Comrades (The Americans)

"Comrades" is the second season premiere of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 14th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on February 26, 2014 in the United States on FX.

Plot
KGB agent Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) leaves a remote safe house to return home after recovering from her gunshot wound. As she drives down a forested road, she almost hits a doe and two fawns with her car.

Meanwhile, her husband Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), posing as an American agent, is arranging a weapons deal with two male Afghans in a Middle Eastern-themed restaurant; the younger Afghan is acting as an interpreter for the other, an older man who appears to be a decision maker, likely a village elder. The interpreter presents Phillip with a knife which he claims was used to kill his first Soviet soldier (apparently in the Soviet–Afghan War). Phillip accepts the knife and then shoots both Afghans in the legs/knees with a silenced pistol held under the table. He then outright kills the wounded elder and gives the wounded interpreter a message: no one, not even Allah, can protect them as the KGB are everywhere.  As Phillip attempts to leave, with the obvious intention of leaving the interpreter alive with the message, the interpreter attacks Phillip, pulling his wig off his head. Phillip then kills him. While escaping the restaurant, Phillip encounters a busboy and kills him as well (presumably for betraying himself as a witness).  Phillip returns to his vehicle and becomes emotional, nearly crying, before driving away.

The next morning, Philip drives Elizabeth home in time for their son Henry's (Keidrich Sellati) 11th birthday party. During the party, Phillip gives his neighbor, FBI agent Stan Beeman, a refund for the trip he had arranged as a reconciliation attempt with his wife.  Stan remarks that it is good to see that Phillip and Elizabeth are now back together; Phillip advises Stan to give his own marital relationship time.  Henry receives a telescope as a birthday present and want to set it up right away, but Phillip suggests waiting until the next day as the babysitter, Abbie, will be arriving soon so he and Elizabeth can go on a "date". Henry is initially disappointed they intend to leave on his birthday, but relents when his sister Paige (Holly Taylor) expresses acceptance of their parents' need for some time alone together.

The date, however, is a cover for a mission assisting another Soviet spy couple, Emmett and Leanne Connors.  Posing as Air Force security, Phillip and Emmett burst into a hotel room where Elizabeth and Leanne are having sex with Roy, a Lockheed employee. While Phillip confronts a surprised Roy, Emmett takes both Elizabeth and Leanne to the door where he pretends to instruct unseen officers to take Elizabeth and Leanne to "lockup"; both are then seen rushing down the hotel hallway unescorted.   Philip and Emmett confront Roy with the suspicious circumstances of his current sexual encounter (i.e., revealing Elizabeth and Leanne to be spies who were sleeping with him only because of his secret clearance at Lockheed and the fact that he is working on a Skunk Works project).  Phillip and Emmett then offer to "protect" Roy provided he reveal his security protocols in life and at Lockheed, report future phone logs and contacts, and use the various codes they provide for his office work (e.g., brief cases and office safe).

Meanwhile, Henry, Paige and their babysitter are watching television together at home.  Paige then returns to the basement laundry room, and begins to search through Elizabeth's as-yet unpacked suitcase.  She is startled by Henry who inquires into her actions.  After fumbling an answer, Paige responds that she intends to do the laundry for Elizabeth as a surprise.  Henry expresses both disbelief and disinterest ("whatever") and leaves.

Sitting on a vehicle hood drinking beer in a construction site, Elizabeth and Leanne are discussing their current lives.  Elizabeth reveals the cover-story for her recent absence, which was that she had been caring for a sick aunt, "Aunt Helen". They are joined by Phillip and Emmett who reveal the date-mission to be a success. The two couples reminisce about their children's youth and how quickly they grow up. The two couples decide to go to the amusement park the next day to see each other and their kids.

Later that night, Paige grows suspicious of her parents' activities. She wonders if they ever came home, so she opens their door and sees them having mutual oral sex. Breakfast the next morning is awkward with unintentional entendres. Philip wonders "if this is the first time she has ever checked on us?"

At the FBI counterintelligence office, Agent Frank Gaad (Richard Thomas) orders Stan to stop being so fixated on the Illegals couple that escaped. Gaad asks Stan to trust his source, Nina (Annet Mahendru), who had claimed that the woman had died of her injuries and the man had been exfiltrated. Sanford storms into headquarters to demand his $500,000. Stan tells him he will not get his money because none of his information could be verified. Stan says he is doing Sanford a favor by keeping him out of prison because Colonel Rennhull pressed charges on Sanford. Stan, with the help of another FBI agent, takes a bootlegged copy of The French Lieutenant's Woman for a date night with Nina. Nina is displeased with the film. She tells him of a new arrival at the Rezidentura, Oleg Igorevich Burov, who is responsible for spying on science and technology. The next day, Sanford goes to Colonel Rennhull's house and is killed by the Colonel in self-defense (supposedly). Gaad and Stan go to the crime scene. Stan observes the two bullet holes in Sanford's head and says, "You'd think one in the head would have been enough."

At the amusement park, Emmett covertly contacts Philip and asks him to do a brush pass with an unnamed agent (John Carroll Lynch), explaining that he cannot do it himself because he might be recognized by the surveillance team following the man. He instructs Philip to use Henry as a prop that will be recognized by the agent, and will avoid alerting the surveillance team. Leanne and their children will then block for Philip. Emmett tells Philip to drop the package off at his hotel room later. Philip initially objects "We don't use our kids", but then relents and carries out the task successfully. 

Philip and Elizabeth go to the hotel and are shocked to find Emmett, Leanne, and their 15-year-old daughter, Amelia, shot dead. Philip tells Elizabeth to get their own kids, and retrieves a notebook with codes from Emmett's luggage. He walks out of the hotel room and passes by Emmett's teenage son, Jared. Philip leaves, Jared walks into his hotel room, and starts screaming in horror.

Elizabeth and Philip frantically retrieve their kids from the park and go home. That night, Philip decodes Emmett's information and Elizabeth is extremely paranoid. Philip regrets using Henry as a prop and putting him in danger, but Elizabeth forgives him. She tells him he has to spend the night as planned with Martha, the FBI employee whom he married under another identity.

Stan comes home early from work. His wife Sandra warms up to him and asks him to go to the movies with her. Coincidentally, the film is The French Lieutenant's Woman.

The episode ends with Philip, disguised as FBI counterintelligence agent Clark, lying with Martha and talking about his job, stating that "it gets to you in ways you didn't think it would". Meanwhile, Elizabeth watches out the window anxiously.

Production
The episode was written by Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg and directed by Thomas Schlamme.

Reception
Comrades received critical acclaim. The A.V. Club gave the episode a perfect A grade. Also, Eric Goldman of IGN rated the episode 8.5/10 stating; 'The Americans returned with a strong premiere that quickly raised the stakes.' Writing in The Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber observed that the episode "raises the FX series' stakes by making its secret agents face a universal fear", namely about the safety of their own children.

References

External links

 
 

Category:The Americans (season 2) episodes
Category:2014 American television episodes