‘The Americans’ recap: Paige’s role grows as Cold War gets hotter

Suburban teen Paige Jennings (Holly Taylor) plays a more prominent role each year on “The Americans” Cold War thriller.

In Season 1 of this FX series, Paige knew something was strange about her travel agent parents Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys). Unbeknownst to this snoopy 13-year-old, Mom and Dad are undercover KGB agents.

In Season 2, the KGB targeted Paige for its Second-Generation Illegals Program, which groomed American kids for espionage. Mom supported this dangerous career path, but Dad was fiercely opposed.

In Season 3, Elizabeth and Philip cautiously revealed their true identities to Paige. She later shattered their trust by spilling the beans to Pastor Tim (Kelly AuCoin).

And now in Season 4, Tim has told his blabbermouth wife, Alice (Suzy Jane Hunt), what the Jennings really do for a living.

Tim and Alice remain discreet thus far. But when Tim disappears during a relief mission to Ethiopia in Episode 410 (“Munchkins”), pregnant Alice fears the KGB murdered her spouse.

“I know what you do,” Alice angrily tells Elizabeth and Philip as Paige gasps in disbelief. “And I know that you have people all over the world!”

Furthermore, Alice claims she gave her attorney a tell-all tape recording that could send the spy couple to prison.

“If Tim doesn’t come home or if anything happens to me,” Alice threatens, “that tape goes to the Justice Department!”

Elizabeth dismisses Alice’s accusations as “crazy.” But Paige isn’t so sure. Tim knows an enormous secret, Paige points out, and he went missing in a troubled country aligned with the Soviet Union.

“That doesn’t sound like crazy to me,” Paige remarks.

Did Moscow order a hit on Tim? After all, the KGB once arranged a fatal “accident” for the youth pastor and his wife before calling it off at the last minute.

“Now I’m thinking we may have to run,” stressed-out Elizabeth says.

Paige, however, panics at the thought of living behind the Iron Curtain.

“Go back to Russia? I’ve never been to Russia,” Paige exclaims. “What are you going to do there? You can’t be Russian spies in Russia!”

Fortunately for everyone, Tim is fine. He got lost — not shot — after his Jeep ran out of gas.

This terrifying false alarm brings the Jennings family closer together.

“We can’t always tell you every detail about our jobs,” Elizabeth says to Paige, “but we will tell you what we can.”

“And we won’t lie to you,” Philip adds.

Here are some other key developments:

• Three Russian thugs accost retired FBI Special Agent Frank Gaad (Richard Thomas) in his Thailand hotel room. Attempting to escape, Frank crashes through a glass door, severs an artery and bleeds out.

• FBI Agents Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) and Dennis Aderholt (Brandon J. Dirden) have drinks with Michael Hanson (Richard Kline), whose missing daughter, Martha (Alison Wright), was a KGB asset. Michael thinks Martha fell victim to a con man. She did, sort of, by marrying “Clark” (actually Philip), a KGB officer.

• Philip resumes his pseudo romance with high school student Kimberly Breland (Julia Garner), whose father, Isaac (Frank Deal), heads the CIA Afghan Group. Kimberly enjoys smoking primo pot while Philip retrieves the recording device he planted in Isaac’s briefcase.

• Elizabeth is close to obtaining access codes for the U.S. Army’s top-level bioweapons lab after drugging scientist Don Seong (Rob Yang) and tricking him into thinking he committed adultery. If Elizabeth carries out the operation’s next phase, however, she’ll devastate Don’s wife, Young Hee (Ruthie Ann Miles). Perhaps there’s an alternative, suggests KGB handler Gabriel (Frank Langella). Should he contact Moscow and ask? “Yes,” Elizabeth replies. Definitely.