Ronald Reagan is shot, which forces Philip and Elizabeth, as well as the FBI and the Rezidentura, to go into overdrive; Philip and Elizabeth because the Soviets are worried about even more hardline action taken against them (and Elizabeth thinks there's a possibility of a coup), the FBI because they think the KGB might be responsible, and the Rezidentura because they're worried the Soviets will get blamed.
This episode contains examples of:
- Boom, Headshot!: How Elizabeth kills the security guard who stops her outside the Weinberger house.
- Both Sides Have a Point: When Paige and Matthew are watching coverage of the assassination attempt on Reagan, Paige is upset about the fact the news keeps showing the same footage over and over, calling it "ghoulish", while Matthew points out the President getting shot is ghoulish.
- Deep Cover Agent: Charles, known in the U.S. as a former socialist and hardline conservative (he runs a conservative magazine), is actually still working for the Soviet Union. When Philip meets with him to see if he can get contact with the hospital staff, Philip admits he admires how devoted Charles has been to the cause.
- False Flag Operation: Elizabeth and Philip pose as members of Vice-President Bush's staff to approach a nurse at the hospital to find out Reagan's condition.
- Flashback: Elizabeth remembers a couple of times when she was a little girl, and her mother told her not to rely on anyone else but herself.
- Foreshadowing: The strains in Stan and Sandra's marriage, caused in part by Stan's reluctance to open up with her about his job, will become important over the next couple of seasons.
- Malaproper: When Nina says everyone at the Rezidentura is running around like cut-off chickens, Stan corrects her and says the actual saying is "running around like chickens with their heads cut off."
- Poor Communication Kills: Inverted - Philip refuses to pass a message along to the Centre because he knows it would escalate things and he, unlike Elizabeth, is sure there isn't going to be any coup after Reagan is shot. He's proven to be right.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: In-Universe - after both sides worry about the fact the attempted assassination on Reagan could be political and tied in with the strained relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, it turns out the would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr., was a Cloud Cuckoolander who was trying to impress Jodie Foster a la Taxi Driver.
- Shout-Out: Echo & the Bunnymen's "Pictures on my Wall" plays while Paige and Matthew are watching the news.
- Spy Speak: Stan calls Nina at the Rezidentura by pretending to be someone from the Kennedy Center so they can arrange a meeting. When they finally do meet, she angrily tells him never to do that again.
