How cool is that promo picture? It’s back to the 80’s and The Cold War with season 4 of The Americans.

Glanders, the premiere, kept it simple and straight forward picking up pretty much right where season 3 left off.

Paige is (obviously) still freaked out about know what her parents do. She fishes for details from her mother and Pastor Tim is encouraging her to do so. PT is going to be a problem and the motherland is none too pleased that Elizabeth brought her daughter home to meet her dying biological grandmother. That wasn’t part of the deal, but Elizabeth and Phillip both felt it was necessary to show Paige a connection to her real ancestry to temper her anxiety.

With the bug being found last season, Martha was close to being found out and Philip went to extreme measures to protect her. By framing someone else, he gets Martha off the frying pan but knows he has to talk her through it or she’s going to flip out at work. He works his spy game negotiation skills like a pro and not only talks her down but keeps her as an active asset.

It’s a good thing too because he had to get some FBI intel for the latest spy mission given to them. Gotta love sneaking around at night with wigs and fake beards to hide from surveillance to talk to an undercover informant! I don’t think any other show on TV does the spy jams as well as The Americans does. The score a major conformation: the US is developing some nasty biological warfare weapons. The hook for the season has been lowered.

On the Soviet front, there’s some suspicion going on at the US embassy and Nina looks like she’s successfully working off her debt. She’s got her scientist on the right track: they’ve made major advances in stealth plane technology.

Finally, Stan finds out Phillip has been “close” to his ex-wife (from his new girlfriend of all people). Not good to have an irate FBI neighbor when you’re a spy…

Next week: Pastor Tim. Uh-oh.