THE AMERICANS Recap Episode 12 'The Oath' (SPOILERS) Episode 13 'The Colonel' Preview [VIDEOS]: FX's Spy Thriller Season 1 Finale

"The Oath" was definitely the episode with the most tension in the first season of FX's cold war thriller The Americans. It was the second to last episode of the season, so it sets up tonight's season finale, "The Colonel," with plotlines that twist and turn. Where can it go from there? How will these new developments affect Phillip, Elizabeth, Stan and Nina? (SPOILERS to follow)

First of all: WOW. This episode has made up for any (though there were very few) mistakes from the first season. There were about two or three storylines running throughout "The Oath" that culminated into an incredible lead-in to the finale.

Elizabeth and Phillip are nervous about buying information from a man recruited by their contact. Phillip offers a new plan that might lead to a safe meeting: bug Gaad's office with the help of (poor) Martha. In order to do this, Phillip proposes to Martha in the guise of Carl. She then places the bug in her boss' office. They even get married with Elizabeth and Claudia (Granny) posing as family members. This scene gives us a quick glimpse back into the family personal life turmoil between Elizabeth and Phillip, but only for a second.

Meanwhile, Viola (the maid who was forced into planting a bug in her employer's home) turns herself into the FBI and admits everything. The FBI gets a description of the KGB agents who threatened her and compare them to the sketches from when Elizabeth almost killed that CIA agent in the previous episode. Stan sees a resemblance and theorizes that they are the sleepers from the KGB.

Maybe the most interesting twist of the whole season is when Nina becomes a KGB officer and then admits she is the mole for the FBI to her superior, Arkady. In a surprising turn, she offers her loyalty to her homeland and says she will use her FBI influence against America. 

Here is a behind the scenes recap of "The Oath," which features Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys discussing some plot points from the episode:

With Stan and the FBI getting closer and closer to Phil and Elizabeth, how do you think tonight's season finale episode will go? Here is a preview clip of "The Colonel":