Upamanyu Biswas
With a grandstand finale looming around the corner, episode 9 of ‘The Agency‘ sets things into motion as Martian and the London Station gear up for Coyote’s recovery from behind enemy lines. The undercover operative takes a huge gamble by involving another sensitive mission in the plan, indicating the importance of Coyote’s retrieval for the CIA. Meanwhile, Martian has to juggle his other life as Sami is put in the way of danger. Despite leaving London in the previous episode, Martian and Sami’s saga is far from over as he learns the extent to which Osman is willing to go to ensure he gains an advantage out of the situation of Paul Lewis’ connection to the CIA. Additionally, Daniela prepares for the last stretch of her infiltration mission as she gains pivotal ground in coaxing a ticket to Tehran sponsored by Reza. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Race For Coyote Heats Up
The episode begins at the London base, where Martian, Bosko, and Henry attend an update meeting regarding Coyote’s whereabouts with the CIA director. Martian proposes a risky plan to extricate Coyote from Volchok’s clutches but provides no information about it to the director. In truth, the plan is merely a bluff to buy more time to find Coyote. Bosko is not pleased with Martian’s tactics but goes along with them. Subsequently, Martian tasks Owen and Blair to find someone from a list of personnel working for Volchok they can use to infiltrate the military leader. They begin their work while Martian contends with other problems on the horizon. However, the search for Coyote soon becomes the number one priority after Blair and Owen come back with the name of the potential insider within enemy ranks, Leo Kravitsky.
Kravitsky is coaxed into meeting Martian in Belarus, where the undercover agent asks the former to set up a meeting with General Volchok at a specific site. Dr. Rachel Blake is unhappy at Martian being deployed as a spy once again, listing out a number of psychological issues that might happen to him as a result of his return to fieldwork. Matters get significantly complicated after Operation Felix is included in the plans to infiltrate Volchok. As it turns out, Martian organizes the meeting at the same clinic where Henry’s brother-in-law Charlie has been stationed with the two Ukrainian spies. Henry disagrees with Martian’s way of operating but acquiesces to his approach. Meanwhile, Leo carries out the tasks assigned to him by Martian, convincing Volchok to show up at the handover location set by Martian and the CIA.
Daniela Prepares For a New Life With the Mission to Tehran Finally Closing in
While the London station is busy with Coyote, Daniela is brushing up on her Spanish history and culture as she readies for Reza’s farewell event. She struggles to learn her backstory, which leads to Naomi reminding Daniela that moving forward, she can no longer switch off mentally, even for a second. Daniela meets Reza’s “wife,” Azar, at the event. The two strike up an organic conversation, with Azar asking her several questions about her Spanish roots. Daniela is grateful for her hard training under Naomi as she is able to sell her heritage to Azar convincingly. Reza visits Daniela at her university chamber in the event’s aftermath. Subsequently, she gets the news from Reza that she has been chosen to accompany him to Iran.
Intriguingly, Reza also tells Daniela that Azar is not his wife. He states that because of the delicate nature of his work, Azar has been sent over to keep an eye on him. On the whole, Daniela is relieved and delighted that the Tehran ticket is now solely hers, and she no longer has to fight any rivals nor sell her dignity to get into Reza’s good books. Naomi shows up to help Daniela pack her belongings and provides her with her last opportunity to ask questions face-to-face. Daniela asks Naomi if her relationship with Edward is genuine or if it is staged and rehearsed like everything the Agency does. Naomi assures her that it is real. Daniela eventually boards the flight to Tehran as a new life beckons elsewhere, one where she will have to cheat and lie constantly.
Sami’s Fate Forces Martian’s Hand
Amidst the hunt for Coyote, Martian also faces yet another challenge. After following up on a couple of leads, Martian is contacted by Osman, who shows the former a video of Sami in prison. He asks Martian to meet up with him, planning to blackmail him by using Sami as an emotional leverage. Martian has to figure out how to get out of the situation before more harm befalls Sami. Henry learns the truth behind Sami’s whereabouts but does not reveal the info to Martian immediately, instead planning to show it later. Martian meets up with Osman, who tells the protagonist that for him to save Sami, he must give up the names of all his contacts in Sudan. Martian realizes that he is stuck between a rock and a hard place, as saving Sami is not possible in the interim, even if he rushes to her aid in full flurry.
In the meantime, the search for Coyote becomes even more problematic after Martian tells everyone that Operation Felix is actually an assassination mission. Charlie and the two Ukrainians are rerouted from their original objective to kill the Deputy Defense Minister and are directed to follow a new goal. Martian states that Coyote’s retrieval is far more important than Felix’s survival. He and the team go over the plan to take down Volchok and find Coyote. He goes over every beat of the plan, inviting each member of the London field team to listen to him one last time. Meanwhile, in the present day, he continues to recite his story to the listening woman at the hospital. Back in his apartment, Martian sees visions of Sami walking through the house, exemplifying his split loyalties as the day to act nears the corner.
Martian keeps his silence regarding Sami’s fate from the office. However, he struggles to balance the two sides of his life as his worries for Sami continue to grow. At the end of the episode, he receives a phone call from Osman, possibly to establish an understanding regarding the blackmail. Martian does not pick up the call. Subsequently, Osman sends him a text message stating that his decision not to talk to him has effectively “killed” Sami. Martian agonizes over his difficult predicament in his apartment. While things look bleak for him, he may still have a plan to resolve both Coyote’s retrieval and Sami’s return in one fell swoop. However, it may require more than just clever thinking to achieve it.
Read More: The Agency Episode 8 Recap: Truth Will Set You Free
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