The Americans - "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" Review. Collateral Damage.

Season 3, Episode 9

Air Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 10 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“I’m fine; we’re fine. I just needed to know.” – Martha

Following Martha’s (Alison Wright) inquisition of Philip (Matthew Rhys) in last week’s episode, “Divestment,” she settles into her role of dutiful wife. Also last week, Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas) kicked the shit out of the mail robot, making it necessary to send it out for repairs. But that’s not exactly what Philip and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) have in mind when they break into the machine shop where the mail robot is kept. In the meantime, Stan (Noah Emmerich) and Oleg (Costa Ronin) cook up a “very risky” plan to save Nina (Annet Mahendru), and Hans (Peter Mark Kendall) doesn’t like it when Elizabeth tells him, “It’s over.”

Really, Martha?

Philip, Gabriel, and Elizabeth discuss the "<i>Martha situation</i>."

Philip, Gabriel, and Elizabeth discuss the “Martha situation.”

It is amazing to me the lengths some women go to in order to maintain what they consider to be a happy marriage. Such is the case with #PoorMartha this week. She knows Philip doesn’t work for the FBI yet never bothers to find out what he really does for a living. Instead, she makes Philip a delicious homemade dinner and tells him, “Mangia, sweetie, before it gets cold.” Really, Martha? How blind can you be? She is so wrapped up with being married, being loved, and being in love, she ignores everything her intellect must be screaming at her. While this stretches Martha’s credibility, I understand why writer Joshua Brand takes this route. Wright is a terrific actress and this is the perfect way to keep her on The Americans. Who knows? Perhaps Philip, aka Clark, will find another use for Martha. She already unwittingly provides him with an important piece of information when talking about the mail robot.

Collateral Damage

Lois Smith is an incredible actress, especially with the moving performance she gives as Betty in this week’s episode.

Philip and Elizabeth must find another way to get information now that the bug in Agent Gaad’s pen is no longer of use. Enter our old friend, the mail robot. Too bad an elderly woman named Betty (Lois Smith) stands in their way. This plot point takes up the majority of “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” and provides an intimate look at the way Elizabeth handles the collateral damage Betty presents. Smith has a long and storied career; you may remember her as Adele Stackhouse on True Blood, or for older viewers, as Anne in East of Eden. Suffice it to say, Smith is an amazing actress. Her timing, facial expressions, and general warmth speak to Smith’s incredible acting ability, garnering her several award nominations over the years, as well as a Screen Actors Guild award for her role in How to Make an American Quilt. She is outstanding in The Americans.

Betty instinctively knows what Elizabeth wants of her.

Director Stephen Williams’ use of suspenseful background music perfectly sets the mood as Elizabeth slowly creeps along a wall in the darkened building of the machine repair shop. Betty isn’t scared of Elizabeth even though she knows nothing good can come of Elizabeth being there. I find it interesting, however, that Betty talks to Elizabeth as though they’re friends, and Elizabeth seems to empathize with Betty throughout their long conversation. This scene is like poetry in motion as Betty comes to realize what fate has in store for her. The look on her face is pitiful—almost as if she is seeing her life flash before her eyes. But Betty isn’t afraid of dying; she actually seems to accept her fate. The final moments between Elizabeth and Betty are moving and somber, especially as Betty struggles to understand why this is happening. In a critical moment, no words pass between them but dialogue isn’t necessary to convey how powerful a scene this is. Betty reminiscing about her husband is extremely compelling and I was very touched by the entire scenario. This is one of the most honest scenes I’ve witnessed in a long time.

Scrabble™

Ever since Langella joined the cast of The Americans this season as Gabriel, the powers that be have used the game of Scrabble™ as a means of communication between Gabriel and Philip. It is no different in this week’s installment as Gabriel uses the word “amatory” to make a point about love and marriage. Writer Brand uses the closing scenes of “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” to insert a bit of background information about Philip and Elizabeth’s first reactions when presented with each other as a possible “suitor.” But Philip recognizes what Gabriel is trying to do and when Gabriel asks him, “What’s the problem,” Philip responds “You; you’re the problem.” Looks like everything is not so copacetic among our Soviet spies.

Other Observations

I knew Hans was devoted to “the cause,” but I never expected him to do what he does to Todd (Will Pullen) in “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” Talk about taking matters into your own hands! I wonder whether Hans’ actions are truly due to his dislike of what’s happening in South Africa or whether the crush he obviously has on Elizabeth is at play here.

I’m not sure I understand how Oleg’s actions as the “patriot” are going to save Nina. While the scene confirms Zinaida (Svetlana Efremova) is who she claims to be, I don’t get the correlation. The only connection I see is when Oleg’s gun connects with Stan’s head.

Overall

“Do Mail Robots Dream of Sheep?” proves you don’t need a tremendous amount of suspense and intrigue to be a great episode. While there is a small amount of tension, mostly from the scenes involving Oleg and Zinaida, and Hans and Todd, the emotionality is what makes this episode stand out from the others. And stand out it does with terrific dialogue, expert direction, and, as usual, outstanding performances from everyone involved.

With what Martha eludes to regarding Agent Gaad’s state of mind, I’m anxious to see what happens to him next. Do you agree with Philip that Martha can be trusted? Also, I get the feeling Elizabeth is getting a little soft, which makes me wonder whether this will have an impact on the Paige (Holly Taylor) situation.

What did you think of “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?” Are you happy with the way Martha handles her situation? What would you do given the same scenario? Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. I’d love to discuss it with you!

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Follow these cast members on Twitter: Philip @MatthewRhys, Stan Beeman @NoahEmmerich, Oleg Burov @CostaRonin, Martha @Alison_Wright, Paige @HollyTaylor97, and Nina @AnnetMahendru, as well as the group “The Americans Fans” @https://twitter.com/TheAmericansFan.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!