March 8, 1983

In March 2015, FX confirmed that the thirteenth episode of the season would be titled "March 8, 1983", and that it would be written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by executive producer Daniel Sackheim. This was Fields' 12th writing credit, Weisberg's 13th writing credit, and Sackheim's sixth directing credit.[1]

Joe Weisberg said that despite the previous episode's cliffhanger, they chose to focus on other aspects for the season finale. He compared it to Philip and Elizabeth revealing their identities on the tenth episode instead of the season finale, explaining that "moving things around from their expected places just feels better to us. Things start to feel more real when they're not falling into the expected dramatic slot."[2]

In its original American broadcast, "March 8, 1983" was seen by an estimated 1.22 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[3] This was a 24% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.98 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"March 8, 1983" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "That final sequence was really well done, intercutting between Paige calling Tim and Philip's speech to Elizabeth about how he needs to approach killing people interrupted by Reagan's famous 'Evil Empire' speech – a galvanizing moment that suddenly ups the stakes for the Jennings, as they see the leader of the United States describing their people in the worst possible way. Even as the Jennings have struggled with the very dark aspects of their life, it seems as though this could once more motivate them to work harder for their cause... if they're not caught thanks to Paige's fateful phone call. Bring on Season 4!"[5]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "In a reflection of its characters and themes, “March 8, 1983” is confident, if not a little bit reckless. But that’s not to suggest that the series has any maturing to do. In a season shaped by parent-child relationships, in a finale defined by the words “Grow up,” The Americans demonstrated that it’s already come of age. And that makes one more reason to commit the date March 8, 1983 to memory."[6]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "That the show can be as great as it is in spite of that speaks to what an extraordinary job Fields, Weisberg and everyone else have done with the family and spy stories this year. The remarkable thing, though, is that there are still areas where The Americans can improve after all this time, and think about what a meat grinder that version of the show would be."[7] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "I have to admit, this episode frustrated me as a season finale. It felt more like an incredibly good penultimate episode, and ending on such a stark cliffhanger with many other plot threads dangling, feels like a mistake. The creators of The Americans have manufactured some savage tension, but that will only dissipate as we await season 4, rather than leaving us with a completed story line, as they did last year."[8]

Laura Hudson of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The two lives of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings have always moved at different speeds: While their KGB missions have pinballed wildly between sex, murder, and international intrigue from one week to the next, the story of their family life has always been in slow motion — at least until now. The tension with Paige had been building for a season, but now that the Berlin Wall between their work and their family has finally fallen, things are changing, and fast."[9] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The Americans season three has been a terrific television-watching experience. It's also been a meditation on the folly of expecting people to behave in predictable ways in an unpredictable time. March 8, 1983 may be a convenient date to mark the beginning of the Cold War in earnest, but the true Cold War, us trying to make sense of the senseless, never really begins or ends."[10]

Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "Past finales for The Americans addressed the issues presented in the season, but the lack of closure in 'March 8, 1983' indicates an ongoing problem for the Jennings."[11] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote, "In 'March 8, 1983,' 48 minutes that come as near to perfection as television can, it turns out that the phenomenology of evil and the doctrine of sin are inadequate hermeneutics for the dark night of the soul."[12]