If The Recruit hasn’t made you think twice about trusting anyone, ever, then we’re not watching the same show. Yes, we are fully aware that it’s a spy show, that double crossing and lies are part of the game. But, being as you never really know if a person is in the CIA because they lie, and so how do you know?
Yes, this show makes me paranoid.
With Max and Owen having to make deals for her return home, we pick up right where we left off in episode 5. Owens on his way to make the deal for Max’s safe houses contact. The dudes taking him are all about entertaining themselves, so they put a bag over his head to take him to the drop.
The dude that he’s meeting has short dick syndrome, which means that he’s trying to prove his power. However, his methods only infuriate Owen more. When Owen has someone challenge him he has a fight or flight response. The same kind of response that Max has, but just on a way more muted level.
Max’s is like I will kill you and Owen is like I will threaten you. But what he manages to do is get Max a lot more money than she had thought she would get. Seven million dollars isn’t a bad sum to negotiate, even if that person that you are getting money from is part of a drug cartel.
Then again, like so many things in life for Owen, things keep falling in his lap. He’s more observant than we give him credit for. As he sees a scorpion on some containers and he’s wondering what it is. Turns out that so many things are connected in the CIA.
Now that all of that is settled, Max and Owen head back to DC. The sad thing is that Max has Owen believing that they can survive anything, but when Max is keeping him in the dark. I think that Owen sees a bit of himself in Max, in the sense that she’s lost and he feels the need to save her before she can’t be saved.
I don’t think that anyone should ever be given up on, because I know what that’s like. However, Owen hasn’t give up on anyone, if anything, it’s made him fight harder to help Max. However, this is the instance where Owen should have learned to set boundaries.
Max has to be vetted to be a new CIA asset. Yes, she’s been one, but since she’s never really been on paper, they are going to fake that she’s new. Only she has to pass some tests – a psychological one and a lie detector test.
We should have known that a lie detector test was coming. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Owen was trying to make sure that Max passes. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t trust what is happening with Dawn and Max.
Dawn is the shadiest of the shady. We all know that. It’s as if she inserts herself in shit to try and control everything. But then again, isn’t that the theme of this show? Everyone wants to be control in this show. But you know, everyone wants to be in control in life too.
Max is worried about the test, but she’s really testing everyone’s nerves. She’s making Dawn and Owen nervous, but for different reasons. Dawn is worried about Owen circumventing her shady shit. So she’s about to make shit really miserable for Owen.
But Owen, he’s really just wanting to move on with his life. He wants to make nice with his friends, and he wants clear up things with Hannah. When he goes to see her, to apologize, and to make things right, he’s met with a really drunk Hannah. Though the fact that she can get this way of mimosa’s makes us wonder how much of a lightweight she is. Kinda impressive and kinda sad.
Owen doesn’t have long to stay though, because again, the secret service shows up for him. The Chief of Staff wants to see him and wants to talk about what he found out.
Now, I have to say, “not Bob” may be the greatest liar I have ever seen, because he acts like he doesn’t know Xander. He also tests Owen to see if he would betray Nyland, but Owen passes that test from the Presidents Chief of Staff.
But the person we’re really worried about right now is Max. Luckily he passes her test. You would think that it would make everyone happy, but it doesn’t. It makes Dawn pissed, because she believes that he’ll get in the way. She she does the only thing she can – she tells Nyland that she believes that he’s been compromised.
So Nyland has no choice but to make Owen take a lie detector test. Owen isn’t taking that well. He’s pissed. He passes, but he’s pissed. He doesn’t know why he’s had to have gone through all this, but he knows that Dawn is hiding something and she’s pissed she has to take a lawyer on her op.
Nyland informs Owen that he passed his test but there was one thing he didn’t pass. He didn’t pass the questions about if he knew if Max had ever lied. He tells Nyland that he knew she lied about having a kid once, but wasn’t going to tell Dawn for leverage.
He wanted the CIA to have leverage.
Owen can’t exactly outrun Max, because she’s using all she knows to draw him in. She keeps claiming she needs him, but I don’t believe that for one second. She only needs him to play a game.
And what it is – we’ll find out.
The Recruit is streaming now on Netflix.
