Lotus 1-2-3 (The Americans)

In March 2017, FX confirmed that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "Lotus 1-2-3", and that it would be written by consulting producer Joshua Brand, and directed by main cast member Noah Emmerich. This was Brand's eleventh writing credit, and Emmerich's third directing credit.[1]

Filming for the episode started on December 1, 2016.[2]

In its original American broadcast, "Lotus 1-2-3" was seen by an estimated 0.70 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 22% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.89 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"Lotus 1-2-3" received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating for the episode, based on 14 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Deftly weaving disparate narrative strands, building to a gut-wrenching revelation, and finally closing on a quietly poignant note, 'Lotus 1-2-3' adds another pitch-perfect entry to The Americans' riveting saga."[5]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "'Lotus 1-2-3' is the third episode of The Americans directed by Noah Emmerich, and the producers just keep on handing him bombshells. This week's episode doesn't contain anything as earth-shattering as the 'Walter Taffet' abduction or the wig reveal in 'Clark's Place,' but it is a tense affair. It's also a unique blend of tones for the series."[6]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "What an extraordinary episode, and particularly in those closing minutes. The Americans tends to be at its best when Philip's emotional state is at its worst, and boy howdy is he not in a good place right now."[7] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The pace picks up a little bit in this episode as we finally come to understand the nature of the agriculture program Philip and Elizabeth are investigating and suspicions about Stan’s new girlfriend are vocalized by our antiheroes."[8]

Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "One thing seems sure: Whatever happens over the final season and a half, Philip and Elizabeth won’t turn on each other. It will be united-family heroics (possibly with the exception of Henry) at the end. As Philip said when Elizabeth volunteered to do all the killing from now on: 'No. It's us.'"[9] Scott Tobias of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There are so many beautiful scenes in 'Lotus 1-2-3,' as emotionally devastating an episode as The Americans has ever produced, that it can be easy to overlook the one that accounts for all the others."[10]

Emily St. James of Vox wrote, "'Lotus' is otherwise an excellent entry in a season that continues to keep lots and lots of plates spinning without sending them hurtling into each other."[11] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wrote, "There's a messiness to this episode's narrative shards that are intriguingly united by the sense that every character on the show is at some kind of impasse. At times, though, 'Lotus 1-2-3' is too self-conscious by half to tell us as much."[12]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Hey, this is a good show. Obviously that is a thought I've encountered quite a few times in the five seasons I've watched The Americans. But for some reason it rattled around my brain in giant, glowing neon letters throughout almost the entirety of 'Lotus 1-2-3'."[13] Matt Brennan of Paste gave the episode a 8.7 out of 10 and wrote, "Despite its moments of levity, then 'Lotus 1-2-3' underscores the profound loneliness that accrues to those for whom an inconsequential conversation is also an intricate disguise; it bristles with strange codes and strained silences, against which its moments of communion appear fragile, imperfect, small."[14]