The Oath (The Americans)

"The Oath" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the period drama television series The Americans. It originally aired on FX in the United States on April 24, 2013.

Plot

Sanford Prince (Tim Hopper) tells Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) that he has recruited an Air Force colonel who will give important information on the SDI project for $50,000. Elizabeth brings this new information to Philip (Matthew Rhys), who is wary, citing Prince's gambling addiction. Elizabeth believes Sanford is delivering them the "highest source" within the Reagan administration, while Philip believes it could be a trap.

Elizabeth receives a signal from Prince that he has left something for her, and finds a jar at the dead drop. Peeling back the label, she sees schematics for the U.S. missile defense system. Elizabeth meets Claudia (Margo Martindale) who believes that the Americans wouldn't hand over such important information just as a trap, telling Elizabeth that she believes the Colonel is real and a meeting with him has been set. Elizabeth has grown tired of Claudia as their handler and tells Philip that she wants her to be reassigned. Philip resolves to convince Martha (Alison Wright) to plant a bug in Gaad's office to see if the FBI are planning anything. Later, while at dinner, Philip proposes to Martha, who happily accepts.

Nina's (Annet Mahendru) suspicions about Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) grow and she accuses him of murdering Vlad, which he strongly denies. Philip asks Martha to plant a pen, fixed with a listening device, in Gaad's office and after assuring her that everything will be okay, she agrees. Viola Johnson (Tonye Patano), who planted the bugged clock in Weinberger's study, has become feeling increasingly guilty, and eventually confesses. She tells Stan and Gaad what happened, and they surmise that Viola was threatened by the same couple who kidnapped Patterson. Viola agrees to speak to a sketch artist. The FBI discover the bug in Weinberger's study and decide to leave it there now that they know the Russians are listening.

After planting the bug, Martha confronts Philip about their relationship, complaining that they have to keep it secret. Philip agrees that she can tell her parents about the marriage and Martha tells him she wants to get married over the weekend. Philip and Elizabeth listen in on the bug in Gaad's office, where they hear no mention of a trap. Sanford is arrested one night for failing to pay his child support. Elizabeth fears this has something to do with the meeting with the Colonel. At Philip (assuming the identity of Clark Westerfeld) and Martha's wedding ceremony, Elizabeth attends as "Clark's" sister and Claudia attends as his mother. Elizabeth asks Philip if they had a wedding ceremony and taken vows, would their relationship be different and Philip says he doesn't know.

Viola's time with the sketch artist results in the FBI looking for a white couple in their 30s or 40s. Nina, who has grown increasingly tired of Stan's lies, confesses to Arkady about spying for the U.S. and volunteers to become a re-doubled agent.

Production

The episode was written by Joshua Brand and Melissa James Gibson and directed by John Dahl.

Reception

In its original American broadcast on April 24, 2013, "The Oath" was watched by 1.49 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings.^[1]

References

External links

• "The Oath" at FX
• "The Oath" at the Internet Movie Database
• "The Oath" at TV.com