Upamanyu Biswas
In episode 6 of ‘The Agency,‘ titled ‘Spy For Sale,’ Martian and the London Station make serious headway into their Coyote investigation, finally getting the ball rolling to acquire the missing agent’s whereabouts. However, Martian’s dual identity brings unforeseen consequences to his doorstep as Osman advances his interest in finding the truth behind the enigmatic Paul Lewis. Sami gets caught in the middle of their dangerous game, tailed by Osman’s men everywhere she goes. Her secret lover does not fare any better as Osman’s men keep an eye on him, piecing together his elaborate lie to catch him red-handed. Matters get so heated that it nearly sabotages the protagonist’s work at the Agency, especially with critical information reaching the London Station. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Hunt For Coyote Leads the Agency to a Key Figure
Episode 6 begins with Simon, the tech op, heading to a delivery locker while being watched by Martian and Henry. Enclosed within the locker is a Polaroid photo of a bike and a phone number on its back. Back at the base, the London Station does a little digging to find out that the bike is connected to an online auction. A phone call to the mysterious number confirms that the Agency has to bid for the bike to find the answers to Coyote. Bosko remains hesitant about the process, feeling squeamish about dishing out a massive sum of money for the sake of something with very little evidence backing it up. However, Martian convinces him to follow up with the auction, attesting that the bike is an analogy for Coyote, referring back to his conversation with Mikhail at the nightclub in an earlier episode.
After a little more digging, Martian and the team are able to match the identity of Cossack, the man behind the auction, to a former KGB agent named General Novikov. While Martian and Henry are sure about Novikov’s involvement in the whole affair, Bosko still remains reticent. However, with time running out, he decides to back their intuition and procures $1.4 million. The Agency pays the sum to Novikov and directly sends it to his account. Novikov returns the sum back to them, proving that it was a test to see the Agency’s commitment to follow in his footsteps. Subsequently, he sends a coded message to the London Station through his doctor, asking them to meet up with him for an exchange the following day.
Martian Juggles His Two Identities With Increasing Desperation
While Martian’s work at the London Station takes a new life in Episode 6, his personal affairs start crumbling to pieces as Osman begins to turn the dial on his search for Paul Lewis. From the beginning of the episode, Martian finds himself being tailed by two Chinese men, working under the express direction of Osman. They tail him everywhere, forcing Martian to take help from his CIA tails to escape their constant surveillance. Although he manages to give them the slip by disappearing into his fake publisher’s building, they don’t give up their pursuit of him. To make matters even more complicated, Sami is constantly watched by Osman’s men as a precaution to keep her away from Martian at all costs. They have a brief phone conversation, with Martian telling her to do whatever they ask of her.
However, Osman’s search takes on much graver proportions when he tracks down Poppy, Martian’s daughter, at a local store. He questions her about knowing someone named Paul Lewis, which clearly spooks her out of her mind. Meanwhile, as Martian gears up to meet with Novikov for the exchange, he finds himself being followed by the two Chinese men from earlier. He diverts his path and breaks into a run, hoping to escape their attention. Subsequently, he enters a car and gets a phone call from Poppy, who informs him of Osman finding her. He tells her to go to her mom’s home while he deals with the situation. Meanwhile, after a long car chase, the Chinese agents realize that they have followed the wrong car, and Martian has slipped away yet again.
The Agency Learns the Truth Behind Coyote’s Disappearance
Despite taking a detour to escape Osman’s men, Martian arrives at the change location to meet with Novikov. His CIA handlers notice his tardiness; however, it does not creep up as a topic as they are more concerned about what Novikov has to say. Without breaking a beat, Martian begins negotiating with Novikov, asking him what he wants in exchange for information on Coyote. Novikov tells him that he wants a CIA recording of an incident that took place at the Vogelsang barracks in Germany on February 11, 1989. The Agency accepts his offer, and Novikov explains how Coyote was kidnapped. He says that the CIA agent slipped up by recruiting someone from the Russian mercenaries as a contact. That person got his psychiatrist to slip him some pills, which were used to drug Coyote.
The night Coyote went missing, he was involved in a DUI incident, as depicted in the opening scene of the series. Novikov reveals that the police booked Coyote, and later, a corrupt agent transported him via underground tunnels to mercenaries. Thus, Coyote was now in the hands of General Volchok behind enemy lines in Ukraine. Volchok is referred to as the Commander of Valhalla, a strange moniker that may have some links to the mirror message Owen discovered in the earlier episode. Novikov informs Martian and his crew that Coyote has only a few days before he will be handed over to the FSB, who will then leverage him for their political pursuits. With such a short timeline to act, the Agency has to gear up to extract him or risk facing a global espionage disaster.
In the aftermath, Bosko updates the CIA director at Langley and a White House official about Coyote’s whereabouts. Martian insists that the London Station will find the missing agent before any damage takes place. His assurances attract the ire and frustration of Bosko, who lectures him on the principle of “managing expectations.” Despite his opposition, it appears that the die has been cast, making it pivotal that the Agency secures Coyote moving forward. Meanwhile, after returning home, Martian is contacted by Osman through Sami’s phone. The Sudanese operative warns Martian that he is getting “close” to figuring out his real identity. Unfortunately, the protagonist may be reaching the end of his rope with many elements pulling him in different directions.
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