The Americans (TV Series) Duty and Honor (2013) User Reviews

Solid episode focussing heavily on the characters

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 4 January 2021]

Phillip carries out a mission along side and old flame.

This is a fairly strong character driven episode that focuses on both the relationships of the Jennings' and the Beemans.

The plot is quite slow paced but has subtle moments that reveal psychological aspects of the main characters relationships. Individuals have to compartmentalise emotions when carrying out their role as spies and law enforcement, but we see the effect this has on them and how destructive it can be to marriages, particularly ones that are already strained by previous events.

From the point of spectacle there are some cool but nasty scenes where sting operations are carried out that keep the 'spy-thriller' aspect of the show ticking over, but this one is all about the relationships and character development.

All performances are excellent, whilst the cinematography and editing keeps things as interesting as ever.

Did anyone say Julian Assange and Dominique Strauss-Kahn?

[Chris Engelbrecht · 8/10 · 29 August 2013]

In Reagan's 1980's Cold War America, Russian KGB-agents live like regular American citizens, while conducting Machiavellian operations. An exiled Polish priest leads from New York the opposition to free Poland of Soviet oppression, but the KGB sends in a pretty agent to entice him. Even after he politely rejects her advances, he wakes up naked the day after with the girl in hospital having been "raped" by the priest. This episode relays the elements of a classic sex trap against a good man, which sends echoes from similar cases in latter years against the likes of Julian Assange from WikiLeaks. The episode (and the show in general) is a good warning to constantly be critical about what one is told, and what may be going on behind the curtains.

messy episode.

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 28 May 2013]

Duty and Honor is the code spies follow to do awful things which other wise be morally un-acceptable. The duty honor code replay threw out the story. The K G B has a plan to discredit a Polish Priest who is part of the free Poland Solidarity movement. Phil sleeps with his true love. Phil stays as a spy because of the Duty Honor code plus his children. Phil distrust Liz who snitched on him. Liz was doing her Duty and Honor thing for telling that Phil is not as harden as she is. Claudia tells Liz the truth about Phil's sex fling. Claudia is doing the Duty and Honor thing to make Liz a better spy. The message is everyone begins to hate everyone in the dirty spy game, and use the honor card for their nasty actions. The directing and acting of this episode creates a dirty feeling about the spy life. The only winner in this episode is the character who left the spy life. The other characters live in the dirt and the one who left keep a level of self integrity. I would not want to work for these people. I give Duty and Honor an eight out of ten.

"... and it ain't potpourri!"

[bongoz · 13 March 2013]

This episode was about humans, fragile fallible humans, prone to emotion, even while in thrall to duty and honor. Elizabeth and Claudia want to kill each other, but they have their duty. The political priest has a duty to God and Poland, but his honor is so fragile even he thinks he must have broken it. Stan and his wife know their duties to each other, but Stan's duty to Nina mixes him up. Also mixed up is Phillip, due his old duty to Irina (and her possible son), and his current duty to Elizabeth and their kids.

In the end, when Phillip tells Elizabeth nothing happened, even he's not sure whether or not he's lying. I don't think he lied, but I'm not the writer.

Powerful stuff, as usual.

The Americans Duty and Honor

[dalydj-918-255175 · 13 March 2013]

Philip goes from his family to see an old flame of his Irina (Marina Squerciati) while Elizabeth makes her way through men she owns through threats. Some conflict was still present in the relationship of Elizabeth and Philip since they both turned on each other and had the Russian spies ordered by Claudia torture them to see if they were the leak we all know is Nina at this point. Philip did sleep with Irina while Stan slept with Nina which was the worst mistake he could make at his job and on his marriage which seems to not be the best if we go by what his wife said to Elizabeth. The relationship between Irina and Philip was just fine maybe because this character was never seen before and no history was built up except for maybe two small flashbacks. Philip does not go with Irina returning to his family which was really his only option. Not really anything special in the episode or memorable in the least.

EPISODE GRADE: B- (MVP: Matthew Rhys)