Source: http://www.soundonsight.org

Title: Walter Taffet

Episode M.V.P: Alison Wright
“Poor Martha.” That’s been a common refrain for fans of The Americans for a long time now. However, has it ever been more applicable than it was in this episode? “Walter Taffet” was the episode when Martha’s world began to cave in around her—when the secrets that once seemed exciting and romantic suddenly became overwhelming and terrifying. In this episode, “Poor Martha” wasn’t something I said out of pity; it was something I said out of genuine fear for this woman and what she was immediately going through. I felt Martha’s fear and growing sense of unease about her marriage intensely, and it was all because of the stunning work of Alison Wright.

It seems that every actor on The Americans has the ability to make magic happen in silent moments, and Wright is no exception. Martha didn’t say much in this episode, but it was her story and her emotional turmoil that meant the most to me throughout the hour. From the moment the curtains closed around Agent Gaad’s office to her final moments with “Clark,” I couldn’t have taken my eyes off her face if I wanted to. But why would anyone want to when so much was being conveyed with each breath and blink?

Fear is a difficult emotion to play because it so often leads to overacting—excessive hand-wringing, heavy breathing, looking like a caged animal, etc. And for some people, that’s an honest depiction of fear. But for others, fear manifests itself in quieter ways. I loved that Martha cried more than once in this episode from the weight of the stress she felt. It felt incredibly honest and made Martha once again a tangible link to humanity in this cold world of espionage. Each time Wright wiped her eyes (in the realistic way we as women often do to keep our mascara from running and giving us away), my heart broke for Martha. But watching her fight those tears made me feel something besides heartbreak, too—and that was admiration. For all the realistic, palpable fear Wright put into her performance, she also took great care to show that Martha was strong enough to keep that rising fear at bay when she needed to. It reminded me of the old adage that bravery isn’t the absence of fear; it’s being terrified and choosing to keep going anyway.

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Source: tv.com

Title: Born Again

Episode M.V.P.: Holly Taylor
Paige Jennings could have been insufferable. Instead, Paige is complex, she’s interesting, and she’s important—not despite the fact that she’s a teenage girl who cares deeply about things but because of that. Part of the credit for that needs to go to the writers, who have created such a strong character in Paige. But part of the credit also needs to go to Taylor, who just had her finest hour in “Born Again.”

Yes, Paige rolls her eyes at her dad’s “be true to yourself” speeches, but the impressive thing about Paige is that she rolls her eyes because—at this point in her life—she doesn’t need that speech. Paige is driven by the courage of conviction that Taylor brought to life so beautifully in Paige’s two scenes with her mother in this episode. What was so impressive about what Taylor did in those scenes was her restraint and gentle touch. Like the cast of fantastic adult actors around her, Taylor didn’t reach for the dramatics. Instead, she played Paige’s faith and desire for her mother to understand her beliefs with a simple honesty and sincerity that reminded me how young this character really is.

This episode focused heavily on the similarities between Paige and Elizabeth—their passion, their belief in fighting for what matters to them, their desire to affect change—but it also focused on their differences. And one of the biggest differences is Paige’s innocence. Sometimes innocence can come off as annoying in the media, but Taylor has made Paige anything but annoying. In this episode, she showed Paige’s innocence through an openness fueled by belief. When she talked to Elizabeth about praying, there was no sense of preaching or moralizing, just a daughter sincerely trying to help her mother because she believes prayer genuinely helped her. And much like Philip with Kimberly, what makes Elizabeth’s development of Paige as an asset so troubling is the way she’s going to have to corrupt that innocence.

The final scene between Elizabeth and Paige was such a great showcase for Keri Russell, but Taylor matched her every step of the way. Taylor made me feel Paige’s confusion and hesitation to embrace what her mother was telling her—because no teenage girl wants to hear they’re just like their mom. Taylor played that scene perfectly because Paige has no idea that this means so much more to Elizabeth than just a walk down memory lane. To Paige, this is her mother telling her they’re a lot alike but she still knows what’s best because she did braver things for her beliefs. And to Paige, that hurts—just like we know it hurt Elizabeth to feel like Paige wasn’t accepting what she was trying to say.

In typical The Americans fashion, this moment relied heavily on the facial expressions of its actors in order to create emotional depth, and Taylor brought a depth to her work in this scene that proved to me she’s been taking lessons from Russell and Matthew Rhys—two of the best to watch and learn from—and the lessons are paying off.

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