Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of FX’s thriller series ‘The Old Man’ season 2, titled ‘XIII,’ follows Dan Chase and Harold Harper’s efforts to unravel the mysteries behind Morgan Bote’s enmity towards Suleyman Pavlovic. The two men separate and investigate the interconnected affair from different angles. The assistant FBI director tries to find out what were the last words of his mentor, while the former CIA operative joins Zoe McDonald to hunt down Nina Kruger, who can shed light on why the Russian crime lord wants them dead. The investigations come to a turning point when Chase and Harper get stunned by different revelations! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dan Chase and Zoe McDonald Witness Nina Kruger’s Death
When Dan Chase learns that Suleyman Pavlovic wants him and Zoe McDonald dead, he leaves for London, England, to find Faraz Hamzad’s lawyer, Nina Kruger, and discover the reason behind the hit on them. The attorney fails to show up when Zoe makes a formal appointment. While waiting, she asks Chase about Lou Barlow, who unsettled Morgan Bote considerably when the latter was alive. The former CIA operative describes Barlow as the “worst” among humans. After getting convinced that they won’t meet Kruger using conventional methods, Chase scares the lawyer’s assistant, who calls the former to share her fear.
Chase and Zoe track the number and arrive in a secluded house, where the former sees Kruger tied to a chair. She is exposed to a poisonous gas that gradually kills her, and a man wearing a mask is looking for something valuable. Chase confronts the man and kills him. He then takes the dying lawyer outside, who asks the two Americans to find a flash drive she has hidden. Right after informing them about her secret data storage device, the attorney dies because of the lengthy exposure to the fatal gas. The former CIA operative and Zoe find the flash drive and play a video clip stored in the same.
In the video clip, Kruger explains that Pavlovic is part of an international cartel that exploits valuable minerals and metals from deposits like Hamzad’s Meshbahar lithium mine. Even though the Russian crime lord has been enjoying the benefits of being a member of the clandestine group, his associations with Henry and Marcia Dixon, the aliases of Chase and Zoe, and the couple’s roots in the CIA threatened his position among the other cartel members. In the video, Kruger adds that Pavlovic wants them dead to prove his loyalty towards the group of international crime lords. Although the attorney believed that the information would help her buy protection, she gets killed by most likely one of the Russian man’s mercenaries.
Morgan Bote Leads Harold Harper to Julian and Marion
After listening to the supposed last words of his adoptive daughter, Angela Adams/Emily Chase, Harold Harper wonders what Morgan Bote was doing right before he was killed. His interest in the same leads him to Julian Carson, who served as an assassin for the “old man.” He is in hiding and nurturing a warm relationship with a woman he met once at a bus stop long ago. The assistant FBI director unexpectedly appears in his apartment and asks him to share their common mentor’s last words. When the hitman hesitates, Harper reminds him that he can protect the former, especially now that Bote is dead, from people who will use the ways he used to track him down.
When Harper mentions Julian’s unnamed girlfriend, the assassin understands the gravity of the predicament. He overcomes his initial hesitation to reveal what Bote sent him to Harper. Instead of his master’s last words, the hitman shows a photograph to the influential FBI officer, who identifies Marion, his ex-wife, standing near Suleyman Pavlovic. Bote may have wanted his trusted associate to kill the woman who is immensely influential in and out of the United States, which is evident in the way she helps her ex-husband find Angela. The “old man” may have been under the impression that sentimentality and emotions would once again blind his mentee, leaving him incapable of aiming a gun at his former partner.
From Nina Kruger, we know that Pavlovic is part of an international cartel that focuses on precious and consequential metals and minerals like lithium, which is used to make nuclear weapons. Marion can be one of his associates who uses her influence worldwide to aid the Russian crime lord. She may have helped Chase and Harper confront Faraz Hamzad for kidnapping Angela/Emily, believing the two Americans would kill the Afghan militant leader, making it easy for Pavlovic to lay his hands on the lithium deposit in Afghanistan.
Dan Chase Surrenders Himself to Suleyman Pavlovic After Leaving Zoe
After witnessing Nina Kruger’s death and listening to her last words, Dan Chase understands the severity of the threat he faces with Zoe. If his enemy is Suleyman Pavlovic alone, he may have considered fighting a war with his partner-in-crime to deal with him. However, the Russian crime lord is only one part of a humongous international network of potent threats. As someone who has dealt with several life-threatening predicaments worldwide, he is wise enough to know that his enemies are nearly unstoppable. This realization makes him ask Zoe to escape alone without caring for him.
Like Chase and Zoe’s interaction in Morocco, the latter stands against the plan and tries to stop her companion from facing their enemies alone. However, the former CIA operative cannot risk his friend getting harmed like Emily supposedly does. As someone who is immersed in the guilt of apparently losing his loved one, he cannot tolerate Zoe suffering from the same fate. As the episode concludes, Chase is alone before a group of men who are most likely Pavlovic’s associates. It is unclear whether Zoe is gone for good or she is hiding to track her companion’s movements.
Chase may have planned to put his life on the line to eliminate Pavlovic as a threat. He will likely even accept death if his life is the only cost to pay to see the Russian crime lord’s demise. As they confront each other, we can expect Harold Harper to find Marion and learn more about her unholy partnership with Pavlovic. His efforts to unravel the mystery behind her association with the Russian man may lead him to Chase, giving him another chance to save his friend.
Read More: Who is Abbey Chase in The Old Man? How Did Dan Chase’s Wife Die?
