The Jennings are getting it from all sides when it comes to ambushes lately. Last week, Philip and Elizabeth were caught off guard by the CIA. This week, Philip and Elizabeth are caught off guard by their own daughter. Given all the arguing Phil and Liz have been doing recently, in regards to the future of Paige, it is completely fitting to see their own daughter actually pull off her own deceptive mission, even if it does put the family at a level of odds with each other that could make matters much more interesting, as far as what could or could not be revealed very soon. Making matters worse is the target Philip has to go after in “Dimebag”. In a season entailing so much drama in recruiting someone, not only personally connected but very young, this episode really knows how to twist the knife.
As we learned last week, the Jennings were tailing a member of the CIA Afghan Group who happened to have a babysitter that was revealed to be the daughter of the head of the group. It is a hell of a way to find an in to such a high-level target, but here we are with Elizabeth in a funky disguise watching this young girl, Kimberly (Kimmy to her friends), purchasing a dimebag (hey!) of drugs. In regards to this storyline, the rest of the episode focused on the grief that Philip had, while in disguise as a lawyer/lobbyist helping out Kimberly and her friends with fake IDs. This brings them close, of course, because Philip is apparently a master of appealing to women of all ages, but Matthew Rhys is never one to not let the audience in on how he is really feeling, even if everyone else is none-the-wiser.
These feelings stem from Paige and the continued drama involving what to do about her state as a normal girl who is basically at a crossroads between choosing religion and choosing to be a part of the secret life with her parents that she does not know about. Just when Philip and Elizabeth started to dial down the tension and began an attempt to reasonably talk things over, this week throws them back into the deep end, as Paige requests to celebrate her birthday at home, with her family, as well as Pastor Tim and his wife. There is some suspicion involving the intent, but most of it is chalked up to Paige either not having friends or having her own kind of way of digging at her parents.
Regardless, the request is granted, Philip buys some steaks (though Elizabeth’s ‘taco night’ plans also sounded fun), and a friendly dinner is had. Things seem to be going well enough, but then Paige reveals her master plan: getting baptized. No disguises were needed, no bugs were planted, and no one had to get hurt. Instead of all that, Paige’s deception was a clever one, as she put all the interested parties in one location, proposed an idea, and allowed the only possible answer to emerge. Philip and Elizabeth have been so focused on arguing over whether or not and how to tell Paige about their true origins that they could not see this trap coming and are now faced with possibly devastating their daughter. As Elizabeth says, “It was a setup,” and Paige is a smart girl.
As far as the smart girls go, it continues with Nina, who is back this week and given an opportunity to reduce her sentencing. The woman she is currently sharing a cell with may have vital information, based on her boyfriend’s activities, which is what landed her in prison to begin with. If Nina can get this information out of her, it may mean good things for her future. As Nina both understands what is required of her and is capable of pulling this off, she goes for it. It may have taken the faking of a nightmare to draw her target in, but it will be neat to see how far Nina gets and in what way we may find her somehow involved with the rest of the series again.
Stepping in another direction to focus on Nina’s past lover, Stan Beeman is back in action this week, as we see him back at another EST meeting And getting some burgers with Zinaida. The two are related, as Stan is dealing with a lot. EST allows him to bring out some angry feelings in front of a large crowd, which also spurs on an admirer in the form of Tori (played by Callie Thorne of Rescue Me and Necessary Roughness fame). We will see where that goes, but for now, Stan is still pining over Sandra. He goes to her to admit he had an affair and that he is an a-hole. Strong stuff, but this honesty, in turn, finds him wanting to know the truth about Zinaida.
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Convinced that the defector is hiding something, Stan goes to Gaad about his concern, but then takes it upon himself to have dinner with Zinaida, only to revisit the same restaurant later that night and examine what he thinks could have been a possible espionage-related location. He finds nothing and it makes me continue to wonder where Stan is headed. Noah Emmerich does some fine work here, as he has to play a man who can be very good at his job, but is stuck in a rut emotionally, with few ways to let everything out.
A lot of gears were turning in this episode of The Americans, but nothing ever becomes too complicated with this show. Complex, sure, as I really enjoy seeing the ways these characters are dealing with so much, while various shadows loom over them in the form of the truths they must face or allegiances they deal with. That in mind, while subdued than the previous few episodes, I am still plenty invested in how things will playout, especially given how Paige-related arguments will surely have a big turn sometime soon. We will have to see, but at least the girl got the new Yaz album to listen to.
Other Things Behind The Red Curtain:
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- Yaz! Finally, this season dives headfirst into some key music choices, with a great way to connect both Paige and Kimberly, with Philip at the center.
- Elizabeth also had a subplot this week, which found her conversing with her friend from AA. I am sure we will get more from this, but it was less interesting than everything else going on.
- Stan is still joined by his best pal Philip at EST, but pulls a jerk move in trying to have him go on stage. I didn’t like dem apples…
- Henry Jennings check-in: He knows his state capitols and likes cheesecake.
- Stan just wanted a good burger and even that is tough for him.
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