It is the 57th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Joshua Brand, and directed by main cast member Noah Emmerich.
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 0.70 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
As part of their mission, Philip and Elizabeth have sex with Deirdre (Clea Lewis) and Ben (Brett Tucker) respectively, but both experience uneasiness with their actions.
In Moscow, Oleg (Costa Ronin) and Ruslan (Ravil Isyanov) visit Dmitri Sharonov (Leonid A. Mandel), who refuses to cooperate.
In March 2017, FX confirmed that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "Lotus 1-2-3", and that it would be written by consulting producer Joshua Brand, and directed by main cast member Noah Emmerich.
The site's consensus states: "Deftly weaving disparate narrative strands, building to a gut-wrenching revelation, and finally closing on a quietly poignant note, 'Lotus 1-2-3' adds another pitch-perfect entry to The Americans' riveting saga.
"[7] Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The pace picks up a little bit in this episode as we finally come to understand the nature of the agriculture program Philip and Elizabeth are investigating and suspicions about Stan’s new girlfriend are vocalized by our antiheroes.
"[8] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "One thing seems sure: Whatever happens over the final season and a half, Philip and Elizabeth won’t turn on each other.
"[11] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wrote, "There's a messiness to this episode's narrative shards that are intriguingly united by the sense that every character on the show is at some kind of impasse.