‘The Americans’ recap: Martha’s in a panic as FBI grows suspicious

Wine and Valium help her cope. But the pressure of being a KGB asset inside an FBI counterintelligence unit becomes nearly unbearable for secretary Martha Hanson (Alison Wright) in “Clark’s Place,” Episode 405 of “The Americans” on FX.

Martha panicked when she couldn’t contact her secret husband “Clark,” actually Soviet spy Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), for two days. It was an emergency, Philip says, not revealing that a bioweapon scare forced him into quarantine.

“Well, I had an emergency, too,” points out Martha, who clandestinely copies FBI reports.

First, Martha’s boss Frank Gaad (Richard Thomas) announced that someone didn’t log their use of the Xerox machine – a serious no-no. Then FBI Agent Dennis Aderholt (Brandon J. Dirden) asked Martha out on a dinner date. Was there a connection, she wonders?

“By the time I got home [from the restaurant], I thought I was having a heart attack,” Martha tearfully recounts. “I can’t live like this, Clark!”

Martha’s in deeper trouble than she realizes. Dennis and colleague Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) have Martha under surveillance because they suspect she planted a KGB bug in Frank’s office. Stan also searched Martha’s home.

Hans (Peter Mark Kendall), a rookie Soviet spy, thinks Martha’s being followed. But he’s not sure.

When Philip and his wife, Elizabeth (Keri Russell), inform their KGB handler Gabriel (Frank Langella) that Martha’s cover may be blown, he doesn’t want her to lay low. He wants her to step it up.

“Can you give her a camera?” Gabriel asks.

“I’m not sending her in there with a camera,” Philip insists. “If she’s blown, the next operational act she does, they are putting handcuffs on her!”

Back at the Jennings abode, Elizabeth urges Philip to renew his friendship with Stan, their next-door neighbor. This after Stan flew into a jealous rage upon learning his ex-wife Sandra (Susan Misner) had an intimate conversation with Philip.

“I was a wimp” for keeping quiet about Sandra, Philip admits. “And I’m sorry.”

After accepting the apology, Stan announces he’ll be back tomorrow. For Dennis just arrived and they’re off to an all-night stakeout at Martha’s apartment building.

In other developments, KGB officer Oleg Burov (Costa Ronin) receives the tragic news that his former girlfriend Nina Krilova (Annet Mahendru) was executed in Russia for interfering with stealth technology research.

“I did what I could,” according to Oleg’s father Igor (Boris Krutonog), a high-ranking Communist official. “It’s not easy to help a traitor.”

“You didn’t help Yevgeny, either,” Oleg bitterly retorts, referring to his brother who died fighting in Afghanistan.

Clearly, Oleg is growing disenchanted with the Soviet Union. Nina’s execution was cruel and unjustified, Oleg believes. And now his heroic brother is killed “and they can’t even say the name of the war he died in at his funeral.”

Finally, Philip and Elizabeth make nice with Pastor Tim (Kelly AuCoin) and his wife, Alice (Suzy Jane Hunt), who know the Jennings are spies but haven’t alerted authorities. At least not yet.

“We’re concerned that you have the wrong picture about what we do,” says Philip, alleging that the Soviets are “very involved with the human rights situation in El Salvador.”

To bolster their case, Philip and Elizabeth introduce a supposed Jesuit priest, Padre Rivas (David Auzuelo), who tells of being targeted by a U.S.-funded death squad.

“We’re not saying our government doesn’t do bad things,” Philip offers. “Do people get hurt? Probably.”

“But not because of us,” Elizabeth claims.

Later, after dropping off Rivas at a motel, Philip asks his spouse a question.

“You think that guy’s really a priest?”

“Who knows,” Elizabeth says with a shrug.