Y.A.R.A.C.O.T.D.O.P
Episode 2 of The Recruit season 2 starts with Owen finally coming to. Jang Hyun-kim took him to Yomgsan Garrison, where Owen was living at the time his dad died. Owen is surprised and questions if Jang Hyun-kim is trying to emotionally manipulate him. It turns out that Jang Hyun-kim wants to remind Owen of his loss to make him understand his motives for blackmailing the CIA.
As it happens, the Korean woman kidnapped in the first episode was Jang Hyun-kim’s wife, Nan-hee. Now, Jang Hyun-kim wants the CIA to help him locate and save his wife. He can’t report his wife’s kidnapping to his agency, since they might think he is compromised. Nan-hee has no clue that her husband works for NIS.
Nan-hee is an NGO worker who repatriates Koreans stuck on the island when Russia took over. She pays the Korean Mafia, Jopok for protection and access to the island. Jang Hyun-kim has not got a ransom demand but knows his wife is missing.
Owen tries to talk him out of the blackmail plan, but Jang Hyun-kim doesn’t care. He has a dead switch, and if he is killed or betrayed, it will automatically release every dark secret he has on the CIA. The CIA and NIS have been closely working together and Jang Hyun-kim has a lot of secrets he can spill. He gives Owen 48 hours to find his wife or he will spill the tea like Wendy Williams!
Elsewhere in Port Louis, Mauritius, Dawn is settling in, but she is not ready to witness the death of her career. This is where agents are sent to kill their careers, but Dawn intends to kill Owen and take back her old position.
Back in Korea, Owen returns to the hotel and updates Janus on the latest. Janus argues that the case is above their pay grade and they should report to Nyland and let him send operations. Owen agrees to go back to Langley, but an assassin tries to take him out. Thankfully, Owen survives the attack and manages to get on his plane.
Upon landing, Owen borrows an old woman’s phone and contacts Jang Hyun-kim. Jang Hyun-kim denies trying to kill Owen but promises to look into it. It won’t be beneficial for him if Owen dies. In the meantime, Janus gets some beauty rest before starting a deep dive on Jang Hyun-kim. On the other hand, Grace Cho has Jang Hyun-kim do a deep dive on Owen and Janus as well. She doesn’t believe their excuse and wants to get answers.
Meanwhile, Hannah is pissed when her mom doesn’t show up for dinner and sends the family mediator instead. The mediator explains that Hannah’s mom is upset by her daughter’s careless decisions of late and is cutting ties with her. Hannah is beyond angry and charges everyone’s lunch on her mom’s tab. One of the diners, Jae, approaches Hannah to thank her. They start talking about his business, and he hires Hannah to help him with his contracts.
Once Owen cleans up, he meets with Nyland and briefs him on the case. Owen is surprised that everyone is overlooking his attempted assassination. Nyland reminds him that CEG will find out if operations start looking into it. They call Janus and evaluate how to move forward with Jang Hyun-kim.
They realise they need to take his threats seriously. Nyland orders Owen to focus on Nan-hee while operations look into Jang Hyun-kim’s dead switch and neutralise it. Until then, Nyland orders Janus to try to recruit Jang Hyun-kim to string him along. In reality, Nyland has no plans to help Jang Hyun-kim.
While at the office, Amelia warns Owen that CEG agents are looking for him. The agents are investigating the death of Max and need clarity on Owen’s involvement. Owen manages to sneak away by promising to have a sit down with them as soon as possible. Owen leaves to continue his investigation and runs into Jae and Hannah at the Department of State office.
Back in Korea, Jang Hyun-kim is also looking into why Russia took his wife. He meets with his source in the Jopok but the man has no answers, too. Owen also starts looking into why Russia took Nan-hee, but no one is willing to help him. He finally calls Lester and asks for his help. Begrudgingly, Lester agrees to help Owen by using Nichka to get intel. In turn, Owen has to give him Dawn’s assets. As they talk, Owen realises that the CEG agents are following him and he quickly loses them.
Meanwhile, in Korea, Janus and Jang Hyun-kim agree to act as if they are recruiting each other. Jang Hyun-kim lies to Grace Cho that Janus has agreed as long as he gets $10k and VIP tickets to the BTS reunion tour. Honestly, as an Army, I could use those BTS tickets, too!
At the end of the day, Owen debriefs Nyland and asks for guidance. Nyland is shocked that Owen never reached out to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage to ask about Nan-hee. Owen sets up an impromptu meeting with the guy heading the envoy, Tom Wallace.
Meanwhile, Lester activates Nichka to ask around about Nan-hee. Nichka asks for money and Lester turns her down and threatens to expose her to the Russians if she doesn’t play game. Nichka calls Owen and threatens to expose him. She realises that Owen is the one looking into Nan-hee. He agrees to get her $200k if she can get answers quickly. Nichka goes on a killing spree to get the answer.
Owen reaches out to Dawn and tries to convince her that giving Lester her assets will be good for her in the long run. If she can get Lester some traction, she can buy herself some time before they talk to CEG. Dawn doesn’t take kindly to the request.
Owen meets with Tom on a plane. Tom is on his way to rescue other people. Tom explains he is not on good terms with Russia but is on his way to meet someone who is. Tom insists on Owen joining them as the plane starts to take off.
He scares Owen when he points out that he didn’t sign the death and dismemberment waiver. Owen asks why he would need to sign such a document, and without even batting an eye, Tom says they are on the way to meet the Taliban.
The Episode Review
Another fun and exciting episode. Fans of The Rookie might enjoy this one too much thanks to all the familiar faces. It was nice to see Felix Solis and Devika Bhise, especially since Rookie Feds was cancelled. I guess we have Nathan Filion to thank for that.
I love that the show maintains its comedic writing even when with the intense plot. Good humour is crucial to lighten the heavy themes. At the end of the episode, Owen and Tom are flying to meet with the Taliban. Will Owen find the answers he seeks from the Taliban?
At the same time, Owen unknowingly crossed Dawn’s path again. He shouldn’t have asked her to share her asset list with Lester. Dawn is pretty mad about Lester replacing her. She will most likely sabotage or kill Lester before she gives him his assets. Is Owen naïve or is he trying to get good, old Lester killed?
In the meantime, thank Heavens that Hannah is moving on. It is a good thing, and Jae looks easy on the eye. However, is she over Owen or just using Jae as a rebound? No judgement, but she should be clear about it to avoid hurting Jae in the end.
Speaking of relationships, Jang Hyun-kim seems like a loving, devoted husband. Why did someone take Nan-hee? If they wanted something from him, they would have reached out by now. Is Nan-hee just an NGO worker? Something about this abduction feels off.
Previous Episode |
Next Episode |
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes! |