There’s a great moment in the cold open of “Dimebag,” another predictably great episode of The Americans. Phillip and Elizabeth ask Paige who she wants to have over for her birthday dinner. “Pastor Jim and his wife,” she replies sunnily, closing the door on their frozen smiles. It’s funny and awkward and altogether human. “Dimebag,” which was more darkly funny than usual, was great at exploring both sides of the Jenningses, and I know what you’re thinking: Ooh, HOT TAKE, GAMbIT, a show about spies explores dual lives? But “Dimebag” did it exceptionally well.
The family scenes were on point tonight. Little moments like Phillip quizzing Henry on state capitals, to Paige’s birthday dinner where she announces her desire to be baptized, are handled with ease and aplomb by the cast and veteran Americans director Thomas Schlamme.
On the flip side, we got to see, once again, just how goddamn good Phillip and Elizabeth are at spycraft. They’re both “working” targets tonight, Elizabeth with Lisa (who works the assembly line at Northup) and Phillip with Kimmy, the daughter of the head of the CIA’s Afghan group. Phillip’s plot works better than Elizabeth’s, not just because “Dimebag” devotes more time to it, but because Elizabeth’s is contingent upon us remembering at tertiary character from last season. This show’s “previously on” is one of the most valuable on the air.
Watching Elizabeth work Lisa makes you marvel at how much genuine compassion seeps through into her espionage. When she finds out that Lisa’s husband is abusive, you can see her fierce maternal instinct kick in, as well as naked anger on Lisa’s behalf. Phillip, meanwhile, gets the more fun of the two assignments, as he takes on the role of “Jim,” a slick lawyer/lobbyist who gets fake IDs for Kimmy and her friends. Naturally Kimmy develops a crush on him – her affair with Passwell suggests a fondness for older men – and the two end the episode sitting on steps, listening to Yaz and smoking a joint, Phillip’s arm around her. It’s a weirdly pretty image.
Nina finally gets more to do, which is a relief. Ahnet Mahendru is so damn good that it seemed like her talents were being wasted the last few weeks. Not that the show was spinning its wheels – The Americans is too competently made for that – but it was definitely slowly building up to something. Nina is tasked with getting information from her cell mate Evi, in exchange for a lighter sentence. This should be child’s play to Nina, who’s a pretty savvy manipulator. She opens up about her own crimes, and even fakes (?) a nightmare to get Evi to comfort her. Goddamn this woman is good at what she does.
The big revelation of “Dimebag” is that Elizabeth is effectively developing Paige (this comes after an argument about Phillip giving her a Yaz album – damn you, Yaz, how many marriages must you ruin??). This has been hinted at and danced around, but Elizabeth had not yet said it outright. Phillip, obviously, is dead-set against it, and I doubt any number of Scrabble games with Gabriel will change his mind. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
A Few Thoughts
-
Great night for Noah Emmerich. Stan continues to go to EST, opens up to his wife about the affair, and is starting to become suspicious of the defector Zaneida (sp?). Why we are not throwing Emmys at Emmerich is beyond me.
-
Phillip likes Quadrophenia, one of my favorite albums – or does Jim? Who’s playing who? I’m in too deep!!
-
Sorry for falling down on my Americans reviews. I promise to be better about it
About Author
