The Americans – “Salang Pass” Retrospective. This and That.

Season 3, Episode 5

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

Rating: ★★★★★

Pardon me, but I can’t start my review until I finish eating all the Jiffy Pop™ and Rocky Road ice cream in my house. Lord, this episode gave me the munchies, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Although, my snacks took my mind off how bored I was watching “Salang Pass.”

In last week’s episode, “Dimebag,” I mentioned I didn’t trust Maurice (guest star Thaddeus Daniels), the husband of Elizabeth’s (Keri Russell) AA sponsor Lisa (guest star Karen Pittman). Well, apparently my suspicions are validated because in “Salang Pass” we learn Lisa has moved out and is now crashing at her sister’s. Having Lisa move into Elizabeth’s “mom’s house” is the perfect opportunity for Elizabeth to get closer to Lisa in order to get the information she needs about the plane Northrup is developing, especially after Lisa refers to Elizabeth as her “lucky charm.”

Check out the looks on Martha’s and Philip’s faces at the adoption center!

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Philip (Matthew Rhys) tell Elizabeth he’s considering adoption with Martha (Alison Wright). The trip to the adoption center obviously made quite an impression on him, as he relives Paige (Holly Taylor) and Henry’s (Keidrich Sellati) younger days. What is this man thinking? Isn’t Philip’s life confusing enough without adding a youngster to a faux marriage? Of course, there’s no telling what Martha’s reaction will be if he refuses.

Also in “Dimebag,” Stan (Noah Emmerich) voiced his concern to Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas) about Zinaida (guest star Svetlana Efremova) being a Russian plant rather than a defector. I know Stan is in love with Nina (Annet Mahendru) and will do anything to get her released from prison, but I never expected him to seek out Oleg (Costa Ronin) for help in proving his theory. If Zinaida truly is a Russian spy, the United States would be able to approach Russia about a “prisoner exchange” for Nina. The way Oleg approaches Tatiana (Vera Cherny) at the Rezidentura to find out what she knows about Zinaida is very cool, using the guise of a what-if scenario, as in “Why not train one of our officers to defect? Have we ever done that?” Oleg is one smooth operator, as is Tatiana with her “Who knows” response.

Philip gets more than he bargained for with Kimmie.

For a girl as young as Kimmie (Julia Garner), she sure knows what she wants from Philip, or “James” as she knows him, and it’s not just a ride home. Handling a “15-year-old hormonal girl” isn’t going to be as easy as Philip would hope, especially since Kimmie has no idea her father is in the CIA. She knows he works at the State Department, “in Agriculture,” and complains that neither her father nor her mother has any time for her. What a perfect setup for Philip to get closer to Kimmie, although I don’t think he expects Kimmie to do what she does. The girl has a one-track mind.

I don’t particularly care for where the Philip/Kimmie story line is going. I understand spies must do whatever is necessary to get what they need but this story line smells almost of incest to me. I really hope the writers can find some way for Philip to get what he needs before he and Kimmie end up in bed together.

It’s easy to understand why Gabriel is a handler for the KGB.

Elizabeth and Philip’s handler Gabriel (Frank Langella) sure says a mouthful when commenting on how difficult Philip’s life has become with having to handle Kimmie, Paige, and Martha’s “baby fever.” It’s clear Philip isn’t comfortable with trying to turn Kimmie into an asset due to her age but Gabriel is an expert at smoothing ruffled feathers. He has a way of getting Philip to do what the Motherland wants by explaining what will happen if Philip follows his “conscience.” But after Philip’s conversation with Kimmie at her house while her parents are away, which explains just how broken the kid is, I’m not so sure he’ll follow through. But Kimmie makes it easy when she passes out from the pot Gabriel gave Philip to use with her. Philip wastes no time searching her father’s office and taking pictures of the contents of his briefcase. My question is why isn’t Philip prepared when he goes there?

Throughout the seasons, we’ve watched the relationship between Philip and Stan grow into one of friendship. “Salang Pass” points out how far they’ve both come when not being a Russian spy and a FBI agent, but instead a friend confiding in another about life’s important issues. Stan confides his true feelings about his wife Sandra (Susan Misner) to Philip. Stan finally realizes his marriage is over and is now contemplating a date with his “EST lady,” Tori (guest star Callie Thorne). While Thorne doesn’t appear in “Salang Pass,” I’m anxious for her return—not only because I admire her acting skills, but I can’t wait to see what kinds of dates Tori and Stan go on.

The Americans always brings a bit of levity into its episodes. In “Salang Pass,” it involves a food fight between Philip and Kimmie borne out of getting “so stoned” together. I had a really huge smile on my face watching this scene because it brought back some excellent memories.

As “Salang Pass” comes to a close, Philip flashes back to his training so many years ago. A young Philip (Joshua Warr) is about to have sex with a woman and is instructed by his handlers to “make it real” to himself in order for his mission to succeed. Interestingly, he admits to doing that with Martha but I was quite surprised by Philip’s answer to Elizabeth’s question, “Is that what you do with me?” Elizabeth must have been in a vulnerable state when asking Philip this question; I can only wonder how his response will affect her going forward.

Other Observations

Yes, Paige. You really can have this dress.

The question surrounding Paige’s future as a KGB spy isn’t addressed as vociferously in “Salang Pass” as it has been throughout season three so far. That is not to say the plot point is left out completely. Philip makes it crystal clear to Elizabeth that he hasn’t changed his mind where Paige is concerned by going shopping with Paige for her baptismal dress. Elizabeth knows if they allow Paige to go through with the baptism, she’ll never agree to being a spy.

This Week’s Bits of Nostalgia

• Elizabeth’s reference to the old TV show Get Smart when she confides her sudden increase in wealth to Lisa, saying this is “cone of silence stuff.”
• It was fun listening to Philip and Stan discuss the chutzpah Tori has when she calls Stan for a date. Back then, women didn’t do that; they waited for the man to call.

Overall

Outside of a few suspenseful scenes in each episode of The Americans so far, there has been little intrigue providing the edge-of-your-seat feeling I have come to expect from a show about Russian spies living on American soil. That is painfully the case in “Salang Pass” as well, where what could have been exciting and gripping—Kimmie’s parents coming home unexpectedly—wasn’t played up at all. The most exciting scene is Elizabeth taking drastic measures to complete a mission—that’s if you think making a car fall on someone is exciting. All of the story lines seem to be dragging, taking too long to come to fruition. Here we are, five episodes in, and Elizabeth and Philip are still arguing over Paige. Make a decision already so the consequences can be dealt with in the remainder of the season. To say I’m disappointed in “Salang Pass” is putting it mildly.

What did you think of “Salang Pass?” Leave me a comment below, or tweet me @SeasideTV. I’d love to discuss the episode with you!

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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!

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