The Americans - Recap: Mr. KGB Man
The Americans continued tonight with an episode that focused on the lifelong identity crises that our two KGB leads face in their dedication to the cause.
As previously stated, Episode 5 was a very physically still episode for the most part. Philip spent most of his time conversing with his Jewish captive, while Elisabeth met with Martha (Alison Wright) to smooth out some of the wrinkles in “Clarke’s” “marriage” and later quickly rendezvoused with her navy connection, Brad. In the end, a long car ride sequence between Philip and Anton delivered an emotionally powerful punch that coupled very well with a shocking and suspenseful reveal for Stan (Noah Emmerich).
FX "The Americans"
Basically, Anton Baklonov managed to escape the Jennings’ attempt to capture him during the close of Episode 4; however, his ally was not so lucky. The man Elisabeth had previously beaten to a bloody pulp was tied down by Philip and awaited certain death inside a dank safe house. Here, Philip was also introduced to Kate (Wren Schmidt), Claudia’s young replacement who might just be a little too green for her own good, though you never know with characters on this show. Mostly, Philip’s time in the safe house with his captive served to start introducing the concept of more players in this game. As the man put it, the Jews are not simply American partners. America is the equivalent of their father, and they are the angst-ridden teenagers who sometimes get antsy waiting and sneak a ride in the hot sports car. People like this man and Baklonov might not be perfect citizens, but they are who they are. For example, this man explained to Philip that he returned home annually for Passover and sang country hits with a fake accent. He hides what he does, not who he is. Philip, surprisingly, spent much of Episode 5 in silence while he awaited orders, but that proved more powerful than most words would. Philip has always struggled with the allure of deviating from the cause, though during Season 2 he’s been steadfast in his loyalty. Still, you could feel the sting and the burn as he considered internally whether or not he’s nothing more than a faceless, nameless drone. There was a great moment between these two where the man attempted to free himself after Philip literally wiped his ass following a supervised bathroom break. He failed, needless to say, but he had to try.
FX "The Americans"
FX "The Americans"
Elisabeth was tipped off to some issues in Martha’s “marriage” to “Clarke” via a phone call cluing her in to the copious amounts of messages she’d been leaving her hubby regarding the possibility of legally noting his profession on a job application. Remember, Martha is under the impression that “Clarke” is forbidden to marry within the government due to high security risks that come along with his profession. Elisabeth, donning one of her best getups ever, returned as Jennifer, “Clarke’s sister,” this week, getting Martha liquored up with two bottles of wine before pleading with her to protect her "brother’s" important job. I love how The Americans always manages to turn the tables on the Jennings so surprisingly. This time, Martha’s tipsy talks of “Clarke’s” skills in the bedroom got the gears in Elisabeth’s mind working. Has she been missing something?
Perhaps more was revealed when Elisabeth met with Brad, undercover yet again. You remember Brad as the naïve sailor who promised to help Elisabeth bring a rapist to justice last week. What was so interesting about watching this plot is that we should probably consider Elisabeth's lying about rape and luring this poor young man into a dangerous scheme as despicable, but we know that Elisabeth has actually suffered through this sexual abuse. Therefore, we can assume that when she tells Brad that she needs to learn how to feel emotions all over again yet is too old to do so, she’s telling some sort of self truth. The silver lining, of course, was that Brad got her copies of her target’s files.
Oleg Igorevich continued his mysterious meandering through the hallways of the Rezidentura during Episode 5. First, it’s important to note that he managed to get to the bottom of Nina’s (Annet Mahendru) secret by reading between the lines of her records. Next, he continued to butt heads with Arkady (Lev Gorn), sticking his nose where it didn’t belong and offering way too many opinions. Basically, he made it clear that he wanted to be extremely close to the action of the drama surrounding Anton Baklonov, even considering the fact that the FBI could be all over the situation. For what it’s worth, Stan’s team did have a good plan of action regarding discovering the whereabouts of the physicist. At one point, Stan even called in Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas), who’d previously been sidelined during the ongoing government investigations. Gaad was happy to offer some higher-up, albeit probably inappropriate, help, though it was Nina who tipped Stan off to his biggest piece of information gained this week; Arkady and Igorevich are not a match.
In the end, what sets the Soviets apart from the Jews, apparently, is the value they place on their individual people beyond the group. The man being held by Philip considered himself mere “bronze” on the echelons of importance, reasoning that his friends would do nothing of risk to save his life. On the other hand, Arkady would have ruined his career to protect Philip, who was also in an unsafe situation. In the end, we learned via radio broadcast that the Soviet Union spontaneously had a change of heart and released 1,500 Soviet Jews via immigration. Of course, we knew that this was Arkady’s means of protecting Philip and negotiating a trade for Anton Baklonov. As it turned out, Philip's captive was free to celebrate another Passover with his family. Anton, however, was not so lucky. One of the most emotionally jarring scenes ever on The Americans happened in a long car ride with Philip and Anton. Philip said nothing, while Baklonov weeped for his lost freedom as he headed back to Russia. He pleaded with Philip to help him or to cut some sort of deal, if only so he could get the chance to see his son come to manhood during his Bar Mitvah. Philip, who was referred to as inhuman and a trained monster through the sobs, continued to drive in silence.
In the end, Stan’s plan backfired and he ended up unknowingly meeting with Oleg Igorevich for the first time. This man has a taste for capitalism, and he’s not afraid to let Nina’s secret slip if Stan can’t come up with something substantial to feed his interests. Suddenly, Stan is in deep trouble.
Episode 5 ended at the Jennings’ home where Philip and Elisabeth cuddled on the couch after a long night of work. We heard Paige (Holly Taylor) getting ready for school in the background. To close the recap, it’s also important to note that Paige admitted to joining a youth group in order to sort out her life. She apparently doesn’t blame her mother, though it is interesting to consider that now Elisabeth will have to deal with this new guilt over Paige blaming herself for her life’s disorder.
What did you think of The Americans Season 2 Episode 5, “The Deal”? Did you like all of the conversations regarding what the identity and sense of self for a KGB agent actually is?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Americans Season 2 Episode 5, “The Deal”!