4x13 Persona Non Grata

[7.7/10] Damn the rules of television, movies, and maybe Western storytelling writ large, which demand that anytime a character declares that they’re getting out of the game, they are destined to die. William was one of The Americans’s very best recurring characters. He represented a sort of vision of an alternate future of Philip -- staying on the job for decades, alone, estranged, and disillusioned. His fate, his unhappiness, is everything that Philip wants to avoid.

It’s ironic, then, that William’s dying words, so far as we know, are an expression of envy for Philip’s life. Dylan Baker gives an outstanding performance, both in the slow deterioration of a man soon to suffer and ignoble end, and in the realm between steadfastness and regret, between life and death, that William is occupying. He means not to give Stan and Aderholt anything of value, seems disinclined to turn on his countrymen. But the thing he does admit is an admiration, a yearning wistfulness, for what the Jennings have. It’s a moment of honesty that puts Philip and Elizabeth at a greater level of risk than arguably anything we’ve seen on this series so far.

But before that, we get an exciting as hell chase. “Persona Non Grata” does a superb job of cutting between William’s resigned attempts to pass on the lassa virus, Philip’s efforts to pick it up, and Stan and the FBI’s efforts to intercept the both of them. Again, the rules of T.V. suggest that it will be William, not Philip, who goes down here, but the show’s editing and score still do a nice job at lifting the tension-levels as the three of them unknowingly converge on one another. And William’s decision to smash the vial into his palm is the biggest “holy shit” moment I’ve had on the show in a while.

This is an episode full of big moments though, having the feel of a season finale in the way that season 3’s final episode didn’t. Chief among them, we discover that neither Irina nor the Centre were lying about Philip having another son (or at least, a son who thinks he’s Philip’s) who fought on the Afghan front. We get to meet the young man in person for the first time, as his connection to Philip gets him out of prison despite his political agitating.

To be frank, this whole deal feels like more of a tease for next season than anything that adds closure to this one. With his maternal grandfather’s help, Philip’s son sets out for America, knowing that his father is a travel agent there, and hoping to track him down. It’s an intriguing possibility, albeit one that feels somewhat disconnected from the rest of the episode. The only tie is a thematic one, in a story where lots of people ruminate on how alone or lonely or rootless they are, when whatever their problem, Philip and Elizabeth have a family, and a life, and most importantly, one another.

That life is threatening to be uprooted though. For a long time now, Philip has been wanting to run, to pull up stakes, and move on from this life. He admits as much in EST (which Elizabeth amusingly and derisively refers to as a “seminar for thinking about yourself”), and talks about how he wants to break away, but can’t because of commitments and promises. Even Elizabeth is feeling a little homesick after her mother’s death, wondering what her old home town is like and wanting to be able to show it to Paige.

Then, all of a sudden, they’re presented with the chance to do just that, at the cost of completely abandoning the life that they’ve made for themselves over the past twenty years. William’s disappearance, and the possibility of what he might spill to the FBI, has Gabriel recommending to the Jennings that they return to Russia, that their tour is done, that they go back to what used to be their home.

It’s one thing to daydream about taking your daughter to see the place you grew up, or even to want with every fiber of your being not to be doing what you’re doing. But it’s another thing entirely to be faced with not only the actual possibility, but also the potential upheaval of your life and the life of you family, with the choice squarely in your lap.

Because however much Philip and Elizabeth may tire of the rigors of the job, or worry about the American culture’s effect on their kids, or sort of yearn for something else, the prospect of actually giving it all up is a tough thing to contemplate. Paige asks Elizabeth how long she waited before allowing visitors when Elizabeth had her, and Elizabeth responds that she didn’t have many friends then. The truth, though, is that a decade and a half later, the Jennings have put down roots in their community, if only through their kids.

That means Paige holding her Pastor’s baby and reflecting on the truth and lies that have brought her to this point. It’s about Elizabeth holding her daughter and warming at the thought that she wants her help. It’s about Paige and Matthew finding (or intuitively understanding) that they’re in similar positions, being able to talk and relate to one another, and having a romance develop out of that. (And, as an aside, Stan’s reaction to the kids’ making out is hilarious and adorable).

Because even when given the chance to leave, people find connections that make them want to stay. It happens when Oleg’s plan is complete, Arkady gets deported after the FBI smokes out this plans, and Tatiana has to stay. And yet, he seems ready to go home, to go back to Russia. I’ll admit, Oleg’s motivation and plans seem a little unclear here, but he seems to want Tatiana, someone he cares about, to stay in America, even if he himself isn’t sure he wants to stick around yet.

All of these things complicate the Jennings staying and the Jennings going. At home, there’s the possibility that they’ve been exposed by William, there’s turnover at the Rezidentura, and their daughter is getting close to the son of the FBI counterintelligence agent closest to finding them. The problem pile up, as Gabriel put it. On the other hand, they have grown comfortable here, built a life here and built it together, started a family here.

As scary as the risks are, however numb to danger as they might have become, that closeness, that sense of whatever the opposite of loneliness is, has made this place and this job better than it is for William or Gabriel or anyone else who’s had to go it alone. The net has tightened, the risk is high, and the reasons to go home are legion, but the pull of the familiar, and the rules of television, say the Jennings won’t be leaving for Russia anytime soon.