Title: I Am Abassin Zadran

Episode M.V.P.: Alison Wright
This season of The Americans has allowed Martha to become the centerpiece of more than one episode, and the show is better off because of that. Martha is one of the easiest characters to feel for on this show (with Paige being the other), and the beauty of Alison Wright’s performance this season—and in this episode specifically—has been the way she’s turned Martha from a character we simply pitied to a character we genuinely care for.

Martha is a normal person caught up in a tornado of lies and treason—all because she wanted to find love. And Wright never stops reminding you that Martha isn’t trained for this; she’s not Philip or Elizabeth, and she doesn’t have it in her genetic makeup like Paige does. For every moment of successful secrecy (like lying to Stan), Wright allows you to see the toll it’s all taking on Martha. I loved the way Wright played the moment after Stan left. Throughout his whole visit, you could feel Martha’s fear, which made it easy to appreciate the impressive way she was keeping it all just below the surface. And it broke my heart to see Martha’s emotional and physical exhaustion take over as soon as she closed the door. It was an example of the kind of deeply human vulnerability that’s made Martha a character the audience loves with a kind of fierce protectiveness.

But for as great as Wright was during and after Martha’s run-in with Stan (and she was great), she was even better in the scene in which Martha calls her parents. That scene may have been one of the most relatable and genuinely moving scenes this show has aired in three seasons, and it was all because of Wright. There was something so relatable about the fact that Martha needed her parents when she felt like everything in her life was falling apart. And there was also something so relatable about her trying so hard to keep her emotions from overwhelming her but being unable to do so. There’s something about talking to mom and dad that often unleashes emotions you’re trying to bury. Watching Martha ask her parents if they could talk about something besides her marriage moved me to tears because it felt like such a believable, honest moment. The best actors are able to make moments of fighting back tears feel more emotionally resonant than full breakdowns, and Wright has been doing that all season.

Martha’s storyline is once again at a crossroads, and once again I’m left hoping this character lives to see another day and get far away from the hell she’s found herself in. Every time Wright was onscreen in this episode, I had tears in my eyes. I felt Martha’s fear, I felt her exhaustion, I felt her desperation, and I felt her horror. Every emotion came from such an honest place, and my tears throughout the hour were a testament to the power of Wright’s performance.

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Source: spoilertv.com

Title: One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov

Episode M.V.P.: Keri Russell
In “One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov,” Gabriel asked Philip if he was falling apart. But Philip isn’t the only one in danger of emotional collapse. Elizabeth has never been more vulnerable than she is right now. While that might make things more dangerous in the world of espionage, it makes them so much better in the world of television. We’re finally getting to see through the cracks in Elizabeth’s dutiful façade, and Russell has done such a brilliant job of subtly, carefully showing these intense emotions and how they impact a character who has been taught for her entire life that emotions get in the way of doing your duty to your country.

Russell’s performance in this episode was absolutely heartbreaking. The Americans has done such a wonderful job this season of telling a story about mothers and daughters, and Russell is at the emotional center of that story. The moments when she finally told Paige about her own mother were so emotional because Russell played them with such warmth. You could feel Elizabeth’s deep love for both her mother and her daughter, and Russell conveyed such a palpable sense of relief, too. All Elizabeth wanted was to connect with her daughter—for her daughter to love her for exactly who she is, imperfections and all, the way she loves her own mother. And she saw this as her chance. That made it even more devastating to see her entire spirit crumble when Paige rejected her. It’s a rare thing for Elizabeth to be the emotionally open one in a given scene, and Russell always infuses those moments with a kind of tentative, quiet beauty that makes you want to hug this ruthless Russian spy and never let her go.

Nothing in Elizabeth’s life is going according to plan, and it’s breaking the heart she never wanted to expose in the first place. That idea extended to her encounter with the hotel manager. It was a fascinating way to show Elizabeth being faced with the “making it real” concept Philip first talked about in “Salang Pass” and how that affected her. For what seemed like the first time, Elizabeth couldn’t just fake it; she had to let herself get to a real place with her mark in order to sexually please him, and I loved that the show and Russell allowed us to see how deeply shaken Elizabeth was by it. The scene in the garage after she came home from the encounter was one of my favorite scenes Russell has ever done on this show. With just her eyes and her breathing, she was able to make me cry because I felt Elizabeth’s exhaustion, shame, and pain so acutely.

What impressed me the most about that scene was the complexity Russell was able to portray without using any words. It’s one thing to convey a single emotion in silence; it’s another to silently bring to life the overwhelming whirlpool of emotions a character would feel after a night like Elizabeth had. Elizabeth felt shame from being aroused by a man who wasn’t her husband; pain from having to give up control over her body once again for her cause; and sadness from knowing Paige will have to hear about (and maybe even experience) this part of the job someday. Elizabeth has never appeared more human, and that moment of emotional nakedness was followed by the incredibly symbolic scene of her taking all her clothes off before getting into bed with Philip. The sexual act that happened after wasn’t about Philip—and he knew it. It was about Elizabeth and the million emotions she was working through. To be able to portray a character feeling so many things so deeply while still not letting herself give into them completely is as difficult an acting challenge as it gets. But Russell has proven herself to be worthy of every challenge thrown her way.

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Once again, I wan to apologize for taking an unplanned week off from my The Americans posts, but I’ve returned this week to talk about an episode that demands discussion!

Source: spoilertv.com

Title: Stingers

Episode M.V.P.: Holly Taylor
The Americans had made many brave and bold storytelling moves in its first three seasons, but perhaps its bravest move was placing a teenage girl at the center of an entire season’s plot. Many TV shows—especially TV dramas—have no idea how to create compelling young female characters, so they often leave them in the background if they exist within the show’s universe at all. However, The Americans decided that Paige wasn’t just going to be a big part of the story this season; she was going to be the story this season, and that decision has made a great show even better. In order for Paige’s prominent story to be as successful and engaging as it has been, the young actress playing her needed to be not just good but great—and Holly Taylor has proved she’s worthy of being one of the main focal points of as brilliant a television season as I’ve ever seen.

Taylor has had strong moments throughout this season of The Americans, but those moments were nothing compared to the performance she delivered in “Stingers.” To be as young as Taylor is and have the talent to share a scene with Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell and command an equal amount of the audience’s attention is no small feat. Taylor absolutely broke my heart in this episode, and she did it in so many ways. When Paige first confronted her parents about her desire to know the truth, Taylor nailed Paige’s sense of righteous anger over spending so much time believing she was crazy because of their lies. What was so moving about that moment was that it never felt like a teenage girl whining; it felt like a profoundly adult desire to know the truth about her parents and thus the truth about herself. The hair and costuming forTaylor added to her sense of maturity in this scene; Paige has never looked more like an adult.

As secret identities were revealed, what was so stunning about Taylor’s work was her use of silence and stillness. The dinner table scene between Elizabeth, Philip, and Paige was as brilliant as it was because all three actors were playing on the same level, and that says so much about Taylor’s ability to hold her own against two of the most nuanced performers on television right now. Taylor said so much in Paige’s quietest moments—from her hesitation on the phone with Pastor Tim to her silence in reaction to her mother speaking Russian. And that silence was heartbreaking because it contrasted so clearly with who Paige has always been—a young woman of action, passion, and strong opinions that she readily voices. Seeing her shocked into silence by the truth of who her parents are felt so realistic—more so than any hysterics would have felt. It reflected the episode’s title in a wonderful way, too. “Stingers” happen when people are hit and experience numbness afterwards. Paige just experienced the most profound stinger imaginable. And the way Taylor played that numbness with real depth and not just emotionless acting fit into the overall tone of the show perfectly and made Paige’s harsh transition into adulthood feel as honest as it was painful.

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Title: Divestment

Episode M.V.P.: Matthew Rhys
One of the most underrated aspects of a great performance is how an actor reacts to what’s going on around them. Matthew Rhys isn’t a just a great actor; he’s a great reactor, and that is so important on a show that relies on subtlety and nuance as much as The Americans does. In “Divestment,” Philip was mainly reacting to the situations and people around him—from Reuben’s brutal way of killing to Martha’s living room interrogation. And the way those reactions built from silence to a powerful use of rhetoric allowed Rhys to use every weapon in his acting arsenal.

I loved what Rhys was able to do with silence once again in this episode. The set of his jaw and the direction of his gaze in the effective close-ups during the brutal fire scene said so much. And the stunning way he was shot in profile as he listened for news from Afghanistan allowed Rhys to show Philip’s overwhelming worry for his son without needing to spell it out for us. And his powerful silence in that scene made the revelation of his son’s name—his real name—feel as important as it needed to feel for Elizabeth’s request to be believable later in the episode. In just a few lines, Rhys and Keri Russell communicated so much to the audience and showed that Elizabeth and Philip can read each other’s reactions so well without any words.

That powerful silence between Elizabeth and Philip contrasted brilliantly with his final scene with Martha. While Elizabeth and Philip often don’t need any words to understand each other because they’ve built up so much trust together, “Clark” often needs to be a smooth-talker with Martha to keep her happy because that same intimacy isn’t there. As Martha finally confronted “Clark,” I loved that Rhys allowed us to see Philip panic for one barely perceptible moment. This was his worst nightmare coming true, and he needed to think on his feet to keep everything from crashing down around him. Rhys does such a brilliant job of showing the wheels turning in Philip’s head without making it seem obvious, and that was put to great use here, as we saw him grasping at straws to say everything he felt he needed to say to appease Martha and save them both.

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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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Source: http://www.soundonsight.org

Title: Salang Pass

Episode M.V.P.: Matthew Rhys
“Salang Pass” was an episode that focused heavily on Philip and his many aliases. As such, it relied heavily on the versatility of Rhys. Like last week’s “Dimebag,” what made Rhys’s work so impressive in this episode was his ability to show the cracks in Philip’s exterior as both Clark and Jim in ways subtle enough for the audience to see them but to still make it believable that both Martha and Kimberly wouldn’t be able to notice something was amiss. For example, the scene with Martha where they were looking at potential foster children asked for such nuance from Rhys, as he had to show Clark still holding back from the idea while also showing Philip’s deep nostalgia for simpler times with this own kids just under the surface of his alias.

That same dichotomy between the persona Philip was projecting and his real emotions was never more evident than in the juxtaposition of his scenes with Paige and Kimberly. His shopping trip with Paige was filled with the kind of warmth and realistic fatherly behavior Rhys gives to every moment between Philip and his kids. And that same silly sense of humor and parental warmth worked its way into his final scene with Kimberly so perfectly that it took my breath away. As she talked on the back porch about the big rake and small rake, you could see the same pull between detachment and paternal nostalgia that he brought to Clark in the beginning of the episode. And when they had their food fight, Rhys made every beat feel like the kind of fun a dad would have with his kid rather than making it anything remotely sexual. That same sense of paternal care was brought to the heartbreaking moment of him carrying Kimberly up the stairs.

In the hands of a different actor, that whole sequence in Kimberly’s home could have been sexualized, making it difficult for us to ever root for Philip again. However, Rhys has done such a brilliant job showing that Philip’s natural instinct toward Kimberly is that of a protective father, which makes his interactions with both her and with Paige more fascinating than ever. And it makes it even more tragic to think about the possibility of him having to sleep with Kimberly, because we know that’s the one act he might never be forgive himself for committing.

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Title: Dimebag

Episode M.V.P: Matthew Rhys
The first three episodes of Season Three of The Americans featured (in order): A naked woman being strangled to death, the same naked, deceased woman having her bones snapped in order to fit her into a suitcase, and a husband pulling out his wife’s tooth with a pair of pliers. All three moments were unsettling, but none of them made my skin crawl the way Philip’s interactions with Kimberly did in this episode. In the hands of a less talented actor on a lesser show, this storyline could ruin Philip’s character. However, Matthew Rhys’s haunting work in “Dimebag” proved that this storyline will only serve to make Philip an even more complex character than before.

Rhys has always been great at conveying Philip’s mental and emotional state through his eyes, tone of voice, and body language, and that talent was used potently in “Dimebag.” It was there in the way “Jim’s” smooth talking could barely disguise the disgust in Philip’s voice. It was there in the way his back stiffened when Elizabeth asked who wore the pants in “Clark’s” marriage with Martha. It was there in the way he purposely didn’t look at Kimberly as she was dancing until he visibly steeled himself to do so at the end. It was there in the slump of his shoulders when he had to leave after his teenage daughter’s birthday dinner to seduce a teenage girl—his posture showing how much he hates the hypocrite this is causing him to become. And it was there every single time the camera lingered on his face as Philip looked at Paige with the sad eyes of a father contemplating lost innocence and his role in it.

I loved the way this episode focused on how much Philip loves his kids as he was being asked to do something that went against everything he believes as a father. The genuine warmth Rhys exuded in the scene that featured Philip and Henry doing flashcards as Philip talked to Paige about her birthday dinner brilliantly contrasted the disturbing nature of his new mission and the clear discomfort he felt about it.

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