The Americans: “In Control” (Episode 1.04)

Since its premiere, The Americans has casually dropped in real-world events and people to securely set the show in the 1980s Cold War era.

In its fourth episode, “In Control,” the show tackled one of the biggest historical events of the decade—the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. In the years that followed the shooting, Secretary of State Alexander Haig’s declaration that “I’m in control” has become something of a national punchline. “In Control” offered up a fascinating fictional take on Haig’s hubris—the KGB thought Haig was staging a coup.
Each side assumes the worst of the other. The FBI worries that John Hinckley, Jr. had communist connections. Elizabeth and Philip are told to prepare for Operation Christopher, which basically is them digging up their arsenal of weapons and mapping out how to kill the country’s leaders. The episode highlighted the couple’s differing approach to handling classified information and their superiors. Philip wants to wait until they knew more—fearing that they could inadvertently start World War III. Elizabeth wants to blindly obey orders.

What I loved most about this episode is that even though we all know how everything eventually played out, the hour was still fraught with nail-biting tension. And once again, the show reminded viewers of just how ruthless Elizabeth and Philip are. When stopped by a security guard, Elizabeth kills him without hesitation. I also enjoyed seeing yet another manifestation of their aliases. They approach one of the nurses who treated Reagan claiming to be from the Vice President’s office, even giving her a pin as a token of their appreciation. While they will kill when necessary, they try to avoid it—not because they will feel guilty but because the more dead bodies they leave in their wake, the more likely it becomes that they could be caught.