A deadly attack ignites a crisis within the White House. In Istanbul, Peter pursues a fugitive who's stolen classified files. Peter considers a deal with the devil. Isabel follows a suspicious document trail down the rabbit hole. Night Action gets a harsh lesson in compliance.
"Call Waiting" was written by Munis Rashid and directed by Guy Ferland
Becoming a double agent to help Night Action expose Jacob, the intelligence broker, was the only way for Peter to stay out of prison. A year has passed since Jacob offered a deal to Peter. President Hagan has ordered more Night Action missions than any of his predecessors. Resources are spread thin. That provides an opportunity for Peter to keep busy with work. He brushes aside FBI Deputy Director Mosley's suggestion to enjoy a personal life. Peter no longer feels worthy of such a luxury. It's better for Rose to stay far away from him. He has been compromised. He can't keep anyone safe. When he catches government officials trying to sell classified information, he needs to know the reason. It's often framed as the government taking so much. People want to regain some of their own power. They have the tools to do so. That has the potential to inflict catastrophe on innocent people. A commercial airplane is shot down over Venezuela. No survivors are reported. It's devastating. It's a story happening in the background. It dominates the news. Nothing that happens onscreen is by accident. It's all connected. So, it's not that surprising when Jay shares his theory that the SARs indicate payment to the terrorist organization responsible for the attack.
Becoming a double agent to help Night Action expose Jacob, the intelligence broker, was the only way for Peter to stay out of prison. A year has passed since Jacob offered a deal to Peter. President Hagan has ordered more Night Action missions than any of his predecessors. Resources are spread thin. That provides an opportunity for Peter to keep busy with work. He brushes aside FBI Deputy Director Mosley's suggestion to enjoy a personal life. Peter no longer feels worthy of such a luxury. It's better for Rose to stay far away from him. He has been compromised. He can't keep anyone safe. When he catches government officials trying to sell classified information, he needs to know the reason. It's often framed as the government taking so much. People want to regain some of their own power. They have the tools to do so. That has the potential to inflict catastrophe on innocent people. A commercial airplane is shot down over Venezuela. No survivors are reported. It's devastating. It's a story happening in the background. It dominates the news. Nothing that happens onscreen is by accident. It's all connected. So, it's not that surprising when Jay shares his theory that the SARs indicate payment to the terrorist organization responsible for the attack.
Peter hasn't heard from Jacob in a year. He has made no progress in finding links between the broker and the president. He accepts the latest assignment because it keeps him busy. Unfortunately, he rescues the man Jacob wants. His phone finally rings. It's time for him to deliver on his promise. It comes after Peter fought hard to keep Jay safe. The Treasury Department official has been framed for murdering his boss. He wrote a memo supporting further investigation into payments to a crypto wallet. He was too close to uncovering the truth. He hopes a financial reporter will expose the cover-up. Isabel presents as a smooth operator. She's a complication Peter must handle. He makes contact as a flirtatious patron at the bar. He can't control every outcome while working in the field alone. Catherine trusts him. She refers to him as Uncle Peter to her niece. But the situation only gets worse because of the lack of resources backing him up. He's isolated. He's working with people with divergent interests. Jay wants to warn his cousin about dangerous people looking for him. That endangers him and Peter. Peter hears Jay's story. He believes him. He offers that certainty. And yet, it all inevitably builds to betrayal where Peter will have to compromise his values to satisfy Jacob. Those are the consequences of the job now. He can't hide from that. He simply must bear them as best he can. His instincts kick in when it comes to various chases throughout Istanbul. When he's given time to settle, that's when the danger truly sinks in. That's where he will be tested the most.
Grade: B+
"Package Deal" was written by Anayat Fakhraie and directed by Guy Ferland
It's too early in the season for Peter to succeed in taking down Jacob. However, Catherine and Mosley convince him their plan will do so. When it fails, the narrative needs to deliver serious consequences. That's the only way Jacob will ensure compliance moving forward. The show produces that. The constantly looming threat against Rose doesn't offer anything new. She was running for her life throughout the first two seasons. It's important for the show to reinvent itself and change its familiar patterns. Peter came to trust Catherine. She was more than his reluctant handler. She came to believe in him. He earned that only to betray her. He wants to receive it again. That's the whole point of this operation against Jacob. The broker is simply more cunning. He has access to every system in the world. He knew Peter would be a loyal soldier. He had to put that on display. Catherine pays for it with her life. She gets caught in the explosion. It was all orchestrated around the swapping of vehicles within a tunnel. That's obviously where the switch occurred. Catherine was distracted by the possibility of losing the vehicle. The tail couldn't follow all the way through. Jacob entered and immediately piqued Catherine's interest. Night Action aimed to arrest him for trading intelligence. She believes they were successful. It only reveals how powerless the protagonists are in the face of this threat. She died only hearing Jacob's voice. She never saw him in person. Peter remains the only one who can recognize him.
It's too early in the season for Peter to succeed in taking down Jacob. However, Catherine and Mosley convince him their plan will do so. When it fails, the narrative needs to deliver serious consequences. That's the only way Jacob will ensure compliance moving forward. The show produces that. The constantly looming threat against Rose doesn't offer anything new. She was running for her life throughout the first two seasons. It's important for the show to reinvent itself and change its familiar patterns. Peter came to trust Catherine. She was more than his reluctant handler. She came to believe in him. He earned that only to betray her. He wants to receive it again. That's the whole point of this operation against Jacob. The broker is simply more cunning. He has access to every system in the world. He knew Peter would be a loyal soldier. He had to put that on display. Catherine pays for it with her life. She gets caught in the explosion. It was all orchestrated around the swapping of vehicles within a tunnel. That's obviously where the switch occurred. Catherine was distracted by the possibility of losing the vehicle. The tail couldn't follow all the way through. Jacob entered and immediately piqued Catherine's interest. Night Action aimed to arrest him for trading intelligence. She believes they were successful. It only reveals how powerless the protagonists are in the face of this threat. She died only hearing Jacob's voice. She never saw him in person. Peter remains the only one who can recognize him.
Peter wanted Jay to have a choice. The analyst could escape to a life in witness protection. He would be safe there. That probably isn't true given Jacob's resources. It just means the broker couldn't rely on Peter for anything in the future. He wants Jay alive. He's fascinated by his ability to comprehend numbers and reconstruct the conspiracy that funded the terrorist attack. The information wasn't limited to Peter and Jay either. It was shared with Isabel. She conducts her own investigation. Her editor Mike sees how massive this story could be. He dies as well. He's targeted by a new assassin. Netflix refers to him as the Father in press notes. That's how I will talk about the character in these reviews too. He asks for triple his previous price. The people who hired him were clearly motivated enough to deliver. Both Peter and Isabel have now lost someone as a result of this case. Peter is more aware of the power players involved. Isabel remains in the dark. She speaks with a reluctant source who doesn't want details of this meeting to be known to anyone. He points the journalists towards a nonprofit. Mike had an update he wanted to share. Isabel didn't arrive in time to get it. To prevail, the protagonists have to be just as clever as their adversaries. They weren't successful now. They may be at some point. More lives will likely have been forever changed before that occurs. That's the reality Peter must grapple with. No one he cares about is safe. That's why he'll go rogue this season. He won't be able to trust anyone because they could wind up paying for his defiance.
Grade: B
