It’s been a long, winding, and hazy second season of the phenomenal The Americans, and there’s so much going on leading into the season finale that it’s easy to get lost along the way. There are several seemingly disparate subplots that are likely to converge in tonight’s episode. So, to help put it all in perspective, I’ve outlined a series of open questions we have ahead of the episode. There’s a lot that needs to be answered, and if you haven’t been paying close attention, this should help focus you.
Whatever happens, I think it’s going to be a spectacular, mind-exploding finale, and given the show’s history, I’d also expect it to be very grim.
1. Foremost, the biggest question of the season is: Who the hell killed Emmett and Leanne Connor? Larrick says it wasn’t him (that someone else got to them first), but then who is it? And why is Andrew Larrick so hellbent on killing Jared? Or is he?
2. Actually, what is so special about Jared, anyway, other than the fact that he’s the son of two dead Russian spies? Why is the KGB so adamant about removing him? Are they just trying to do right by him, or does he know something?
3. What message did Kate give Jared? Why did she meet with him out of disguise and reveal his parents real identities? Is that message what Larrick is after?
4. Or is it possible that Larrick is not specifically after Jared, but using him as a way to track the Jennings and kill them? Is it possible even that Jared is actually in cahoots with Larrick somehow? It might explain why Jared is acting so calm about the fact that he’s about to be spirited away, and why he’s so immediately trusting of Elizabeth. Is it possible that Jared knows who killed his family?
Honestly, the Jared/Larrick plotline is a clusterf*ck of possibilities.
5. Will Fred be able to obtain the radar-absorbing paint from the Stealth factory, or will he be caught and potentially killed trying to do so? Should Philip have trusted him?
6. Kate is dead. Who is the Jennings’ handler now? Will Margo Martindale/Claudia return for the season finale? (Sadly, The Millers was renewed, so we know she won’t be back as a regular recurring character next season.) Will Larrick somehow get to Claudia? Given her state of mind this season, she seems to be in the kind of position to sacrifice herself to save Elizabeth.
7. What is going on with Martha? She knows that “Clark” wears a toupee now, and she wants children, and Clark decidedly does not. I would argue that it’s time for Clark/Philip to cut ties with Martha (or perhaps even kill her), but she’s also finally providing good intel. Does the value of intel outweigh the risk of her ripping off Clark’s toupee and/or exposing him?
8. Martha managed to steal confidential FBI documents right under Agent Gaad’s nose. Will this cost him his job? Will he be reprimanded for it, or possibly even accused of traitery? Or will Martha get caught and sent down the river?
9. Instead of leaving the trash can on her side of the bed and disposing of Clark’s used condoms for him, will Martha move the trashcan to the other side of the bed so he can dispose of his used condoms himself?
10. How will the Beeman/Arkady/Oleg/Nina plotline play out? Will Beeman get the Echo program to Arkady and save Nina? Will Nina somehow take Oleg’s money and run with Beeman’s assistance? Will Beeman and Oleg work together to spare Nina’s life? Will Nina die? Will Arkady find out that Oleg gave money to Nina to escape and punish Oleg? Will Oleg or Beeman kill Arkady to save Nina? Or will Oleg spirit Nina away, blame it on Arkady, and usurp his position? Or will Beeman and Nina run away (setting up a season three plotline in which everyone is after them?)
There’s a lot of possibilities there.
11. Beeman and his wife? What’s up with that? Will their imminent divorce play into the season finale. Is his wife’s new boyfriend THE MAN WHO KILLED THE CONNORS? (p.s., how cool and surprising would that be? I mean, we haven’t met the guy. He could be anyone. He could be Arkady for all we know.)
12. What’s up with Pastor Ted? He can’t honestly be into Paige for innocent reasons, can he? How is Paige’s decision to go to church camp going to affect the Jennings’ mission? IS PASTOR TED SOMEHOW IN CAHOOTS WITH LARRICK? Is she going to find out Pastor Ted is up to no good and call the Jennings in the middle of their mission, distracting them from their goal? Is Paige going to find out her parents are spies? Will The Americans take yet more swipes at organized religion?
The Paige subplot is either a minor throwaway one, or it’s going to be hugely instrumental in the season finale.
13. Most importantly, WILL THE FELICITY WIG BE USED TONIGHT?
