And Season 2 of The Americans, which begins on Feb. 26, deepens the conflicts dramatically. These spies aren't just strangers to their children, but also to each other and, ultimately, to themselves. As Elizabeth and Philip doubt themselves and the choices they've made (such as exposing their children to the corrupting influence of the West), their daughter Paige has positioned herself on a collision course with the truth, slowly realizing that her parents' odd behavior is somehow inexplicable. A Season 2 subplot involving a promise Elizabeth made to another couple pays off magnificently when it comes to her own desire to protect her children from the truth. It seems even Soviet spies believe that protecting their own means lying to them about the badness of the world outside.

The Americans is ultimately about the lies we tell each other and the even deadlier ones we tell ourselves. For all of Elizabeth's diligent planning and bloodthirsty resolve, it never dawned on her that Paige and Henry could themselves be in danger as a result of her and Philip's traitorous lifestyle and — SPOILER ALERT! — the Jenningses quickly find themselves at risk from unseen enemies after a brutal attack reveals that their identities may be known. Even as Elizabeth's loyalty to Mother Russia never waivers (despite Philip's ongoing romance with the capitalist lures of the West), she agrees to take on a secret mission unknown to the Center that reflects her growing fears, as well as the knowledge that she and Philip have perhaps irrevocably put their children in jeopardy.

Philip tries to juggle the resurrection of his relationship with Elizabeth with that of his faux-marriage to mousy FBI secretary Martha (Alison Wright), whom he is using to spy on her employers and Stan. There's something deeply satisfying about seeing Philip explore his rapport with Martha by enacting behaviors that Elizabeth could never countenance. Which is the real Philip: the one at home with his wife and kids, or the "animal" bedding Martha under false pretenses?

Russell is once more at the top of her game as the complex, deadly Elizabeth. Recovering from her gunshot wound she received at the end of last season, Russell's Elizabeth willingly thrusts herself once more into harm's way. But despite the scars she carries, Elizabeth remains a hauntingly terrifying figure even as Rhys cuts a (largely) sympathetic one; Russell delivers one scene in particular that positions her character as a figure of menace, a crowbar at her side. And now that the will-they-or-won't-they-get-back-together tension between Elizabeth and Philip has been resolved (for the time being, anyway), Rhys and Russell are given new challenges to overcome as they square off as husband and wife, particularly as Rhys' Philip finds that the Clark persona affords him a chance to transgress, a notion that troubles Elizabeth — certainly no stranger to using her sexuality in service of her cause — to no end.