Episode no. Season 2
Episode 7 Written by Joshua Brand | Directed by Kevin Dowling Production code BDU207 | |
Featured music "Set Me Free" by Utopia Original air date April 9, 2014 (2014-04-09) | ||
"Arpanet" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 20th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on FX in the United States on April 9, 2014.
Contents
Plot
After consulting with Arkady and Oleg, and with the promise of coaching from Oleg, Nina tells Stan that she will take the FBI's polygraph test. Oleg suggests a few techniques including that she visualize him in the room as well as clenching her anus. During the polygraph rest, the FBI asks if she knows who killed Vlad. She answers yes while looking at Stan knowingly. After she passes, she declines Stan's offer to get her out of the embassy, saying that she will be able to help him more after she is read into the Illegals Program. Later Nina and Oleg celebrate this triumph by having sex in a hotel room.
Kate relays orders for Philip to bug the ARPANET. Philip recruits the help of Duluth. Posing as a journalist, he first meets with a computer scientist at a university to learn the details of ARPANET. Later, Philip disguising as a janitor breaks into the university to plant the bug. However, one of the computer workers stumbles on his activities, and it is implied that Philip kills him. Philip later scolds Duluth after Duluth rhapsodizes about "developing a jones for that sort of thing".
With Philip watching afar with a sniper rifle, Larrick tells Elizabeth that he has been ordered to Nicaragua, to set up a base and mine the harbor of Managua, but he will still be able to let them into the contra training camp before he leaves. Lucia is upset to learn this, because (as she tells Elizabeth) she planned to kill Larrick there in revenge for his atrocities in Nicaragua. Elizabeth tells her that Larrick is more valuable as a cooperating asset, and expresses her doubts about Lucia's reliability to Philip.
Henry observes a neighbor's house with his telescope, and sneaks in while they are gone to play Intellivision, something his parents have forbidden him.
Production
The episode was written by Joshua Brand and directed by Kevin Dowling.
Reception
The episode was watched by 1.18 million viewers, as per Nielsen ratings. The reviews for the episode were positive. The A.V. Club rated gave the episode an A-. Alan Sepinwall from Hitfix reviewed the episode positively.