- Phillip and Elizabeth shock their children when they announce they are separating. After Amador goes missing, Gaad orders an unauthorized mission to grab a KGB agent in retaliation. Events soon spin out of control and come to a grisly end.
- Henry locks himself out when father Philip 'moves out for a while' due to obviously grim marital tension, but Paige firmly blames ever most unreasonable parent Elisabeth. New 'rezident' Arkady Ivanovich can't make head or tail of a phone call he receives with exuberant demands for the release of his lowly agent Vlad, who was picked up while jogging in his place. The poor youth is tortured to no end and killed by frustrated Beeman, who initially refused to partake in the officially unauthorized operation revenge for the rocket shield scientist bombing.—KGF Vissers
- Previously on 'The Americans': Elizabeth and Phillip tried to stop a Russian-backed assassin from killing American scientists, and they did but he got one. FBI Agent Gaad vowed to make the Russians pay. Phillip's FBI contact, Martha, snooped around Gaad's office for files and Amador caught her, though it wasn't obvious what she was doing at the time. Meanwhile, Phillip reconnected with his girlfriend from back in Russian, Irina, and lied to Elizabeth about having hooked up with her in New York. He asks her to give him another chance and Elizabeth says no.
'Safe House': The kids are enjoying a fried chicken dinner when Elizabeth brings up a serious subject. She announces that Phillip is "going to be staying somewhere else for a little while." Paige asks if they're separating, but Phillip clarifies that they're "hitting the pause button." Paige thinks it's a joke and Henry simply asks, "Why?" Elizabeth says they've been fighting a lot. The kids don't understand why they can't just stop fighting. Elizabeth says the important thing is that they need some time to figure things out. Henry asks if they don't love each other anymore and they say it's complicated. Henry asks if they're going to stop loving the kids. Paige is upset and tells Elizabeth it's her fault because she's "always giving dad a rough time." Phillip says it was a joint decision and Paige leaves.
Philip tries to talk to Henry, who's locked himself in his room and is crying. Phillip sits outside the door and tells Henry he loves him "so much, more than you'll ever know." Henry keeps crying and says nothing.
Phillip leaves and tells Elizabeth he'll see her the next night at the Beemans' house. Elizabeth is surprised Phillip wants to go together, but agrees they should when he reminds her that Stan's work friends are going to be there.
The next night at the party, Elizabeth tells Phillip that Paige slept in Henry's room and nobody is doing very well. He's staying at a motel, which she says is depressing. Elizabeth says "it's for the best," and Henry says he knows. Elizabeth goes to mingle. In the living room, Gaad tells Stan and Amador, and a couple of others that he's planning to take out Arkady. He says it's voluntary and if anyone should ask it was not approved. Amador and another agent agree to join but Stan says that if it's "extra-judicial" he'd rather stay away.
Paige tells Matthew, Stan's son, about her parents' separation. Meanwhile, Amador talks to Stan a little about the Arkady job, but Stan says he's not into it. Then Amador turns his attention to Elizabeth, telling Stan she's "a fox" and saying he'd "borrow some sugar" if she was his neighbor. Stan calls him a putz.
Sandra, Stan's wife, tells Elizabeth she saw Phillip leave late the other night. Elizabeth explains that they're taking some time apart, and that they told the kids the previous night. Sandra tells her there's "no shame" in a separation and tells her not to hesitate to ask if she needs anything. Paige and Henry go to Phillip and ask him to come home, but he says he can't.
We next see Phillip having some serious sex with Martha, who calls him Clark. Later, he prepares to leave and she tells him she's in love with him. She says she's waited her whole life for him and would "do anything" for him. She says all he has to do is ask. She says, "Just tell me one thing: Is this real?"
"Yes," he says. "Yes."
She asks him to stay with her, "just this once." He kisses her and doesn't resist when she takes his jacket off.
The next morning at the house, Henry hasn't come down for breakfast. Paige asks Elizabeth what she should tell her friends. Elizabeth says she should just tell the truth, that her parents aren't living together right now. At Martha's house, Martha brings Phillip breakfast in bed, saying she can "get used to" having a man sleeping in her bed. She has to get to work. She tells him Gaad got a call from the White House a couple of days ago and has since been having secret meetings "with his old buddies from the CIA." She thinks they're planning to kill a KGB agent, saying, "it's an eye for an eye, Clark." She kisses him and says he can stay as long as he likes.
After she leaves, Phillip jumps out of bed and gets moving quickly. As Phillip heads to his car, Amador comes up behind him, announcing himself as an FBI agent and asking Phillip who he is. Phillip says he's "just a guy." Amador tells Phillip to lock up his car so they can "take this conversation downtown." Phillip turns and kicks Amador in the gut, then kicks his gun out of his hand. They fight for a bit, then Amador pulls a knife. He lunges at Phillip with it, but Phillip turns it on Amador and pushes it into Amador's stomach. It's stuck there and Phillip hastily stuffs Amador into the trunk of his car.
Phillip is trying to treat Amador's wounds at a safe house when Elizabeth shows up. Phillip explains what happened and they both recognize him from the Beemans' party. Phillip also tells Elizabeth about the planned hit on a KGB agent and they realize Amador will know what they're planning. She has morphine and injects Amador with some. She's wearing a blonde bob wig.
At the FBI office, an agent asks Stan if he's seen Amador and he hasn't. He notes that it's "not like him" to be late. Stan calls Amador and gets his machine.
Back at the safe house, Phillip pulls the knife from Amador's stomach and it gushes while Amador screams in pain. They put some pressure on it and Elizabeth tells him, "The hard part's over."
Stan goes to Amador's apartment and finds it empty. He listens to Amador's messages. After a couple from random women and his mother, Stan hears the message he just left. He also notices that Amador has a picture of the two of them on an end table. Stan sees Amador's car outside of his apartment, which is where Phillip parked it after wiping the prints.
Stan goes to Gaad and tells him, noting that it was odd that there were no prints at all even Amador's own on the car. Gaad says he's got every available agent out looking for Amador and they'll find him. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions about the KGB having him.
Elizabeth leaves to get the kids and Phillip stays with Amador.
Stan sits quietly at his desk and thinks about chats with Amador. He was proud of having "no attachments," being a lone wolf.
Phillip is still next to Amador, who's struggling to breathe. Elizabeth gets home with groceries and a new wok to make Chinese food. Paige is annoyed and tells Elizabeth that she doesn't want to pretend her life is "a do-over." She wants things to be the way they were before. Elizabeth says she knows things are hard "but it's for the best."
"For who?" Paige asks.
Elizabeth gets a call from Mrs. Costa, a teacher at Henry's school. She goes to talk to Henry and says she knows this "is a terrible thing to do to you right now." Mrs. Costa told Elizabeth that Henry didn't do his Social Studies project, but he says he did. She asks him to show it to her and he pulls a paper out of his backpack. It says, "The Revolutionary War. America won." He says that's it.
Stan picks up Nina and she goes in to kiss him but he doesn't react. She says the KGB wants to know what the FBI's next move is, knowing the FBI won't sit back after the scientist was killed. Stan asks her who took Amador, and grabs her arm and squeezes it hard. He tells her to find out now. She leaves without saying anything.
Amador's eyes open just a bit and he asks Phillip for water. Phillip gets it and pours a bit into Amador's mouth.
"Cold," Amador says. Phillip puts a blanket on him. Amador asks Phillip what he wants. Phillip asks who the FBI is planning to take out. Amador says he doesn't know, but Phillip says, "I think you do."
Gaad talks to his small group, announcing that several of his friends from the CIA will be helping. Stan shows up. Arkady will be going on his regular run in one hour and they're planning to kill him in Danbury Park. An agent will be giving a signal by raising his newspaper. If the newspaper is dropped, the mission should be aborted.
Gaad goes up to Stan after the chat and says he's glad he showed up. Stan says that if they kill Arkady they're "signing Amador's death certificate." Gaad reminds Stan that Amador knows the name of Stan's contact in the KGB. If he talks, she's finished.
Elizabeth gives Phillip the family update as they walk down the hall to the place where Amador is laying. She says they need information on him now and goes in to give it her own try.
A KGB worker goes to get Arkady for their usual run, but Arkady isn't going. He burnt his hand on a microwaved potato and the doctors want to graft his skin. "American technology," he quips.
Elizabeth stands over Amador and he says, "We've met before." She says she doesn't think so. He thinks they met at a bar, had too much to drink and screwed their brains out. He tells her he doesn't know anything about a hit, "if I did, I'd tell you, baby. Scout's honor," he adds.
He tells her she's going to lose this war. He says she can torture and kill him, but they're going to kick her "motherland's marbled ass, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Arkady's would-be running partner is jogging through the park alone and the agent making the signal slams his newspaper in the trash. The signal is to abort, but Stan says, "Screw that," and radios two other agents to grab the guy. They do.
Gaad isn't happy with Stan, but tells him to go ahead and interrogate the guy, adding, "We'll get into this later." Gaad leaves. In an empty apartment, Stan gets into the guy's head and threatens to kill him if he doesn't give up information on where Amador is, but the man cries and begs Stan to spare him because he's a diplomat and knows nothing.
Amador finally says, "Arkady." Elizabeth realizes the the resident is the target, but Amador says, "Forget it, he's already dead."
Stan, meanwhile, calls the Soviet Embassy from a pay phone and gets Arkady on the line. He says he has Vlad. Arkady says "he's nobody" and has nothing for him. Stan demands Amador be released, but Arkady says he doesn't know Amador.
Stan says that if anything happens to Amador, he'll kill Vlad.
Arkady hands Nina a note and tells her to find anything she can on someone named Amador. He says the FBI thinks the KGB has him. She asks if they do and he say he has no idea.
Arkady gets a call from Elizabeth, who doesn't announce herself but was identified by his secretary as a woman who "had the emergency code." He answers the phone and Elizabeth confirms it's him, then hangs up without saying anything.
Elizabeth and Phillip try to figure out why Amador would lie about Arkady. Phillip thinks he's lying to cover up something else. Elizabeth takes out her gun but Phillip says he'll handle it. They agree to pump Amador with morphine and let him drift off after he talks, but Phillip goes to get more information from him and finds Amador has died.
We next see a police scene around Amador's body, which appears to have to been dumped in some industrial area. Stan goes and sees his body. Gaad comes up and says he's going to pull every agent. Gaad says that whoever stabbed Amador went through the trouble to try to save him. Gaad thinks Amador might have given up Stan's contact, but Stan says he wouldn't have. He says he'd risk her life and his own on that assumption.
Stan sits alone drinking coffee and remembers a conversation with Amador about how Vietnam changed him. One of the things Amador learned there was that "shame" is one thing worse than dying. Stan's order at the place where he was waiting for food is ready. He brings it back to the apartment where Vlad is being held and hands Vlad a burger. He tells him to enjoy it. Vlad takes a bite.
Stan asks Vlad, frankly, if he's KGB. Vlad nods and says yes but adds that he doesn't know anything. Stan says he believes him. Stan sits back and talks about how good American fast food is, then asks Vlad if he wants something to drink. Stan gets up and walks toward the kitchen, behind Vlad, but then turns and in one motion pulls his gun and shoots Vlad in the back of the head.
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