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.
Stan (Noah Emmerich) and Aderholt (Brandon J. Dirden) meet their new boss, Agent Wolfe (Peter Jacobson), immediately taking a dislike to his methods.
During a mission to change tapes, Philip hangs out with Kimmy (Julia Garner), who confesses that her father works at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Elizabeth meets with Gabriel, feeling conflicted over the required mission to get the access code to the lab, as it will ruin Young Hee's family.
In April 2016, FX confirmed that the tenth episode of the season would be titled "Munchkins", and that it would be written by co-producer Peter Ackerman, and directed by Steph Green.
The site's consensus states: "With 'Munchkins,' The Americans plays on overarching themes of trust and consequences with shocking twists, bleak humor, and a sudden, poignant farewell.
Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "It's a powerful, contemplative performance from Keri Russell, and the implications of her decision weigh on the closing frames of 'Munchkins.'
"[8] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, "From the writers' perspective, perhaps the plan was simply to give Stan Beeman one more thing to be angry about.
"[9] Genevieve Koski of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "When he first turns up in 'Munchkins,' it's a pleasant surprise, an unexpected denouement to a character whose arc had supposedly wrapped.
When a group of heavily accented goons show up in Gaad's hotel room with a 'proposal,' it seems like The Americans may have found a way to prolong his story through the end of the season.
"[11] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote, "With tonight’s episode, 'Munchkins,' The Americans reopens the argument, and it appears that Paige's sense of trust has been shaken loose by the knowledge of her parents' double lives: In accepting the new 'normal' of secrets and lies, the daughter of deep-cover agents has become as suspicious as they are, and Pastor Tim's disappearance in Ethiopia forces her to examine her grim intuition once more.
"[12] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There's one thing I've kept to myself as I've watched what is rightfully being regarded as The Americans' best season: I've privately worried that Philip is becoming a stronger character than Elizabeth.