The Americans - "In Control" Review

“The Americans” goes in to hyperdrive as Reagan forgets to duck, and we learn just how much of a foil Phil and Stan are for one another.  It’s time to recap the most recent episode of everyone’s favorite 1980s Soviet-based spy drama. But first I need to consult my Constitution regarding the presidential line of succession.

“In Control” is the episode I’ve been foreshadowing for the past few weeks in these reviews – on March 31st of 1981, President Ronald Reagan was leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel, when John Hinckley, Jr. fired six shots, all of which initially missed President Reagan¹.  The title of the episode refers explicitly to then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig’s proclamation that “I’m in control, here², at the White House.”  While it may seem absolutely ridiculous at this time, when we have had a number of years since any type of assassination attempt on our Chief Executive, at the time, both Soviets and Americans alike were wondering what Haig meant by “I’m in control here.”

When it comes to control, the FBI was in a state of high alert, as is to be understood.  Everything, including some discussion of a Romanian who was busted for having three pounds of Marijuana, and any discussion at all of the Polish Trade Union movement, which is important because of Lech Walesa, the electrician who would become Poland’s first democratically elected president of Poland.

The KGB was also on high alert – Grannie³ tells Liz to prepare for Operation Christopher, which we later discover is to serve as an operative behind enemy lines, assassinating high-ranking Americans, Caspar Weinberger first⁴.  As Nina tells Stan, everyone is running around like chickens.  He tells her, “with their heads cut off” – as though a coup is happening.  Nina assumes that “General” Haig is assuming control of the government, which Stan quickly corrects.

The lynchpin in all of this is, aside from references to control, who actually is in control, here?  Phil crystallizes the answer to this question in his rant to Liz.  With Moscow looking for any reason to go on high alert, Washington already trying to make specious connections between the Soviets, the KGB, Communism, or even Russian dressing to Hinckley, and both intelligence communities making bold moves (Stan bringing in Nina against his wishes, Phil and Liz debating whether or not to broadcast Haig’s possession of the Nuclear Launch Codes), Phil and Liz stand between escalating tensions over what, at the moment, is nothing.  They, in fact, are the ones in control.  In a cold war, information is control, and they have the information that could set off a quick devolution of diplomacy surrounding an event that was a horribly misguided attempt to impress Jodie Foster.

Despite all of that, it’s important to note that this was an important episode for the show’s storylines, and I think they botched it.  It’s clear that the timeline presented the writers of “The Americans” with some problems regarding how things actually played out in history.  Given that they are operating under actual historical timelines, seventy days between the inauguration of Reagan and his assassination attempt does not give them much time (I was just bitching last week that it’s been two weeks since Phil and Liz decided to try things with their marriage,) but this episode felt like they wanted to just deal with the Reagan assassination attempt, and move on.

While it could have been a watershed moment, the fact that it happens in episode 4 means that there are still 9 episodes left in the season, and they tied up  most of the loose ends from this episode, with Phil and Liz promising to keep it to themselves what they knew about Haig and his posse at the White House.

Even the goofy staged conversation at the bar in DC, with unidentified staffers at State defending Haig, who was being challenged by Congressional staffers for his comments at the news conference.  The whole thing felt like an information drop – remember, the line of succession goes President, Vice President, Speaker of the House – and then the weird shoving match that ensues after someone suggests Haig is trying to seize control.  It was a fourth-wall breaking moment.  Any asshole with access to Wikipedia could have figured out, given that they kept bringing up Haig and his understanding of the line of succession – be it in background newscasts or side conversations by extras – that he was wrong.  Instead, it was hand-fed to us.

Additionally, when Phil and Liz are arguing about whether or not to transmit to Moscow the knowledge that Haig and Weinberger have possession of the Nuclear Football, Liz feels the need to emphasize her point by completely explaining that the Nuclear Football is not some attempt by the NFL to keep game balls warm during cold weather games, but rather the ability to unleash America’s nuclear arsenal.  Even 24 didn’t lay things out for us like this.  For all of the appreciation I had for last week’s “Gregory,” this felt like the writers wanted this one out of the way.

Some other notes:

-Not really much in the way of 1980s breadcrumbs.  Stan referencing Hinckley’s true intentions was even a bit ham-handed.  Instead of saying, “Trying to impress some actress…” he goes ahead and says “Jodie Foster.”

-The entire episode is paranoia on high alert – John Boy assumes that Hinckley is a Soviet operative of some sort (“If he said ‘Nyet’ in the past 10 years, I want to KNOW about it.”)  Claudia assumes that the war is coming, and Phil/Liz will need to act behind enemy lines to assist the motherland.

-The real meat of the episode lies not in the conspiracy, but in the family developments:

-We get another reference to an off-camera Gregory which frustrates Phil, especially after Phil and Liz make in-roads in improving their relationship with a morning away at a hotel for sex (which their children question them about, and they give the “nevermind!” response.  I assumed it was some type of mission.  Turns out I was right.  It was a sex mission.  Mission: Accomplished!)  The battle to make a real marriage out of a fake one isn’t going to be easy.

-Paige is developing a relationship with Stan’s son.  Very Romeo and Juliet-esque.

-Up until this point, Stan and his wife’s relationship has been the relationship we assume Phil and Liz are aspiring to achieve.  As it turns out, as a postscript to the episode, Stan has changed, and his wife was happier when he wasn’t in the picture.  The American dream isn’t exactly all its cracked up to be for the Beemans, and as it turns out, as Phil and Liz are making a go of it for a true marriage, Stan and his wife are possibly falling apart, showing how true the foils are in Phil and Stan’s characters.  Interestingly enough, it is the Americans who will continue to win the battles in the Cold War in the 1980s, while the Soviets will continue to lose them, yet it’s possible that Stan will lose his marriage to his wife, and Phil and Liz will gain theirs.  I wonder if the writers will keep the marital bliss of the Beemans and Jennings in a state of dynamic equilibrium – as one improves, the other deteriorates.

-It would be interesting, and this is wholly premature, but it would be interesting for the end of “The Americans,” in 1991, with the dissolution of the USSR, to be Phil and Liz, living as actual Americans in some no-name town in the Midwest, ending like “Goodfellas,” only Liz, the true believer in the cause, gives the closing lines about living like a Schnook to save her own hide.

¹-It was a ricochet that actually hit the President.

²-The reason I emphasize “here” is because Haig emphasized it in his actual statement.  Written word strips the language of any vocal inflection.  Watching the video in retrospect, it is clear that Haig is talking specifically about being the ranking officer – Secretary of State – at the White House at the time he was speaking.  VP George H.W. Bush was on a plane, and Reagan was in surgery.  Still, we weren’t thinking clearly.

³-Her operative name is Claudia, apparently, which makes me think of Season 3 of 24, and Jack’s girlfriend in Mexico, who Hector Salazar calls “CLOW-DEE-UH!!”

⁴-Well, not FIRST.  Poor Security Guard.