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 0.77 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
For the episode, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Philip (Matthew Rhys), Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Tuan (Ivan Mok) visit Pasha's house to check on him.
Henry (Keidrich Sellati) is accepted by the boarding school, but Philip states he won't go, having planned to move back to the USSR with Elizabeth.
In May 2017, FX confirmed that the thirteenth and final episode of the season would be titled "The Soviet Division", and that it would be written by executive producer Joel Fields and series creator Joe Weisberg, and directed by Chris Long.
The site's consensus states: "'The Soviet Division' concludes season 5 with a quietly powerful look at its core characters' internal struggles while laying crucial groundwork for The Americans's final arc.
"[7] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "Narratively, it was a season of anti-climaxes and 'To Be Continued's, which can work for some series, but seems an odd fit for a show that's traditionally been so straightforward with its storytelling.
There was some excitement early on involving Pasha's semi-faked suicide attempt, but the primary drama was more prosaic: the rise and fall of Elizabeth and Philip's plan to take themselves and their children back to the Soviet Union.
"[12] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wrote, "For the better part of its running time, this episode is content to pick up the baton from 'The World Council of Churches,' having us waver alongside the Jenningses about where they're going to end up.
"[13] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Maybe the 'real' finale will be wildly momentous and conclusive.
'"[14] Matt Brennan of Paste gave the episode a 8.7 out of 10 and wrote, "'The Soviet Division,' then, is the culmination of the series' defining ambition: It renders explicit the double entendre of The Americans, in which the title's playful allusion to Philip and Elizabeth's false identities has since come closer in affect to Theodore Dreiser than to John Le Carré.
"[15] For the episode, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.