In From The Cold – Season 1 Episode 3 “The Widow” Recap & Review

The Widow

Episode 3 of In From The Cold picks up right where we left off from before with Lidia and Jenny. Lidia actually shoots some glass, not our shapeshifting assassin, but promises the next shot will be for her.

As they stand together, Lidia mentions music she heard while getting ready with her bridesmaids. She felt fearful, like she was drowning whilst someone stood over her. Spooked, she ended up running. Could it be that she was under some form of mind control?

Just before Jenny finds out details about Lidia’s ties to Yannick, the pair are attacked by jackals. Lidia is captured in the ensuing scenes with Jenny using a form of camouflage that allows her to turn invisible. When Chauncey and Chris catch up to her, she’s very weak from using this.

After healing, Jenny admits how her shapeshifting abilities work. Apparently, after she touches someone’s skin then she collects their DNA and can then transform into them… which throws big question marks about the Tiago situation.

It turns out Chauncey actually has cameras installed into Jenny’s eyes and has been tracking her every movement thus far.

Though this intel, Chauncey learns that one of the Jackals is called Camo and has a scar on his hand. Determined to work out its origins, Chauncey meets a guy called Davi, and learns more. He believes this is a mark as part of a group in Madrid that’s involved in meth dealing.

Interestingly, it’s also revealed that Chauncey is no longer working for the CIA either, so he’s working off the record right now.

From Chauncey’s intel, when he returns to Jenny and briefs her, the trio discover that Puoco Franco is actually a company, not a person. If they can get behind the distributor for this company, they could well find their terrorist too.

The interspersed flashbacks this episode center on Anya being followed. After planting the pendant last episode, she’s definitely sprung tight. Anya eventually chases this guy and after catching up to him, decides against shooting.

However, Anya’s hesitation results in his death anyway. That strange black-cloaked character (anyone else think this may be Anya’s “deceased” mum at this point?) appears and checks his ID. It turns out he’s with SVR.

Back in the present, Jenny poses as a guy called SuYin and infiltrates Puoco Franco. Doing a bit of digging, Jenny’s work sees her arrive at a nine-floor nightclub.

Despite there being cameras everywhere, Jenny has Chauncey taken out the club while Felipe arrives and introduces himself to her. Jenny goes under the alias of Sara Fonte. After growing closer together (all part of the job of course) he’s soon called away by an unspecified issue.

Now, given they earlier touched hands, this allows Jenny to morph her hand into Felipe’s. After entering a secure area, she finds Lidia but is forced to hide again using camo-power when Felipe arrives.

Lidia recognizes Felipe’s nephew Ramon with him and unfortunately Felipe forces them to fight. When Lidia is declared champion, he shoots her in the head. Felipe also shoots Ramon too, believing him to be a traitor given his plans to assassinate the prime minister.

With two bodies on his hands, Felipe shirks the responsibility over to Diego and continues on. Felipe remains determined to keep his operation ticking over. However, Jenny’s camo disguise starts to flicker out as her vitals spike.

The Episode Review

Episode 3 continues to pedal the espionage storyline with Jenny’s abilities now coming front and center. The thing is, these powers should give her an all-access pass to whatever she wants but the contrived way Jenny has had to go camo-mode just to ramp up artificial tension is a bit disappointing.

However, the story itself is just starting to get interesting now, with the idea of mind control being pedaled and the surprising revelation that Chauncey isn’t actually on the CIA’s payroll anymore.

Stylistically, the show is still a bit of a mixed bag but it seems the series is starting to settle down more now after that hyperactive start, allowing for some characterization to bleed through. Let’s hope that keeps up across the season.