The Americans – “Operation Chronicle” Review. Operation Jared.

Season 2, Episode 12

Air Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2014, 10 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“One day, it’s coming; you know it is.” – Elizabeth

Kate (Wrenn Schmidt) and George (David Adkins) are still missing and with Kate’s message to get Jared (Owen Campbell) out, Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) move at warp speed to do just that. With everything moving so quickly, something bad is bound to happen. This week’s installment of The Americans, “Operation Chronicle,” sets into motion a plan that hits very close to home for the Jennings.

Family Business

Paige always pushes the boundaries.

Sometimes, no matter how hard the Jennings try, business interferes with everyday life. I don’t blame Paige (Holly Taylor) for feeling as badly as she does when Elizabeth can’t help her pack for her church trip. Work always comes first, especially in the spy business, and it’s difficult for children to understand that. I know Paige doesn’t believe her mother’s excuse but listening in on Elizabeth and Philip’s telephone conversation is definitely not acceptable. This kid just doesn’t know how to mind her own business. Paige takes off on her church trip as scheduled, and as Pastor Tim (Kelly Aucoin) is talking to her on the bus, I got the weirdest feeling. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I don’t trust that man. Please don’t let him turn out to be a pedophile. That’s the last thing Elizabeth and Philip need to deal with.

Will He or Won’t He?

Stan (Noah Emmerich) and Nina (Annet Mahendru) discuss her future, with Stan making promises he may not be able to keep. Nina is wise to question how long he’ll be able to stay in her life should she have to move away. Long distance relationships aren’t easy, even under the best of circumstances, and that’s hardly the case here. Despite Stan’s plans, he is shocked to find Nina and Arkady (Lev Gorn) in the apartment he and Nina share. This is blackmail at its best, especially with the way Nina looks. But how can Stan possibly give Arkady what he wants? Giving Oleg (Costa Ronin) a surveillance log is one thing; this is another altogether. Stan can’t possibly do this … not if he wants to keep his job. If he doesn’t, though, what Arkady is threatening as far as Nina is concerned is absolutely reprehensible. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

A Man with a Heart

When Oleg first came on the scene, I didn’t like him. I thought he was an arrogant son of a bitch who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. As a matter of fact, in my review of episode two, “Cardinal,” I called him “The Office Jerk,” and “smarmy.” Ronin has proven what an excellent actor he is by taking this extremely unlikable character and turning him into a man with a heart when Oleg expresses his dislike of what will happen to Nina if Stan doesn’t come through. Well, that plus the envelope he secretly hands Nina. I must say, I agree with Oleg. Why should Nina pay if Stan doesn’t turn over the files Arkady wants? She has no control over what Stan does or doesn’t do.

Jared and Larrick

It is impossible to tell what Jared is thinking.

I know the writers of The Americans can’t address every single thing that happens in the series but Jared’s lack of emotion isn’t right. Not only isn’t he shocked to learn about his parents’ real identities but he doesn’t act scared or inquisitive…or anything, for that matter. I’ve never seen such a deadpan face. So, is this the work of the director? Or is this what Campbell thinks is acting? What teenager wouldn’t have a million questions under circumstances like this? Especially when Elizabeth picks him up and tells him he might be in danger and has to leave his life behind. Jared should be extremely scared; of course, he doesn’t know Larrick (Lee Tergesen) is following them. And just why is Larrick following them? I know he wants to find out who was responsible for killing his friends at the Nicaraguan training camp but Jared didn’t have anything to do with that. Oh, wait. In episode four, “A Little Night Music,” Claudia (Margo Martidale) thought Larrick was responsible for killing the Connors. So maybe, just maybe, Claudia was right and now Larrick wants to finish the job by killing Jared.

Wild Hair Theories

Could Claudia’s handing up Larrick as the Connors’ murderer have been a red herring? Was that Claudia’s way of getting the spotlight off herself? If you remember in my review of “Cardinal,” (link above) I thought Claudia had killed the Connors.
Could the reason Jared is so unfazed by everything be due to him killing his parents? Maybe he acted in concert with someone once he discovered the truth about them. Is that why Kate met with Jared at the coffee shop? Just because we saw him walking into his parents’ hotel room wearing swim shorts doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved.
Could it be possible that Fred Timbook (John Carroll Lynch), Emmet (Jeremy Davidson) and Leanne Connors’ (Natale Gold) former asset, killed them? When Philip and Elizabeth discuss how to talk Fred into getting samples of the paint used to make planes invisible, Philip recalls how much Fred liked the Connors, especially Jared. The number of presents Fred had put away for Jared seems odd to me. Could Fred have killed them to get close to Jared? He doesn’t have anyone else in his life.

Random Thoughts

Larrick tracks Elizabeth and Jared all the way to the train station.

I think Martha (Alison Wright) may not be long for this world. Philip, as Clark, checks in on his pseudo wife and is pleasantly surprised by what she has for him. But after a romp in the bedroom, Martha wants to know when they can start thinking of having children, something Clark makes clear will never happen. She has already mentioned she knows he wears a toupee, and with thoughts of children running rampant in her mind, she may just turn out to be more trouble than she’s worth. I hope not; Martha deserves better than that.

As an aside, is it really necessary to show us Clark’s used condom after he and Martha are done in the bedroom? Eww, gross!

Last week, when Sandra (Susan Misner) returned from her weekend away with her lover, I didn’t understand Stan’s reaction. He wasn’t angry, upset, or emotional in any way. In “Operation Chronicle,” however, I think I finally get where he’s coming from when he asks Sandra, “Is he a good guy?” Stan certainly hasn’t been the greatest husband but he never meant to hurt Sandra. Now, I think he’s concerned that Sandra isn’t making a mistake with the direction her life is taking with her lover. He isn’t in love with Sandra, but he does love her.

This Week’s Bit of Nostalgia

Rocky Horror Picture Show – Stan brings home a VHS tape of the movie for his son Matthew (Danny Flaherty) to watch with his friends. The FBI had tons of illegal copies.

Overall

As penultimate episodes go, “Operation Chronicle” hits it out of the park. The writing is fantastic, the acting superb, and it sets up the season finale perfectly, giving its audience plenty to think about and many questions to be answered. Who killed the Connors, and why? Will Fred succeed in his mission? Getting those samples could be very dangerous for him. Will Paige’s inquisitiveness get her in even more trouble? Most important of all, will Stan betray his country again, or will he let Nina meet an unreasonable fate in Russia?

What did you think of “Operation Chronicle?” Who do you think killed the Connors? Leave me a comment below, or tweet me @SeasideTV. I’d love to discuss the episode with you!

Tune in to The Americans Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET/PT, only on FX.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!