The Americans recap: ‘Tchaikovsky’

The Americans deals with the Summit, an old source, and Philip’s competition.

This week on The Americans isn’t looking any better for the once resilient couple of Philip and Elizabeth. A life that is now completely separate from one another is becoming a source of friction and a cause for distance. Last week he tried to warn her that he was asked to spy on her–but she refused to listen.

She doesn’t really care what Philip has to say and is falling deeper and deeper into the mission currently at hand, the Summit. And while Elizabeth and Philip struggle with their marital woes, Stan is taking charge in his position at the FBI. There is a sting in the works and involves Marion Barry, once the mayor of D.C.

And it appears Philip and Elizabeth aren’t the only ones having marital problems. Stan’s past recruits, Gennadi and Sofia, aren’t getting along and Sofia is looking to get a divorce. Along with this, the FBI knows that Oleg Burov is in the United States under the guise of attending a seminar. It is only a matter of time before their worlds collide, and what will bring them there can only be under the most dramatic circumstances.

This week, Elizabeth spent a lot of time under the disguise of Megan, who works at the State Department. She strategically plans to run into Patrick McLeesh, who is part of the nuclear arms summit between Russia and the United States. Conversations between the two lead to a lunch date in the State Department cafeteria, which Elizabeth shockingly pulls off by attending a tour and then changing her disguise.

She learns from McLeesh that Reagan is showing signs of dementia, which doesn’t sit well with Claudia. This could mean disastrous consequences during the Summit because he wouldn’t have much say in what is going on, and the Soviet Union may lose any chance of having the upper hand.

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This episode brings light to some of Elizabeth’s other “projects” which includes posing as a nurse for Glen Haskard’s wife who is dealing with a painful illness. Haskard is the arms negotiator, hence why he is the target for Elizabeth’s work on the Summit. During the course of the episode, Elizabeth learns that Haskard is thinking about ending his wife’s life through euthanasia.

This wouldn’t bode well for Elizabeth who would no longer be able to spy on Haskard if his wife is no longer around, so she maneuvers a way to stall Haskard’s plan–at least until the Summit is over anyway.

In the meantime, Claudia has yet another mission for Elizabeth–to get in touch with Lyle Rennhull. Rennhull was an Air Force officer who has worked with Philip and Elizabeth in the past and killed the man who recruited him. Suffice to say, Elizabeth approaching him would be a feat in itself. Nonetheless, after an awkward first meeting, he agrees to meet with her.

Philip seems to begin facing difficulties within the travel agency world–namely budget companies that offer deals at a lower cost. As a result, he has lost a long-time customer and is now grappling with facing his competition. Though it wasn’t ground-breaking, he and Elizabeth share a brief moment of conversation where she opens up about her mission and Paige.

Stan continues to alleviate the escalating issues between Gennadi and his wife. There is a lot at stake here and it appears Gennadi is being monitored by another Soviet agent while he is trying to work with the FBI. Could Gennadi be the one that leads to Elizabeth’s eventual downfall?

Paige is falling deeper and deeper into the world Elizabeth seems to be tiring of. She is even checking out books on war and espionage and is wondering if having sex with a target is part of some missions. Elizabeth has been quite reluctant so far in dealing with Paige and keeping parts of the spy profession under wraps.

However, this doesn’t seem like a path she can continue to tread on with Paige, especially when Elizabeth’s third meeting with Rennhull goes south. He refuses to help her out and brings a gun to the meeting to take down Elizabeth.

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Gunshots are fired but end up taking down Rennhull instead, just as Paige comes to her mother’s rescue, only to see her covered in his brains and blood. Hello Paige, welcome to your real life.

The Americans airs every Wednesday on FX at 10 P.M. EST!