IHOP (The Americans)

In April 2017, FX confirmed that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "IHOP", and that it would be written by supervising producer Peter Ackerman, and directed by Dan Attias. This was Ackerman's seventh writing credit, and Attias' fourth directing credit.[1]

Filming for the episode wrapped by February 1, 2017.[2]

In its original American broadcast, "IHOP" was seen by an estimated 0.68 million household viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.2 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[3] This was a 11% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.76 million household viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"IHOP" received extremely positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating for the episode, based on 12 reviews.[5]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "Surely, this is the last time we'll see this person, whose only mistake was getting tangled up in Soviet intelligence operations in the United States. Their departure will leave a that-character-sized hole in The Americans, one that some other supporting players could attempt to fill, but will never do so completely. It's a loss that's deeply felt, because The Americans pays attention to its characters, and you've always feared the worst for them."[6]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "It's a narrative problem for the series at the moment — so much is going on that none of the stories have room to develop into something as interesting as they could be — but it's also what the overall story is about: the Centre is asking much too much of Philip and Elizabeth, and things are starting to slip as a result."[7] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "In one episode, the Jenningses are set to lose both their sons."[8]

Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "A lot of agita, but still not a lot of action this week on The Americans. A series of minor bombshells, building to — an explosion? Four episodes left."[9] Scott Tobias of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Martha's reappearance aside, 'IHOP' is an episode about parents, children, and the consequential mistakes that can break them apart or foment pockets of resentment between them."[10]

Emily St. James of Vox wrote, "'IHOP' probably isn't going to quiet this season's skeptics, but I thought it was the strongest episode of The Americans in a while, maybe of the whole season. That buzzy, dread-filled vibe the past few episodes built up threatens to explode throughout the hour but always calms down again at the last moment."[11] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wrote, "Diehard fans of The Americans, particularly those who've learned to stop worrying about this fifth season's increasingly unclear endgame and love its tapestry of emotion-rich character moments, may have cried 'Uncle!' not even halfway through 'IHOP.' The episode feels less like a continuation of this season's efforts up to this point than a tangent — a revisiting of loose ends from past seasons."[12]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'IHOP' undoubtedly wants us to draw some connections among all the children in the Jennings' life from Tuan to Kimmy all the way down to boring ol' Henry. It's just not clear what kind of connection or statement that it's trying to make."[13] Matt Brennan of Paste gave the episode a 8.5 out of 10 and wrote, "If the five-episode arc that follows 'The Midges' boils The Americans down to its fundamental elements, its atomic weight, 'IHOP' sets in motion a process of fission that promises fireworks to come: It is as wide-ranging an episode as the series has ever delivered, reeling in the long ago and far away until the lines begin to seem like a net."[14]