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"Salang Pass" is the fifth episode of third season of the American television drama series The Americans, and the 31st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on February 25, 2015, in the United States on FX. The title references the Salang Pass, located in Afghanistan.

Plot

The episode opens with Philip (disguised as Clark) and Martha looking into fostering a child. Philip continues to bond with Paige, causing tension between him and Elizabeth, while at the same time working a new contact, Kimmy, the daughter of a CIA officer in the Afghanistan group who is about Paige's age. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, disguised as a recovering alcoholic, continues her friendship with Lisa as Lisa applies for a transfer to the nearby Northrop plant. Stan continues to negotiate with Oleg in an attempt to trade a suspected Soviet spy for Nina, while beginning to give up on his attempts to get back together with his wife, Sandra. Yousaf, Philip's contact in the Pakistani diplomatic mission, returns to Pakistan as the fundamentalists begin to take control. Philip and Elizabeth experience tension in their marriage as Philip struggles to manage several complicated sexual relationships, including his marriage with Martha and his liaison with Kimmy.

Production

The episode was written by Stephen Schiff and directed by Kevin Dowling.

Reception

The episode was watched by 811,000 viewers and scored 0.19 ratings in 18-49 demographics, as per Nielsen ratings.

"Salang Pass" received positive reviews. Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode a A grade. Alan Sepinwall said Salang Pass became even stranger, and more powerful, and more uniquely "Americans," than almost anything the show has done before.

References

1. "No One Is Watching 'The Americans.' You Should Be Watching 'The Americans.'". February 27, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
2. Adams, Erik (February 25, 2015). "The Americans: "Salang Pass"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
3. Sepinwall, Alan (February 25, 2015). "Review: 'The Americans' - 'Salang Pass': Just a gigolo?". HitFix. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015.

External links

• "Salang Pass" at FX
• "Salang Pass" at IMDb

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• 2015 American television episodes
• The Americans season 3 episodes
• Television episodes written by Stephen Schiff
• Drama television episode stubs