The series is set during the Cold War and follows Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple living in Falls Church, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., with their American-born children Paige and Henry.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.93 million household viewers and gained a 0.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Paige (Holly Taylor) return home after the mugger incident, hiding this from Henry (Keidrich Sellati).
Aderholt (Brandon J. Dirden) starts investigating the Mail Robot, after finding a report that an old woman, Betty, died on the night it was repaired.
He later meets with Stan, expressing disdain for the bioweapons missions due to their high risk and the fact that Russian labs won't be able to handle them.
Philip leaves to meet with William, and when Paige demands to know where he is going, Elizabeth reveals that he is picking up a weapon intended to defend Russia from any attack.
The site's consensus states: "Long-played intrigues come to a head in 'A Roy Rogers Franconia' as The Americans sets the stage for what promises to be a harrowing season finale.
Tonight's episode achieves that all-important Peak TV goal — payoff — while also functioning as a compelling piece of standalone entertainment.
But Mr. Weisberg and Mr. Fields, through sheer persistence and a radical but deftly handled twist at the end of last week's episode, have managed to make Paige's between-two-worlds predicament interesting.
"[8] Genevieve Koski of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "That skeptical aspect of Paige's personality has been clear for some time now.
"[11] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "One of the many things that The Americans does better than any show on television is to create a sense of fatigue: both for its audience and its characters.
"[12] Amy Amatangelo of Paste gave the episode a 9.6 out of 10 and wrote, "What I continue to find fascinating about The Americans is that I can simultaneously root for both Stan and Elizabeth and Philip.