The Bride – The inmates are searching for Jenny “Anya” Franklin (Margarita Levieva) in the restroom. They are tapping on the stall doors when Jenny appears as a male prison guard. The inmates are stunned to see the prison guard. She demands to know what they are doing before threatening to throw them in the hole if they don’t leave. She sees her real reflection in the mirror, saying Yannick Mair (Michael John Treanor) better be real. She threatens to kill him, his family, and his prom date if he isn’t real.

CIA Agent Chauncey (Cillian O’Sullivan) asks her if she is okay because she sounds hoarse. She says you knew I could morph as Chris (Charles Brice) turns to look at Chauncey. Chris wants to know more about her comment. Ignoring him, Chauncey informs her that Chris will locate Yannick. Commlink technology was utilized to hack into the mainframe. Yannick can be seen on the south side past the yard in block G. He no longer needs the suit to lead her through the prison to Yannick. Jenny refuses his offer. Chauncey demands she stick with the plan. The yard is visible from her current location. She reaches block G.

Pushing a meal cart, she locates a lone inmate whistling in one of the cells. She enters the cell, with the tray. Yannick grabs the tray, saying it’s about time, where’s Pablo. She shuts the door before attacking Yannick. A struggle ensues. Yannick pushes the track against her neck as she informs about his associates being murdered. She promises to be there to help him. Not believing her, he asks what is in for me. She promises him whatever he wants. He releases her when she tells him she is CIA. He admits to being hired to access security. She asks who hired him. He grabs his throat, gasping for breath after saying he was hired to disrupt. Chauncey wants to know what is going on. She tells Yannick that his food was poisoned as his body slumps to the floor. Jenny is devastated when he takes his last breath.

She is told to search the cell for Yannick’s cellphone. Chris alerts her of a signal in the ceiling. She removes a vent cover from the ceiling to find a mobile phone. She sticks it in her pocket before running away from the prison, with an alarm blaring in the background. Chris pulls the van up. She jumps in, punching Chauncey in the face. A struggle ensues, with Chauncey saying there she is before taking another punch. She continues to punch him until he pulls his gun, placing the tip of the barrel on her neck. She accuses him of setting her up. He accuses her of lying about her morphing abilities. Chris interrupts, asking if she found anything in Yannick’s cell. She hands the cellphone over the Chauncey. Chris demands to know Jenny is as a man. She responds I’m just a Russian paper pusher, slumping against the wall.

Chauncey says your morphing abilities are incredible, you look completely like someone else. She tells him you don’t have a clue of what you have done before slumping to the floor. Chauncey stares as she morphs back to herself.

Chauncey assesses Jenny’s vitals, saying they are normal, asking if she is okay. She is the only human to make it out of “The Yaroslav Program” alive. Her organs are put under an immense about of strain when morphing. The KGB developed the program as a bioweapon in the 80s. She explains it may not be possible for her to morph again. The last time she morphed was 20 years ago. He believes she learned a few tricks over the years. She utilized iron to replenish her body, but it did nothing for her pain. She refuses to believe his apology is sincere.  He refuses to let her go. She asks how he was able to locate her. He acquired a lead from a private investigator who was a former Russian intelligence agent. She doesn’t believe him, claiming to scrub and bury her past. He warns her about going crazy if she doesn’t let it go.

He says her daughter, Becca (Lydia Fleming) is a bigger problem. She immediately starts getting dressed. Chris alerts her that they handled it. She questions what you mean by, handled it. Chris replicated her cellphone, so they could text Becca. She adds him to her shit list. He was just following Chauncey’s orders. They told Becca she missed the last train to Madrid after having dinner at Getafe. She couldn’t take Uber because her credit card was comprised. A replacement is being sent via FedEx. She paid cash for a room at a local bed & breakfast. She pulls up her pantyhose, asking Chauncey if he has children. He doesn’t have kids. She explains how everything goes out the window when you have children. She knows the risk she is taking, but her daughter has been struggling since her divorce. He demands her send Becca home. She refuses to take Becca’s opportunity to participate in the US Figure Skating Championship. Before she leaves, she asks Chauncey if she can return to her normal life when the case is closed. He isn’t for sure. She thanks for being honest with her.

Becca talks on the phone, saying her mother never returned home last night. She is confused by her mother’s behavior. She tells Maddie Davis (Lola Mae Loughran) there were three texts from Jenny and nothing since when Jenny walks in. She scolds Jenny for not coming home after leaving her room trashed. Jenny apologizes for leaving the room trashed, blaming it on something that needed to be done. Becca reminds her of draining the hotel minibar. She claims some of the bottles were knocked over. Becca asks about her credit card getting compromised She explains how she stayed in a bed & breakfast. Becca asks about her new hairstyle. She just wanted a change. Jenny laughs when Becca asks if she is having a mental breakdown.

Jenny crams food in her mouth. Becca asks what is wrong with you. She blames it on anemia, saying I need some iron. They taught about Becca’s dad who will not be attending the competition. Jenny defends him, claiming he paid for their trip to Madrid and the competition. Becca doesn’t know why they divorced. She calls it complicated, refusing to talk about it now. Becca wants to know more about Jenny’s childhood, saying she acts like a secret spy. Jenny offers her space by not attending practice. She says all chaperones must attend before leaving. Jenny continues to cram food in her mouth.

A flashback of Anya (Stasya Miloslavskaya) and SuYin (Jeremy Ang Jones) at a pub pops up on the screen. SuYin says Faina Orlov (Anastasia Martin) is grounded. Her father, Artur Orlov (Juris Zagars) grounded her for going out the other night. He suggests they get shit-faced. She suggests they have a threesome, but she must talk to Faina first. He’s keen on the idea, hurriedly writing down Faina’s phone number.

 

Jenny creates a phone connection, so she can call Faina. She asks if there is a second date for her. Faina warns her to be careful because the phone line may be bugged. They talk up until the morning. Faina tells her about her mother was involved in a research project that left most of the team dead. She tells her about her lost necklace, which was a gift from her mother. Jenny has a flashback of finding the necklace at the subway station. She claims her mother died in a fire when she was just five years old.

Chauncey just discovers Yannick’s phone didn’t have any significant information on it. It did have a landline Chris believes is connected to a router, which encrypts his phone calls. He suggests they find the router. Chauncey says how. The router has been traced to Pan Bendito, a dangerous community. Chauncey calls Jenny to question her whereabouts. She is at Becca’s figure skating practice. He orders her to leave, but she refuses.

Becca meets Maddie’s mother, Ladonna Davis (Amanda Bright) who loves her new hairstyle. They both agree their daughters are difficult to get along with. Jenny is worried her actions will impact Becca to the point where she will need therapy. Ladonna says they can’t do anything right. Ladonna believes Jenny has been trying to get some dick, promising to watch out for Becca while she does her thing.

Chauncey and Chris head to Pan Bendito. He recommends Chris take his watch off before they get out of the van. He refuses, saying it was a gift from his mother. He is from Grove Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Chauncey warns him Pan Bendito is Grove Park on steroids. He still refuses to remove his watching, asking why he is there. Chauncey says he is taking Jenny’s place because she is unavailable. Chris reminds him that was not the agreement.

Chauncey knocks on a door, Vasco (David Moreno) answers the door. He asks to speak with Yannick. Vasco invites them in, escorting them through the building to a crowded room. He orders them to wait while he walks away. Chris says they are running a troll farm that spreads misinformation on the Internet. He describes it as being more dangerous than a nuclear weapon. Chauncey asks if he has a gun. Shocked, he asks why. Chauncey reminds him Yannick died. Alma (Carmen Garcia Herranz) approaches, offering them beer while they wait. Chauncey accepts the offer, turning around with his gun pointed. When she snaps her fingers, the kids draw guns all throughout the room. Three kids roll out a cannon, pushing the barrel down to their level.

 

Chauncey alerts them about Yannick’s death, tossing Alma his cellphone. China suggests they let them go, but not before Chauncey asks for the router. She questions why they want the router. He refuses to tell them, offering to let them stay in operation without legal issues in return. Chris prays to not be murdered by a bunch of children. Alma agrees to the deal, but only if they can have Chris’s watch, calling it a fair trade. He explains how the watch was a gift from his mother. She suggests ask her to get him another watch. He reluctantly hands it over.

Jenny and Becca return to the hotel. She compliments her practice today while Becca hides behind her phone. She walks over, jerking the phone out of her hands. Becca refuses to talk because she didn’t want to earlier. She suggests they keep their space for the rest of the trip. Jenny looks devastated.

Chris says the router has phone numbers and coded values for latitude and longitude coordinates. Jenny suggests they may be targeted locations for terror attacks. Chris gives a rundown of the three victims – businessman Mario Santa-Cruz, student Kristian Arija Ax, and Barbara Perez Soler. Chauncey can’t understand how Yannick went from organized crime to terrorism. Jenny questions why the CIA is interested in Yannick in the first place. Chauncey refuses to respond to Jenny’s question. Chris says Lidia Orsorio is another victim who is getting married tomorrow. Lidia is an employee at the Temple of Debod. Egypt gifted the temple to Spain, stone by stone. It is valuable because of its current location near the Madrid royal palace.

Chauncey and Jenny attend Lidia’s wedding at the Church Santa Engracia in Zaragoza, Spain. He asks if her wedding was similar to Lidia’s. She refuses to answer for fear he may utilize it against her later. He suggests they are getting to know each other. Chauncey has never been married. She got married after she got pregnant. He asks if she loved her husband. She says he is Becca’s father. Lidia Orsorio (Maria Romero) walks in covered in blood. Chauncey spots a man with a gun. He orders Jenny to protect Lidia while he takes care of the man. Jenny tries to get to Lidia who runs out of the church as Chauncey kills the man. When Jenny reaches the church entrance, she is taken aback by the death of Lidia’s bridesmaids.

Maddie and Becca talk about Claire Reed’s (Anna Jobarteh) figure skating costume. Becca thinks they can do much better than Claire. Maddie is concerned about not impressing the judges with bling and glitter. Becca enters the motel room to find a dead bird lying on the balcony. She plucks the bird’s feathers.

Chris scolds Chauncey for putting their cover at risk. Chauncey assures him they will not be able to trace the bullets back to them. Jenny believes Lydia and her fiancé, Miguel Dominguez (Alejandro Pantany) was under some kind of mind control. Chauncey agrees. Chris begins to research Lidia’s profile to see if there are any specific connections. Jenny takes the tablet from Chris, promising to find Lidia.

Anya visits SuYin to give him Faina’s necklace. Faina is elated to get her necklace back. She hurriedly puts it on, holding the pendant in her hand while Anya watches a short distance away. Anya gets in a CIA spy fan, where they are tracking the necklace. A female agent congratulates her on a job well done.

Jenny arrives back at the hotel room to find Becca asleep. She gently lies her head on Becca’s arm while having a flashback of the wedding devastation. When she walks away, Becca has a smile on her face. Maddie receives a note and gift from Becca. The gift was an earring made from bird feathers. Jenny has a drink while she researches Lidia’s wedding list, which didn’t include her siblings or parents. Lidia’s parents died in a plane crash in 1999.

 

Jenny visits a church, where she finds Lidia. When she enters, Lidia turns around, drawing her gun. Jenny tries to assure her she is there to help when Lidia fires the gun as the episode comes to an end.

 

In From The Cold Review

Margarita Levieva is a strong actor, making her the ideal fit for Jenny who is confident and strong-willed.  Levieva does a fantastic job relaying the love Jenny has for Becca. While their on-screen relationship is strained, they mesh together perfectly.

Charles Brice is the perfect sidekick for Cillian O’Sullivan who is a brilliant actor. The only thing I wish to be different is the dialogue pace to be slowed just a bit. Brice delivers his lines too quickly. I find myself pushing rewind more times than I would like just to concept what he is trying to get across.

The show makes me question what type of covert operations the CIA is up to. I am under the impression screenwriters sometimes get their ideas from personal experience or someone else’s personal experience.

The show deserves a 6.5. Get more In From The Cold recaps here. Support ReelMockery by clicking here.