Paris Has Fallen – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

I Won’t Be Bought

Paris Has Fallen Season 1 Episode 2 starts with Pearce releasing a video about what happened to him and his men. Meanwhile, the team tracks Karim Hassan down to a market in Paris. They keep their eyes on him and see him handing his backpack off to someone.

Vincent stays with Karim while Zara chases the other man. Unfortunately, she loses sight of the suspect and ends up accosting the wrong man. On the other hand, Vincent follows Karim into a public toilet. A fight ensues, and he kills Karim. There goes their lead to Pearce! Later, the two return to the office feeling dispirited. Matis is also on their back for messing up.

On the other side of town, the man who took the backpack, Matthew, gets ready to shoot someone. Pascal receives an email from Pearce containing the video of how Phillipe killed himself.

One of his staff informs him that Pearce is on the line. Pearce tells Pascal that he needs 100 million Euros for the lives of his men and the torture he endured. Pascal refuses to engage with Pearce. Pearce threatens to kill those close to him as his sniper is waiting. The staff member tells Pascal not to worry, his family is safe. Pascal makes the stupid decision to accuse Pearce of bluffing. Within seconds. Pascal’s bodyguard is killed right in front of his eyes. 

The police take over the case and look for the motive behind Pearce’s attack on Pascal. It turns out that Pascal put pressure on Philippe to betray Pearce because his actions in Afghanistan were bad for his business there. They scan the footage near the rooftop that Matthew shot Pascal’s bodyguard from and get the make and number plate of his car. 

At the palace, the President and her team worry that Pearce’s videos are gaining him sympathy from the public. The President says it is like they are in a PR battle with a terrorist.

At the station, the team gets a lead on Mathew’s car and heads to the location. At the same time, Mathew is gearing up for another attack. He manages to get his target right as the police call the man to warn him.

Zara and Vincent arrive and start chasing after Matthew, but lose him. On the ride back to the office. Zara asks Vincent why he was discharged from the army. Vincent tells her he couldn’t execute the family of a Boko Haram commander. 

Zara gets a text from her girlfriend that she is wasted and Vincent drives her to the location. Zara finds her girl, Thea, high on drugs and takes her home. Vincent helps her, and they agree to keep it a secret between them. Zara says she loves Thea and doesn’t want to lose her, even though their relationship might cost her the job.

Back to Pascal, he and his family remain under police protection. His son asks about Pearce but Pascal lies to him. A few minutes later, the son gets a message from his girlfriend saying they need to meet. The girl tells him that she is pregnant, and he sneaks out to meet her. The problem is, that Pearce’s men are the ones texting Pascal’s son. His girlfriend is currently in the boot of their car. 

The next morning, Vincent gets a message from the President, asking to meet later that night. Before Vincent can respond, Matis summons them. He tells them that a few weeks after Pearce was rescued; he left the office and left for Pakistan.

While there, someone planted a bomb in his car. It seems someone tried to kill Pearce to stop him from revealing the truth about the betrayal he suffered. No one is admitting to the bombing, but Pearce’s girlfriend and her two children were killed in the explosion. 

After learning that his son is in the wind, Pascal calls the police and they track the boy to a park nearby. At the same time, Matthew is waiting with his gun to take the boy out. The police suddenly arrive and intervene.

A gunfight ensues and in the end, Vincent kills Matthew. After nearly losing their son, Pascal’s wife insists that he pay Pearce the money and buy their freedom.

Speaking of Pearce, Freja finds a photo of his girlfriend and her kids in his belongings. He tells her about how kind Amina was to him and how he thought there could be hope for them. However, that hope with Amina in the bombing.  

Back at the station, Zara questions how Pearce is funding his revenge operation. The IT team is looking into Matthew’s phone and might have got a lead, but they are not sure who the man mentioned in the messages is. 

Later that night, Vincent meets with the President and they try so hard to act casually. However, Vincent confesses his feelings for her and she tells him she feels the same. They end up having sex even though they know they shouldn’t be together.

Following his wife’s advice, Pascal pays Pearce the money, but things don’t end there. Pearce and his men attack Pascal in his own house and take him captive. They drag him to a secluded area and burn him alive along with the 100 million euros he paid. Pearce leaves a message saying he can’t be bought, and that he is coming for everyone involved. 

The Episode Review

Well, Pearce burns through money fast! He torched 100 million euros without a second thought. He is not looking for money but cold revenge. In Pascal’s case, revenge was a dish best served hot. In a way, I get why Pearce is thirsty for revenge. These selfish men put him through hell. Is what he is doing right? No, but they started the war, and he is finishing it. 

As for Zara and Vincent, they are getting close and slowly starting to trust each other. They will need good chemistry to work together in the field. They will rely on each other and constantly save each other’s life. Zara has been honest about Thea, but I am not sure Vincent can tell her about his steamy on-and-off relationship with the President.