Dhruv Trivedi
Michael Vargas (aka Mike) is one of the many shadowy figures in Netflix’s ‘Pieces of Her’ and initially blurs the line between being a benign stranger and a deadly assassin. When Andy first meets him, the good-natured man appears helpful. However, his actions soon prove suspicious, and the flustered protagonist is forced to make a panicked getaway.
Thankfully, Michael Vargas turns out to be one of the good guys. However, getting involved with Laura and Andy’s violent lives proves to be a challenge, and he faces possibly one of the most bizarre attacks in the series (and that’s saying something!). If you’re wondering how things turn out for our hero, we’re here to take you through some details you might have missed. Let’s see if Michael Vargas is dead or alive in ‘Pieces of Her.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Michael Vargas Dead or Alive?
Michael Vargas is first introduced as a stranger at a pub who dissuades a nosy patron from hounding Andy after the latter’s picture shows up on the news. He then, seemingly grudgingly, teaches Andy how to fire a gun. This is still in the early parts of the narrative, and the young daughter is quite clueless about who she can trust. When she sees Michael’s car, Andy realizes in a wave of panic that she saw the very same car parked outside her mother’s house. Thinking Michael is associated with the mysterious attackers following her and Laura, Andy tries to get away from the man.
When Michael finally catches up to Andy, he reveals that he is a US Marshall tasked with keeping an eye on her. However, he claims not to know much about her case, which is an important detail for later because it also means Michael has no idea what he’s up against. Over the next few days, Andy begins to trust him after he saves her from some dangerous situations, including what appears to be an assassin.
Unlike some of the other victims in the narrative (like Clara and Charlie Bass), Michael isn’t attacked by Nick but by associates of Laura’s powerful brother Jasper Queller. It all goes down on a crowded morning street as Andy reveals Jasper’s possibly sinister motives. A jogger going past stumbles and briefly holds Michael’s arm before smiling and continuing on. A few moments later, the US Marshall collapses on the street and is eventually taken away by paramedics.
As it turns out, the seemingly friendly jogger who grabs Michael’s arm injects him with a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes and almost kills the agent. Though he eventually survives, Michael is put out of action for the rest of the narrative and is unable to help Andy when she faces the vengeful Nick Harp (who claims to be her father).
Interestingly, after protecting Andy through many of her initial hurdles, Michael now has his life saved by the young woman. In a brief scene near the end of the season, we see a recently recovered Michael inform her that it is because of her timely call for medical help that he was able to survive the potent poison.
Thus, Michael Vargas lives to fight another day and is seemingly indebted to our heroine for saving his life. It seems that the woman who poisons him isn’t caught, and considering she is an associate of Jasper Queller (who eventually becomes Vice-President), it is unlikely she will be brought to justice. On a brighter note, the season closes with some romantic sparks beginning to fly between Michael Vargas and Andy.
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