The Americans – “Yousaf” Review. They're Getting Closer.

Season 2, Episode 10

Air Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 10 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“Mutually assured destruction…keeps the world spinning.” – Agent Gaad

Kate gives Philip and Elizabeth their new mission

As “Yousaf” opens, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) finds Philip (Matthew Rhys) sitting alone in the kitchen, contemplating the way he dealt with Paige (Holly Taylor) after learning of her contributions to the church last week in “Martial Eagle.” The way Elizabeth comforts Philip speaks to the level of closeness these two share. Since that wasn’t always the case, it’s nice to see how far Elizabeth and Philip have come. Receiving a new task from Kate (Wrenn Schmidt) might threaten that closeness when Philip disagrees with Elizabeth over how the task should be handled. And to add even more tension, Elizabeth and Philip have to deal with Paige’s attitude and disrespect once again. In the meantime, Larrick (Lee Tergesen) returns home with one thing in mind—to learn what went wrong during the Nicaraguan training camp, and who was responsible.

The Mission

It’s not hard to understand why Yousaf takes a second look at Elizabeth before walking away.

Now that the Americans are increasing their shipments to the Afghan region via Pakistan, the Centre needs someone on the inside. Kate asks Philip and Elizabeth to recruit Yousaf (guest star Rahul Khanna), a member of the Pakistani delegation in town for talks with the Americans. Yousaf is also a very handsome covert ISI (Inter-Service Intelligence) operative who has an eye for the ladies and is next in line to run his division. Even though Elizabeth, disguised as a beautiful, sexy blonde, catches Yousaf’s eye in a hotel lobby, Philip insists on using Anneliese (guest star Gillian Alexy) for the rest of the mission. You may recall Anneliese, the wife of a Swedish diplomat, from the first season of The Americans when Philip used her to take pictures of the Secretary of Defense’s home study with a hidden camera. And boy, were they ever hot and heavy back then! It is interesting to watch the wheels turning in Elizabeth’s mind as she tries to figure out why Philip doesn’t want her to get close to Yousaf. While previously we witnessed Elizabeth’s jealousy over Philip’s affairs, the tables are turning now with Philip showing his possessive side.

Elizabeth: “I can do my job, Philip.”

Philip: “I know you can … but this time, you don’t have to.”

Who Killed the Connors?

Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas) returns to the office where Stan (Noah Emmerich) is working on trying to make a connection between Oleg (Costa Ronin) and the murders of the Connors in this season’s first episode, “Comrades.” Now that Oleg has, in essence, forced Stan to betray his country, Stan will do just about anything to get Oleg deported back to Russia so his betrayal isn’t found out. But it’s Agent Gaad who figures out the Connors weren’t in the city on a vacation. I disagree with Gaad’s reasoning, though; I know many men who take their briefcases on family vacations. There’s something about Gaad that rubs me the wrong way, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. He acts so superior all the time and I don’t think he needs to be that way. Stan is such an unassuming type of man, it’s just not necessary to always one-up him.

Cedar Grove Fellowship Camp

I know Philip wants to make things right with Paige following his blow-up last week but let me tell me, that girl knows how to twist her father around her little pinky. Not so much her mother, though, despite Philip trying to talk Elizabeth into letting Paige be a CIT (counselor-in-training) at the church-run camp for the summer. I thought Paige had a chance of going … that is, until Elizabeth discovers some torn up sheets of paper in Paige’s trashcan. This kid is heading down the wrong path if she thinks she can put one over on Elizabeth. Although, I do think Elizabeth is a bit too harsh with Paige. I know she wants to make sure her daughter (and son Henry (Keidrich Sellati), although he is not seen in “Yousaf”) takes the right path in life but if Elizabeth continues being such a hard ass about everything, she could lose Paige altogether.

Cat and Mouse Games

I don’t think Anneliese realizes the seriousness of what she is doing. She acts like getting together with Yousaf is a game but believe me, it’s not. Especially when she needs to keep Yousaf occupied while Elizabeth deals with his boss, Javid (guest star Mahadeo Shivraj). Although Anneliese carries out her portion of the mission to perfection, her reaction afterwards brings out Philip’s protective side. Kudos to Alexy for portraying the perfect sex kitten one minute and then seamlessly switching to the hurt, angry, and betrayed woman she becomes. I wonder whether Philip’s speech is meant for Anneliese or Elizabeth. What do you think?

Random Thoughts

I am a bit disappointed with the way the writers deal with the threats Agent Gaad leveled at Arkady (Lev Gorn) last week in “Martial Eagle.” I suspected they had no intention of writing Gaad out of The Americans but I didn’t expect the situation to be remedied as quickly and easily as it is. I do like the way the two men speak to each other, though, as if they genuinely respect one another. I hope we get another chance to see Gaad and Arkady face off again.

I had to laugh when Anneliese tells Philip she’s trying to make her marriage work. If that’s the case, why does she agree to meet him in a hotel?

I love the way Kate puts Philip in his place even though he comes back at her. She’s beginning to grow on me.

I can’t be the only one who stopped breathing for a moment when Stan shows the Connors’ son Jared (Owen Campbell) the sketches of Elizabeth and Philip he had in last season’s finale.

Could Nina actually be falling in love with Oleg? I’m not sure I like that idea. Despite her being a double agent, I don’t want to see her get hurt again, especially with how difficult it was for her to recover from Vlad’s (Vitaly Benko) death in the first season.

Why is Javid, the head of the ISI, swimming alone in the pool with no security detail? Does not make sense.

This Week’s Bits of Nostalgia

Old-fashioned rotary phones
A smiley face trashcan
Board games, like Family Feud and Password

Overall

“Yousaf” leaves its viewers with many questions, and to me, that is one of the hallmarks of a good episode. The episode provokes you to question people’s motives, elicits feelings you didn’t know you had, and is wonderfully written and acted. So tell me, what do you think Nina is going to do now that she knows Stan is out to get Oleg? Will she tell Oleg, or will she keep quiet? Will Jared unknowingly provide enough information for Stan to catch Elizabeth and Philip? After all, the scene fades to black before Jared can answer Stan’s question. We now know who has been phoning the Jennings with those coded messages. And now that Larrick has had his way with the man, who will take his place?

What did you think of “Yousaf?” 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!