The Americans (season 4)

The Americans (season 4)
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	13
Release
Original network	FX
Original release	March 16 – June 8, 2016
Season chronology

The fourth season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on March 16, 2016, and concluded on June 8, 2016.^[1][2]

Cast

Main

• Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings (Nadezhda), a KGB officer
• Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings (Mischa), a KGB officer
• Dylan Baker as William Crandall, a biochemical warfare scientist
• Brandon J. Dirden as FBI agent Dennis Aderholt
• Lev Gorn as Arkady Ivanovich, the KGB's Resident
• Annet Mahendru as Nina Sergeevna, a prisoner in the Soviet Union
• Costa Ronin as Oleg Igorevich Burov, a KGB officer
• Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's son
• Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's daughter
• Richard Thomas as Agent Frank Gaad, Special Agent In Charge of the FBI Counterintelligence Division
• Alison Wright as Martha Hanson, Agent Gaad's secretary and Philip's informant
• Noah Emmerich as FBI agent Stan Beeman

Recurring

• Michael Aronov as Anton Baklanov, a scientist involved in stealth technology
• Kelly AuCoin as Pastor Tim, the head of a church Paige Jennings attends
• Daniel Flaherty as Matthew Beeman, Stan's son
• Vera Cherny as Tatiana Evgenyevna Ruslanova, KGB officer working at the Rezidentura
• Julia Garner as Kimberly Breland, the daughter of the head of the CIA's Afghan group
• Peter Jacobson as Agent Wolfe, Gaad's replacement at the FBI
• Peter Mark Kendall as Hans, a graduate student and KGB informant being trained by Elizabeth
• Boris Krutonog as Igor Burov, Oleg's father.
• Frank Langella as Gabriel, the Jennings' KGB handler
• Margo Martindale as Claudia, the Jennings' KGB supervisor
• Ruthie Ann Miles as Young Hee Seong, a Korean immigrant and Mary Kay consultant whom Elizabeth befriends
• Susan Misner as Sandra Beeman, Stan's estranged wife
• Karen Pittman as Lisa, a Northrop employee from whom Elizabeth is gleaning information
• Callie Thorne as Tori, Stan's girlfriend
• Peter Von Berg as Vasili Nikolaevich, a former KGB Resident
• Rob Yang as Don Seong, Young Hee's husband, who is of special interest to the KGB

Production

The series was renewed for a 13-episode fourth season on March 31, 2015.^[1] In April 2015, FX announced Frank Langella would continue his recurring role on the series.^[3] The season began principal photography on October 13, 2015.^[4] Broadway veteran Ruthie Ann Miles was cast as a new acquaintance of one of Elizabeth's guises.^[5] Writing for the season had been completed by January 28, 2016;^[6] and the final day of filming was March 9, 2016.^[7]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
40	1	"Glanders"	Thomas Schlamme	Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg	March 16, 2016	BDU401	1.11[8]
Philip confesses to Martha that he killed Gene to protect her, much to her horror. Paige talks with Pastor Tim about what her parents do. Gabriel gives Elizabeth and Philip a new mission: to meet with William, an American scientist who has access to deadly chemicals and microorganisms. In an EST meeting, Philip recounts his youth, when he brutally beat and killed a bully, although his account only alludes to the severity. In Russia, Nina continues working with Anton Baklanov and later makes a request to her handler, Vasili Nikolaevich, to see her husband. Arkady Ivanovich, suspicious of what Tatiana is working on, learns it has to do with chemical and biological weapons. Martha gets William's surveillance schedule, enabling the Jennings to meet him unobserved. William gives them a vial of glanders, a highly contagious disease. When arriving home, Philip is confronted by Stan, upset after Tori saw Philip with his ex-wife Sandra looking "intimate". Philip denies anything happened, but Stan slams him up against a wall, believing he's lying. After Stan leaves, Philip inspects the vial, which was still in his jacket pocket.
41	2	"Pastor Tim"	Chris Long	Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg	March 23, 2016	BDU402	0.93[9]
Philip explains to Elizabeth about what caused Stan to get upset and that Philip has been attending EST meetings. They take the vial to Gabriel, who insists they make the exchange as well as continue contact with William, as he will be granted higher access at work. Elizabeth listens to tapes and discovers Paige has told Pastor Tim about their true work. She and Philip debate on controlling the situation, despite Paige later confessing the act to Elizabeth. Philip meets with an airline pilot for the exchange, but must strangle a security guard to death when the pilot draws his attention by acting nervous. The pilot leaves the vial behind, and Philip must reclaim possession. Nina asks her husband to deliver a note to Anton's son, but the plan fails. She admits to Vasili about being the one who passed the note and resigns herself to spending her days in the gulag. Gabriel tells Elizabeth that her mother died. She later tells Philip about Paige's confession and her mother's death, and he agrees that they're "in trouble".
42	3	"Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow"	Kevin Dowling	Stephen Schiff	March 30, 2016	BDU403	0.82[10]
Philip and Elizabeth meet with Pastor Tim themselves and learn that he told his wife about Paige's confession. They, in turn, reveal this to Paige, who feels betrayed. Philip asks Paige to "work" Tim, maintaining a relationship in order to keep the secret, but Paige is reluctant. Philip and Elizabeth, as well as Gabriel and Claudia, debate the options of killing Tim or extracting the agents. Gabriel presents them with the Center's solution: the Jennings family will go on vacation to the EPCOT amusement park, during which time separate KGB operatives will kill Tim. Philip believes Paige will still suspect the truth, but Henry later suggests the family vacation before either parent can mention it. However, the Jennings then discover Gabriel in his apartment apparently infected with glanders from the vial, which he likely passed on to them. They retrieve William, infecting him as well, and he provides vaccines, adding that all of them must remain quarantined in the apartment for the next 36 hours, cancelling the vacation.
43	4	"Chloramphenicol"	Stefan Schwartz	Tracey Scott Wilson	April 6, 2016	BDU404	1.04[11]
With glanders lingering, Philip, Elizabeth and William hole up in Gabriel's apartment for an extended stay, worrying Paige. Elizabeth calls off the hit on Pastor Tim and Alice, then begins to develop symptoms herself. Meanwhile, Martha goes out to dinner with Agent Aderholt where she improvises a lie to explain her odd movements after work. Agent Beeman searches her apartment during her absence, but finds nothing incriminating. By the morning, both Gabriel and Elizabeth's conditions have improved and William pronounces them out of danger. Elizabeth finds that she now agrees with Philip that they cannot kill Pastor Tim and Alice without alienating Paige. The Jennings propose that they instead "work" the couple to ensure their secrecy. Oleg returns home to Russia and asks his influential father to assist Nina. His father agrees on the condition his son remain in the country for the sake of his mother. In prison, Nina has another blissful dream of release. A trio of guards wake her and lead her down a hallway, where she is informed that her appeal has been denied and that her death sentence will be carried out shortly. She begins to break down, then is executed on the spot.
44	5	"Clark's Place"	Noah Emmerich	Peter Ackerman	April 13, 2016	BDU405	0.89[12]
Hans reports his belief that Martha is being tailed, casting suspicion and unease throughout the KGB. Meanwhile, Philip is unnerved at the news, and what the consequence might be. After learning of Nina's demise, Oleg returns to the Rezidentura, where he is met with little sympathy from Arkady. Oleg later meets with Stan, informing him of the death of his former lover. Elizabeth continues to slip deeper under her Mary Kay cover; while Philip extends an olive branch to Stan, following their falling out. The Jennings attempt to further woo Pastor Tim and his wife, Alice.
45	6	"The Rat"	Kari Skogland	Joshua Brand	April 20, 2016	BDU406	0.90[13]
Philip extracts Martha from the field. He, she, and Gabriel stay in a safe house while she adjusts and the proper arrangements can be made to extradite her out of the country. However, Martha grows ever so wary, and she leaves the house, against Gabriel's command. Meanwhile, Stan and Aderholt further unravel Martha and Clark's truth, and present the discovery to Gaad.
46	7	"Travel Agents"	Dan Attias	Tanya Barfield	April 27, 2016	BDU407	0.90[14]
Martha is on the streets wandering and running in circles in confusion and deep fear after leaving the safe house. Philip and Elizabeth come with the sample. Gabriel tells Philip and Elizabeth about Martha’s departure. Philip and Elizabeth try to find her. Gaad is worried that this Martha episode will not go easy on his part as head of FBI CI. Agent Beeman refuses to contact Oleg and inquire about Martha after being ordered. Martha calls her parents and FBI is on her tail. She later calls Philip and he convinces her to stay put while he comes to her. But before he could reach to her, Elizabeth nearly forcefully abducts her back to the safe house. She is also worried about Philip’s emotional involvement with Martha but he assures that it is nothing. She asks him to lie to her that he will be with her in Russia. Philip is however unable to lie to Martha and tells her that they will probably never see each other again. Martha is deeply disturbed and grieved at this. Paige tries to bond with her brother. Oleg and Tatiana tell Arkady that they have found a pilot. Gaad says that he is “already dead” as he is the head of counter intelligence and his secretary married a KGB officer.
47	8	"The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears"	Matthew Rhys	Stephen Schiff	May 4, 2016	BDU408	1.02[15]
Martha is put on the plane along with the rat containing the tularemia sample. Both safely arrive in Cuba. With Martha gone, Philip spends more time home, and inadvertently convinces Elizabeth to spend time with Young-hee at the movies. Philip also visits Gene's grave and has a beer with Stan, who talks about his "disaster at work." Gaad is fired soon after. Elizabeth goes to an EST meeting and fights with Philip when she comes home. Gabriel is very perplexed by the Jennings' recent actions and seeks Claudia's advice. Paige comes home from skipping Bible Study; Elizabeth reams her to move beyond her feelings and begin working to maintain a relationship with Pastor Tim and Alice. Elizabeth gets called in for a surprise meeting with Lisa. She's relapsed, Maurice left her and took all their money from the scams and Lisa is convinced she needs to report "Jack" to the police in hopes of getting the money and immunity. Elizabeth is forced to kill her. When she and Philip see Gabriel afterwards Gabriel realizes the Jennings are under too much strain. He tells them they will no longer be introduced to new operations. Philip and Elizabeth finally take Paige and Henry to Epcot. Seven months pass. Philip and Elizabeth are playing hockey with Henry, and Paige comes home from mini golf with Pastor Tim and a pregnant Alice. Paige reports to her parents Pastor Tim and Alice's activities and goes upstairs. Before Gaad leaves on a trip to Asia, he's visited by Stan, and warns him not to lose sight of who he's investigating.
48	9	"The Day After"	Daniel Sackheim	Tracey Scott Wilson	May 11, 2016	BDU409	0.90[16]
Paige undergoes driving lessons with her father, and asks that the family appear a united front to an ever looming Pastor Tim. Stan adjusts to newfound difficulties. William brings a conundrum to Philips attention, and they share in its grief. Elizabeth struggles with her "Patty" mission, and the depths she must go to achieve what's necessary. Pastor Tim expresses concern for Paige's mental well-being to Philip. The 1983 TV film The Day After airs, casting a shroud of unease throughout everyone's minds.
49	10	"Munchkins"	Steph Green	Peter Ackerman	May 18, 2016	BDU410	0.82[17]
The Jennings are shocked to learn that Pastor Tim has gone missing in Ethiopia. Alice is suspicious, and threatens the couple in haste. Alice says she has given a note to her lawyer, with instructions for this to be sent to the FBI if Tim is found dead, or of anything happens to Alice herself. Paige is confounded by the entire situation, but is able to soothe a distressed Alice. As "Patty's" mission continues, Elizabeth finds herself conflicted about the ramifications for Young-hee's family. Philip checks in on Kimmy, finding out a disturbing new truth about her father. Pastor Tim is found safe and well in Ethiopia. Alice apologizes to Paige for her reaction and Paige passes the news back to her parents, though she hasn't asked Alice for the lawyer's letter to be returned. Although Elizabeth and Philip believe the note was not actually sent, they agree that Paige was correct not to press Alice for it to be returned. Paige and Matthew spend meaningful time together. After a clandestine KGB mission goes awry, Gaad is accidentally killed in Thailand.
50	11	"Dinner for Seven"	Nicole Kassell	Joshua Brand	May 25, 2016	BDU411	0.81[18]
Pastor Tim expresses remorse for his wife's actions and sympathizes with the Jennings' predicament. Elizabeth invites the pastor and Alice over for a family dinner; where Stan unexpectedly joins them which propels the night into discontent. "Patty's" operation is completed, to heartbreaking results for Elizabeth. Stan ends his relationship with Oleg, citing potential guilt. After Elizabeth picks up Paige from the food pantry, they are confronted by two muggers. Elizabeth offers them her purse, which doesn't appeal to them. When one of them attempts to assault Paige, Elizabeth retaliates in front of her--punching one man and fatally stabbing the other. Paige, in utter shock from what she just witnessed, leaves safely with her mom.
51	12	"A Roy Rogers in Franconia"	Chris Long	Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg	June 1, 2016	BDU412	0.93[19]
Paige is still shaken from the killing of the mugger by her mother. She asks her mother about all the killing she had done and whether she felt any fear. William tells Philip he is done stealing bio weapons as he feels that he is doing something immoral. Tatiana informs Oleg she is moving to Nairobi and offers him as her deputy. Oleg after some time refuses her offer. Aderholt finds the bug in Mail Robot. Oleg talks to his mother in Russia. Paige tries to allure Matthew for getting information about his father's work. Oleg informs Stan about the bio weapons mission. Gabriel tries to convince William not to give in to his emotions and remaining to be loyal to his country. Paige kisses Matthew and later when she reports her activities to her parents, they disapprove. Annoyed, she tries to find more about their secret mission. Stan and the FBI have identified William and are ready to catch him.
52	13	"Persona Non Grata"	Chris Long	Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg	June 8, 2016	BDU413	0.77[20]
William is caught by the FBI while attempting to hand-off the vial of the virus to Philip. He breaks the vial on his palm before being caught, infecting himself with the deadly virus. In Russia, Philip's son Mikhail Semenov is released from a mental institute. Oleg informs Arkady about leaving for Russia to be with his family. In an EST meeting, Philip confesses his disinterest in his job. Mikhail visits his grandfather and is given a package from his mother with different passports and currencies. He is determined to find his father in America as instructed by his mother. Arkady is confronted by the FBI and is accused of Gaad's murder and the theft of the bio weapons stolen by William. He is ordered to leave the U.S. within 48 hours. Gabriel suggests Philip and Elizabeth leave the country and return to Russia after William's arrest. Tatiana informs Oleg that she has been temporarily assigned Arkady's job, and Oleg tells her about his returning to Russia. From a medical bed in the USAMRIID facility, William's condition severely worsens as he begins to cough up blood. While being questioned by Stan and Dennis, he tells them he wished he had settled and had a couple of kids "like them". Philip picks up Paige from Stan's house, where Stan tells him that he saw Matthew and Paige kissing. When walking back home, Philip tells Paige to not see Matthew again, as she "has no idea" what she's getting herself into.

Reception

Critical response

The fourth season received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 100 percent approval rating with an average score of 9.2 out of 10 based on 43 reviews, with a critics consensus of: "With its fourth season, The Americans continues to deliver top-tier spy drama while sending its characters in directions that threaten to destroy their freedoms – and their lives.^[21] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 95 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[22]

Vikram Murthi of The A.V. Club gave it a perfect "A" grade and wrote, "If the fourth season reminds viewers of anything, it's that The Americans has a masterful control of tone, doling out horror and slow-burn dread like very few of its contemporaries."^[23] Ben Travers of Indiewire also gave it an "A" grade and wrote that the season "is on the equally stellar level of its predecessors".^[24] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com praised the series and wrote, "It is that depth of character and nuance in the writing that elevates The Americans, along with its willingness to offer stunning narrative developments. [...] I'm now convinced that when we close the final chapter of this televised novel we may finally appreciate one of the best shows we've ever seen."^[25]

Maureen Ryan of Variety reviewed the show praising it for its refusal to go in "cartoonish or preposterous directions" which they point out how the industry has a "cacophony of shows doing superficially outrageous things for attention" and that it "grows louder by the day." They also point out that Elizabeth and Philip are now "even more untenable, and the show has never been one to drag out developments past their potency." It is a review that clearly states this show is more realistic than its counterparts.^[26]

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that "the acting is impeccable" and that it "keeps getting more intense as it goes along, hitting harder than any drama on television right now."^[27]

Accolades

For the 32nd TCA Awards, The Americans won for Outstanding Achievement in Drama, was nominated for Program of the Year and Keri Russell was nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama.^[28] For the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received five nominations, for Outstanding Drama Series, Matthew Rhys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Keri Russell for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the season finale "Persona Non Grata", while Margo Martindale won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[29][30] The prior omissions that the show has received at the Emmys was considered to be snubbed by the Emmys in the drama and acting categories by critics.^[31][32]

References

1. Hibberd, James (March 31, 2015). "The Americans renewed for season 4". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
2. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 16, 2016). "'The Americans' Season 4 Premiere Date Revealed". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (April 24, 2015). "Frank Langella To Return To 'The Americans' For Season 4". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
4. Fields, Joel (October 13, 2015). "Quiet on set! Rolling... Day 1  :-) # TheAmericans". Twitter. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
5. Snetiker, Mark (December 29, 2015). "EW First Look: Exclusive Sneak Peek at 2016's Hottest TV Shows". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
6. Fields, Joel (January 28, 2016). "You know what this means… fates are sealed. And Joe & I get a break.  :-) #TheAmericans". Twitter. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
7. Fields, Joel (March 9, 2016). "Last day of production, S4 @TheAmericansFX :-)". Twitter. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
8. Welch, Alex (March 17, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Broad City' rises, 'Underground' falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
9. Welch, Alex (March 24, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA basketball wins the night". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (March 31, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.30.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
11. Welch, Alex (April 7, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Little Women: LA' and 'Broad City' dip". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (April 14, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.13.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
13. Metcalf, Mitch (April 21, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.20.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
14. Metcalf, Mitch (April 28, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.27.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
15. Welch, Alex (May 5, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs land on top". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
16. Metcalf, Mitch (May 12, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.11.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
17. Metcalf, Mitch (May 19, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.18.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
18. Metcalf, Mitch (May 26, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.25.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
19. Metcalf, Mitch (June 2, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.1.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
20. Metcalf, Mitch (June 9, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.8.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
21. "The Americans: Season 4 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
22. "The Americans : Season 4". Metacritic. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
23. Murthi, Vikram (March 14, 2016). "Americans values: Spy, lie, die, destroy everything else on TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
24. Travers, Ben (March 14, 2016). "Review: 'The Americans' Season 4 Brings Grave Consequences, Long Coming". Indiewire. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
25. Tallerico, Brian (March 14, 2016). "Living in a Burning House: The Brilliance of "The Americans"". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
26. Ryan, Maureen (March 15, 2016). "TV Review: 'The Americans'". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
27. Sheffield, Rob (March 17, 2016). "'The Americans': How TV's Best Drama Just Got Better". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
28. Goldberg, Lesley (August 6, 2016). "'People v. O.J. Simpson' Tops 2016 TCA Award Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
29. Prudom, Laura (July 14, 2016). "Emmy Nominations 2016: Full List of Nominees". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
30. "The Americans". Emmys.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
31. Travers, Ben (July 14, 2016). "'The Americans': The Emmys Finally Nominated the Best Drama on Cable". Indiewire. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
32. Collins, Scott (July 14, 2016). "Emmy Nominations 2016: 'The Americans' Finally Breaks Through After 4 Seasons". The Wrap. Retrieved July 14, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• List of The Americans episodes at the Internet Movie Database