Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are two of the greatest spies their country has to offer, possessing skills that allow them to complete any tasks assigned to them. Their loyalty and love of their country push them to do things that many others would find unethical.
However, despite operating with the best intentions the Jennings don't always do the right thing and often feel like they've gone too far. Their goal of achieving peace leaves in its wake a trail of bodies and the deaths of countless innocent bystanders throughout The Americans 6 season. With this in mind here are the 10 things the Jennings ever did.
Philip Killed A Bully When He Was 10
Philip and Elizabeth's backstories and life before becoming spies remained mysterious throughout the series, however small glimpses into their past provided more than enough context to understand how they became who they are.
In season 4's opening episode "Glanders" Philip's bleak childhood is exposed in a flashback where he fights off bullies. As the fight escalates and becomes more desperate he murders one of them. While the killing may have been justified the act clearly affected him and set him on a path to become the man he is today.
Philip Manipulated Kimberly
Although he wasn't required to murder anyone the relationship Philp struck up with Kimberly remains one of the worst and downright creepiest undercover operations he ever took part in.
This was because her father was a CIA operative and Philip used Kimberly to gain information and bug his belongings. Thankfully Philip ended their relationship before Kimberly was put in danger, but his long exploitation of her weighed heavily on him. Matthew Rhys plays the creepy middle-aged man well and becomes unrecognizable.
Blackmailed The Defence Secretary's Maid
One of the earlier assignments the Jennings were given during the Cold War was to blackmail the maid of the Defense Secretary. To manipulate her they poisoned her son and demanded that she bug the office or her son would die.
Things escalated when she refused and they were forced to return and continue their intimidation, almost smothering her son to death. She complied and placed the bug, but their desperation made this one of the most mishandled operations the Jennings were a part of.
Killed Hans
Elizabeth was forced to take out one of their own in season 5's "Amber Waves" when they dug up Williams' contaminated body. Due to the deadly biological weapon he had been exposed to, they wore protective suits to shield themselves from harm.
However, Hans slipped and cut himself, exposing himself to the deadly chemicals. He was rightfully worried and Elizabeth assured the young agent that everything would be alright, before shooting him in the back of the head.
Philip Killed An Innocent Busboy
The Jennings are required to do many terrible things for the greater good, but they try to justify their actions and not cause unnecessary harm. However, in practice, this simply isn't the case and frequently they are required to kill innocent bystanders.
One such occasion was in season 2' "Comrades" where Philip fled through the back of a kitchen and was forced to kill an innocent busboy who threatened his mission. Although Philip is a great spy, he still makes mistakes and things don't always go off without a hitch. While killing agents is one thing, the pile of innocent dead bodies he left weighed heavily on Philip.
Left Henry Alone
Henry remained unaware of his parent's double life and even when the series concluded and they returned to their homeland he was still out of the loop. The finale remains one of the best episodes the series produced, but it served as an inevitable and tragic ending for Henry. It was left to their neighbor and FBI agent Stan Beeman to break the news to Henry.
The heartbreaking news that his parents and sister were all working for the KGB will no doubt turn his world upside down, and now alone Henry's life will be unimaginably difficult.
Killed Natalie and Her Husband
Season 5's "Dyatkovo" required the Jennings to track down a former Nazi collaborate and assassinate her. They found her and she had made a life for herself and even had a husband. Philip was tasked with taking her out, but once he heard her tragic story he couldn't go through with it.
Without hesitation, Elizabeth killed both Natalie and her husband, to Philips disgust. Although her crimes bad, they were long behind her and she had made a new life, becoming unrecognizable by the 1980s. While she may have deserved some punishment killed her seemed pointless.
Killed Betty
In season 3's "Do Mail Robots Deam of Electric Sheep?" Elizabeth was tasked with planting a bug on the FBI's mail robot. She took her opportunity when the robot was at a repair facility, however, the simple operation took a turn for the worse when Elizabeth was seen by Betty.
This resulted in Betty taking an overdose of her medicine, and dying. Her death proved to be one of the hardest things Elizabeth had to do and made her question what they were doing. Although she is undoubtedly the tougher of the two, Keri Russell shows a different more gentle side to Elizabeth in this episode.
Turned Paige Into A Spy
Philip and Elizabeth's work requires them to do some truly terrible things, and so it was difficult for Paige to process their secret life upon learning about it. However, their noble goals attracted her to the job and she wanted to join.
Philip was adamant that she should be kept out of it, but Elizabeth was confident that she could be of use. Paige eventually did begin training and was drawn into their operations. While she joined of her own free will, there's no doubt that Paige's life will be immeasurably more difficult from now on, and her future remains uncertain.
Ruined Martha's Life
Both Philip and Elizabeth are required to get close to people to gain information, however, no one was exploited more than the FBI secretary Martha. Philip posed as Clark and began a relationship with her, and even married her.
This alone is a terrible thing to do, but things only got worse when she discovered his real identity. This resulted in her being taken to Russia when she began a new, far worse life. Speaking very little of the language and knowing literally no one, Martha is undoubtedly the most tragic character to appear in the series.