‘The Americans’ recap: ‘March 8, 1983’

The season finale of FX’s The Americans was on last night and it didn’t disappoint: Questions were answered, tensions were high, and betrayals were made.

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Elizabeth and Paige are leaving for Germany to meet with Elizabeth’s mother. The plan is for the two of them to fly to Germany and the center to drive Elizabeth’s grandmother over the border. Elizabeth and Paige are dropped off by Philip and Henry at the airport. Philip is sorry he never got to see his mother-in-law. The girls leave and Philip will be on his own for a while.
Philip’s mission to end the CIA meeting has finally come to a close. Philip talks to Gabriel about their plan and he is not happy. Gabriel does not like this plan Philip came up with. However, it’s been done. Philip proves he will do whatever it takes to help his family.
Stan is going through items with his ex-wife and the two decide what they want. He later meets with Oleg to learn that there's proof that Zinaida is a spy. The two talk about their plan to get Nina back and there is no grantee it will work. However, it’s worth a try. Stan talks to Agent Gaad the next day and brings along with them what he got from Oleg. Gaad is upset and believes that Stan is the one who placed the bug in his office. Stan tries to tell him that Nina was an agent and they should trade Zinaida for her. In the end, Gaad relaxes only a little to say he will talk with Zinaida. Sadly, Stan will most likely be dismissed for talking to Oleg.
Meanwhile out of the country, Paige is asking Elizabeth about her mother. Elizabeth gets nervous as they walk across town. Paige starts to get scared but Elizabeth tells her that her tension is just a habit from work.
Philip is still going to the sex seminars that he went to with Stan. Awkwardly, he meets Stan’s ex-wife there. Philip tells her he wants this to be kept a secret and she agrees. Philip meets with Sandra again at another seminar. She wants the two of them to share secrets see they can learn how to be more open with their lives. Philip says he will think about it.
Back with Elizabeth, Paige meets her grandmother. Elizabeth and her mom speak Russian to each other letting one another how much they were missed. At the end of the meeting, Paige gets to hear her grandmother say her name. When her mother leaves, Elizabeth is alone with her daughter. Paige is praying in the bathroom for her grandmother. Elizabeth sits with her in silence. That night Paige asks how Elizabeth could walk away from her mother like that. Elizabeth tells her that Paige will not have to worry about doing anything like she did. Upon returning home, Paige starts to freak out about the lying part. She doesn’t want to lie about her parents and who she is. Elizabeth tries to calm her down and inform everything will be fine
Gaad looks into the whole Zinaida thing. Zinaida was a spy however; they are not trading her for Nina. Stan will most likely be dismissed.
Philip needs to stop the hunt for Gaad’s bugger for Martha. He is a FBI worker’s room playing with the man’s little robot toys. When the man enters Philip hangs the man and writes a fake suicide note. Meanwhile, the man’s little toy robots are watching him.
Nina brings food and drink to the scientist. She knows he’s writing letters. She also tells him how she is tired of how controlled her life is. He tries to help her and says that she can’t always do what she is told.
In the last dramatic stretch of the show, Elizabeth is now home in her bedroom with Philip while Paige is in her room alone. Philip tells Elizabeth how hard it was for him to kill the guy with the robot toys and in Paige’s room she is calling the pastor. Crying, Paige tells him that her parents are Russians.
The third season of The Americans comes to a close and it’s not pretty. For the fourth season, Elizabeth and Philip need to repair their relationship with their daughter while dealing with their many spy missions. Meanwhile, Nina needs to find a way out and Stan needs a way to help. Make sure to come back to the fourth season of FX’s original series The Americans.