Upamanyu Biswas
Based on the ‘Citadel,‘ the Italian series ‘Citadel: Diana’ follows a special agent named Diana in 2030 Milan, who lives her life as a double agent for the Citadel within the ranks of Manticore Italy. Through her work, Diana becomes privy to the inner workings of the dubious organization and its equally powerful and insidious head, the Zani family. However, matters get complicated when the family’s youngest son, Edo, becomes involved in Diana’s exploits, forging new alliances amidst a backdrop of ruthless espionage work.
While season 1 primarily focuses on the thriller aspects of the narrative, it ends with both Citadel and Manticore gaining new ground in their war against one another. At the heart of the conflict lies the fate of the two central characters, Diana and Edo, and the events they set in motion as a pair while operating in the shadows. Meanwhile, the former finds herself fighting a different sort of inner battle as her loyalties to the Citadel are examined through various flashbacks to the past and her growing unease with her actions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Citadel Diana Season 1 Plot Recap
Diana Cavalieri is a special agent at Manticore’s Italian branch. As part of a mission, Diana is sent to Lugano on a surveillance mission to observe the exchange for a special weapon. In reality, she is a double agent working for the Citadel, a spy agency that recruited her after she tried to find out the real truth behind the death of her parents on a flight. Their death was the result of a Manticore operation, and Diana holds the Zani family, the head of the Italian branch of the organization, culpable. Consequently, she seeks revenge for what they did. During the Lugano exchange, Diana engages in a shootout and acquires one-half of the weapon but ultimately has an argument with her partner Luca. She kills him discreetly and falsifies her statement about what happened during the incident.
After getting past the interrogation, Diana meets up with Edo Zani, the youngest son of the Zani family, who is dissatisfied with Manticore’s way of operating and wishes to take over the agency from his father, Ettore. Diana convinces Edo to work with her in quietly disassembling Ettore’s reign over the company and allowing Edo to install himself as the head. As such, the pair begins fabricating events to incite a civil war between the French, German, and Italian branches of Manticore, all centered around the desperate need to acquire the special weapon. With infighting growing among the various members and also the Zani family, Diana uses it to her advantage to serve her real purpose as one of the last remaining Citadel members: dismantling everything from within.
However, things start getting complicated when Diana and Edo develop a romantic and sexual relationship, which causes split loyalties within the former. Unsure about her dedication to her task, numerous flashbacks assault her, reminding her how she became a Manticore member. She also reminisces about her training under a Citadel operative named Gabriele. She feels deeply guilty about her role during the explosion incident that destroyed the Duomo Cathedral in Milan and killed the majority of Citadel operatives in the city, leaving her as one of the few still standing. Unbeknownst to Edo, she also killed his brother Enrico on the same day. While her rapport with him continues to grow stronger, Ettore harbors suspicions about her motive and how she might be playing his son, which all comes to a head in the final episode.
Citadel Diana Season 1 Ending: What is the Manticore Special Weapon?
The Manticore special weapon plays a pivotal role throughout the narrative. It becomes the primary reason for a civil war between different branches of Manticore Europe as each tries to gain the upper hand by acquiring it in their possession. However, after Diana’s mission in Lugano, half of it ends up in the hands of the Italian agency. It was originally crafted by the Germans and the French, who kept the Italians out of the loop. In the end, both halves are obtained by the Zani family, and Edo Zani makes additional modifications to them. The weapon is a high-tech biological virus that is designed to help Manticore monitor every human being in the world and deliver precise killing blows through the press of a button.
The ethics of the weapon are questionable, but it is an integral puzzle piece in the play for dominance for Ettore Zani. The father of Edo has an iron grip over his branch and uses it as leverage to garner more influence for Manticore Italy, putting it on equal footing, if not greater than its other counterparts. To administer the virus, people have to ingest it through water or food, subsequently becoming beacons of information for the intelligence agency. The data would then be gathered and used to act upon any move by Manticore. Unfortunately, the most insidious aspect of the weapon is its ability to kill people remotely through the press of a button. While it reduces the possibility of collateral damage in future operations, it is far too powerful a device for any private entity to have control over.
Do Edo and Diana End Up Together?
One of the intriguing aspects of the first season is the relationship between Diana and Edo Zani. Although the bond starts off as a purely transactional relationship built on the premise of working together to oust Ettore from Manticore, it becomes more complicated the closer they grow with one another. They even end up having sex with one another multiple times, showcasing the genuine attraction they have for each other. However, the only trouble in their relationship is the constant secrets and lies they must keep from one another while serving their personal agendas. It is less of a problem for Edo, who is far more transparent in his emotions and feelings and tries not to mask anything from Diana. The same cannot be said for the latter.
A lot of Diana’s inner conflict centers around her increasing affection for Edo. She tries to keep herself professional and attached to her greater task, which is her loyalty to Citadel, but it only causes more strife within herself. Also, unlike Edo, she is more beholden to the secrets in her life, which she is unwilling to share with anyone, even her own sister, let alone Edo. Their relationship may be intact by the end of the season, but it still operates on shaky ground, considering the fact that Diana is still hiding her Citadel loyalties from Edo. Furthermore, she has also kept her mouth shut about being responsible for Enrico’s death. The final revelation is sure to catch Edo by surprise and might be the biggest challenge in their relationship moving ahead.
Does Edo Murder His Father?
The final episode of season 1 addresses several burning plot threads, including Edo’s strained relationship with his father, Ettore. It is clear from the first episode that Edo wishes to succeed Ettore as the head of Manticore as he does not agree with how the organization is run. Moreover, Edo finds his father’s duplicitous nature and constant ability to lie and shift his opponents to be distasteful aspects of his behavior. Therefore, when Diana comes to him with plans for the special weapon, Edo sees it as his opportunity to lay claim over what he believes is his rightful inheritance and to also circumvent his father in the process. Unfortunately, Ettore remains one step ahead by staying alert to Edo’s actions and is also suspicious of Diana’s ulterior motives.
During the concluding moments of the season, Ettore reveals that he has set up an ambush for Diana, as he does not believe she is being truthful with Edo. Despite the fact that his wife wants him to let Edo and Diana enjoy their relationship, Ettore remains doubtful of Diana’s real allegiances. When Edo finds out that he is preparing to kill her, he corners Ettore in their house and reveals to his father that he laced his drinking water with the biological virus from the special weapon. He threatens to kill Ettore with a press of a button unless he orders the ambush to be stood down. Even with his life on the line, Ettore decides to renege on his son’s request, which forces Edo to push the button. The final moments showcase Ettore slumping down to the floor as the kill switch takes effect.
How Does Diana Survive the Ambush?
While Edo tries to help Diana by blackmailing his father to stop the ambush, this mostly fails, as the protagonist is left to fend for her life alone. She is taken to the top of a water tower, where Matteo supervises her as she releases the virus into the water. Soon after her task is complete, Diana stops Matteo from executing her point-blank under Ettore’s orders. A fight breaks out between the pair and almost ends up costing her life when she is held underwater by Matteo for a few seconds. She arms herself with a gun and shoots him before he drowns her. He dies, and Diana survives the skirmish while, miles away, Edo takes care of Ettore. Therefore, in a roundabout manner, she mostly accomplishes what she set out to achieve as a Citadel undercover agent by having Ettore and Matteo killed.
Before the ambush is planned, Edo negotiates with Ettore and makes him promise that Diana will replace Matteo as the manager of Manticore. At the time, Ettore seems more sympathetic to his son’s relationship with Diana, particularly after having a heart-to-heart talk with his wife, who is supportive of their relationship. Despite the suggestions from his loved ones, the patriarch of the Zani family holds on to his deep-seated belief that Diana is not to be trusted, an assumption that is actually right. It is ironic, therefore, that Ettore ultimately ends up being defied and loses his life while Diana survives her ambush. It is likely that she might replace Matteo as Manticore’s manager in the show’s second season, providing her with an even better vantage point inside the organization.
Is Gabriele Still Alive?
Season 1 ends with a major twist and cliffhanger as a weary Diana walks down the water tower after killing Matteo to find that her old trainer, Gabriele, is still alive. Before she meets him, Diana notices dozens of Manticore soldiers lying on the floor, either dead or unconscious, which is undoubtedly the handiwork of Gabriele. Therefore, contrary to her belief, she is not the last Citadel operative in Italy, as Gabriele is still alive. In a positive sense, it means that Diana no longer needs to shoulder her burdens alone. However, this revelation could also mean many problems, especially with her conflicted emotions. In the future, Gabriele is likely to ask her to spy on Edo and help bring down Manticore for good. This might prove to be a difficult thing for her as her loyalties are already quite spread out.
Now that Diana is fully embedded in Edo’s good graces, Gabriele might push her to find out more about him and use those personal feelings as weapons for Citadel’s purpose. Her days of being a pawn for one large entity to another are certain to continue under the new regime. This could also mean bad things for her relationship with Edo, who has no idea about her affiliations. It is sure to set up difficult choices for the protagonist in subsequent seasons.
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