Echo 3 – Season1 Episode 6 “Habeas Thumpus” Recap & Review

Habeas Thumpus

While his wife is playing a game of life & death out in the jungles of Venezuela, episode 6 of Echo 3 starts with showing Prince having an affair. Reese turned out to be too convincing for him. Although she does not ask for a commitment from Prince, she says that if he starts looking for someone she should be among those that he looks at.

Prince desperately wants Amber back. Meanwhile, in Columbia, Bambi drinks his sorrows away. He has completely drowned in the bosom of alcohol. So much so that he does not even notice Prince and Mitch approaching. While he sleeps outside, Javi’s sister looks out for him from the inside. Mitch and prints try to convince Bambi to join their plan but he says that he has a plan of his own and if the duo is not interested in helping him then they can go back from where they came.

As Mitch distracts Bambi, Prince prepares a dose to make him unconscious and they forcefully put him in the car. They drive up to a hotel in Medellin, Colombia, where for 2 days they keep Bambi strapped to a bed to drain out all the alcohol from his body. Bambi is not himself and for the plan that Mitch and Prince have come up with he needs to be at his full fitness.

After he is back to his old self, Prince starts explaining the place where Amber is kept. It is a facility which is a cocaine shipping hub. It is controlled by a Venezuelan minister called Tariq Marwan. He is the bearded guy we saw Tommy go to in the last episode. Tariq has the complete authority to redirect the army and secure Amber’s release.

Mitch and Prince’s plan is that they will abduct Tariq’s brother Momo, who is a deejay. They’re looking for a straight trade-off. The duo have been watching Momo for a while now. Momo’s body Guard picks him up every day at 10 AM for his yoga class. But the plan is not to hit him near his apartments as there are a lot of CCTV cameras on the route and his bodyguard always switches up the routes.

Mitch has identified an intersection some blocks away where the congestion is manageable and that is where they will hit the car. Mich uses a high-tech drone to make sure that Momo and his bodyguard are the only 2 persons in the car and that the car does not have any extra armour.

But their plan is spoiled after 2 cars collide at the intersection. Bambi’s desperation gets the better of him and he gets out of the car just evading the cameras to clear the path. Bambi and Prince have a discussion as to what to do next. They have just missed their window but Prince says they must push on whereas Bambi says that they should stop and try again the next day. Momo is trying out his tunes in a nearby stadium but Bambi says that getting him in that place would be too dangerous. They should not risk it. Prince replies that he needs Amber back at all costs and is willing to do anything to make it happen. Bamboo says that they can use Javi to get into the facilities somehow but Prince is not convinced.

The 2 men then have a casual heart too hard where they come clean about the various things on their chests. Bambi says that they were unprepared for the ambush that happened in episode 4 where Prince almost got killed. He says that they were never in control of the situation and were lucky to barely escape unscathed. Prince admits that he cheated on Amber & says that it was just an affair. Bambi also apologises for not revealing what Amber did for the agency.

Mitch comes up with a plan to abduct Momo and the plan would go something like this. Either one of Prince or Bambi will put the laxative that Mitch has put in a small bag that he will throw over the fence in Momo’s drink. Prince and Bambi try to keep up with Momo as he goes into a press conference but the area is highly secure and he always has security guards around him. The only way possible after a security guard gets suspicious & starts following them around is to neutralize him or abandon the pursuit. Prince once again takes the lead & they lock him up in a room.

Bambi poses as an insurance guy and distracts Momo & the bodyguard. Price puts the laxative in Momo’s drink. The medicine works & they take advantage. Even though the guard is neutralized Mono is wary. When the duo spots him getting intimate with his girlfriend, they look for private places & find them making love. Outside, Mitch neutralizes an ambulance driver & waits for the duo to come in with Momo. They eventually bring him out & drive away.

Mitch goes to Caracas, Venezuela to meet with Tariq. The minister knows exactly who Mitch is. The CIA veteran just tries to ask for Tariq’s mercy but soon his tone changes as Tariq starts giving him a lecture about morality. she gives Tariq his brother’s ring & demands that Amber is released the next time Mitch visits Tariq. If that doesn’t happen, he will get Momo’s head in a bag.

The Episode Review

Mark Boal’s precision and focus in creating episode 6 reflect thoroughly. Hardly have we ever seen such a detail-oriented representation that solely focuses on authenticity and blending the viewer with the cinematic universe. More than half the episode was just Mitch, Prince, and Bambi figuring out how to kidnap Momo and yet the tension was palpable.

Boal has such a refined sense of space and time that he uses his camera to optimize its potential. The setting of the stadium itself provided many options and the choices Boal and co. make here are spot on.

The most warming moment in the episode was Prince and Bambi coming clean about “stuff” that so often goes unheard between men. Yes world, that is how men deal with their issues. A couple of dialogues, a few head nods, a handshake, and we are good! Loved that small detail.

Storywise, the ball is completely in Tariq’s court now. This should be enough to see Amber walk free but you never know with these emotional South Americans. They truly wear their hearts on their sleeves!