TV Review: FX’s The Americans 3×2, “Baggage”

Titles for various TV episodes are not always that hard to decipher.  Friends even made it plain and clear by having a majority of their titles start with, “The One With…”  The Americans follow-up episode to its strong third season start is titled “Baggage” and this clearly has thematic ties with what is going on with the characters, but it also more literally refers to the rather gruesome and darkly comedic disposal of poor Annelise’s body.  It is a scene like this that really invites viewers into the world of the Russian spies in a way that continue to emphasize both the level of process this series wants us to see and the amount of cold-heartedness one must understand is necessary for the world of Philip and Elizabeth.  That last part is also a clear reason why Philip and Elizabeth are in such a heated position when it comes to their American-born daughter.

Much of this episode’s focus, around the Jennings, is a continuation of where these two were in last week’s episode.  The idea of bringing Paige into the fold is not an easy one for either of the Jennings to handle, but while Elizabeth has more of a grip on the concept (which is partly due to her bond with her country being seemingly stronger), Philip is not at all into the idea.  Seeing the folding of Annelise’s body into a suitcase only strengthens his thoughts on the subject.  Things get heated as the two discuss how Paige will not just be sitting behind a desk, but also forced into spy missions that will have her exploiting herself to get intel.  All of this not only keeps tensions brewing, but allows Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys to express themselves in glances and little motions, when they interact during “Baggage”.

With the Annelise situation taken care of, we do get a follow-up with Yousef as well, as Philip and Elizabeth must now directly deal with him.  It leads to an interesting conversation with Philip, concerning the nature of having these sorts of recruits doing this work, which of course tips into Paige territory.  We also get to see a spy mission in action, as the Jennings both tail Yousef to a bar, take surveillance photos with their fancy spy camera, and simply enjoy a night out together in a way.  Again, this is a show that is about a marriage first, espionage second, so it is always interesting to see the seemingly more exciting aspect treated in a somewhat mundane manner, when an emphasis on action is not needed.

Moving on, we get to spend a lot of time with Stan this week, as he is both participating in the arrival of a Soviet defector, Zinaida, as well as dealing with a near-fateful meeting with Oleg.  With Zinaida, things are clear enough, as she describes her time overseas and why she came over, along with making clear her desire to both see American landmarks and eat more Milky Ways.  Stan does what he can to speak with her, but lingering thoughts of Nina are always on his mind.  The encounter with Oleg, on the other hand, is far less unassuming.

Stan was placed in a tricky situation last season, as it came down to testing whether his love for Nina was truly enough to turn him against his country.  It was not and now people are suffering because of it.  Oleg’s love for Nina certainly makes him both vulnerable and possibly more dangerous, as the idea of him threatening Stan at gunpoint makes the sort of statement that suggests some sort of future shakeup.  Given that it is harder to tell where this half of the story is going, given its lack of a clear connection with the Jennings, I get excited by that fact.  With that in mind, while it would have been a hell of a twist to kill-off Stan, using this incident instead as a way of Stan once again going to see his former wife allows for both more time spent with Susan Misner (who was underused, despite being upped to a series regular last season) and the always capable Noah Emmerich.  Stan may be a sad sack, outside of his job, but he is a well-performed one and I can only hope this has a bigger impact, as the season goes on.

We also finally see Nina this week, as she acclimates to her new living arrangements in a prison not meant for innocent people.  The situation for her is clear enough, so I am actually glad we did not spend too much time repeating the same thing.  Getting to see the possibility of her release, thanks to arrangements put into play by Oleg, on the other hand, is the kind of development that could definitely shake things up, were she to return to America.  So we will see, but it is an intriguing side-story.

Aside from the body movin’ seen towards the beginning of the episode, “Baggage” is more subdued than last week’s “EST Men”, but it is wholly appropriate, given the introduction and reintroduction of a couple characters, along with the continual setup required to kick off this season in a certain direction.  None of that means The Americans is any less compelling though, as I was certainly invested in what this hour of television had to offer.  It also makes plenty of sense to point out how thematically rich this week is, but it really is better to see it in the performances on display (Russell and Rhys are always at the top of their game), rather than just spell it all out.

Other Things Behind The Red Curtain:

• Poor Martha has been shifted aside this week.
• I am so curious as to how Paige is going to learn the truth about her parents.  She clearly has her suspicions, but her development has been so well-handled, when it comes to teenage girls on these sorts of adult drama series that I can only imagine I will be very much invested in the episode revolving around her getting new and important knowledge.
• Also: Paige reads the newspaper.
• Elizabeth has tooth issues this week.  Read into that symbolism however you would like.
• Frank Langella is back this week, continuing to ensure that the other shoe will drop in due time.
• Henry gets to do two things this week; sleep and declare that he’s going to Coca Cola College.
• Stan’s phone booth call home was quite sad.
• At the same time, his, “Screw you Oleg,” was quite bad ass.
• Who’s side are you on? Philip or Elizabeth?