"Promised we'd keep them safe. Now they're killed, in front of their own kid." ― Stan
The Great Patriotic War is the fifth episode of the final season of The Americans on FX, and the seventieth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
As the summit fast approaches, Elizabeth enlists Philip's help for a mission that could yield game-changing intel.
Plot[]
| Marilyn and Norm locate Sofia, who is living separately from Gennadi, by following Stan. Sofia tells Stan that she and her son Ilia want to be reunited with Gennadi. Elizabeth meets with Claudia and reviewing surveillance pictures taken by Paige, Claudia identifies a CIA officer from the Soviet Division meeting with Nesterenko, along with a high level staffer from senator Sam Nunn's office and suspects Nesterenko might be a traitor. Paige joins them and Claudia tells her about World War II from the Russian perspective. Continuing to follow Stan, Hank, Norm and Marilyn discover where Gennadi is staying. Stan brings Gennadi pizza and they watch a hockey game.
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| Leaving Claudia's, in the car, Paige tells Elizabeth that she met Brian, a congressional intern, and learned some classified information. Elizabeth isn't interested in the intel and emphasizes that Paige shouldn't develop him as a source. At home, Elizabeth shows concern for Philip and for the first time in a while, they have sex. The next morning, Elizabeth asks Philip to go to Greece with Kimmy and take her to Bulgaria, where she will be arrested with planted drugs to blackmail her father for information about Nesterenko. She has to push hard to convince Philip to do it. At a campus bar, Paige plays pinball with her friends. (♫ Simplistics - Never Want to Say Goodbye ♫) A young man, Vince, offers to buy her a drink and she accepts. In disguise, Elizabeth tails Gennadi as he walks to a corner store.
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| In Ann Arbor, Michigan, posing as "James", Philip lies to Kimmy that he has a meeting in Rome when she's vacationing in Greece and could meet her. Saying that she'll be too busy with her friends, she turns him down. Having left the store, Elizabeth approaches Gennadi in an alley but his FBI bodyguard, Agent Hill, catches up to Gennadi. At the bar, Paige is getting along with Vince until his drunk, rude friend Tony interrupts. Paige gets up to leave and trading insults with Tony, he grabs her arm. Paige punches and kicks him and walks away. Concerned, Vince runs after Paige to see if she's OK but when he touches her back, she punches him in the nose.
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| Dropping Kimmy off at her home, in order to change her mind about him meeting her in Greece, Philip kisses her in the car. He then has sex with Kimmy though he's disgusted with himself. Stan suggests to Renee that she could work in the FBI personnel office. Posing as home care nurse "Stephanie", Elizabeth gets another art lesson from terminally ill artist Erica. Erica scolds her for not practicing and implores her to find the artist inside. Tatiana surprises Oleg as he's leaving a class and tries to get him to admit that he was responsible for the leak that led to William's capture in 1984. Denying it, she gets angry and blames him for nixing her promotion and stalling her career.
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| Returning home, Philip tells Elizabeth that the kidnapping plan with Kimmy is on. Paige arrives for a sparring session. Tatiana has the KGB Rezident notify the Center that Oleg is in the US, isn't working for them and is not loyal. While sparring in the garage, Paige tells her parents about the bar fight and Brian. Very concerned, Elizabeth tries to show Paige that she can't draw attention to herself while being a spy. Paige yells back at Elizabeth for always telling her what to do. After Paige leaves, Elizabeth tells Philip that Paige may not be cut out for spying. Philip states that she can do it but shouldn't. Elizabeth climbs the fire escape and breaks into Gennadi's apartment and unexpectedly finds Sofia there visiting. She stabs and kills both Gennadi and Sofia but doesn't see until afterwards that Sofia's seven year old son, Ilia, is watching TV in the next room.
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| Philip visits Paige's apartment to discuss the bar fight. When Paige chastises him for not being into spying anymore, he challenges her to attack him and easily defeats her, showing her how much she still has to learn. Claudia and Elizabeth teach Paige to drink olive oil first to be able to consume more alcohol, and then they all test their drinking capacity by getting drunk on vodka. Over a beer, a crushed Stan tells Philip about Gennadi and Sofia and their orphaned son, who found his parents covered in blood. Drunk, Claudia, Elizabeth and Paige swap stories about how they lost their virginity. After Stan leaves, Philip goes to a pay phone and calls Kimmy, saying he won't be coming to Greece and won't see her again. He warns her not to visit a communist country while in Greece.
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Notes[]
- The episode takes its name from the war fought between the Soviets, Nazi Germany and its allies, which took place from 22 June 1941 to May 1945.
- Claudia mentions the massive casualties that the USSR suffered during WW2 and truthfully, their major role in defeating Nazi Germany.
- The hockey game Stan and Gennadi watch on TV took place on November 17, 1987 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals which Detroit won 1-0. Players mentioned during the broadcast include Bob Probert, Steve Yzerman (who scored the game's only goal) and Bengt Gustafsson. (see Timeline of Historical Events)
- Molson Canadian beer is very popular in this episode as Paige drinks it with Vince and later, Philip gives one to Stan.
- Ilia watches March of the Wooden Soldiers on TV while Elizabeth kills Gennadi and Sofia.
- Henry does not appear in this episode.
- "Previously on The Americans" voice: Oleg.
Music[]
| Song Title | Performer(s) |
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| Never Want to Say Goodbye | Simplistics |
Videos[]
| Season Six | ||||||||||||||||||||
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