Emmy Episodes: The Americans

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the third year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

The Americans: Season 6, Episode 5 “The Great Patriotic War” (B-)

Okay, so at least this episode was more interesting than the last one I watched. Not too much has changed since the start of the season, though at least Elizabeth and Philip are on better terms, with her being the one to pressure him to do something he doesn’t want to do with the latest innocent person he’s conning. I guess the real appeal of this show is the way in which it represents how its two protagonists have to lead double lives, often building relationships based on entirely created personas. I remember seeing this with Philip and Martha previously, and now the same thing was happening again with Kimmy, played by the great young actress Julia Garner, who stars in the last Emmy catchup show I have to watch, “Ozark.” Breaking it off with her was actually the best thing he could have done since it likely saved her life, and at least kept her out of a Bulgarian prison. Philip got a good chance to express his opinion about Paige’s new education after she beat up a few guys in a bar, showing her that she wasn’t nearly as prepared for the world of spying and combat as she wanted to think. I am curious to see if Stan, who came over to drink a beer with Philip and talk about the couple that Elizabeth killed, is ever going to finally realize that he’s been leaving next door to Russian spies for the past six years of this show, and I do hope that’s a fantastic reveal scene when and if it happens.