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The Worst Episodes of The Americans

Every episode of The Americans ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Americans!

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Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Americans Season 5 Episode 8 - Immersion
    7.5/10(1442 votes)

    #1 - Immersion

    S5:E8

    A secret brings Elizabeth and Paige together. Back in Moscow, Oleg's own secrets put him under KGB suspicion and a new twist in the Morozov operation creates an opportunity that changes everything.

    Director:Kevin Bray
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  2. The Americans Season 5 Episode 4 - What's the Matter with Kansas?
    7.6/10(1509 votes)

    #2 - What's the Matter with Kansas?

    S5:E4

    Philip and Elizabeth have qualms about a new assignment, while a specter from Philip’s past creates unforeseen dangers. At the FBI, Stan makes a shocking play that could throw his career into turmoil.

    Director:Gwyneth Horder-Payton
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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  3. The Americans Season 5 Episode 2 - Pests
    7.7/10(1561 votes)

    #3 - Pests

    S5:E2

    Stan and Oleg wrestle with the harsh consequences of their complicated history as Philip and Elizabeth face a new mission with devastating implications for their country.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  4. The Americans Season 5 Episode 6 - Crossbreed
    7.7/10(1499 votes)

    #4 - Crossbreed

    S5:E6

    Gabriel stuns Philip and Elizabeth with a sudden announcement and a crushing revelation about Philip's past. Stan and Aderholt draw a fly into their web while Oleg and Ruslan ambush their first suspect.

    Director:Roxann Dawson
    Writer:Stephen Schiff

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  5. The Americans Season 5 Episode 7 - The Committee on Human Rights
    7.7/10(1479 votes)

    #5 - The Committee on Human Rights

    S5:E7

    As Paige becomes even more enmeshed in her parents' world, tensions with Matthew Beeman come to a head, Philip and Elizabeth's honeytraps take surprising turns, and Stan faces the consequences of overplaying his hand at the FBI.

    Director:Matthew Rhys
    Writer:Hilary Bettis

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  6. The Americans Season 2 Episode 2 - Cardinal
    7.8/10(2017 votes)

    #6 - Cardinal

    S2:E2

    As Philip investigates the fallout from the last operation, Elizabeth sticks close to home, concerned for her family until she gets a mysterious distress signal. Meanwhile, a walk-in arrives at the Rezidentura - providing both Nina and Stan with unique opportunities.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  7. The Americans Season 2 Episode 3 - The Walk In
    7.8/10(1988 votes)

    #7 - The Walk In

    S2:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth complete their next mission - but not without complications - and Philip's fears about Elizabeth's readiness for action deepen. Stan tracks the KGB walk-in which leads to much praise at work and a deepening of his attachment to, and dependence on, Nina. Meanwhile, Paige snoops into her mother's family background and Oleg begins to scrutinize Nina's secret operation.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Stuart Zicherman

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  8. The Americans Season 2 Episode 7 - ARPANET
    7.8/10(1874 votes)

    #8 - ARPANET

    S2:E7

    Philip uses his agent Charles Duluth to help him gain access to an early precursor to the Internet so that the KGB can bug American government communications. Nina faces the threat of a potential FBI polygraph exam, bringing her closer to KGB colleague Oleg.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Joshua Brand

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  9. The Americans Season 3 Episode 2 - Baggage
    7.8/10(1760 votes)

    #9 - Baggage

    S3:E2

    Elizabeth and Philip come together to deal with a mission gone wrong but struggle to reconcile their increasingly opposing ideologies. Stan welcomes a Soviet defector, Zinaida, to America. Nina acclimates to her new living arrangements.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  10. The Americans Season 5 Episode 3 - The Midges
    7.8/10(1552 votes)

    #10 - The Midges

    S5:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth tell Paige more about the family business, but pressing new questions arise when an operation takes a ghastly and unexpected turn. Meanwhile, a sensitive package jeopardizes Oleg’s life back home.

    Director:Stefan Schwartz
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  11. The Americans Season 5 Episode 9 - IHOP
    7.8/10(1453 votes)

    #11 - IHOP

    S5:E9

    Philip and Elizabeth are thrown off balance when things with Tuan take an unexpected turn. Henry makes a startling proposition and Stan has a disturbing encounter with Frank Gaad’s widow.

    Director:Dan Attias
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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  12. The Americans Season 1 Episode 3 - Gregory
    7.9/10(2839 votes)

    #12 - Gregory

    S1:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth discover that their murdered colleague Robert had a wife they never knew about. As they try to determine what she knows and where her allegiance lies, Stan's investigation into Robert's death puts him hot on their trail.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Joel Fields

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  13. The Americans Season 1 Episode 5 - COMINT
    7.9/10(2532 votes)

    #13 - COMINT

    S1:E5

    A crucial agent crumbles under emotional distress and threatens to topple a valuable network of KGB informants. Professionally, Philip and Elizabeth are tasked with infiltrating the FBI's new communications encryption system while personally they are forced to grapple with one of the darker aspects of life as a spy.

    Director:Holly Dale
    Writer:Melissa James Gibson

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  14. The Americans Season 1 Episode 7 - Duty and Honor
    7.9/10(2439 votes)

    #14 - Duty and Honor

    S1:E7

    Philip and Elizabeth's troubled marriage is further tested when a mission to discredit a Polish pro-democracy leader reunites Philip with his old flame.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Joshua Brand

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  15. The Americans Season 1 Episode 8 - Mutually Assured Destruction