In Control (The Americans)

"In Control (The Americans)"
The Americans episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 4
Directed by	Jean de Segonzac
Written by	Joel Fields Joe Weisberg
Featured music	"The Pictures on My Wall" by Echo & the Bunnymen
Production code	BDU103
Original air date	February 20, 2013 (2013-02-20)
Running time	42 minutes
Guest actors
Richard Thomas as Frank Gaad Annet Mahendru as Nina Susan Misner as Sandra Beeman Reg Rogers as Charles Duluth Peter Von Berg as Vasili Nikolaevich Margo Martindale as Claudia Daniel Flaherty as Matthew Beeman Alison Wright as Martha Hanson Johanna Day as Dana Simon Leif Riddell as Agent Peters David Adkins as George

"In Control" is the fourth episode of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on February 20, 2013.

Plot

Ronald Reagan is shot. KGB agents Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) find out by watching TV after spending the afternoon in a hotel room together. FBI agents Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) and Chris Amador (Maximiliano Hernández) are practicing speaking Russian when they hear the news. Agent Frank Gaad (Richard Thomas) tells Stan that he needs to find out if the assassin John Hinckley, Jr. is working with the KGB, and tells him to meet with his informant Nina (Annet Mahendru).

James Brady is falsely declared dead by several news broadcasters as Elizabeth is told by her KGB handler Claudia (Margo Martindale) to prepare for Operation Christopher – a code name for Russian agents engaging in guerrilla warfare in the event of a coup. Claudia informs her that she does not believe the KGB were behind the shooting.

Nina, hearing word from Stan, makes an excuse to KGB Resident Vasili Nikolaievich (Peter Von Berg), about spying on congressional aides. Vasili lets her go, but has her followed. Stan notices this as they are about to meet, and walks right past her. They eventually meet up later where Nina tells him that everyone at the Embassy believes Alexander Haig is staging a coup.

Philip hears from a nurse who treated Reagan in the hospital that he is expected to survive. They inform the Centre about this, but are still told to map out targets. Philip and Elizabeth stakeout Caspar Weinberger's house, but are interrupted by a security officer patrolling the streets. Elizabeth is forced to kill the officer after he tells her that he needs to run a police check on the van they are using. They listen to a recording from Weinberger's office, where they learn Haig may have the codes for the U.S.'s nuclear missiles. Philip suggests they find out more to confirm the information, but Elizabeth says they already need to report it back to the Centre. Philip tells her that her commitment to the mission is blinding her judgment.

Philip and Elizabeth find out from Stan that Hinckley has nothing to do with the KGB and that he is mentally unbalanced. Philip sends a message to Moscow to update them. Later, Elizabeth apologizes for not listening to him. Philip fears that Moscow will find out that they withheld the questionable information about Haig having the nuclear football. They both decide to keep it a secret.

Production

Development

In February 2013, FX confirmed that the fourth episode of the series would be titled "In Control", and that it would be written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by Jean de Segonzac. This was de Segonzac's first directing credit.

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "In Control" was seen by an estimated 1.91 million household viewers with a 0.8 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.8 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 15 percent increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 1.65 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18–49 demographics.

Critical reviews

"In Control" received positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.8 out of 10 and wrote, "This was a notable episode of The Americans, involving the first big real life 'event' the show has used, as Elizabeth and Phillip found everything in turmoil in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Reagan. In the process, 'In Control' managed to once more skillfully blend the Jennings' spy life and marital life into one highly dramatic mixture."

Emily St. James of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ grade and wrote, "Maybe my favorite thing about the show right now is the way that it's loading in these little grace notes around the edges of scenes. Elizabeth pretending to have been broken up about the Kennedy assassination. Phillip crouching in the woods beside his transmitter, sending coded messages to Moscow. The couple having to scramble to get out of a tight spot when they’re caught outside of the Defense Secretary's house. All of these things make the show feel lived-in [...] and that's one of the reasons it's become so compelling, so quickly."

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Another really strong outing, and one that managed to still examine the state of the Jennings marriage – and the Beeman marriage, for that matter – in the midst of all the chaos." Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture gave the episode a 4-star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The Americans is shaping up to be as historically conscious a drama as Mad Men, with actual events driving and transforming the characters' lives. But the interaction between fact and fiction seemed awkward, at times inorganic. I believe that the stress over the shootings and the possibility of a 'coup' would dredge up Phillip and Elizabeth's American-dream-versus-Russian-loyalty issues, but I didn't like how the episode handled it."

Jarrett Kruse of Den of Geek wrote, "What wowed me the most was that The Americans is able to implement things from previous episodes as counter measures to the possibility of World War III. This is not just a stand-alone episode; The Americans has quietly been waiting for something of this magnitude to happen on their watch. The allusions made in previous episodes are important things to remember in this type of series. Storylines that you think are dormant boomerang back unexpectedly, much to the viewer's delight." Carla Day of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.8-star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The Americans has been exceptional in this way. The end of the war may be known, but the ride along the way is full of tension and victories by both sides."

External links

• "In Control" at IMDb