It's not easy being a spy. It's certainly not the glamorous life often portrayed in movies.

The Americans has been building up to this point over the last season and a half. The Jennings are in a decent place in their marriage and are dealing with normal teenage rebellion with Paige. They are the best KGB operatives in the US and the stress of the job has begun to grate on them.

Emmett and Leanne's killings opened their eyes to how dangerous their job is for them and their kids.

Plus, the constant lying and sleeping around has taken its toll. t's a suspenseful ride each week as the manipulations play out. The Jennings have the skill to pull off their missions, but they are always nerve-wracking to watch.

Watch The Americans Season 2 Episode 6 Online

On The Americans Season 2 Episode 6, Elizabeth needed Lucia to help her get into a Capital Hill office. Lucia seduced her Congressional aide boyfriend for the access. Elizabeth cringed during the encounter, even though it's something she's done plenty of times. 

That was nothing compared to Lucia having to kill this man she's grown to care about. She demonstrated her humanity by trying to make it as easy as possible for him and staying with him until the end. He served his purpose and she needed to prevent the leak from being traced back to her.

It will be intriguing to see if this situation will parallel the relationship between Stan and Nina. While it initially appeared that Oleg was playing Stan on the side for his own purposes, that turned out not to be true. Arkady was aware of Oleg's approach and approved of the plan.

Stan cares about Nina, but he's not going to get any help protecting her from Gaad after the mess he created by killing the Soviet Operative. Stan's in an awful situation with neither option being ideal. He either betrays his country or risks his job by coming clean. No matter what entire life is going to be destroyed over his relationship with Nina.

Could he kill her? Or could she kill him? They started out as sympathetic characters, but that has shifted as they made poor decisions. Running off together isn't a viable option.

Oh the sex! In this hour, the sex served the story, but it was uncomfortable to watch. Elizabeth and Philip's loving encounter showed just how far their marriage has come. Keri Russell looked stunning as she laid across the bed naked. The problem was that Philip was next to her fully dressed. That took away from the intimacy of the moment, but perhaps that was the point.

When she later demanded that he be "Clark" with her, it was entirely different. Whoa.That was bad and reminiscent of Lucia and the aide. While Elizabeth's intentions were good by wanting to share another part of Philip's life, that's probably better left alone.

They have enough to worry about now that they are dealing with Andrew Larrick. He's being force to help them and that makes the mission all the more risky. Plus, the killer is still out there and if Claudia was the leak, then the Jennings are likely at risk.

What at once appeared to be generally safe work as turned for everyone. The Jennings, Stan, Nina, Claudia, even Martha are all one move away from being exposed or killed. That makes the series nerve-wracking to watch, but excellent at the same time.

What moment was the most uncomfortable to watch?

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.