Digging up more problems.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Welcome back, The Americans!
The fantastic show – which IGN named the best TV series of 2016 – returned Tuesday night with a typically tense, immersive episode that introduced some notable new dynamics for multiple characters.
The opening minutes, introducing high school students Pasha (Zack Gafin) and Tuan (Ivan Mok) were wonderful in how fascinatingly confusing they were. Who were these kids? Why were we following them? One being Russian was obviously important, but how? The reveal that Twan’s parents were Philip and Elizabeth was the perfect, “WHAT?!” moment to lead up to in this scenario.
So no, not shockingly, Philip and Elizabeth didn’t take Gabriel’s offer to move back to Russia. While the time jump here made for a lot of good drama, I was a bit disappointed to not see the Jennings fully debate this subject and instead pick up after their decision. We did see Elizabeth lament, “What’s the right time?” though, indicating she does indeed have regrets about this.
And how could she not? Not just the whole homesick aspect, but as this episode reminded us, Philip and Elizabeth lead rather miserable lives. That whole sequence where they had to dig up William’s corpse was riveting TV while also a reminder of how much it would suck to be in this situation. The way we saw the time lapses of the Jennings and their fellow spies digging up this giant whole and having to take rest breaks was perfect, as it raised the question of what exactly was being dug up and why. The reveal that it was William was horrific and thrilling – as was them then actually removing a big chunk of William’s body (and the bioweapon within)!
All of this culminated in the sad, unceremonious death of Hans – someone Elizabeth had trained herself, but she now had to kill because of one quick slip on his part endangering them all.
Earlier in the episode, Elizabeth declared William a hero, with Philip sardonically replying maybe he’d get put on a stamp. And this later sequence really underlined that thought, as it didn’t matter how much William was seen as someone who did great things for his people by a select few - he was still dead in an unmarked grave, with his body being desecrated... and now another man’s body thrown inside his coffin for good measure.
In the meantime, Elizabeth being so very rough with Paige in their first self-defense lesson was perfectly Elizabeth. This is not someone who’s going to hold back or go easy, even with her own kid. And given the life she leads, who can blame her?
Circling back to Tuan, it fascinating to see someone so young who was not only an active spy but quite a true believer – someone with nothing but contempt for Pasha’s father for daring to have turned his back on Russia. We know Philip and Elizabeth were young when they were recruited and the question of Paige becoming a spy continues to linger, but with Tuan we are getting to see what it’s really like to have someone that age so actively involved in this dark business, and it’s a clever inclusion into the story at this point.
While Season 4 ended with the Jennings being offered the chance to go back to Russia, we knew both Arkady and Oleg were heading there for sure. Interestingly, it looks like we’re only going to follow Oleg now though, as Lev Gorn is no longer a series regular and doesn’t appear in the premiere. Hopefully we will catch up with him at some point though, as I enjoyed his world-weary character. Hey, maybe Oleg, Arkady and Martha can run into each other at a restaurant in a wacky moment? Okay, probably not.
It’s easy to understand wanting to scale back some of the ongoing characters though, as plenty is in play at the moment – including Mischa slowly making his way out of Russia and to Philip, by way of Yugoslavia. With the Jennings’ lives already so filled with turmoil, the check ins with Mischa are a nice ticking clock element, as he’ll no doubt make things even more complicated for them down the line.
The Verdict
A busy Americans season premiere quickly reminded viewers how engaging this series is, with the Jennings now living a second suburban life, (fake) kid included, and having to do some incredibly ghastly things in the name of their country. The time jump made things exciting to be sure, though it did skip over some moments it would have been nice to have seen play out. Still, with the knowledge that this season and next are telling the end of the story, the stage is set for even more exciting and emotional twists and turns.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire