The Americans on FX

Watching the last few episodes again tonight as Mrs. Stain got caught up, I can't believe how I missed how obviously screwed Martha is.

Martha's boss is now aware that the KGB have been bugging important people. Surely, a basic bug sweep for his office is incoming, and he's going to recognize that pen. "Clark" escapes by the skin of his teeth, but leaves behind much more credible sketches and information via Martha. That's a plenty big moment for a season finale.

 

Versatile's The Americans episodes power rankings (with SPOILERS):

1. "Only You," in which Gregory submits to suicide
2. "Safe House," in which Amador and Vlad die
3. "The Clock," in which a bug is planted in a home office
4. "Gregory," in which we meet Gregory
5. "COMINT," in which Elizabeth nearly gets trapped in a trunk
6. "Trust Me," in which Philip and Elizabeth are abducted
7. "Duty and Honor," in which Philip's past is unraveled
8. "In Control," in which the president is shot
9. "The Oath," in which the FBI learns about a KGB couple
10. "Pilot," in which a partner is left for dead
11. "Mutually Assured Destruction," in which a hitman gets one bomb off
12. "Covert War," in which the CIA kills Zhukov

I don't think the show has executed a truly remarkable single episode yet, but I also don't think there's been anything close to a bad episode. To grade them, I would say one A, three A-, five B+, two B, one C+.

 

Martha gets killed and set up as the mole like Nina set up her former boss

 

Martha is the mole.

 

Not yet.

Doesn't a 'Mole' connote active and purposeful supplying of information to an adversary? Martha, apparently, believes she is acting for Clark who is employed by another branch of the US government.

Unless you think Martha already works for the USSR and Clark/Philip doesn't know it.

 

She is a mole. She just is not aware that she is a KGB mole. She knows she is spying, though.

 

Yeah, Martha's the mole, regardless of who she thinks she is mole-ing for.

That said, there's no fucking way she is so dumb that she doesn't see what is happening. Clark's cover has been transparent since day one, and she can apparently walk and dress herself and doesn't drool constantly, so she's smart enough to see through it by now.

I think she's just lonely and bored and frustrated and likes the excitement.

 

I hope they will be honest enough to write that for her character - that she's been beyond suspicious for a long time but went along with it anyway.

 

If Martha turns back to the FBI's side, why wouldn't they use her to capture Clark?

 

I think they're going to try. That's my prediction for the season finale. Martha is going to prison either way (or killing herself before she can go to prison), but they'll try to use her to set up one last trap for Phillip/Clark, and he's going to dramatically escape it but not without leaving some more information about his identity.

 

They could.
I'm just hoping that they don't portray her character as being unaware of what is happening.
I think an honest portrayal would be to have her acknowledge that she knew something was very wrong but that she went along with it because of her emotional neediness or instability. I think that plays more honestly than having it turn out that she really is completely unaware.
They can go in a lot of different directions. I just hope its honestly written, because I think that's been a hallmark of the show about 90 percent of the time.

 

Five plot threads that probably will be featured in the finale:

• Clark and Martha: This seems like the clear-cut centerpiece for the finale, especially given last week's dramatics.
• Philip and Elizabeth: I expect Philip to be moved back in by the end of the episode.
• Stan and Nina: They have put Nina in position to survive the season, which didn't seem likely three weeks ago. She will spread a key piece of misinformation that probably puts Stan off Philip's tracks.
• Paige and Matthew: I don't think they would have brought it up in the penultimate episode if they weren't going to do something with it in the finale.
• USSR and USA: I'm thinking there will be some event, based on reality, that escalates things in the most demanding relationship of the series.