The Human Enigma, Italian Alps – As the episode opens, Nadia Smith/Charlotte Vernon (Priyanka Chopra Jones) looks back at Gregor Yovanovich (Lev Gorn). Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) informs her of Gregor’s mission to sell uranium to “nefarious bidders.” He explains the capability of each of the spy tools in her handbag when Mason Kane/Kyle Conroy (Richard Madden) approaches. She asks why he is there. He reminds her that they’re a team. She says not any longer. Gregor suddenly leaves his seat. When Mason tries to follow, she pulls him into a kiss to protect their cover. Gregor’s Handler (Spencer Mulligan) quietly watching a short distance away follows when she leaves to pursue Gregor.
When Mason confronts the handler, a physical altercation breaks out. Nadia applies red lipstick before returning Gregor’s ID card. She identifies herself as Charlotte as she takes a seat across from him. Mason and Gregor’s handler continue fighting. Aiming the muzzle of a .22 Beretta his testicles, she says he cannot be trusted with a bag of uranium in his possession on a congested train. He suggests she is a Citadel agent. The fight continues between Mason and Gregor’s handler. She orders him to hand over the uranium. After denying the bag contains uranium, he claims the intel provided to Citadel was necessary for him to personally deliver a message. Mason shatters a window with the handler’s body before shoving him through it. Bernard informs him of Nadia’s location.
Nadia watches video footage of Citadel agents being executed. He claims hundreds of agents have been executed in Cairo, Tokyo, Mexico City, Paris, and Mumbai. She demands he identify himself. He displays a unique brand on his wrist when she is surrounded by his gunmen. He says it has been a long wait to purge the Citadel. Mason storms the dining car shooting. She seeks cover before joining in to kill all the gunmen. She warns Mason it’s a trap. They request EVAC to hear Bernard’s screams. After warning they will never be able to hide from Manticore, Gregor activates a bomb seconds before the train explodes.
Bellagio, Italy – Mason comes through to find himself restrained in a hospital bed. An Italian doctor (Gianfranco Terrin) explains how his body washed up in Lezzeno. Mason denies any memory of the train explosion. Identifying him as Kyle Conroy, the doctor says the American consulate is unable to locate any records for him.
8 Years Later Eugene, Oregon – Kyle (Mason) and his wife, Abby Conroy (Ashleigh Cummings) have a daughter, Hendrix Conroy (Caoilinn Springall). A TV news segment features a terror attack claiming the lives of 97 in Los Angeles. The journalist says the American government prepares for war. Kyle has a brief flashback of the train explosion and Nadia.
Kyle attends his first therapy session. Therapist Simmons (Timothy Busfield) asks why he put therapy off for so long. Kyle admits to being concerned about what it would reveal but he and his daughter deserve the truth about his past. He explains his visions of a woman on the train. Simmons suggests a DNA test. Kyle claims his previous DNA test revealed nothing. Simmons assures him that technology has advanced significantly since then.
Virginia – The British Ambassador to the US Dahlia Archer (Lesley Manville) tells Secretary of State Harold McCulough (Peter Gerety) rumor has it that the CIA recovered the location of the Citadel X Case. He claims to no longer be affiliated with Manticore. She threatens his wife and daughter if he refuses to comply.
Zurich – Anders Silje/Davik Silje (Roland Moller) executes several men when Archer calls to inform him of the Citadel X Case. She orders him to retrieve it from a CIA black site in Miami. Anders and Davik agree to take care of it.
Chicago – Bernard plays a game with his three Manticore hostages. With agent #1 (Ilan Muallem) and agent #2 (Andy Watts) executed, Bernard asks agent #3 (Gary Weeks) why Archer met with McCulough. The agent says Archer wanted to know where the Citadel X Case was being stored because it contains nuclear codes. Bernard pulls up a DNA match continuance for Mason before executing the final agent.
Kyle and Abby are kissing when he has a flashback of Nadia. Hendrix has another nightmare. She says her classmates believe they’re going to be bombed and a war will break out. He promises to not let anything happen to her. He is in the garage when Abby calls to alert him of an intruder. He rushes into the house to be clocked by Bernard. They’re forced at gunpoint into his vehicle. Bernard activates a gas to put them to sleep.
CIA Black Site Miami – Davik and Anders enter the find the Citadel X Case.
Archer does an interview with BBC anchor, Marjorie (Erin Boswell). Archer and the prime minister support limiting the power of nation-states that pose a global threat. Marjorie says under the control of corrupt politicians, Great Britain has invaded other countries and destabilized economies. Archer claims Great Britain has ended wars and continues to promote peace across the globe. She says they will retaliate against any organization threatening their democracy or a press agent leading a traitorous campaign to further the interests of a foreign state. Marjorie if she called her an asset of Russia on live TV. Archer points out she never mentioned Russia. Billie (Kineta Kunutu) informs Archer of the Silje brothers taking the heavily encrypted Citadel X Case to New York to be decoded.
Bernard and his ex-wife, Joe (Moira Kelly) remove Abby and Kyle’s face covering. Joe identifies herself and her wife, Sandra (Sarah Martins). After assuring them that Hendrix is in a safe location with their daughter, he suggests they be glad Manticore didn’t get to them first. Holding up a photo of him and Mason, he claims they were friends and Citadel spies. He explains how Citadel was established to protect the people, not to serve man. Kyle asks if they’re the “good guys.” Bernard says when one of their own double-crossed them eight years ago. Manticore was established by eight wealthy families to manipulate world events. Bernard tells Kyle that Citadel’s X Case, containing dangerous secrets, is in the possession of the Silje brothers. He warns if the file is decoded, Manticore will have the codes for nuclear weapons worldwide.
Kyle assures him that he is no longer Mason before catching Bernard’s knife in mid-air. Bernard tells him that he and Nadia who is probably dead were Citadel’s top spies. Showing him a photo of Nadia, he offers to help him remember in exchange for his help in retrieving the Citadel X Case.
8 Years Earlier – Nadia can be seen at the train derailment site as the episode ends.
Citadel Synopsis
Citadel was established to fight global corruption and protect the people. The founders of Manticore are some of the wealthiest families in the world. Manticore was intended to add to their power and wealth and manipulate world events.
Citadel spies, Nadia and Mason believe they’re on a mission to confiscate uranium from Gregor to keep it from getting into the wrong hands. An insider sets out to destroy the organization to retrieve the Citadel X Case which contains valuable secrets like codes to nuclear weapons worldwide. Gregor activates a bomb aboard the train. Mason is later rescued from Lezzeno in Italy. Nadia’s body was never recovered.
Mason is living under his alias, Kyle Conroy. He is married with a daughter. Frequent flashbacks of Nadia and Hendrix prying into his past urges him to seek therapy. Under the direction of British Ambassador Archer, the Silje brothers steal the Citadel X Case from a CIA black site. Citadel Agent Bernard knows there would be dire consequences if the case is decoded. Abby and Mason have no idea what’s going on when they are abducted from their home. Bernard provides Mason with enough information about his past to convince him to help get the Citadel X Case.
Citadel Review
Citadel no way stands up to its enormous $300-million budget, most of which was probably invested in the massive film crew. It would be a tragedy to compare the show to the legendary James Bond and Jason Bourne series. The script could have easily been written by an amateur.
Nadia’s low-pitched voice is inappropriate for a spy series. Whether Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the perfect fit for the series is totally up to viewers. Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci are exemplary actors
An oftentimes overlooked but very important element of a movie is the makeup. Gregor’s Manticore branded tattoo and Mason’s scars were a disastrous mess.
The cinematography is average at best. The shaky camera and quick cuts make it impossible to enjoy the action scenes. The premise is misleading as Citadel was created for the better good of the people but the members have no qualms carrying out executions.
The episode deserves a 6. Get more Citadel recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link. Ask about our onsite advertising by contacting customer support.
Citadel Cast
- Secretary Harold McCulough (Peter Gerety)
- Gregor Yovananovich (Lev Gorn)
- Mason Kane/Kyle Conroy (Richard Madden)
- Hendrix Conroy (Caoilinn Springall)
- Abby Conroy (Ashleigh Cummings)
- Nadia Sinh/Charlotte Vernon (Priyanka Chopra Jones)
- Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci)
- British Ambassador to the United States Dahlia Archer (Lesley Manville)
- Davik Silje/Anders Silje (Roland Muller)
- Joe (Moira Kelly)
- Russian President (Olegar Fedoro)
- Carter Spence (Osy Ikhile)
- Hudes (Janis Ahern)
Where Was Citadel Filmed
Citadel, directed by Newton Thomas Sigel, was filmed on location in the United Kingdom and Slovenia. Filming locations include West Midlands, Birmingham, Harlaxton Manor, and Grantham in Lincolnshire, England, and Stol Mountain and Kanin Mountains in Bovec, Slovenia.
Where To Watch Citadel
Citadel premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
The problem is that it can’t decide whether it wants to be intense like Jason Borne or completely lighthearted like The Kingsman. So it sort of waffles back and forth, never committing to one or the other. Other issue is the very cringey dialog, bad supporting characters and completely unrealistic plot points. Also bad visual effects. Did I mention how cringe most of the dialog is?
So it’s not a perfect show but the real question is do we need it to be?. I’m content to just roll with it and be entertained where it can be entertaining. I mean people are too analytical all the time. Sometimes you just have to let things flow over you.
On a side note Richard Madden should be the next Bond I’ve always thought so and it really kind of pisses me off that he won’t be. The film studios suck. Everything has to be what they perceive will be an automatic slam dunk which is why there are like 500 Marvel Movies with the exact same formula, so many remakes, reboots, CGI “de aging” 70+ year old actors, and why a 55 year old Idris Elba will probably be the next Bond. It all makes me lose my faith in humanity.
Yep. Can’t argue with any of that lol. Citadel is going to be one of those shows that you have to accept for what it is, but it seems like it can be at least entertaining if you are willing to do that. It is somewhat odd that it got so bashed when it really isn’t worse than 90% of the other drivel they’re throwing out right now.
Richard Madden would make a great Bond no doubt. Probably the best fit in terms of age, skills, appearance, and so on. Him or James Norton, but you just know it’ll be a pick to make a big statement. We’ll see though.
It does get old seeing the same people getting roles repeatedly when the wealth could be shared and new stars could be created. They should make more Brad Renfros and reach outside of the clique. Another issue is the fact that there are so many executive producers, ect. and so many hands in the pot. Can’t have a passion project when you’re sharing it with 12 other people with equal say.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the writers strike and how that impacts the industry. I am sure the foreign producers will keep churning out content until they get that sorted out either way.
My top 3 Bond picks were Madden Norton and Aidan Turner. Neither if them will get it. But I also wanted them to choose Richard Ayoade as the next Dr. Who. And I wanted Taron Egerton to be Indiana Jones. Plus I thought they should have found a new Boba Fett for the series and retire any characters from the first 6 Star Wars movies except Hayden Christensen. For that matter please retire Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Depp and Liam Neesen. Guess I’m just being crabby today.
Amen. See where you’re coming from on all that. As good as Liam Neeson can be sometimes, if you’ve seen one of his movies, you’ve seen them all. Unless he is doing something different, I just don’t care. Depp is like Leonardo DiCaprio in my eyes. Their best movies were when they were young kids. This Boy’s Life, The Quick and the Dead, Basketball Diaries, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, ect. Truthfully though, I’d think a good story, good writing, and good directing could make most actors/actresses look spectacular.
I like seeing new stars being built instead of the same performers being repeatedly used. There is always room for Hollywood to spread the wealth.