The Americans has had a lot of secrets in the air these past two seasons, and Season 3 is the point where they finally start to get revealed. I think that was what the show really needed.
Season 3 of The Americans mostly focuses around Paige. Philip and Elizabeth are both told by the KGB that they need to reveal their true identities to Paige and start trying to recruit her. Of course, this almost immediately leads to division between the two parents due to their different ideologies at this point. This is a great hook for the season and the conflict between Philip and Elizabeth regarding what they should do with Paige is really compelling, however, there really isn't that much else to latch onto during the first half of the season. Season 3 is a slow burn, for sure, and aside from a few neat subplots about Stan's divorce and Nina's imprisonment, there just really isn't much going on for those first few episodes. The most noteworthy moment at the start of Season 3 is a tooth pulling sequence that was probably a very good scene, if I didn't have my eyes closed for most of it due to my own squeamishness.
It's not until Episode 7 when this season starts to actually gain some energy, and it's all because of Martha. There's been this whole subplot about Philip marrying the FBI's secretary so that she can plant a bug in the office, and in this season, that bug is finally discovered. I never cared too much about Martha, but her attempts to stay calm and not get caught with the FBI under investigation was incredibly tense and gripping. I especially loved the investigator Walter Taffet, his actor's performance feels just off as to make him incredibly unnerving. And of course, that's not it, because soon after, Philip and Elizabeth finally tell Paige that they're spies. It's a big moment and Paige gets a lot of episodes that deal with her struggle with this revelation. Between these two storylines, the second half of Season 3 is easily the best stretch of episodes in the show to date, though the fact that the finale doesn't really resolve a lot leaves me to wonder if the season really needed that slow burn at the start where nothing really happened.
Highlights:
Walter Taffet: As mentioned above, this episode was the big turning point in the season for me. The entire sequence where Gaad finds the bug in the pen is incredibly compelling and tense, and was the point where Martha almost instantaneously shot up near the top of my favorite characters list.
Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep?: We needed an episode like this. Elizabeth was always the less sympathetic character compared to Philip due to her greater allegiance to the Soviet Union, but especially this season since she tries to go behind Paige's back and prepare her for recruitment, so having an episode where ends up getting attached to a victim of one of her missions feels really important. Also, I love that this entire episode is centered around a running gag.
Stingers: If you've seen this episode, you already know why it's on here. Paige learns about Philip and Elizabeth being spies, and it's absolutely heartwrenching.
Overall, Season 3 is yet another great season of The Americans, though it's also easily the most uneven one. The first half is incredibly slow and lacking in any sort of drive, but once Martha gets in trouble and Paige learns about her parents, the season really kicks into high gear and results in some of the most compelling episodes in the show to date.
4/5 Stars
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