Taking the next steps from the lackluster pilot, the second episode of The Americans pushes the show past world building towards  a can’t miss event.

This week’s episode titled “The Clock” opened with a call back to the last episode’s sexy times, but it was Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) getting to sleep with someone who was not his spouse.

The lucky lady, Analise, is an asset that he’s weary of using, but upon encouragement from his wife, sends her to a party held by the Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger to snoop. After sneaking away to snap some photos, she’s caught by men in suits (never a good thing) and taken away for questioning. Our dear Analise however is not as weak as Phillip thinks she is, and she later brags to him about how she outsmarted the men with her feminine ways and by mentioning that her husband is the undersecretary of defense. She says all this while barely clothed and whispering “I Love You” which Phillip, better known to her as Stan, returns.

Meanwhile, back at the Jennings house, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phillip are developing the photos Analise managed to capture. Among them is a photo of Analise that Elizabeth is tickled to find. “You didn’t tell me she looked like that.” Phillip has no reply. The real star of the photos is a clock that sits in his study, which the two agents notice and figure will aid them in their mission to spy on Weinberger. The only problem is the mission has to be completed in three days, something both believe is impossible, but know they must achieve.