicide. In a way, the current events occurring in the U.S. surpass the wildest expectations of the Cold War soldiers. Can you imagine Phillip attempting to use the Ambassador to plant a bug in the Oval Office when he visits, accompanied only by the TASS photographers? Could Elizabeth ever dreamed that a sitting president would ban his own press in favor of the Russians? The best fiction must contain relatable emotions and scenarios, which The Americans has mastered.
The hour begins with Phillip in his pilot personae sharing a drink of homemade “kvass” with Alexei. Alexei probes Phillip for details about his family life, like his relationship with “Dee” and Tuan. Alexei is worried that Pasha has gone from being argumentative to quiet. “Like dog, someone beat with stick, sad, very sad boy.” Phillip states that Tuan can be a “handful.” (Like taking a bus to another state to make forbidden contact with his stepbrother.) For the first time, the Soviet defector admits that he misses his homeland. “In this place, you have money but not easy to be happy.” He recalls ice-skating with his mother, who worked hard as a professor and single mother after his father was imprisoned. Phillip looks reflective as he speaks, perhaps wondering about his own mother and hometown.
Tuan comes home to find Elizabeth washing dishes. He again apologizes for his “stupid behavior.” Elizabeth offers him a communist pep talk, “Everything you’ve been through, your people your country… I admire you, I believe in you. You’re fighting so things like that don’t happen to other people. I wish I could tell you it gets easier but it doesn’t. But you can do this, you can be great at it!” Tuan thanks her for the encouragement but she warns him sternly not to make the same mistake again. (It seems Elizabeth may be practicing what she wants to say about her career to Paige.)
Phillip returns to meet with “Dee” and Tuan he recounts his conversation summarizing that Pasha is doing worse. Tuan asks, “Did he tell you about the shit in his locker?” Phillip is shocked. Tuan elaborates that he slyly suggested the bullies place dog shit in Pasha’s locker. Pasha has no idea the prank was Tuan’s idea, Elizabeth praises Tuan’s initiative but Phillip looks concerned. How will Pasha cope feeling alone and isolated?
Paige is washing the kitchen floor with a mop. When Phillip and Elizabeth come home they note her agitated state. Elizabeth asks her what happened, she babysits for Pastor Tim that evening. Paige reveals, “Pastor Tim thinks I might really be screwed up, he’s worried about my soul.” Phillip is shocked, “He said that?” Paige read it in his diary, despite their warning her not to snoop around. Elizabeth defends Paige, stating, “He doesn’t know you!” Paige counters that Pastor Tim cares about her and she is worried his words are true, that all the lying in her family has screwed her up. Phillip notes everyone thinks they themselves are screwed up, that’s normal. Elizabeth is more defensive, “It wasn’t exactly lying, and we kept things from you because we had to, to protect you and our family. And when you were ready we told you.” Paige looks hurt, with these words and losing Matthew she’s having a hard time feeling good about herself.
Elizabeth and Phillip work at their travel company office. Elizabeth is still enraged by Pastor Tim’s assessment of Paige. “Can’t you just see him in his little office, writing notes and observations about all of his parishioners, us?” Phillip wishes Tim had kept it locked up. Elizabeth scoffs that he probably thinks he’s got God on his side. Phillip worries that this incident is but another thing that will eat away at Paige. “She’s not the kind to put things behind her.” Elizabeth disagrees but Paige does resemble her father more emotionally. Elizabeth thinks Paige’s disillusionment with religion will help her, “See him for what he is.” Elizabeth hopes Paige will follow her parents “faith” in communism.
In Moscow, Oleg and Ruslan survey the woman Dmitri told them about. She exits an old Soviet car, removing the side mirror and locking it inside so that it won’t be stolen. She appears to live in a very modest flat. Oleg wonders if Dmitri gave them a real name, she hardly appears like a major boss who would scare him. Oleg notes that if she’s amassing a fortune she doesn’t appear to be spending it. Ruslan counters, “Sometimes they just store it away for one day, if they live long enough.” Oleg tells his partner about being pulled in for questioning and the search of his apartment. The older man notes that Oleg is still working so it can’t be that serious but figure they had a reason to search the apartment. Oleg theorizes perhaps they found his name in CIA intercepts, maybe just because he worked at the Rezidentura. (This is a partial confession, his name would have been known to the FBI and on Beeman’s papers now in the hands of the CIA.) “Unless they have evidence you committed high treason, you’re fine.” Oleg knows there was evidence on the tape but doesn’t know what they still may have on him. Oleg is wary, “I’ve seen them decide someone’s guilty, and that’s that. They see what they want to see.” Oleg can’t control the situation any longer; he seems resigned to the fact he may end up like Nina.
In Washington, Dennis and Stan wait for Sofia to visit them in an apartment. Stan lets her inside. She lives in the building and is impressed they’ve rented an apartment there for the sole purpose of meeting with her. “We promised to keep you safe.” They ask her about the dentist and she answers with a wide smile, her teeth were fixed after several appointments. She seems happy and reveals she’s in a relationship with a man. He’s a member of the famous Soviet National Hockey team, Gennadi Bystov, and he flies to America to visit and adores her young son. (Many members of the Soviet National team were on active military duty.) She reveals he brings “packages” over for the Soviet government. Dennis and Stan have a new major asset.
Claudia receives the recording from Kimmy’s father, detailing the hemorrhagic fever, which killed mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan. Phillip and Elizabeth leave their coats on for the meeting. Elizabeth notes they sent the Lassa virus to the Centre but Claudia denies any knowledge of a link. Elizabeth takes a seat and explains they’ve been wondering if Pastor Tim could “get help” finding a job offer. Claudia notes they have contacts with certain peace organizations all over the world. Claudia explains that the wheat sample was “extraordinary” and claims it was a Kazak variety stolen from the Soviets. She says it will take years to work on and they will need to keep Kemp and Stobert running for the foreseeable future. It’s doubtful the sample was of Soviet origin but perhaps they are saying that to save face in light of the American’s superiority in the genetically altered wheat. Elizabeth and Phillip will have to keep enduring Topeka.
Paige sits alone in her bedroom reading. Elizabeth and Phillip knock and enter. Phillip begins by explaining they’ve discussed her distress over Pastor Tim’s comments and have decided that she “shouldn’t have to manage him the rest of her life.” They tell her their organization could give him a job offer, something that would make him “very happy” working for a religious charity group. Paige seems bewildered by the idea her parents could make such an offer, especially without Pastor Tim knowing. They emphasize they would only do it with her approval. This extension of choice is important for teens, but most teens don’t have the power of a national secret spy organization to make their wishes reality.
Paige sighs and asks how the grain crop sabotage mission is progressing. Her parents tell her only half-truths, that they were “able to stop it” and that it was "complicated". Paige is impressed that her parents saved the Soviet people from this heinous attack. She seems frustrated that no one can know her parents “heroic” actions. “That’s how it works,” Phillip concludes.
After exiting her room Elizabeth says, “That was good.” Paige’s “grooming” is coming along nicely. Elizabeth tells him she has to go to Topeka soon. “More tai chi?” Phillip adds awkwardly.
It’s snowing in Moscow. The Burov family eats in silence punctuated by sighs and uncomfortable looks. Oleg’s mother looks especially concerned about her son.
Evgheniya and Elizabeth share tea. Evgheniya notes that her students are making progress but their pronunciation is still poor. Elizabeth notes Tuan learned English faster because no one was able to speak Vietnamese with him. Evgheniya thinks that idea might work for her family. Elizabeth notes that school was also helpful for Tuan. Evgheniya shares what the bullies did to Pasha. Her son hates school and feels incredibly isolated. Elizabeth feigns shock over Pasha’s situation, noting that Tuan makes friends easily. (Way to make the mother feel worse Elizabeth!) Elizabeth offers Evgheniya milquetoast advice, “It gets better.” Evgheniya is not so confident, worried it may get worse for Pasha.
Evgheniya confesses to having an affair with one of her students. “I was so mad at Alexei and he was so nice, easy and fun.” She realizes now that Alexei is trying to not argue with her as much, “He says we must be strong, for Pasha.” She feels really guilty about the affair. Meanwhile, Elizabeth seems to be attempting to calculate how to use the affair to break this family apart. She asks Evgheniya what she wants to do, and she tearfully says she just wants her family to be happy. “Then fight for that,” advises Elizabeth.
Phillip and Elizabeth conclude a double date with Stan and Renee. Renee is energetic and genuinely seems to care for Stan. They attempt to plan another night out soon but Renee notes she’s “headed home” the following week. They part ways amicably.
Once alone in the car, Phillip raises his suspicion again that Renee might be working for the Centre. Elizabeth counters, “Why does this bother you so much? The Centre has nothing to do with them and so what if they do?” Phillip looks grave, “I don’t want Stan to be like Martha.” Phillip still feels guilty about what happened to Martha, how she was just lonely and lost everything. It’s clear Elizabeth has never been involved with her “marks” in the same emotional fashion. She is able to compartmentalize her feelings better than Phillip. She is able to move the pieces and only be concerned about winning the game.
Phillip is shown running through the park on a cold winter’s day. In his mind, he replays an “EST” class. The instructor gives the analogy about how one would move in the dark, expecting there to be obstacles but how would you feel if the lights came on and you realized that nothing was there? He explains the body has an instinct to move forward, our brains are machines and therefore programmed to “stimulus-response” type actions. The instructor concludes, “If we are machines what are we to make of this notion of enlightenment? Accepting that we are machines?” Phillip drops a rock near a construction site. Is his work merely a “stimulus-response” type activity? What would Phillip do with his life if he had another choice?
Paige is busy doing homework when Phillip returns home from his run. He sits down on the couch next to her. Phillip brings up what Pastor Tim wrote about her. He mentions he still attends EST meetings sometimes and they make you think about the “hard stuff in life” like questions she has asked. He notes she’s asked them how they ended up in their careers. “One thing they’ve taught me is that who you are as a kid, you don’t need to stay that way.” Paige is still troubled that Pastor Tim’s words rang true to her. Phillip argues that even if some things are “a little bit true” he still doesn’t know her. Paige marvels how her parents could change his whole life through the job offer and he wouldn’t even know. Phillip says they can’t make him take the job but Paige knows he would want it. She seems on the verge of telling her father her decision on the matter when she shifts the conversation over to Henry.
“Henry knows what he wants.” Again, playing a “little mother” Paige advocates that her brother would be better off going away to school. She doesn’t explicitly say it but implies it would make it easier for the family to keep him ignorant.
At the Soviet Embassy, a man hands Tatiana the rock that Phillip dropped. She opens it up to remove a coded message and begins to decipher the note.
Paige helps Pastor Tim load up boxes of food for the needy. She seems detached and businesslike with him. She states “I think about people who need this food, who stand in line for it. It makes me feel pretty lucky.” Pastor Tim praises for coping with her situation. “Look how much you’ve grown, you’re definitely moving in the right direction.” Paige looks a little shaken by his comment because she knows his secret assessment of her. Pastor Tim offers her some scripture, asking her to turn to her faith when she’s in doubt and the Lord will sustain her. “You’re going to do great in life.” Paige looks at him with a blank stare. It seems her faith in him and possibly the Lord is completely gone.
Dennis and Stan attend a briefing in the “vault” regarding how film and other messages are delivered from Moscow to the Rezidentura. Sofia’s hockey player boyfriend is a courier for such packages, which could possibly contain smuggled technology, weapons or other contraband. The weakness in the system is in the security area bathroom. How they are going to exploit the weakness remains to be revealed.
Phillip drives Elizabeth to an abandoned industrial area. “Where are you taking me, I don’t like surprises.” Phillip smiles. After stopping the car, he takes off his disguise of hat and glasses, Elizabeth removes her wig and glasses. He takes out their “marriage certificate” which they received prior to being paired off and coming to the United States. Phillip flashes back to that moment when they were both nervous and young. “Do you want to make this official?”
Phillip leads her inside of a large empty building, they descend the stairs. “Keep in mind I didn’t have many options, Gabriel ran this guy for years and he’s from home.” The Orthodox priest is waiting for them in full regalia in front of an improvised alter. Father Andrei is introduced to Elizabeth, he says they will be married but the paperwork to make it legal will have to be completed in the Soviet Union at a later time. Before beginning, Andrei asks them to remove their wedding bands. Phillip whispers, “I know it’s not perfect, with God and everything.” Elizabeth nods and smiles.
The priest performs the ceremony in Russian using their real names, Mikhail and Nadezhda. He places a new ring on each of their hands. He places a crown on each of their heads as he crowns them bride and groom. It’s moving and beautiful to see them finally declare their love for each other. They step on a cloth to symbolize their journey together. Elizabeth and Phillip seem almost innocent as they move through the ritual despite all the hardships they’ve faced together. Father Andrei bows and smiles as he completes the ceremony.
At home, Elizabeth and Phillip enter the laundry room and wordlessly place their symbolic rings into their safe. They look at each other and embrace.
Evgheniya walks down a city street in the daytime when Tatiana approaches her from the Rezidentura. Evgheniya’s face goes blanches when the other woman introduces herself. Tatiana informs her that despite the way she and her family left the Soviet Union, she would not be in trouble were she to return home. Tatiana blames “Western propaganda” for the misconception. Tatiana says they’d like for them to return home and it also improves their image if defectors return. Tatiana again promises they would not be in trouble if they decided to return. She asks Evgheniya if she’s happy in America and she is silent. Tatiana asks her to consider what she’s said and thanks her for listening.
Phillip and Elizabeth work on some travel booking information at home. Paige returns from babysitting at Pastor Tim’s. She reveals that she has taken photos of the diary in the hope that it may be useful in finding a placement for him aboard. “I’m not mad at him, he’s been really good to me, but he hasn’t been good for our family.” She’s made her decision, and her parents approve. She says he mentioned going to South America after college and loving the experience there. Paige knew she couldn’t get the photos developed at “Photo-Mat” and her parents lead her downstairs and spring into action.
They set up the darkroom with skill and experience, much like the skill Elizabeth used to dispatch the would-be rapist last season. The scene is woven together with the Bauhuas song, “Slice of Life.” The lyrics pay homage to feminist artist Barbara Kruger who is famous for photographs covered with bold block headline captions. “Slice of life” is a term in photojournalism referring to an image made extraordinary by it’s timing and the emotion it conveys. (Lyrics appear in quotes.)
“Her gaze hit the side of mine, so I opened it out. To destroy what you thought was difference. So I lied to you once again, I painted over you, once again and I die before you once again. What’s the difference?”
The room turns red. The images start to appear before the three of them in the haunting light. Some it is the mundane day-to-day life of his work, he mentions how he enjoyed Ecuador. But then the words that hurt Paige so deeply come to light. He writes, “Are they monsters? I don’t know but what they did to their daughter. I’ve seen sexual abuse, I’ve seen affairs but nothing I’ve seen compares to what P.J. has been though.” Elizabeth's eyes fixate on the word "affairs."
“So clear up what you are. Rip up these eyes, rip up this place and scream, I am your slice of life!”
Phillip and Elizabeth continue to read, “severe psychic injury, faith may help but I fear it may not be enough the damage has been done!” Phillip and Elizabeth exchange horrified looks.
“I am your slice of life! And the car opened him up to so much more. And the money is brighter with a wider smile!”
The words continue to scream off the page, “How can she ever trust anyone ever again? I am afraid for her soul. How can she know the difference between right and wrong. She doesn’t even know how much she’s suffering.”
Paige looks at her parents, in a way like a child imploring them to fix these hurtful words. It was said the previous season that Pastor Tim couldn’t be killed because of his relationship with Paige but after causing her so much turmoil, Pastor Tim may have feared for her soul but now he should fear for his life.
Diaries are meant to help one reflect and process the emotional world around them. It can be mundane, “slice of life” or emotions or thoughts, which would be hurtful or taboo to expose. Pastor Tim’s words were never meant to be shared. He didn’t keep them locked because he is a naïve and honest man. I think he meant what he said to Paige at the church, he does think she’ll have a great life. His words in the diary reflect his shock and raw reaction to her situation. Paige sees this as duplicitous but in reality, she is transferring her lack of trust from her parents to Pastor Tim. Pastor Tim may be guilty of doubts about her in private but everyone has those types of feelings sometimes, even for those we care deeply about. One the other hand, her parents have consistently lied to her deliberately and for the purpose of grooming her for their lifestyle.
This episode signals a profound shift in the series. Paige’s recruitment seems complete. The decision appears to be supported by both parents yet for different reasons. Phillip shares his daughter’s sensitivity, something he feels that she could bring to the work while Elizabeth exploits Paige’s idealism. Together they’ve all agreed it’s best to keep Henry ignorant to the truth. It’s natural to want the best for your children, it’s possible they believe that their work is suited for their daughter or it could be the Old World tradition to pass on your skills through apprenticeship. In some aspects, Phillip and Elizabeth can’t help themselves, it’s the only life they know, they are proud of their service and are secretly happy to pass on their way of life. What’s sad is that Paige has little idea what she’s really getting into. She has no clue to how murder and adultery are daily activities in her parent’s lives.
The preview of the penultimate episode looks intense. Henry gets a tour of the FBI with Stan and is possibly interested in that career path. Claudia wants them to find a Nazi collaborator. Phillip struggles to make sure the killing of this woman is justified. The house of cards is so delicately balanced, will it crash down by the series finale?
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