The Agency Season 2 Ending Explained: Why is Martian Left Alive? Who Has Him?

Co-created by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, Paramount+’s ‘The Agency‘ peeks into the deepest, darkest corners of the most elusive part of the government, that being the CIA. A remake of the French show, ‘The Bureau,’ this spy thriller series follows Brandon Colby, better known by his codename, Martian, as he struggles to choose between love and duty, even when it’s his own life at stake. After spending 6 years undercover in Sudan, Martian realizes that he simply cannot let his lover, Dr. Samia Fatima Zahir, suffer as he goes on his next mission. The cost of her security, however, is a dirty deal with an old friend turned veiled enemy, Jim Richardson. Season 2 of the show takes this moral dilemma up a notch, simultaneously pitting Martian against Iranian operatives and a mysterious mercenary who aims to seize control of Africa. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Agency Season 2 Plot Recap

‘The Agency’ season 2 begins a couple of months after Martian’s deal with Jim. After a failed mission to rescue Samia from captivity, Martian decides he’s had enough and quits. Back at the CIA headquarters, his team starts making real progress on their Iranian mission, especially with Gremlin befriending Zak, a student affiliated with the nuclear program. However, things begin to pivot one night, when Zak takes her to a westernized party hosted by Hassan Zamani, who is the son of Majid Zamani, the Iranian government’s point man on the program. After an altercation brings all of them under questioning, Gremlin is ordered to build up a connection with Hassan, despite the mission not being prepared for such a quick acceleration. At the same time, a desperate Martian resumes his deal with Jim, this time using information about Hassan as his bargaining chip.

Meanwhile, a mysterious video of Valhalla leaders being executed goes viral on social media, and the CIA identifies the executor as Vernon “Viking” Crawford, a former Marine turned mercenary who plans to reignite the diamond rush in the Central African Republic. While Martian’s team looks for a way to infiltrate and disrupt the gang, we get glimpses into Samia’s life, as she is pulled in and out of multiple prisons and holdings, all the while being tortured relentlessly. However, all of that ends one day when she is captured by Saeed Al-Bukhatir, an Emirati intelligence agent who seems to be working with the MI6. Samia is commanded to flip her public position and preach cooperation with the new Sudanese government, or risk the death of her family.

Bypassing Henry’s orders, Martian doubles down on Gremlin’s infiltration of Hassan’s inner circle, all the while relaying information to Jim. When Henry catches wind of this, however, he fires Martian immediately, stranding the Africa mission. Owen goes undercover to befriend Robyn, Viking’s sister and an active soldier, and manages to lure her to Africa, unaware that Robyn has been working with Viking this entire time. Martian’s timely intervention allows the CIA to act just in time to save Owen’s life, but at the cost of his leg. Martian is reinstated into the group just as Henry manages to nearly unravel everything he’s been up to.

Jim lives up to his promise and brings Samia to the US, where Blair puts her up in a safe house. At the same time, Jim also crafts a fake narrative to frame Henry as the traitor. Hearing of Henry’s detainment, however, Martian realizes that his actions have gone too far and decides to undo things himself, step by step. After leaving a confessionary diary for his daughter and the CIA, Martian begins by killing Jim first, and then goes to Africa under cover to meet Viking. While it doesn’t take long for his cover to get blown, Martian unleashes an explosive that immediately kills Viking, even if it leaves his own fate up in the air.

The Agency Season 2 Ending: Why is Martian Left Alive? Who Has Him Now?

‘The Agency’ season 2 ends with Martian being rescued from death’s door, not by his allies, but by his enemies. While the CIA contemplates declaring him dead due to a lack of evidence proving otherwise, we see Martian naked and barely conscious in a prison cell, hidden somewhere deep in the continent. A man whose face isn’t shown walks in, carrying the ominous “good” and “bad” news that Martian was only spared because they know who he is. While it’s instinctive to think that this comment refers to Martian’s CIA connection, that doesn’t make quite as much sense. To begin with, that would have meant that Viking had no reason to kill Martian either, but still, in his final moments, we see him gearing up for another execution. It is likely, then, that this mysterious third party has an agenda of its own.

Based on the language being spoken, it can be presumed that Martian’s captor is not an American or British soldier, like Viking, but an African person. With that, we are left with two broad possibilities. Either this figure is Viking’s second-in-command, who is scheming for a counterplan that requires Martian to stay alive, or he is a part of the revolutionary forces that have been active here for quite some time. While we know that some of these revolutionary soldiers are connected to the UN, and thus, to the CIA, there is a possibility that a few within the ranks have gone rogue and are hoping to use Martian as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with the American Agency. Based on what happened with Owen, they know just how far the CIA can go to save one of their own, and that gives the mysterious figure a great deal of bargaining power in this scenario.

Another possibility, though less likely, is that the captors are not referring to Martian’s CIA background, but to his Non-Official Cover, Paul Lewis. Based on the events of season 1, Paul Lewis’ name alone has been known to create ripples through the Sudanese forces, and now, with Samia completely taken out of the equation, there is likely a huge power crisis within their ranks. To that end, it is possible that the mysterious person plans to revitalize Martian’s connections from the days he was known as Paul, and use that to mint a similar deal with the CIA. However, even with these many theories, we still don’t know if Martian will even be allowed to live for the next 24 hours, meaning there’s a good chance he will have to fight a battle from the inside if he wants to find a way out.

Will the CIA Save Martian? What Will Henry Do?

Whether Martian is able to survive this new ordeal actually has less to do with his own abilities and a lot more to do with how much the CIA helps him along the way. As it stands, there’s hardly anyone in the decision-making room who wants him alive and functional as a CIA operative, except perhaps Henry. With an ever-dwindling shot at being rescued, the first step that Martian has to take is to somehow convey to his pals in America that he is even alive. Following the bomb explosion, many, including Henry, are led to believe that Martian’s chances of survival are exceedingly low, and while there is a brief consideration of sending a team to save his life, it is dropped based on the lack of movement on site. However, that same information now tells us that Martian is being held somewhere within that enclosure, and is not too far away from the tools he needs to escape.

While Martian’s phone and passport are all under seizure, it’s possible that he may have access to some transmission around the region. The mines used to be the Vikings’ base until not too long ago, and it’s unlikely that the CIA will give up on this front anytime soon. The main question, then, comes back to Henry, who has to wrestle with his distrust and the lingering feelings of camaraderie when it comes to Martian. One element that can switch things up is Owen, who owes his life to Martian, not discounting that shot. Now, it’s Henry who has the chance to redeem himself and protect the man who’s helped the CIA reach countless successes. A rescue mission likely means that all hands would be on deck, which can be this CIA division’s definitive shot at proving what they are capable of.

Will Martian and Samia End up Together?

Though ‘The Agency’ is ultimately about Martian and Samia’s star-crossed love story, that very aspect pretty much guarantees a tragic ending. In the final episode, Martian sneaks up to Samia’s cabin, but refuses to enter, instead flashing a light just long enough for Samia to realize that he was there. While there is a tactical reason to do all this, so as not to come under the CIA’s radar, Martian also sees this as their last interaction ever, and doesn’t intend to make it overwhelming. A part of that comes with his realization that there is no world where he and Samia can live together without inviting trouble. Having risked everything in life to give her a future when she can live freely, Martian believes this to be a fittingly distant goodbye, and while he might survive the ordeal, his relationship with Samia is effectively over.

Though it cannot be doubted at this point that Martian and Samia were truly in love, it is also true that their bond is one that exists almost on a separate dimension, away from the material realities of life. Samia expresses this gap best by reminding Martian that she doesn’t even know who he really is. To her, he is Paul Lewis, the man who charmed her during a party all those years ago, and anything beyond that is merely details that force her to question her boundaries. While it’s not the same from Martian’s perspective, he also understands that their love story is founded on lies, and can only be fueled by more of them. Though the ending to their relationship is tragic, it is perhaps the first time the two are allowed to be honest with each other and share a feeling with no strings attached.

Does Gremlin Live or Die? What Happens to Hassan?

Unlike Martian and Samia, whose arc has a saddening but relatively concrete solution, the fate of Gremlin and Hassan’s pseudo-love story is largely left up in the air. Gremlin gets a head start by an Iranian officer who is secretly working for the CIA, but her escape plan doesn’t find much success, as she’s shot and forced to walk a full 18 miles across the desert. Though she is cornered by Iranian officers yet again, it is after she manages to make a phone call to Naomi and company, who are able to team up with Mossad agents for a last-minute rescue mission. As Gremlin gets a long ride back home, we are left wondering about Hassan, who is last seen beaten half to death and being dragged by Iranian interrogators, which presumably means even more torture.

Though the show remains ambiguous as to whether Gremlin fell in love with Hassan at any point during the mission, by the end, it is clear that she feels sympathy for him. Her tears in the moment of their separation are real, as there’s a good chance that Hassan will get killed sooner rather than later. However, one detail that challenges this possibility can be found in an earlier scene, where Hassan’s father tries to negotiate a deal where his son’s life can be saved. It is implied that Hassan’s father trades Gremlin in return for his son not getting killed for treason, and despite her escape, that deal is still likely to hold. Now that her identity is blown, Hassan can, in turn, become an information oasis for the Iranian forces, and while that makes the CIA’s job harder, it also gives them a fighting chance.