Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s political thriller ‘Liaison’ continues its mystery as the attacks on London increase, getting severe with every blow. In this episode, stakes are raised as the English try to figure out who is attacking them, while the French try to get their priorities right. The political angle plays well into the dynamics of different characters and it becomes clear that everyone has an ulterior motive behind their actions. For Alison and Gabriel, old wounds are revisited as they ponder upon whether or not they should trust each other anymore. Here’s what the events mean for the future of the characters. SPOILERS AHEAD
Liaison Episode 2 Recap
Gabriel makes contact with Alison, and the awkwardness in their first meeting after a long time makes it clear that there is some bad blood between them despite the fact that they are still in love with each other. He tells her about Walid and Samir and how he was supposed to get them out of Syria. But now, they don’t trust him or the French any more. He also mentions the pen drive he had stolen from Walid, who is the only one that can decrypt the files inside it and tell them what’s really going on.
Alison is wary of Gabriel’s intentions and rightfully so. She warns him about the police who are hell-bent on catching him and finding out if he has any connection to the cyberattacks that have happened recently. Before anyone can catch a breath and try to make sense of the situation, another terrible thing happens. A hacker breaks into the train system leading to the collision of two trains which leads to the loss of many lives.
In France, DGSE head Sophie Saint-Roch tries to get the President to be more empathetic towards the cyber attacks on London and advises him to assist the English, predicting that such an attack could eventually find its way to them. Didier Taraud, on the other hand, seeks to work otherwise. It looks like he doesn’t want the English to get the help that is to be extended to them, and he is ready to do whatever it takes to keep them vulnerable.
Liaison Episode 2 Ending: Why did Gabriel Steal Alison’s Phone?
One of the central things in ‘Liaison’ is the complicated relationship between Alison and Gabriel. From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like they were together, but had to go their own ways when things got hairy. At one point, Gabriel chides Alison, saying that she still only cares about having her own back. This seems in reference to something that happened between them years ago, the reason that they split up. This must have been the case where Alison chose to betray or abandon, or at least, not watch out for Gabriel when he needed her the most.
Meeting each other after so many years brings back those emotions, especially when Alison and her family go through a very difficult time. In the train collision that happens near King’s Cross, Albert’s daughter, Kim is severely injured. Alison arrives on the scene to find her and is relieved that she is alive. This thaws the ice between her and Kim and brings Alison closer to her new family. However, this emotional turmoil also almost pushes her into Gabriel’s arms.
Following what happened between them previously, both of them still harbor trust issues. But while Alison seems to be trying to make up for her previous transgression, Gabriel is more focused on how he can use her to get what he wants. He knows that Alison is smarter than simply just giving up information to him. He needs to find Samir in order to find out what exactly is on the drive, but with the London police after him, he needs Alison’s help. To initiate the exchange between them, he offers her information, just enough to get her interested and to get something out of her. Alison, however, doesn’t fall to the bait. Instead, out of goodwill, she advises he leave the city because the London police are not interested in keeping up his immunity cover anymore.
Following their meeting, Gabriel is called back to Paris to get Samir’s wife and son, who have only recently found their way out of Syria. He will use them to get to him. Meanwhile, Alison is told to go to Brussels to finalize the deal with the European Union which will increase the cybersecurity cover of the UK. When Alison reaches home, she realizes that her phone is gone. At first, she thinks she has misplaced it, but then she realizes that it has been missing since her meeting with Gabriel.
At the same time, we find Gabriel on a boat out of London and he has Alison’s phone. He scrolls through the pictures in it, getting a sense of what her new life looks like. But what he’s happy to see is an old picture of theirs. This confirms for him that she still has feelings for him, but that’s not the only reason he got hold of her phone. Gabriel still needs her, at least until he has found Samir and his mission is complete. The phone is his way to stay in contact with Alison, and she knows it.
When Alison realizes that Gabriel has her phone, she doesn’t seem so surprised or even alarmed. She knows Gabriel and she knows that there is still a lot to be repaired between them before they can trust each other. She also knows that he is not telling her everything, but he has the flash drive and Alison will need it to fully understand what is going on with the cyberattacks. Considering this, her phone in Gabriel’s possession is a plus point for her because now, she can track him and know where he is.
Both Gabriel and Alison know that they need each other right now. Alison needs to know who is orchestrating these attacks and, more importantly, what attacks are in store for the future. The answer to that lies with Samir and, for now, it looks like Gabriel is the only one who can get to him. What remains to be seen is what Samir will want from them, and who he will turn to if both the English and the French fail to deliver what he needs. Alison and Gabriel will have to set aside their past differences to sort this one out.
Read More: Are Liaison’s Alison and Gabriel Based on Real Spies?
