The Agency (1×09) The Rubicon Review

For our review of the last episode of The Agency, click here.

Now this is a penultimate episode. Everything has been leading up to this and however it will play out will be left for the season finale. Coming together at just the right time, the bar has been raised in what is easily the best episode of The Agency thus far but expectations can be a fickle thing. With the threat of war is approaching the United States from all sides, it is up to Martian and the London station to save the day. However, is he in the right frame of mind? That has been a question throughout the season and now, it appears that the other characters are catching up with that concern as he throws himself head first into everything. That being said, his methods have been effective albeit no necessarily for the right reasons. That nice bow may not be coming but hopefully viewers will get some closure on a lot of this season’s big storylines. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, writers of every episode and executive producers of the series, bring a consistency and a grounding presence as this episode arguably delivers their best script out of all the episodes so far.

Going back to the episode itself (for which the significance of the episode title will become clear later on), Sami may be long gone but it wasn’t without a trace as Martian was given a clue in the form of video from Osman who was willing to trade her life for intel about his mission in Africa. Imprisoned, she showed signs of being tortured. Learning of her potential imprisonment independently, Henry chose to kept that information to himself for the moment.

The Coyote situation continues to be a pressing one for the London station as the leaders at Langley were looking for answers. Holding them off for now, they would need to come up with a new plan and fast. The answer to that was to dip back into Volchok’s organization by plucking out a disgruntled aide that they could leverage as an asset. Concerned, Blake confirmed Henry’s concerns but it was essentially too late. Nevertheless, back in the field, Martian made a connection that proved fruitful. Meanwhile, Martian pulled the operatives of Felix (characters viewers haven’t seen in a while) into their plan, despite their current mission. Setting the location of the handover at the Ukrainian clinic where they worked undercover, they were now on a simultaneous rescue mission and mission to take out Volchok.

Still working on getting Daniella ready for Iran, Naomi continued to apply pressure to have her prepared. On the other hand, she unknowingly found herself being vetted and she seemed to pass the test as she was chosen to assist Reza in Iran. Being recognized as a key part of the team and for her connection to Coyote, in spite of her lack of clearance in the case, she was brought into the planning of the Coyote rescue mission.

Throwing some more tension at the end, Martian listened to his phone ring as he painfully chose to skip the exchange with Osman. Becoming shaken emotionally with each passing ring, he knew what his inaction meant as all he got in the end was a confirmation that heavily suggested Sami’s ultimate fate. As a result, he simply moved on but it’s clear that that story is far from over, especially with Henry’s knowledge of the situation. Sami’s absence weighed heavily on Martian throughout the episode and keeping that going in the midst of everything else going on is a testament to Fassbender’s range.

Looming large over next week’s season finale, the mission in Ukraine, Sami’s fate, and Martian’s mental state all look to make an exciting finale. With Season 2 on the way, there has to be some hints as to where the series will go from here as well. Just have to stick the landing.

still courtesy of Paramount+ with Showtime

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.