Aahana Swrup
The hunt between the internationally elusive assassin, The Jackal, and his pursuer, MI6 Agent Bianca Pullman, continues unfolding on a thrilling razor’s edge in the Peacock show ‘The Day of the Jackal.’ In episode 7, the day of UCD’s announcement of his latest project, River, nears. Consequently, so does the time of Jackal’s planned assassination of the man at the behest of his lucrative American employers. However, Jackal’s latest stunt in Budapest has already earned him a shadow on his tail in the form of Bianca and her partner, Vince. Thus, as the killer dives headfirst into this latest assignment, he must prepare for unforeseen complications. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Bianca and Vince Close in On The Jackal
So far, Jackal has established his position as a lone wolf who prefers to work alone and doesn’t think twice about sacrificing any allies to save his own skin. Nevertheless, even he can recognize the unusual corner he seems to have backed himself into. Ever since the political assassination in Germany brought heightened attention to the covert killer, he became a prominent fixture on MI6’s radar. Thus, Bianca Pullman’s dogged attempts to catch Jackal bring her all the way to Tallinn, where she is expecting him to pull an assassination attempt on Ulle Dag Charles on the night of the River announcement.
Furthermore, after their physical altercation in Budapest, Bianca catches enough of a glimpse of Jackal’s face to collaborate with a sketch artist and produce an image of his loose likeness. The same, paired with Jackal’s encounter with the local cops in Tallinn, seems to spell out a certain doom for the assassin. For the same reason, Jackal realizes that he could benefit from some outsider intervention. As such, he reaches out to Zina Jansone, the liaison between Jackal and the American businessmen who are employing his skills.
On her part, Zina is pleased to help the killer out since she’s quite literally betting on his ability to pull off the job and please her superiors. Nonetheless, Jackal refuses her help of any other kind, insistent that he can finish the job on his own. Consequently, Zina sends out her men to attack Bianca and Vince outside their temporary headquarters. While she might have hoped to intimidate the MI6 agents, the duo emerged from the altercation alive and eager to catch their prey.
The Jackal Uses Rasmus to Secure a Hiding Spot
While Zina carries out her attempts to intimidate the officers on Jackal’s tail, he continues preparations for his mission. Earlier, the assassin—using the disguise of charming Pete—had seduced Rasmus, an employee at the concert hall where UCD will be holding his event. After some more coy flirting and bright-eyed enthusiasm for the concert hall’s architecture, the Jackal secures an invitation to use Rasmus’ pass to get a closer look at the place’s canopy mechanism. Consequently, Jackal uses the opportunity to stake out the possible hiding points in the hall and secures easy access to a vent.
Once Jackal has mapped out the place, he returns to the pass to Rasmus and says his goodbyes. The following night, the assassin arrives at the hall again—this time personating a sophisticated classical music lover armed with the special gun that he keeps disguised as a leg brace. Halfway through the concert, he sneaks to the halls’ balcony mechanisms, hiding out in the earlier secured vent. With a few energy bars and water bottles by his side, Jackal is prepared to spend the night at the hall. Thus, he cleverly infiltrates UCD’s event even before it begins.
A Glimpse Into Jackal’s Past
Spending the night inside a stuffy vent with barely enough space to move is a daunting task that Jackal takes on without even batting an eye. Yet, as the night settles in, the place affects the assassin. As such, Jackal remembers bits and pieces of his past in the claustrophobic vent, fighting off deep sleep. Among his flashbacks is a recollection of memories of his yet unmentioned time in the army. From bomb blasts to bloodied streets, Jackal’s memories seem to be a thing of nightmares and heavy baggage. These flashbacks seem to connect the assassin with an officially dead soldier, Alexander Duggan. Yet, it is yet to be confirmed if the two men are the same.
Alternatively, Jackal’s memories also provide an insight into another part of the killer’s backstory. In the past, while the would-be assassin was still struggling with his past trauma, he met Nuria at a bar, where she worked as a waitress. After a few repeated meetings, Jackal—or Charles as Nuria knows him—finally asked the woman out, and she agreed, jumpstarting their romance. Compared to their idyllic meet-cute, the couple’s relationship is struggling greatly. Nuria is suspicious enough of her husband that she allows her family to talk her into letting them take some cash from his hidden office. Considering her brother Alvaro pockets a gun when she isn’t looking, this storyline is bound to end in flames.
The Night of the Assassination
Eventually, the time comes for UCD’s much-awaited event, where his fans and foes alike will be tuning in to see where the future leads the young entrepreneur. Despite a few rounds of security sweeps by the guards, including Bianca’s personal assessment, Jackal’s hiding place serves him well and keeps him hidden from detection. Therefore, as the event begins, he has the perfect opportunity to slip out of the vent and embark on his single-minded mission. After incapacitating a few guards—one of whom he kills with a sharpened credit card—Jackal perches himself on the ideal vantage point to shoot at UDC without detection.
Still, one more obstacle lies in his path. UCD’s security personnel are expecting an assassination attempt. For the same reason, they installed bullet-proof glass around the stage, which they expect the entrepreneur to stand behind throughout his announcement. However, UCD paces when he talks. Consequently, Jackal waits for the man to slip up just the slightest and open himself up to a clear shot. Nonetheless, once the same happens, an armed man uses the same moment to storm the stage in a more obvious attempt to kill UCD.
As a result, Jackal misses his otherwise perfect shot, and security heralds UCD away before the assassin has another chance. Rapidly, the killer’s focus shifts from killing his target to escaping the venue without being noticed by the swarms of guards and officers around. In the end, the same becomes an easy enough task as the rest of the public rushes to exit the venue in a bid to save their lives. Yet, right as Jackal escapes the premises while remaining anonymous, he runs into some trouble: Rasmus.
Rasmus, who was on duty that night, recognized Jackal as Pete even in the large crowd. Therefore, he follows him out to the streets, curious about his weekend hook-up’s inexplicable presence in the city. Ultimately, this becomes one of the worst decisions the young man could’ve made that night. Rasmus has seen Jackal’s face and knows him intimately. As such, it won’t be an issue for him to identify Jackal to the authorities. The same, paired with the fact that Rasmus now knows the other man was at the concert hall on the night of the assassination, puts Jackal at too much of a risk. Therefore, even though the assassin had seemed fond of the other man during their earlier goodbye, he stabs him in the neck and leaves him for dead.
