- A crucial agent crumbles under emotional distress and threatens to topple a valuable network of KGB informants.
- Elizabeth seduces an asset whom she seeks to gather critical Intel from however he beats her with a belt to sexually satisfy himself. Philip is so angered by the physical scars he sees on her back he exacts the ultimate revenge however nothing can help mend the emotional rift between Elizabeth & Philip.—Geoffrey
- Philip bonds brilliantly with still unsuspecting FBI neighbor Stan Beeman, whose marriage starts crumbling while he wonders that KGB lover Nina resorted, to spy for him, to sexually pleasing the 'resident'. To get access to a revolutionary encryption technology, Elisabeth seduces the creating company's CEO, even if that includes a dose of his BDSM taste by belt on her back, which Philip finds harder to handle, so he mildly works out his frustration on son Henry. Stan's boss Gaad sets an elaborate codes switch trap, forcing a confrontation which puts both sides in danger, including the resident who risks being reported by the party-brass-son-spy whether he abandons the risky operation or incurs losses.—KGF Vissers
- Previously on 'The Americans': Phillip was working on getting info from a source in FBI counterintelligence while FBI Agent Beeman has turned an employee at the Rezidentura to report to him. Claudia told Phillip that the Americans are trying to build a defense system that would wipe out Russia's nuclear arsenal. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Phillip are trying to start give their relationship the real start they never had.
'Comint': Elizabeth shows up at a man's house posing as a security company inspector. She tells the man the Department of Defense mandated a security review of all private contractors. She says she wanted to wait out of respect and says she's "very sorry" about his wife. He reports his name, Adam Dorwin, manager of Vizio Tech Laser Operations Group. He has top-secret clearance. She asks if he's received any communications from foreign agents and proceeds with questions. He says his contacts in the DoD are "trustworthy idiots." In the 35 years and eight months he was married to his wife, he says she never asked a single question about the classified work he did.
Elizabeth meets with Claudia in the car on a rainy night. Elizabeth says she could've cracked him in 30 seconds and that "he needs his handler now, face to face, or we're going to lose him." Claudia says the handler has left four signals "for him" in the last week. She says there's been no meeting because everyone's locked up in the Rezidentura and that because the FBI surveillance teams are using new encryption on their radios, the Russian agents can't tell when they're being followed, so there's no way to meet an agent. Elizabeth offers to go explain the situation. Claudia says that's not how the Russians operate. The CIA lets agents' handlers switch in an out and "there's no real bond." Claudia tells her about an agent she once ran in West Germany a loner oddball who never really learned to make a friend. She befriended him and many years later, as she was leaving, they didn't need him any more. She explained it all to him, he thanked her for the opportunity to work with her, and killed himself shortly after.
"We didn't need him anymore, but he needed us," Claudia says.
Claudia tells Elizabeth they can't lose Agent Udacha and she must find a way to get the FBI's encryption codes so the contact can meet with the one man he trusts.
Dorwin calls Vasili from a pay phone. Vasili says he shouldn't be calling him there but promises they'll meet soon. Dorwin hangs up and leaves.
Elizabeth crosses paths with Beeman and Phillip while driving into the office. They're are on their way back from racquetball. They're pretty chummy, which seems to make Elizabeth a little uneasy. Beeman says he can give Phillip a ride to the office.
At the Rezidentura, Vasili helps show "Ninotchka" (Nina) the proper way to brew her tea. He says shortcuts "are the root of all evil." His approach takes longer, but he says the tea will taste better, that "waiting is a lost art." He urges her to try it his way from the start next time.
Agent Amador laments that Martha, a woman he dated in the office for a couple of months, never wore sexy shoes when she was with him. Now she's sporting heels. Agent Gaad comes up with a transcript of Dorwin's conversation from the phone booth with Vasili, but they don't know who was on either end of the line. All they know is that one man said: "I feel like I'm standing on a diving board at the edge of an empty pool". Gaad says he smells an opportunity. Amador compliments Martha's shoes when she comes over to deliver a message to Gaad. She says that's sexism and Gaad agrees. He rolls his eyes when she walks away.
Beeman talks with Nina. He tries to convince her that he's on her side and she should think of him as a wall that's protecting her. He asks her to find out what's going on quickly and that they don't have any leeway. He tells her she's beautiful and smart and capable and beautiful again. He tries to say "trust me" in Russian, but she tells him that the way he's saying it makes it sound like she has no choice.
Martha is at home and Phillip is there, posing as "Clark," the counterintelligence guy she's seeing. Martha seems quiet and Phillip leans in to kiss her. He says he's been wanting to do that "for a very long time" and wishes things were different with them. He says they can't trespass any boundaries, because he has to protect the nation's counterintelligence efforts. He compliments her shoes and she says they're new. He tells her he's worried about the FBI's surveillance. He's "concerned the company wasn't properly vetted." He gets her to reveal the name of the consultant, Kurt Schultz.
At the Soviet Embassy, Vasili and Arkady are talking about how they can't lose Agent Udacha. They agree that if the FBI gets to Udacha before he can, they'll lose everything. Arkady says Udacha will take the whole network with him. Vasili says he can't meet him until he can get the FBI off his back.
At home that night, Elizabeth chides Phillip for playing too much racquetball with his "new best friends" and says he should keep his distance. He asks what is going with the encryption guy. She says her plan is to pose as a rival looking for a job.
We next see her having sex with a man presumably Kurt Schultz in a hotel room while asking if this means she and her boss can buy his company. He finishes quickly, but proceeds to spank Elizabeth a few times before pulling out a belt and using it. She tells him it hurts and he says it's supposed to. She rolls off the bed and curls up in a ball asking him to stop and just as he's about to use the buckle end of the belt she screams and cries, "Don't hurt me!" He stops and tries to quiet her down. She gets up to get dressed.
Nina brings some tea to Vasili in his office and says she took his advice. She closes the door behind her and starts to take off her blouse.
"Why? Why now?" he asks her.
"I think we're both a little lonely," she says.
Elizabeth tells Schultz that if her boss knew what he was into he wouldn't want to buy his company. Schultz claims the price $3 million is too low anyway. She says she knows what it's worth. He says "there are things that aren't in the paperwork, try $30 (million)." He mentions the classified work his company does, and goes on to say he's figured out how to make a signal cloaking system portable.
"Portable?" she asks.
"Small enough to fit in the trunk of an FBI car," he says. "Wherever they go, it goes with them. Thirty million, not a penny less."
Nina is buttoning her blouse and Vasili thanks her for her "kindness in a difficult time." She says "that's what difficult times call for." She goes on to ask him if he's alright, noting that she'd heard something the other day.
His response is to ask her if she knows what loyalty is. He tells her about an agent he recruited there 23 years earlier. He says the man was "a bureaucrat with a soul". He says the man now has "jitters" and mimics jitters to explains what they are. He plans to reassure him everything will be fine. She asks him if it will. Vasili turns and tells her he hopes they'll be able to meet again.
Elizabeth gets home and tells Phillip she "got it." She takes off her shirt and the belt marks are visible all over her back. He asks what happened and she says "nothing."
"It happens sometimes, Phillip," she says.
Phillip vows to "deal with it," but Elizabeth says she could have dealt with it herself. "I wanted the intel and I got it," she adds. Philip says he'll be back in an hour. She tells him she doesn't need him to fight her battles for her. He gets a gun and heads out of the house, but she stops him by saying, "You are not my daddy."
He tells her he's her "husband, what do you think husbands do?"
"I wouldn't know," she says.
The next morning, Phillip is agitated and being short with Henry for losing his thermos.
Nina reports back to Beeman about Vasili's plans to meet with the agent who has "jitters." Beeman asks how she got Vasili to talk and she says in more colorful terms she gave him oral sex "just like you told me to". Beeman stammers to clarify that's not what he said and that he "wouldn't." The horn of a passing train is the only thing that breaks the silence for a moment. Beeman tells her she'll live a new life one day and will have a new name. He wants her to choose the name of someone who sleeps very well at night. He says "we have to nail down when that meeting is happening."
"We?" she asks.
Elizabeth reports to Claudia about the surveillance systems in the FBI cars. Claudia asks Elizabeth if everything is OK. She says yes, but it's been a tough couple of days. They have a conversation about female empowerment, based on the equal rights laws being considered in the U.S. Claudia says that she and Elizabeth have already known for years that they have to fight for their equality instead of waiting for the laws to change. Claudia says she'll get Elizabeth some info on the FBI cars, but they keep their vehicles under very close guard. Elizabeth says they'll figure it out.
The next day, Elizabeth and Phillip are driving and Elizabeth says the second car behind them is the FBI. Phillip asks Elizabeth if she's going to be mad forever. She say she's not mad and "at least I'm not tormenting little boys about lost thermoses." Phillip slams the brakes on the car in order to get the car behind him to stop short and the FBI car to crash into it. Phillip drives off while the FBI agents have to apologize to an elderly woman for rear-ending her.
We next see the FBI car in the shop. Phillip tells Elizabeth where the car is and says he'll distract some of the mechanics while she gets something from the FBI car. He distracts while she climbs into the trunk of the FBI car, which is on a lift. She slips an encryption card out of the portable security device and makes an imprint of it. She's about to get out of the car when it starts moving down the lift. Phillip sees it coming down. The FBI agents are told their car is ready and they start to head toward it. Phillip tries to think quickly. He goes to get his car but the mechanic says he needs to keep it overnight. Phillip tells him he needs it now as the FBI agents are already driving away.
The FBI agents drive back to FBI headquarters with Elizabeth still in the trunk. They park and leave the car in the lot.
We see Phillip pull over on the side of the road and check his trunk. Elizabeth is not there.
In the FBI parking lot, Elizabeth gets out of the trunk and starts walking around unnoticed. She walks right through the gates, giving a "see ya" and confident wave to the guards as she leaves.
Phillip is waiting for her with coffee and a donut. He apologizes about their argument. She says they have to do all sorts of things for their work, "and it requires being a certain way." He asks her what she's talking about. She says that she wishes each night that she'll "wake up and not be worried." He asks about what and she says, "Everything."
"You can't live like that," he says.
"Show me another way," she replies.
Beeman is listening to Russian language lessons on tape at home. His wife asks if he's coming to bed. She's wearing a new negligee. He says, "Oh, you're killing me", and continues to listen to his tapes. She reminds him about all the fun and sometimes romantic things they used to do before his assignment away. She tells him life was "pretty freaking great, remember?" He says he does, and says he won't be that long with the tapes. She goes to bed.
Vasili is in his office again, with Nina doing her thing under the desk. Arkady bursts in, doesn't see Nina, and tells Vasili that they got the encryption codes. He tells Arkady to signal Udacha for a meet the next day at 14:00. Arkady leaves. Vasili sighs.
The next day, Nina waits for Beeman at a random spot on the street. He pulls up and she tells him the KGB has the FBI's encryption code and the meeting with the agent is happening at 2 p.m. He thanks her and speeds away.
Gaad calls out to Amador to get his teams ready, and he goes to another agent to tell him to get the codes in the trunk units changed.
Vasili is worried now at the Embassy, saying that they've lost all the FBI communications, it's all static. Arkady suggests they've changed the code. Now they're worried Udacha will go off the deep end, but Arkady warns Vasili that he could be leading the FBI to Udacha himself, if he goes through with the meeting.
"We have no choice," Vasili says.
Amador and Beeman are staking things out. They talk about relationships for a moment until they see Vasili walking around the corner. They get out to follow him. We also see Udacha who we know as Dorwin walking with a briefcase, apparently toward a meeting. They follow Vasili, who goes and stands at the waterfront along the banks for the Potomac. He's just "gazing," as Beeman puts it. Vasili checks his watch.
We see Dorwin/Udacha standing somewhere, also checking his watch. He turns and starts to ask, "Did my friend send you?" He's cut off by a bullet in the head, which Elizabeth fires.
Vasili looks as some birds fly through the sky. His sad look means something isn't right, and the look on Beeman's face, who is watching Vasili from afar makes it fairly clear he knows, too. We see Elizabeth walk away.
Phillip meets with Claudia on the street that night. She tells him about the FBI changing their encryption codes right away within the day, "like they knew." They understand they have a mole.
Vasili is angry with Arkady for having cabled Moscow without his permission. Arkady says there is a mole and the center demands they use "any and all measure to catch them." He says that's exactly what they're going to do.
Phillip gets home and finds Elizabeth asleep. She quietly asks, "What had she say?"
"Don't worry about it," Phillip says. "I'll tell you in the morning."
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