Pratik Handore
Paramount+’s ‘Rabbit Hole’ is an action thriller series created by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (‘This is Us‘). It stars Kiefer Sutherland (’24’) as John Weir, a deceptive corporate spy. However, John’s life turns upside down after he is framed for murder. As John evades the FBI and tries to prove his innocence, he must uncover the true face of the shadowy powers hell-bent on destroying him. The show’s double-headed premiere packs plenty of punch, with the two episodes delivering a compelling narrative with some shocking twists. If you wish to enter John Weir’s world of deception and corporate espionage, here is everything you need to know about ‘Rabbit Hole’ episode 1 and episode 2! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rabbit Hole Episodes 1 and 2 Recap
The first episode, titled ‘Pilot,’ introduces viewers to John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), who seeks a Priest at a church to share his thoughts as he is overcome with paranoia. When then shift to a bar, where John is watching a game of soccer get. However, an angry businessman forces the bartender to change the channel. He learns of a new study indicating the cancerous effects of erectile dysfunction pills produced by Esper Ethiko. After the businessman sells his stocks in Esper Ethiko, we learn it is all a part of John’s plan to swindle money from the businessman. John tricked the businessman, with the help of his associates, on an assignment from the former’s business rivals.
After completing his heist, John goes to the hotel room of Hailey Winton (Meta Golding), a woman he met at the bar. However, after sleeping with Hailey, John realizes that Hailey might be a spy. As John unveils a camera from the side desk, Hailey is shocked at John’s acquisitions. After John leaves the hotel, he is confronted by FBI Special Agent Josephine “Jo” Madi (Enid Graham), who questions him about his involvement in corporate espionage. However, John denies involvement in illegal acts like corporate espionage and describes his profession as consulting. In his free time, John attends his son’s school play with his ex-wife and is haunted by traumatic childhood memories.
The following day, John visits Arda Analytics, a company run by his former business partner, Miles Valence (Jason Butler Harner). Valence offers John a job and wants the latter to create evidence that suggests Denna Heinrich, the CEO of Banomar Group, is working with US Treasury Officer Edward Homm to conduct a false investigation of Banomar’s rival company Luxbrant. After a well-executed plan, John gets photos of Denna with Homm and completes the assignment. Meanwhile, John cannot deduce who sent Hailey to spy on him and asks his team to conduct background research on her.
While John questions Hailey outside her office, a news broadcast reveals John is accused of murdering Homm. As a result, John is forced to flee and returns to his office. However, it explodes before John can enter the building, killing all his associates except The Intern. A team of FBI Agents led by Agent Rash is assigned to investigate the explosion and catch John. Meanwhile, John asks Valence why he is being framed for murder. Although John agreed to kill Homm without his team’s knowledge, it was supposed to be a secret. However, Valence cannot answer John and jumps from his office, dying by suicide. Wanted on two counts of murder, John retreats to his childhood home outside New York City, where he keeps Homm hostage.
The second episode, titled ‘At Any Given Moment,’ opens with a flashback to John’s childhood, where we see his father, Ben experiencing bursts of paranoia. In the present day, Agent Jo tries to convince Agent Rash that she could be helpful in the investigation of John Weir as she has been tailing him for some time now. However, Agent Jo is dismissed and asked to leave the crime scene after she tries to interrogate The Intern. Meanwhile, John talks to his concerned ex-wife and reassures her he is not a murderer. However, John refuses to stay in contact with her or their son until he can prove his innocence.
John is keeping an eye on Hailey as Agent Jo arrests her. However, John intervenes and stages the arrest as police brutality to free Hailey. John takes Hailey to his childhood house, where she learns that Homm is alive. Moreover, Hailey reveals that she met John at the bar after matching him on a dating app. However, since John does not use the app, he deduces that someone made a fake profile with his name. With Hailey’s help, John learns that one of his associates made the profile. Slowly, Hailey starts trusting John and realizes that he could be considered an accomplice in John’s alleged crimes. Thus, Hailey chooses to remain with John to help find the person who framed him.
Rabbit Hole Episodes 1 and 2 Ending: Who Killed Valence? Who Framed John?
The first two episodes firmly set up the mystery surrounding John as he is framed for a murder her did not commit. Viewers know John’s innocence as the man he is accused of killing is alive. Therefore, John sets out on a mission to find out who framed him, and the answer to the question is connected to Valence’s death. In the second episode, John meets Valence’s associate and demands access to Valence’s comms. Before Valence died, he was talking to someone on the phone and also received a mysterious text message.
In the episode’s third act, John goes on a mission to retrieve the authenticator needed to access Valence’s comms. However, the authenticator is stashed along with other evidence related to the case at a police station. John infiltrates the police station and uses his deception skills to retrieve the authenticator. However, The Intern shows up and fights John for the authenticator. John defeats The Intern with Hailey’s help, and they escape with the authenticator. The device is the first step in discovering the mysteries surrounding Valence’s death. Hence, John is seemingly on the right track, but it will be long before the truth comes to the fore.
Who Is the Man in John’s House?
In the episode’s final moments, John and Hailey return to John’s house after collecting the authenticator. However, when they return, they find a mysterious man accompanying Homm. The man is revealed to be none other than Dr. Ben Wilson, aka John’s father. The revelation of John’s father is particularly shocking because the episode features a flashback sequence that depicts Ben dying by suicide. However, as it turns out, Ben is still alive and likely has a role to play in his son’s quest to prove his innocence and fight those determined to destroy him. Nonetheless, Ben faking his death years ago seems to have affected his relationship with his son, as John is not particularly excited to see his father. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the series handles the father-son relationship.
Read More: Where is Paramount+’s Rabbit Hole Filmed?
