The Americans Ep 1.11 ‘Covert War’ is a terrific episode with a few odd resolutions
Inherent in the idea of ‘war’ is community; people can’t fight wars by themselves, whether it’s on the front battle lines or deep covert operations. Unfortunately, the stress of war (covert or not) tends to make individuals isolate themselves, withdrawing from the people around them as they struggle with the things they’ve seen and done. These kinds of individuals are all over the place in The Americans, and in ‘Covert War’ we see how hard it is to stay sane in their world alone.