Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s political thriller ‘Liaison’ follows the story of two people whose paths cross after a very long time. Alison works for Richard Banks, a minister in the UK government, while Gabriel is a mercenary working for a private company. Years ago, they were in love, but something transpired that sent them in different directions. After all these years, they must work together when their mission intersects.
As soon as they meet, it becomes clear that Alison and Gabriel are still in love with each other, but there is still resentment between them from the event that tore them apart the last time. By the end of the show, more secrets between them come to light, and they better understand each other. The tension between them makes one wonder if they get back together. Let’s find out. SPOILERS AHEAD
Gabriel Imprisoned on Alison’s Lie
Alison and Gabriel have a complicated history. Around a decade or so ago, they were part of a group of eco-activists. During this time, Alison fell in love with Gabriel, but she believed he was in love with Nathalie. This led to resentment and jealousy, which materialized in Alison attacking Nathalie during a protest. The whole thing was caught on tape, where Alison was seen throwing a molotov cocktail at Nathalie, which caused the latter to catch fire and burn alive.
Nathalie’s death was a turning point in their relationship. To protect herself, Alison lied and blamed her death on Gabriel, who was sent to prison for it. She did this on her father’s advice, who promptly took her back to London and set her on the path that eventually led her to work in the government. Years later, when she and Gabriel meet again, Alison is engaged to Albert. She wants to build a family with him and live a quiet, peaceful life outside of the hectic nature of her job. Gabriel, meanwhile, has been freelancing as a mercenary.
When Alison discovers that Gabriel might be involved in the terror attacks on London, her first instinct is to protect him. She feels guilty about throwing him to the wolves while running back to London to save herself. This drives her to help him until she discovers that there is more to Nathalie’s death. Gabriel wasn’t just another activist who’d joined the group. He was an undercover officer who was sent to break apart the group. Getting Alison, the daughter of a high-ranking NATO officer, out of there was also his mission.
In the penultimate episode of the series, Gabriel watches the tape and discovers that Alison killed Nathalie while uncovering the truth about his undercover mission back then. While this sours things between them, it doesn’t do anything to dampen their feelings for each other. Seeing the tape also tugs at Alison’s conscience, and she considers herself a bad person. This guilt spills into her relationship with Albert.
She tells him the truth about her relationship with Gabriel. When Albert reassures her that he loves her no matter what, she says he can’t love her. Later, Albert asks if they should “postpone the beach wedding.”This shows that Alison’s trauma and guilt affect her relationship with Albert. She hasn’t told him the whole truth yet, but she believes that once he finds out what she did, he will not love her anymore.
This means that Alison will break up with Albert when Antropa is dealt with and things quiet down. Does this mean that she and Gabriel will get together? Most probably. Despite the complex mix of love and hatred between them, their feelings for each other are strong enough to have survived all these years, even after the revelations of the secrets between them. The fact that Gabriel is ready to sacrifice himself for her shows that he reciprocates her feelings.
In the final scene, we find a devastated Alison looking for Gabriel in the aftermath of the showdown with Antropa. She is relieved when she doesn’t find him in a body bag. With the air clear between them and Alison breaking up with Albert, it only seems logical for them to get together, considering that they are the only ones who have seen each other’s best and worst sides and love one another no matter what.
Read More: Are Liaison’s Alison and Gabriel Based on Real Spies?
