The Agency – Episode 8 “Truth Will Set You Free” Recap & Review

Truth Will Set You Free

Episode 8 of The Agency starts with Martian revealing the truth about who he is to Samia. He reveals that he’s a spy working for the CIA and makes it clear she was never a target. However, Samia obviously doesn’t take it well and his plan completely backfires.

When Sami leaves, she speaks to Osman but keeps his cover in-check – at least for now – because of her affection for him. When Henry finds out about Martian’s sideways mission, he tries to smooth things over but Bosko laments how far off the ball they are here.

In Belarus, Sylviya is approached at the salon and recruited to the cause. They need something they can use to wiretap the General and that comes from his boots. Blake is concerned for the woman’s livelihood, given she could well be in danger if she’s spotted, but the CIA are ready to use her as collateral damage as long as they get the intel they need.

Elsewhere, Danny prepares for her next mission but there’s a problem. She’s not very efficient at her job given Reza has asked another assistant to go in her stead, Saura. Danny decides they should go out and celebrate together, but while there, they do drugs and party the night away.

Now, this does serve a purpose because Danny’s role here, to head off with Reza, is the number 1 priority. However, Danny is muddying the waters and breaking all the rules in getting close to her targets. Alongside Naomi, the horror of her role soon comes to fruition. She joins Danny as they head off into the field, speaking to Saura’s mother and trying to recruit her to head off to a care home. The idea here, as Naomi alludes to back in the car, is to get a Swiss doctor to essentially kill her.

Naomi is quick to lay down the law about how there are two circles – one for friends, and one for targets – and Danny needs to make sure these don’t cross.

Back home, Martian accidentally walks in on Poppy and her new fella, Daniel. They’re both naked and he’s pretty nonchalant to the whole endeavour. He speaks to Poppy outside a little while later and catches her off-guard by claiming she’s growing up to be a cool person.

Still reeling from the revelation about Martian, Sami tries to hold it together as she heads into the tenuous secret meeting about the future of Sudan and China. However, in the middle of the meeting she just collapses on the floor.

Osman is concerned and in fact, it’s here she reveals everything. She brings up the truth about who Paul really is and how he tried to recruit her. Osman decides to take drastic measures. In fact, he’s carting her off on the next flight to Khartoum.

Osman takes this news to Guo and Dalaga too, and warns that they need to move their operation asap. At the same time, Sylviya goes ahead and switches the boots, although she’s a shaky, nervous wreck the entire time she does it.

Richardson, as it turns out, is actually working alongside Guo and the Chinese as a double agent. They meet at a gallery and exchange intel.

While they scheme, Naomi heads back to the office and speaks to Martian. She’s concerned that this whole operation is going to blow up in their faces. Given what’s happening with Danny, she knows that Martian is way too close to all of this and he can’t see what’s right in front of him. She also knows that the timings don’t add up for when he initially ran the IDs for Samia. “Make the right call,” She eventually says, when he pulls seniority on her, and ends the meeting abruptly.

Through all of this, Martian shows up at the meet spot agreed to by Samia. However, it’s not Sami who arrives – it’s Guo. He claims to be representing her and calls out their leaky intel, bargaining for a change of plans. To sweeten the deal, he also has a USB stick with details around two Russian agents working in the US Energy department. Intel, it’s worth noting, that was given by Richardson earlier in the episode.

Meanwhile, the General finds out about Sylviya’s betrayal and takes her out the back and shoots her. However, he does so while having her wear the wire-tapped boots too, just to add insult to injury. Unfortunately, this also causes the General to decide to go after Coyote and make a move, promising to “broaden his horizons” after their little trip together.

Martian speaks to Guo in the carpark in the midst of all and unfortunately, their chat soon turns violent. He’s ready to kill for Samia and after choking Guo out, races to the airport. He makes his play, doing everything he can for Samia as they talk in private, offering her the chance to find out who he really is. Unfortunately, Sami doesn’t go for it and she walks away.

The Episode Review

Everything is coming undone now and that spells big trouble for Martian and the CIA. They’re very much on the backfoot and Martian is clearly in over his head. The teasing scenes of him being tortured show that the General is likely one step ahead of the game and unfortunately, it could well be that Coyote sings by the time that trip ends – putting Martian and the others in serious danger.

Through all of this, there’s lots of drama involving Danny too, whose storyline shows the trials and tribulations agents need to go through in order to try and switch off and go ahead with their roles, no matter how brutal. Her plotline has really run parallel to Martian’s for most of the run-time, but it’s no less endearing.

Everything here is left on a tenuous knife-edge and whether the CIA will be left reeling from Martian’s reveal with Samia or not is anyone’s guess. Roll on the next episode!