TV Review: FX’s The Americans 3×8, “Divestment”

Martha, Martha, Martha! Despite committed work from Alison Wright over the past few seasons, I am aware that a part of the audience just wishes she would wise up to what is going on. Now, we have two episodes in a row that go out of their way to give Poor Martha plenty to do and Wright most certainly delivers. And Martha is just one of several of the players heavily involved with this week’s episode of The Americans. “Divestment” may not have had the same thrilling, Fleetwood Mac-fueled conclusion akin to last week’s stellar episode, but it does feature a lot of tense conversations, better informed by what we know about all of these characters. It also has a man brutally killed via immolation.

Picking up where last week’s episode left off…we find Philip, Elizabeth, and Rueben dealing with the soldier and his terrorist-in-training Todd, who they abducted last week. We also find Agent Taffet conducting interrogations at the FBI. Then you have Arkady dealing with a phone call from Oleg’s father, the Minister of Railways. And then there’s Nina, who is given a new proposition. There are a lot of one-on-one conversations in this episode and they all feel like interrogations, given how the audience is well aware of most of the knowledge that comes from at least one side of these character-based scenarios.

It comes as a nice break from previous weeks, which have kept Philip and Elizabeth at odds with each other, given the whole Paige situation. It has in no way been forgotten about though, as the actions and decisions being made by both characters are still very much informed by where they currently stand on that topic, let alone the other things going on in their lives.

Philip, of course, is dealing with the pressures of involving himself with Kimberly for the sake of keeping tabs on the CIA Afghan group (we don’t revisit with her this week either) along with his Martha-related drama, and of course the revelation that he has a son. Elizabeth is more or less understanding of her current situation and the drama going on with her husband, which leads to a neat surprise at the end, when she requests that Gabriel do what he can to bring Philip’s son, Mischa, home. I will be curious to see if this goes anywhere, especially given the potential it could have as far as whether or not to end up truly involving Paige in her parents real lives.

While the Jennings are our lead characters, we do get a lot out of seeing them interact with others on a more subdued level. This episode began with a flashback to last year’s episode which involved the Anton character who returns this week. A distinct memory I had was how cold Philip was, as Anton pleaded for his life. While not as intense, listening to Rueben explain his thoughts to a mostly silent Philip is the kind of thing that allows for an understanding of the characters on both sides, as a minor character gets a chance to flesh themselves out, while Matthew Rhys in this case (Keri Russell in others) do what they can simply by allowing us to watch them think.

These feats are always impressive on The Americans, but we do also have other characters to contend with. Nina is back this week and I am happy to see her involved with the Anton character from last year, who could have easily disappeared, but is instead back on this show. Seeing Nina forced to be involved in a new plot to figure out whether or not Anton is doing his job makes for an interesting situation that still has me wondering if she will ever directly connect with the rest of the show. This can similarly be said about Oleg who, based on his conversation with Arkady, seems closer to being on his way out. A show like The Americans is certainly benefiting from having this interesting world that exists beyond the lead characters; not just in the sense that they are living in a grounded reality, but in a way that gives us minor and guest characters who can be brought in and out of the series so effectively.

Agent Aderholt has been a guest presence on this show for several weeks now, but he seems like a solid presence, because of how well the show has found a way to incorporate the FBI element. Hearing him talk to Taffet about his past and current standing does enough to once again have us recognize the expanding universe of The Americans, but it also does plenty to raise the tension on Martha, as we know Taffet must be getting close to learning something.

Speaking of which, it is now time to talk about Martha. Following a tense line of questioning involving her handling of Gaad’s pens, Martha knows she has to talk to Clark and find out what is really going on. It is a great scene for both Wright and Rhys, as the two play up their marital tension well, with both knowing more than they let on. As Clarke, Philip understands he has to explain a version of the truth to calm Martha down. Still, Martha is not letting Clarke’s lies work on her anymore. We leave the episode on a strong note, with Martha’s expression communicating that she needs to do something about the position she is in. Unfortunately for her, Philip does know how to drop something cold, if need be.

In yet another solid season of The Americans, “Divestment” manages to deliver some strong character-based material for almost the entire cast, minus the Beemans (Stan headed out to Chicago and I’m sure Sandy was busy with EST). Being in the second half of the season, The Americans is finding ways to further tighten the rope on some of these characters, while setting up others for some serious payoffs or setbacks. Whether or not that leads to any major action taking place, the direction of this season has plenty of confidence and it is only aided further by allowing more development of some of these minor characters, particularly Martha.

Other Things Behind The Red Curtain:

• Henry report: According to Paige, Henry was playing some electronic game this week.
• That gasoline fire death really was a horrible way to die.
• Paige tried to get some information out of Elizabeth by bringing up Gregory. She really does have a knack for this sort of thing.
• Gaad Vs. Mail Robot, what a sight.
• These wigs remain pretty fun this week.