X – Episode 3 begins just shortly before the gunshot in the cave with Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban) and Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) facing off. Faraz looks to be in the process of shooting Dan but a hidden nearby Harold Harper (John Lithgow) gets Faraz first. Shortly after the wound is revealed to be non-fatal, Angela Adams/Parwana/Emily (Alia Shawkat) will join the party. Harold will be the first to break the awkward silence by declaring that it is time to go home. Angela makes it clear that she’s not leaving Faraz behind to die and tells Harold that he shouldn’t have come. Dan quickly comes to his defense by pointing out that Harold came because he loves her and his shooting Faraz was to protect him. Faraz will eventually break his silence by insisting they leave him behind but that doesn’t satisfy Angela either. This doesn’t sit well with Harold and he will later confront Dan over it.

Still at an impasse in the center of the village, Khadija (Jacqueline Antaramian) will tell Omar (Artur Zai Barrera) that he isn’t the first to attempt to come after Faraz. Just as Omar claims she no longer has the influence she thinks she does, a helicopter touches down nearby. The lone pilot will soon be revealed to be Khadija’s Son (Amir Malaklou) and he comes bearing a bag of cash. Before handing that cash over, he’ll briefly explain that Omar has no idea the hornet’s nest he’s stepped into and the Ministry only permitted the visit to send a message that he has clearly got. Omar appears to be satisfied for the moment. Khadija is just as surprised by her son’s arrival but soon learns they have much bigger problems in the form of someone named Morgan Bote (Joel Grey).

Things take an unexpected turn at the compound gates when Omar stops to question Farouk (Michael Sifain) about new arrivals in the village. The boy’s mother, Faruza (Sara Seyed), gets involved and ends up shot after Faruza slaps Omar in the face and runs off. There is only a brief lull after the woman is shot before both sides open up on each other.

Thanks to Faraz and Dan’s injuries, the return trip to Faraz’s village has become a slow trek and when they stop to take a break Dan attempts to figure out what Faraz has told Angela. Although Faraz doesn’t give the impression of openly sharing, Dan won’t get the chance to hear it because Angela announces that she’s heading down to the horses. After a brief debate, they’ll end up going together which turns out to be a good thing because they apparently have a visitor. While Angela and Dan weigh their options, Harper will arrange a pickup with Marion (Janet McTeer).

Despite the fact that the shooting has stopped at the compound, things are more intense than ever as Omar demands the villagers turn over their guest. Khadija will suggest calling the Military Minister (Amir M. Korangy) but her son claims that prospect went out the window the second they shot at his soldiers. On top of this, Bote has apparently frozen all their assets, so they literally have nothing to bargain with.

Although Dan is able to disable two soldiers guarding their horses, the crackle of the soldier’s radio reveals that they now have bigger problems. Faraz ultimately decides to address the man, who is shortly revealed to Omar. Omar promises to end any further ‘ugliness’ at the village if Faraz returns to explain why he kidnapped an FBI agent. Much to the displeasure of the entire group, Faraz will insist on doing as Omar has asked. On their return trip, Harold will tell Dan that his assumption about Angela not being Angela anymore was right. Harold isn’t happy about it, but he admits that it’s hard to not admire her resolve. Just before the group arrives at a lookout to discover that the entrance to the village has been sealed, Harold will also tell Dan that he did a heck of a job raising Angela.

There are no prolonged goodbyes and Faraz refuses to sneak back into the village like a thief in the night. Alone he’ll ride right up to the front gate where Omar and his men are posted. While Harper coordinates with Marion, Angela will take off towards the village. It’s merely seconds later that she’s by Faraz’s side. Omar immediately bombards her with questions while she only gives in an icy stare in return. She eventually announces herself as Parwana Hamzad as she approaches him. He will order his men to stand down which turns out to be a fatal mistake because she sticks a knife in the side of his head. Dan manages to headshot a few of the soldiers nearest to Faraz and Angela before complete pandemonium ensues.

Once Harper’s chopper arrives and unleashes a missile near the front gate, the shooting practically stops. The episode ends with Angela walking up to Omar in front of everyone and executing him as he attempts to crawl away.

 

The Old Man Review

I can’t say the episode was horrible. I’d have to give it a 5.4 based on several factors. For one, it set some potentially intriguing things in motion. Secondly, I appreciated how it didn’t dwell too much on prolonged goodbyes and talks of remorse. Faraz didn’t even really tell Angela goodbye as he rode off to what he likely assumed would be his death. His character also showed incredible fortitude.

The arrival of Khadija’s son was super intriguing for me and the threat of the powerfully mysterious figure, Morgan Bote could go many ways. I didn’t really like the way things played out in the cave or afterward, but what can you do?

Get more of The Old Man recaps here. Join our newly established forum to see what others are saying. Support our site by donating. Learn about our advertising packages here.