The Soviet Division

In May 2017, FX confirmed that the thirteenth and final episode of the season would be titled "The Soviet Division", and that it would be written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by Chris Long. This was Fields' 20th writing credit, Weisberg's 21st writing credit, and Long's sixth directing credit.[1]

Filming for the episode wrapped on March 13, 2017.[2]

In its original American broadcast, "The Soviet Division" was seen by an estimated 0.77 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 16% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.66 million household viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"The Soviet Division" received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating for the episode, based on 15 reviews. The site's consensus states: "'The Soviet Division' concludes season 5 with a quietly powerful look at its core characters' internal struggles while laying crucial groundwork for The Americans's final arc."[5]

Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "The Americans season finale found Elizabeth and Philip finalizing their plans to finally return to Russia... only to find that their duty to their country would stop them from doing so after all. Season 5 felt a bit stretched out, in anticipation of the final season next year, but the finale still delivered some big, emotional moments, as we saw the panic to save Pasha, and actually got some potential happiness for Martha. Now let's see if anyone else can find happiness in the final season, as difficult as that is to imagine right now."[6]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "And so it's once more unto the breach for the Jennings, who can't turn down the intelligence that's turned up in the lining of Isaac Breeland's briefcase. The best family drama on TV can't deny its original reasons for being here: Philip and Elizabeth were spies first, then spouses. This new turn will test what's built up over the course of season five, commitments to kin and country reinforced between the beats of the Cold War."[7]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "Narratively, it was a season of anti-climaxes and 'To Be Continued's, which can work for some series, but seems an odd fit for a show that's traditionally been so straightforward with its storytelling. Plot and character arcs continue from season to season, but Fields and Weisberg have generally seeded each season with a handful of missions and arcs that could be paid off within that year, and that could create a sense of tension and forward momentum on a show where the primary character arc is such a slow burn. And we never really got that this year."[8] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Elizabeth has an admission. 'I can't. I just can't.' Can't let go of her life as a spy — or can't let go of her life as an American?"[9]

Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "The Season 5 finale of The Americans this week kept it low-key. There was some excitement early on involving Pasha's semi-faked suicide attempt, but the primary drama was more prosaic: the rise and fall of Elizabeth and Philip's plan to take themselves and their children back to the Soviet Union. First they were going and then, very abruptly, they weren't."[10] Scott Tobias of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The Americans leaves season five with that possibility hanging in the air, though even if Philip and their bosses accept it, it seems unlikely that he'll take a passive role in the final season. But it shows that she's looking out for his needs, allowing him to give up his active partnership in exchange for accepting her need to follow through on the mission. That's compromise. That's marriage."[11]

Emily St. James of Vox wrote, "'The Soviet Division' balances, surprisingly nimbly, season five wrap-up with a handful of setup moments for season six, perhaps none more ominous than Renée suggesting that maybe Stan should just stick around at the FBI after all."[12] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wrote, "For the better part of its running time, this episode is content to pick up the baton from 'The World Council of Churches,' having us waver alongside the Jenningses about where they're going to end up. Scene after scene transpires as a discussion about togetherness — as eternal ideal and currency."[13]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Maybe the 'real' finale will be wildly momentous and conclusive. Still, I can easily imagine a world in which many years from now my lasting memory of the entire series is the oppressive tragicness of 'The Soviet Division.'"[14] Matt Brennan of Paste gave the episode a 8.7 out of 10 and wrote, "'The Soviet Division,' then, is the culmination of the series' defining ambition: It renders explicit the double entendre of The Americans, in which the title's playful allusion to Philip and Elizabeth's false identities has since come closer in affect to Theodore Dreiser than to John Le Carré."[15]

For the episode, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.[16] They would lose to The Handmaid's Tale for the episode "Offred".[17]