If Manhattan could be boiled down to a single word, it probably would be “secrets”—whether it’s as broad or as sweeping as the kind delivered between a government and its governed, or as personal and intimate as the ones between a husband and wife, information (and a lack thereof) acts as the proverbial coal in the show’s driving engine. If Mike Leigh didn’t already have dibs on the title, it’s not out of the question that the series could have been titled Secrets & Lies, and gotten along just fine. Indeed, over the past 16 episodes, the characters at Manhattan’s center have grown to become defined and shackled by the secrets they keep.
“The Threshold” continues this thread while adding even more nuances to an already complex web of intrigue. More than anything, the episode tracks the inherent tragedy of characters trying to break the cycle or find a different path to do the “right thing,” which ultimately does little beside put them on the chopping block.
As per its design, Manhattan demonstrates this theme through the prism of both the ideological and the personal. The former concerns Meeks who, after appearing to score with an attractive young woman named Nora (the great Mamie Gummer), is brought down to reality upon discovering that she’s the Communist plant he’s been awaiting. Their subsequent encounter effectively highlights Meeks’ motivation for the treasonous behavior we’ve witnessed. No, Meeks is not some cold-blooded, duplicitous double agent; rather, he’s simply a man who’s trying to do good in his own way. Having seen how his government treated Sid last season, Meeks is convinced that, should the U.S. gain the atomic bomb, they will destroy the world. If Stalin has it, however, the dispute can end in a draw and no one else has to die. One of Manhattan’s greatest achievements as a dramatic narrative lies in how it so expertly shades its characters so that everyone truly is the hero of their own story. We saw it last year with the gradual breakdown of Reed Akley, and we seem to be seeing it again this year with Meeks. While history will certainly not be kind to the man or his actions, the episode posits him, not as a villain, but as a decent person on the wrong path.
Meanwhile, the personal iteration of the good-intentions-going-awry scenario comes when Abby and Charlie find themselves sitting down to dinner with Oppenheimer and his heavily pregnant wife, Kitty (Neve Campbell, in yet another inspired bit of casting). Oppenheimer is due to head out to Washington to deal with various matters of state. Except Abby knows, from her time spent eavesdropping on phone calls, that Oppenheimer is actually traveling to San Francisco to visit his kinky, S&M-friendly mistress. Perhaps knowing what it’s like to be a woman left in the dark about her husband’s activities, Abby tries to relay this info to Kitty, only to discover that the woman is anything but an innocent, naïve victim. “I hear you like the taste of girls,” she says bluntly. “I do not take marital advice from deviants.”
For all the devastation, however, the show also chooses this hour to double-down on the idea of hope. This is particularly apparent with the charming and feel-good subplot that is Fritz’s spur-of-the-moment engagement and marriage to Jeannie. Inspired by a deadly wiring accident that leaves one of his colleagues incapacitated, Fritz suddenly realizes that life—especially with a war going on—is fleeting and that he has to grab on to happiness while it’s within his grasp.
Granted, the story also involves Fritz being the lone Team Implosion member selected to participate in G-Group, the close-knit team responsible for readying the bomb for its test (Helen is furious to discover she’s been snubbed and, after blowing up at both Charlie and Oppenheimer, appears to win the latter’s respect and earns a spot). Though Fritz initially turns the offer down in a display of loyalty to his neglected colleagues, Meeks eventually convinces him to, much like his marriage, take the opportunity. In theory, this would just seem to add to Fritz’s fortunate streak, until you consider that he will now be responsible for indirectly setting into motion one of the largest mass murders in human history. But, hey, let’s embrace the happier side while we can.
The episode’s more macro plotline, however, comes with Liza’s continued devotion to discovering what happened to Frank. As the episode opens, a newspaper has printed a prominent story questioning the whereabouts of Dr. Winter. We quickly learn that the article’s boozy author is an old college flame of Liza. Colonel Darrow retaliates instantaneously, diffusing the story and making a veiled, yet unmistakable threat regarding Callie’s safety. All hope seems to be lost until Cole volunteers info on Frank’s whereabouts and offers to take Liza out of the compound.
Liza’s present-day mission is subsequently paralleled by a flashback to 1939 that bookends the entry. Here, we find Liza at her absolute lowest—imprisoned in a sanatorium in the wake of a suicide attempt. After a few months of treatment, Frank recognizes that the institution is doing more harm to her psyche than good and, against the doctor’s wishes, offers her a job at Princeton as rehabilitation. His dogged determination to rescue her, despite their marital discord, fuels Liza’s own steadfast journey to find and free him.
It’s through these flashbacks that the episode also sets up a path for Frank’s salvation. In what must stand as the most daring melding of actual history and the show’s own historical fiction, Frank, upon hearing news of Germen scientists splitting the atom, becomes convinced that Hitler will soon boast a weapon of absolute destruction. When he and Glen’s appeals fall on deaf ears, they are left with little choice but to appeal directly to Albert Einstein himself. In other words, the entire Manhattan Project was due to Frank’s passionate plea. There’s no shortage of irony in the fact that he basically engineered the vessel of his own downfall.
And so, alongside a now more clean-shaven Glen (RIP to Daniel Stern’s incredible beard), Liza once again travels to Einstein’s manor to ask for help in releasing her husband. It’s worth noting that we’re only given the briefest of glimpses at Einstein in the last seconds of the episode, but by God if he doesn’t look as though he just stepped right off the pages of a history book.
“The Threshold” beautifully builds upon the foundation laid out by the first two installments, all the while enriching the world with the kind of precisely calibrated storytelling and performances that is perfectly suited to anyone still weaning themselves off Mad Men. It’s a stellar installment that manages to juggle a multitude of different storylines without ever feeling rushed or overly convoluted. Besides simply being an outstanding hour of TV, it’s yet more evidence that Manhattan has steadily become one of TV’s most rewarding viewing experiences. For God’s sake, watch this show.