Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 9 of FX's The Americans, titled "Martial Eagle."
Wig count: Four, a scar, and one pair of sneaky black spy gloves. Here's something new: Elizabeth in A.A. working a new informant. Or Clark, playing his doctored tape to hurt Martha's feelings. Was he playing depressed and drunk or was he really? After having to kill that kid on the base and then accidentally murdering the truck driver, Philip is in a bad way staring into space on the boardwalk and accosting a pastor. Before, he could have defected. Ever since he learned of the fake plans, he's completely disillusioned. "What jerks," he and Martha nod on the couch. There's nothing anyone can really do about it either.
Best one-liner: There were a lot of great moments tonight, but my favorite scene was Stan, interviewing DoD staff who attended the meeting in Alexandria, attached to project Stealth, or for laymen, the invisible plane team. "No one ever imagines they will," turn on their country, he says to Fred, who's twitching under the stress. He has Martha pull all the evidence on Emmet and Leane's murder, just to cover his bases. Once he gets off of Nina, Beeman actually does good police work. This ends badly, I think.
Lessons Learned:
Being a grownup stinks. Paige learns her lesson after donating $600 to the ministry, of all indecent things, and watching Dad throw a temper tantrum about respecting Jesus. Elizabeth joins in later and tells her that if she wants to make decisions, she can mop the bathroom floor, too. As a grown-up myself, I will attest that that's basically what it's like.
Agent Gaad is learning, too. He approaches Arkady about letting up on Vlad's murder or he'll release reports about Richard Paterson's kidnapping and that there are KGB agents all over the city, swarming around anyone with a security clearance. It doesn't seem like Arkady cares.
Sandra meets someone at her EST training and tells Stan what she's up to. Being a grownup is being a "counter intelligence" genius and not noticing that your wife is not only leaving you, but packing a red dress to do it, too
How creepy is that minister? How low will Philip sink? Did you run off with someone from EST, too? Let me know what you think in the comments or tweet me @karenfratti.
"The Americans" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.