The Americans - Recap: Gregory, Granny, and a Gold Ring

Last week’s unfortunate losses saw the ignition of a true secret war on The Americans. During “Only You,” the repercussions following two unfortunate casualties set both the KGB and the FBI into action. All season long, we’ve watched both sides playing mind games in the battle for information. Now, it seems the ball of bloodshed has started rolling, and there is no stopping it. One more character bit the bullet by the end of episode 10. Well, make that several bullets.

FX "The Americans"

The episode opened with the FBI armoring up following the death of Stan’s (Noah Emmerich) partner, Chris Amador. Stan, needless to say, stood at the forefront of their quest for vengeance. Of course, he’d killed an innocent agent in an attempt to rectify the KGB’s murder of his friend. That’s the thing; this all seemed like a pretty complicated game of cat and mouse, until a string of unfortunate events sent all of our key players into a more personal war. This show was never even truly about politics, which is why connecting with KGB characters was at all possible to begin with. We just see two sides in a game, as opposed to two sides in a war. Having said that, we got to know Chris Amador over the course of this first season. Watching Phillip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) inadvertently kill him off while milking him for information only made me feel more sympathetic towards Stan, whom I’d always somewhat favored to begin with.

When a reeling Sam was sent home for a good night’s rest, he found himself instead meandering in a drunken stupor to Phillip’s motel. Phillip and Elizabeth had admittedly felt pretty down about the death of Amador, but watching Stan reminisce about his friendship with Chris laid the guilt even heavier on Phillip’s heart. Later, Stan would find himself turning to Nina (Annet Mahendru) in his search for information surrounding his partner’s murder. Funny enough, the tables would be turned. Vlad, the Russian boy Stan had killed in an eye-for-an-eye type of act, was Nina’s true friend. While Stan searched for answers through Nina, she made him promise to do the same for her. Of course, he had all of the answers she was looking for, while she was honestly clueless. Vlad was looking to leave "the cause" in favor of medical school. He never wanted to be a KGB officer in the first place. In truth, he only made the attempt to please his uncle.

Much of the first half of episode 10 surrounded Stan’s linking together of clues. Agent Amador wore a specific ring at all times, but the ring had never been recovered. Phillip and Elizabeth had made sure to sterilize and clean out all areas involved, but Chris had played it smart. He’d secretly hidden the ring in the trunk of the vehicle used to dispose of his body. The vehicle had, of course, been stripped; however, the Jennings missed the one clue they desperately needed to dispose of. The junkyard owner had attempted to pawn the ring as soon as he found it, leading Stan straight to his yard. As it turned out, the man was used to dealing with crooked criminals, including Gregory’s (Derek Luke) team of drug dealers.

Suddenly, Stan had discovered a true lead. After sifting through countless mug shots matching the driver’s description, Stan realized that he’d seen the culprit before. Earlier in the season, during one of Gregory’s team’s initial appearances, Stan had caught a solid glimpse of the man’s face, but was unable to catch him. Eventually, Stan and his team would corner the dealer outside of his apartment. There was a catch, though. Gregory had kept his men in the dark surrounding their involvement with the KGB. They were simply paid to carry out tasks, mostly drug deals. Stan knew this and played off of their common ground. Both he and Gregory’s man were true Americans.

The remainder of the episode surrounded the end game for Gregory, who’d been outed as the leader of his of organization. This was particularly difficult for Elizabeth to cope with, considering their absolutely honest relationship and genuine friendship. Plus, he’s the only man Elizabeth ever really loved, and he’d have to leave for Moscow or die. I have to say, I appreciated Granny’s (Margo Martindale) soft spot for Elizabeth more so than ever this week. She was admittedly adamant in her refusal to let Gregory slide through the cracks, but she still showed a sense of genuine maternal protection over the Jennings.

Claudia’s talk with Gregory was also a great moment during “Only You.” It was a no brainer; Gregory would be a terrible fit for Moscow, but the KGB attempted to work as a makeshift travel brochure of sorts, hoping no triggers would have to be pulled to cover their own trail. Claudia alerted Gregory to the fact that they’d planted evidence in his apartment linking him to the murder of Amador directly. Strangely, he appreciated their clever tactic. Granny is a “guard dog,” and her people always come first. Still, Gregory remained unconvinced. He’d attempted to coerce Elizabeth into letting him move out to Los Angeles under the guise of a new identity and even, drastically enough, after carving himself a new face all together. In the end, it was Moscow or bust.

Stan and Elizabeth both faced similar opportunities. After seeing a slight break in Stan following the devastating death of his partner, his wife Sandra offered him the opportunity to up and leave, to move away to a new life together. Stan, of course, refused, even if it meant harboring the pain that comes coupled with the dark secrets of life in the FBI. In the same vein, Gregory made one last plea to Elizabeth in which he begged her to run away with him. Elizabeth’s response was very much the same as Stan’s.

FX "The Americans"

The episode closed with Gregory’s final decision. He and Elizabeth argued endlessly in a safe apartment, but the conversation went nowhere. Gregory was a civil rights activist who was simply looking to be a part of a movement, and he was grateful for that. His decision was to lure the police into discovering him on the street and to go down in a blaze of glory. Phillip had been commanded by Claudia to do the deed himself, but a little coercion from Elizabeth to trust Gregory did the trick. It was a nice moment of slight reconciliation for the couple, although, the emotional connection between Elizabeth and Gregory seemed entirely more passionate. Gregory died in a maelstrom of police gunshots on the street. Later, Elizabeth would learn of his fate via the local news before sitting down to dinner with her children as though nothing had changed.

What did you think of The Americans Season 1 Episode 10, “Only You”? When Nina inevitably learns the truth about Vlad, will it spell the end for her relationship with Stan? Will Phillip and Elizabeth rekindle things? Will you miss Gregory? How are you digging Granny?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Americans Season 1 Episode 10, “Only You”!