The Americans
The Americans

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Joe R: B+ | 195 USERS: B
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Philadelphia Freedom

At the safe house, while Joyce sleeps, Philip tells Elizabeth that the decoded message gave him another number to call, and he's going to take it back to the Centre and get further instructions. What to do about Joyce in the meantime? She puts her hand on his as she reminds him that the longer they're here, with Joyce, the more they're at risk. Philip reacts coldly to her efforts at intimacy, still pissy about what Gregory told him. He snottily asks Gregory's opinion on how to proceed, and Gregory's like, "Oh, well, I'd kill her." Philip isn't having it for a second. For one thing, Robert was a friend, and Philip trusts that he wouldn't have blabbed his secrets. Gregory says obviously Robert didn't trust him so much, what with the secret wife and kid. Philip says he's stepping out, but if Gregory hurts Joyce, Philip will kill him. He stomps out. Elizabeth's hair is greatly troubled by the way things are going.

After the break, Philip skulks around an underpass, looking for the meeting point. We see our old pal Margo Martindale is following him, but Philip gets a jump on her and shoves her up against a stone column. Who is she, why is she following him, and why should he not snap her neck? Her answer is pretty simple: "I'm Gabriel's replacement." Gabriel being their last point of contact with the Centre. Seems the changes at the KGB are trickling down to staffing decisions. She's more of a "hands-on" sort than Gabriel was, is her explanation for why she's been shadowing him. He warns her to never go near his kids again; she warms him never to put his hands on her again. I think we have an understanding here, people! "Just think of me as Gabriel, but prettier," she says. Will do! She asks if Robert left him something. You can tell he's way of giving up too much information to this new entity, but he knows he won't get anything further about the message if he doesn't share, so he tells her about Joyce and the kid and the FBI tail. He doesn't think Robert told her about them, "as far as I know." That's last part's as troubling to Margo as you'd expect. Quid pro quo dictates that she now spill, so she tells Philip that Robert was onto some new American technology that will put the Soviet arsenal at risk. He was about to buy intel from an agent when he died; the KGB was looking all over Boston for the contact, but it seems now that this guy is in Philly. "Don't go getting a secret wife on us," she tells Philip, wryly. "You see how it complicates things." Yeah, just the one wife is complication enough so far."

The Americans

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