The Americans "One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov" Review: Sex, Lies, and Crying Spies
The Americans S03E11: "One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov"
Every few major plot developments, The Americans earns an episode that mainly just checks in with various story threads and sews them together with some character illumination. It's pretty standard for a TV series to get all its ducks in row before the last two episodes of the season, and everyone on this one is rich enough to bring along some form of quality personal drama to things like planning hotel ops or encouraging secret prison husbands. So overall, "One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov" spread around The Americans' well-earned momentum, resulting in an hour that felt like equal parts breather and tense advancement.
I don't know what's going on with Annet Mahendru contractually where she's barely been part of this season, but every time she pops up I'm extremely thankful. I mean, story-wise I understand why she's isolated, but I'm missing her interaction with the main crew. Thankfully she's super strong and can carry her own thread, and I AM happy that we've got a character to follow in Russia now that Nina is tasked with getting inside Anton Baklanov's head. We know that she's crazy talented at using real emotional matters for her own survival (thanks to Nina, Evi is currently splitting rocks in a ESPRIT fleece somewhere), and when the double agent related to being traded like so much cafeteria lunch and confessed to the scientist that she hadn't told anyone about his secret letters to Jacob, it was still anyone's guess as to whether she was telling the truth. That's why she's so deadly. Hell she practically caused a polygraph machine to smoke and explode. What's your game, Sergeevna? Are you planning some brilliant, son-themed blackmail, or are you slowly softening while serving hard time?
Anton all but served up his prime weakness on a platter with the line, "That's the one thing I can't take," referring to his child back home. He also broke out the word "monster," which is kind of becoming his catchphrase. Try some other insults, bro, if everyone's a monster, then no one's a monster, you know? That said, I did feel for Anton (always do) when he talked about how jacked up it was that his son didn't have the faintest clue what happened to his father. That would be very painful, having to grow up without a definitive answer. "Is dad dead, or just a deadbeat?" And the whole time, Nina was using tidbits like this to form a strategy, knowing that Anton had stopped sleeping with the women Russia had been sending. Either that or Nina's getting sick of being jerked around by the Motherland. I hope it's the latter.
Speaking of getting jerked around by the Motherland, Paige is still coming to terms with her newfound truth with nary a John Hughes film to guide her. Unless you count that one where Andrew McCarthy is a Russian spy who must kill his principal on prom night. What was that one called? "Not So Pretty in Red"? Oh wait, my mind broke again, that doesn't exist... yet. Unlike the inner-workings of my abandoned amusement park of a psyche, The Americans is handling Paige's response in a subtle manner that's true to the the show's universe.
How wrenching was it to see her freak out over whether anything in her world is real while patiently listening to her mom's backstory, followed by her questioning of whether any of THAT was in fact real? Paige is going to be so messed up! It's hard enough for a kid to become a teenager at all. That transition is rocky just with curfews and crushes. My main takeaway from Paige after this episode is that, by being let into her parents' world, she's evolving into an adult on their terms. She's hiding in the car, she's telling Henry to eat his breakfast. Next thing you know, she'll be coming downstairs in a wig. Maybe she IS down for this spy stuff.
What was your reading of Elizabeth's hotel manager, uh, "room service"? To me it seemed like she was surprised by how attentive he was to her body's needs. Like she had never experienced such five-star pleasures of the flesh. I mean, she seemed genuinely into Neal (Bill Heck, from the ill-fated Taxi Brooklyn), kissing on him again later in his office. I guess everything WAS to her liking. But later, when she was in her car (beautiful sequence btw), she was crying? I'm guessing she still has a screwed-up relationship with sex based on her assault during her training and the fact that she has to sleep with people as part of her job, but then was turned-on enough to surprise Philip in his sleep. Or was she thinking about Paige one day having to do the same thing? Or was she missing her one-woman Continental Breakfast? What's your deal, Elizabeth?
Also, Philip's face while this was happening—he appeared none too pleased, which, is he enjoying any sex? It seemed he was thinking about, like, how many tickets to the Philippines he'd have to book the next day (answer: tons). I get it, Phil, you're a stressed-out daddy spy who has been trained to have sex with everything from an old man to an oven mitt for the good of your homeland, but try to show a little enthusiasm with your own wife. And don't give me that old chestnut of an excuse, "Ooh baby I'm not in the mood because I've been thinking about how I should've ended things better with Analise. Maybe I should've put her ankle UNDER her chin instead of in the crook of her armpit." I kid, I kid but I hate to think that the Jennings' work is getting in the way of making some magic happen in the bedroom.
I guess I've never stopped to think about the health behind the Jennings' sex life but all signs point to it being potentially abnormal. They do the deed, sure, but maybe smelling hotel manager musk is a turnoff sometimes? So if you didn't already have enough to worry about with regard to these poor Commies, just know that they might not be having the greatest sex (a.k.a. the best way to relieve stress in a marriage). I'm this close to writing a spec script for The Americans that introduces a marriage counselor character exclusively assigned to Directorate S agents. "How does it make you feel to see your wife dressed up in shoulder pads? Mmhm. Say more about that."
In both of his marriages, Philip at least knows enough about human psychology to provide quality emotional support. Clark behaved in a genuinely touching manner when coaching Martha on how to defeat Taffet, and it's very caring of him to try to secure a trip back to Russia for Elizabeth to see her dying mom (please let this happen). I guess one benefit of using the language of humanity to gain intel is that you becomes a pretty caring partner. If only the Rezidentura could show a little love back.
FURTHER INTERROGATION
– Maurice trying to get in on the Northrop action is an unforeseen development.
– "That kid's a nut." —Elizabeth!
– Gabriel asking Phil if he's falling apart seemed like a challenge he knew Philip might respond to.
– Oleg and Tatiana had a good-ass time just chilling and reading the MailBot bugs. Beeeeep!
What did you think of "One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov"?
