The second season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on February 26, 2014, and concluded on May 21, 2014.[1] The series was renewed for the second season on February 21, 2013.[1]
Susan Misner, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Wright, who play Sandra Beeman, Nina, and Martha Hanson, respectively, are promoted to series regulars in season two, after having recurring roles in the first season.[2][3] Filming for the second season began on October 9, 2013, according to Keri Russell.[4]
On April 7, 2014, it was announced that Pete Townshend collaborated with series music composer Nathan Barr on an original song, titled "It Must Be Done", for the April 30 episode "Yousaf".[5]
Elizabeth has recovered from being shot two months ago. She and Philip must leave Henry's 11th birthday party early in order to meet with Emmett and Leanne Connors, another spy couple, for a mission. Paige remains suspicious and sneaks into her parents' room during the night, only to find them having sex. The Jennings promise Henry a "birthday weekend" at an amusement park, which turns into a mission that ultimately results in the Connors' deaths and the Jennings being paranoid. Meanwhile, Nina informs Stan of a new arrival at the Rezidentura, Oleg Igorevich.
Elizabeth stays mainly close to home to keep watch over the neighborhood and the children. She only ventures out to drop them off at the movies, in order to help Chena, a former Sandinista-turned agent, with her asset's overdose. Meanwhile, Philip investigates Fred, the Connors' asset, only to be trapped by him in his house. Philip must convince him that they are all on the same side and in danger. Fred reveals information about a submarine project soon to be moved. Paige keeps suspecting her parents are hiding something. Elsewhere, Nina tells Stan about a Rezidentura "walk-in" wanting to help them. Stan and the FBI learn the man is Bruce Dameran, an employee of the World Bank.
Philip and Elizabeth infiltrate the submarine parts factory and he takes pictures of propeller plans. Afterwards, she visits Jared Connors, intent on delivering a letter from his mother as promised upon her death. However, Elizabeth changes her mind about giving it to him. Back home, Paige skips school to track down Elizabeth's "aunt". Stan investigates Dameran's work history with the World Bank, only to learn it is a cover for an assassination attempt on a company official by Dameran.
Claudia gives the Jennings two assignments—Anton Baklanov, a defector from the Soviet Union whose research is key to helping the U.S. develop stealth technology and Andrew Larrick, the primary suspect in the Connors' murders. Philip monitors Baklanov, while Elizabeth must use naval recruit Brad Mullen to get information about Larrick. She gains Mullen's sympathy with a story about being raped by Larrick. However, Mullen fears being caught obtaining the info. When the Jennings attempt to abduct Baklanov, they are attacked by two assailants, one of whom drives off with Baklanov. Meanwhile, fallout from Vlad's death may affect Agent Gaad's job; Oleg's family influence gets him a higher security clearance; and Paige's new friend Kelly takes her to a church function.
Philip hides their attacker, who turns out to be a Mossad agent, while the Soviet Union negotiates with Israel to trade him with Anton. Elizabeth meets Martha as Clark's sister and convinces her not to put Clark's name on an application form. Elizabeth is intrigued by Martha's characterization of Clark's sexual prowess. Stan and the FBI search for Anton's extraction point. Oleg leads Stan on a wild goose chase to an alternate port. Oleg tells Stan that he has uncovered Stan's relationship with Nina and threatens to expose her.
Elizabeth and Philip meet Larrick, who they suspect is Emmett and Leanne's killer. From Larrick's file they learn of his involvement in Operation Martial Eagle, a project to train Contras in the US. Lucia has sex with Carl as a distraction so Elizabeth can steal files about ARPANET. Stan asks Nina to take a polygraph test if she wants to get exfiltrated. Elizabeth asks Philip to demonstrate the prowess described by Martha.
Nina agrees to a polygraph test on Oleg's orders and assurance. Philip gets orders to bug ARPANET, with the help of Duluth. 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 get them into the contra training camp. Lucia is upset with the news of his leaving, as she had planned to kill him.
Philip and Henry arrive home in a new Chevrolet Camaro. Elizabeth is called to Larrick's house, where he has subdued Lucia, who intended to abduct and kill him. Set free, Lucia makes another attempt on his life, and he begins to choke her. Elizabeth is torn between saving her and allowing Larrick to continue helping them. Philip is demoralized upon learning that the stolen propeller plans were fake decoys that resulted in a Russian submarine sinking. Stan gives the surveillance log to Oleg and later promises to protect Nina.
Elizabeth and Philip infiltrate the contra training base, which results in more casualties than Philip can bear. The Jennings family attends church, where it is revealed Paige has donated all of her savings. Neither of her parents approve of this gesture, especially Philip, who nearly takes his anger out on the church minister. Fred and other stealth aircraft scientists meet with Stan, who later arrives home to learn his wife is having an affair. Elizabeth attends an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting to glean stealth technology information from a Northrop employee.
After Agent Gaad's threats, the Rezidentura drops the charges of Vlad's death and Gaad is reinstated. Philip seeks Annelise's help to seduce and extract information from a high-ranking Pakistani ISI officer named Yousaf. Stan interviews Emmett and Leanne's son Jared to identify the illegals. Larrick returns to America and decides to hunt the people responsible for his fellow soldiers' killings at Martial Eagle base.
Elizabeth visits Jared to find out what Stan told him. She later discovers Kate meeting Jared as well. Larrick abducts Kate to try to learn the location of her agents. Arkady instructs Nina to get more information about stealth from Stan, while Philip covertly meets John Skeevers, a stealth technician, and learns the secret about RAM.
Elizabeth gets Jared out to safety per instructions from the Centre, while Larrick is trailing them discreetly all along. Arkady forces Stan's hand to steal the "Echo" program in exchange for Nina's safety. Martha recovers some top-secret FBI files and presents them to Philip.
The Jennings panic when they find out that Larrick has been AWOL for some time. The truth about the killings of Emmett and Leanne is revealed. Stan makes an important decision that could affect his relationships.
Reception
Reviews
Review aggregator Metacritic has given the season a score of 88 out of 100 (based on 31 critics), signifying "universal acclaim".[19] On Rotten Tomatoes, another review aggregator site, it holds a 97% rating with an average score of 8.8 out of 10, based on 38 reviews.[20]
The second season was released only on DVD format in region 1 on December 16, 2014,[25] and in region 2 on January 26, 2015.[26] Special features include two featurettes—"Operation Ghost Stories: The Real Directorate 'S'" and "Shades of Red: The Mortality of the Americans"; gag reel; and deleted scenes.[25]
