The Americans Review: A Roy Rogers in Franconia (Season 4 Episode 12)
One of the many reasons why I love The Americans is that the writers are masters of saying a lot with very little.
When Elizabeth and Paige come home and tell Philip and Henry they almost got mugged, the writers of “A Roy Rogers in Franconia” do such a beautiful job of showing Henry’s development and growth as a young man and a character.
There is so much concern on Henry’s face when Elizabeth tells him and his father what happened. He gives his mother his complete attention, something teenage boys rarely do.
When Paige and Elizabeth leave the room, he turns back towards his video game but falls back against his chair, attempting to process what his mother has said. Last season, I don’t think you would’ve seen so much emotional turmoil on Henry’s face.
When Elizabeth finishes filling Philip in on what happened in Paige’s room and says, “One of ’em had a knife and I had to,” it couldn’t be more clear how different Elizabeth and Philip are from regular people. Most people faced with two men who want to do them harm, one of whom has a knife, would try to out run the men or would be frozen with fear.
Again, Elizabeth’s choice displays superb character development. The writers never forget that Elizabeth and Philip are highly trained and when threatened, their first instinct will always be to kill so as not to be killed.
What’s even more interesting about this scene is when Paige asks Elizabeth if she had to do what she did and then Paige feels sick, these things actually make Elizabeth question her actions. How many people has Elizabeth killed and not given them a second thought? 20? A hundred?
But it’s a completely different animal to have your child question your behavior with shock and horror in her voice.
Okay, I’m just going to say this now. “A Roy Rogers in Franconia” is one of my favorite episodes of The Americans ever.
I love this episode because it emphasizes that all of the Jennings are dynamic characters, and when something traumatic happens to one of them, the emotional effects of that event don’t end when the episode does. The conversation Paige and Elizabeth have in this episode is the most honest one they’ve ever had and it’s touching and beautiful to watch.
This conversation is one of the reasons why The Americans is so compelling. Paige isn’t begging her mother for a later curfew or asking to borrow the car, they are literally talking about life and death. Paige has to grow up faster because of what her parents do and I enjoy watching her realize this.
Paige: You just killed a man in front of me, I might as well know everything.
Paige has a point. When you’ve seen the worst someone is capable of, what’s the point in hiding anything else?
Paige seems to be adjusting pretty well to finding out the truth about her mother. The question is will complete honesty ultimately do more harm than good? Hopefully we’ll find out in the season finale next week!
Other random thoughts:
- I had no idea you could hook up your computer to your TV in the ’80s. That’s amazing!
- Wait, William is Russian?! Wow, he does an even better job passing as an American than Elizabeth and Philip. This entire time I thought he was an American scientist they turned.
- Paige and Matthew finally kiss! I’ve been waiting so long for this. Their awkwardness after the kiss makes me glad I’m not a teenager anymore though. On the other hand, my interactions with boys haven’t gotten any easier. Ha!
What did you think of this episode of The Americans? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Americans airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.
Sheena Bosket
Sheena is an attorney, writer, and Black feminist living and working in Atlanta. She can be found searching for an opportunity to date Jake Gyllenhaal and renovating her condo in Shondaland. She watches all of the Real Housewives franchises, and she's not ashamed. Sheena also occasionally writes about pop culture, politics, and feminism for Donatidaily.com.