I.N.A.S.I.A.L. – The episode begins with Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) meeting Walter Nyland (Vondie Curtis-Hall) to discuss his next assignment. Nyland warns if he doesn’t prevent the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Smoot (Linus Roache) from reading a classified document at the upcoming public hearing, he’ll be terminated.

Smoot assures Owen that Nyland will never keep him from finding out about the CIA’s “cluster-fu**s” and quoting the classified document. After reminding him of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 798 which prohibits the reading of classified documents, Owen warns he could be reprimanded and criticized. As he walks away, Smoot can be heard screaming inside his office.

Violet Ebner (Aarti Mann) tells Owen that they understand he went to Capitol Hill. Lester Kitchens (Colton Dunn) admits it took him six months to get there while he got there in two days. Owen assures them that it wasn’t a reward before claiming to have gotten his ass handed to him. Kitchens informs him that the sh** work is always delegated to the new agents. After setting several file boxes on his desk, they say it contains letters from crazies threatening to expose classified information. Owen tells him that’s extortion. Kitchens says it’s his job to validate each threat. Violet and Kitchens do a fist bump as they walk away.

After telling Owen that he works with the Special Operation Group “SOG”, Janus Ferber (Kristian Bruun) says they’ll execute a secret op if he leaves. Owen asks if they ignore their attorneys. Janus claims the CIA’s a group of conmen before suggesting he get out now.

In a letter, Maxine Meladze (Laura Haddock), threatens to expose CIA secrets on PW Butcher, Selby Shaw, if she isn’t released from prison in Phoenix. Owen agrees to give Janus five Adderall tablets for each question regarding the crazies’ file. When Owen informs him of Meladze’s letter, Janus says PW Butcher is a secret CIA code. Owen asks if he would point him in the direction to investigate further.

Grant (Daniel Jun) informs Owen of PW being a CIA country code for Belarus and Butcher, a 2009 operation that took place in Belarus. Owen asks if Selby Shaw and PW Butcher are connected. Grant says it represents the DO officer, Dawn Gilbane who is working in Belarus in 2009. Own informs him of Meladze’s graymail letter. Grant suggests she may be a “hip-pocket” asset since there is no file in the CIA database.

Owen shows Meladze’s graymail letter to Nyland who asks if it’s real. Owen points out that Meladze knows classified information before informing him of the operative, Dawn Gilbane (Angel Parker). Nyland scolds him for documenting the DO officer and CIA pseudonym on the same sheet of paper. Owen tells him that Gilbane’s stationed at a Yemen black site when Kitchens and Violet enter. After Kitchens admits he was the last agent with the crazies, Nyland asks if he bothered opening the folder. Kitchens assures him that he did his “due diligence. Nyland orders them to pick up Owen’s workload slake while he works on Meladze’s case. Owen scoops the ashes from Nyland’s desk heading back to his office.

Kitchens accuses Owen of setting him up. Owen says he did it to himself for not working on the crazies’ files. Kitchens claims Violet had them before him. Owen fills them in on Meladze. They suggest renting a car to reach Yemen.

Hannah Copeland (Fivel Stewart) and Terence (Daniel Quincy Annoh) are role-playing when Owen arrives home. Hannah asks if he told his mom that they’re no longer dating. He tells her that it’s been six months since they last spoke so she doesn’t know about his new job at the CIA.

Yemen – Owen approaches a guard only to be punched in the gut. He comes through tied to a chair. Gilbane asks what he was thinking of showing up at an agency black site unannounced. He sarcastically asks if he was supposed to call ahead. Looking at his blue passport, she says the CIA’s black passport grants diplomatic immunity. After ordering the officers to remove his clothes, she suggests he’s there to investigate them. She says the secret police in Yemen deports agents with diplomatic immunity, otherwise, they arrest and shoot them in the head for spying. She threatens to shock him with a cattle prod if he doesn’t tell her why he’s really there. As she removes his fingernail, he claims he came to ask her about an old operation. He admits to running from his thoughts after his father was blown up in Afghanistan.

Owen says it’s PW Butcher and the asset’s Maxine Meladze. After ordering them to let him go, she claims to have never met Meladze, only utilizing her HUMINT (Human Intelligence) to carry out an op. She says Meladze had connections to the Russian intelligence services. He asks if she knows her handler. She claims to have no idea before apologizing for interrogating him before giving him some advice.

Owen flops down on his bed. When Terence enters his room, Owen says he can’t talk about it. Terence hops in the bed with him while Hannah suggests he give her a call if he’s like to talk. After he leaves, the general council calls.

Owen warns Kitchens and Violet that he’ll not tolerate being torpedoed by them again.

Owen says, even though there is no 201 file, Meladze’s threat should be taken seriously since Gilbane confirmed her being an asset. Nyland reminds him that he never received authorization to go to Yemen. Owen admits to feeling it necessary to make the trip. Nyland says he did a good job before asking what happened to his hand. Owen claims to have smashed it inside a car door. Nyland tells him to go meet Meladze.

Phoenix – An security officer at the prison informs Owen that Meladze murdered Salvatore Kwintny to utilize his truck to run product.

Owen informs Meladze that the CIA received her letter. She asks what happened to his hand. He claims to have closed it in the car door. She assures him it’s a missing fingernail from experience. He asks who was her handler. She admits to having CIA documents before asking who is responsible for the missing nail. He tells her that it was an operative stationed in Yemen. She says the operative is a “her” before warning him that he tells too much without realizing it. When she calls for the guard, he promises to help her if she hands over the CIA documents. She admits to putting them in a storage locker.

Nyland orders Owen to get the FBI to escort him to the storage facility. After failing to get ahold of a live agent, Owen sets out on his own. The Other Jorge (Gabriel Infante) and Dodge (Jesse Collin) approach as he emerges from the locker with a gym bag. He slams the door down. Dodge asks if he realized bullets got through metal when Owen agrees to come out. When the door rises, he shoves them back and runs. They fire several bullets into his car causing him to crash. He runs into the indoor storage facility with them in tow. They trap him in a hallway. He tosses the bag on the floor.  They open the bag to have an acid bomb explode in their faces. Owen grabs the bag before fleeing.

Owen stops his car to vomit A search of the gym bag renders no CIA documents. He waits while the prison guard removes Meladze’s handcuffs. She demands to know what he did with her money. He threatens to hand it over to the police. She demands he place the bag in a trash can near the back of the parking lock so someone can retrieve it. She admits to knowing everything about him after an online search. He says she appears to have no one except being a criminal. She claims to have intel on dozens of top-secret CIA operations in Russia and Belarus associated with well-connected individuals. She assures him that there is nothing the CIA wouldn’t do to keep it a secret. She tells him that he’ll see to it that her murder charges are dropped. She warns him that a press release will be issued if something happens to her.

Owen tells her that he needs to call Nyland. She warns him that they’ll blame everything on him which isn’t necessary. He suggests she’s lying about the documents. She tells him that they need each other. He says she’s a “murderer” before calling for the guard to unlock the door. She says her handler is “Not Bob.” He asks what that is supposed mean. She assures him that the CIA will know before wishing him good luck.

Owen places Meladze’s bag in a trash bin.

Owen deletes his social media posts recalling what Meladze said about knowing everything about him.

Owen enters Janus’ office to find him sleeping. When he wakes up, he claims to have been drugged so they can run their op. Owen asks what “Not Bob” means. Janus says he’s a legendary CIA agent who utilized his real name instead of the pseudonym, Bob or Robert. Owen informs him of Meladze giving him “Not Bob.” Janus assures him that assets never know their handler’s real name before telling him that “Not Bob” is the President of the United States.

Owen suggests Meladze’s graymail should be investigated more in-depth. Nyland says all right just stay in touch. Owen returns to his office to find a subpoena on his desk. He calls Meladze to say he’ll accept her offer if she answers one question truthfully. He asks if she can be trusted. She says, “When our interests align, otherwise no.” He says, “I’m in “as the episode comes to an end.

 

The Recruit Synopsis

Owen’s a new CIA right out of law school. His first assignment is to prevent Senator Smoot from reading a classified document during a public hearing. He does just that by threatening him with Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 798.

Kitchens hands off the crazies’ file to Owen since he’s freshly hired by the CIA. The crazies file consists of graymail letters threatening to expose classified intel that only the CIA should know.

Janus is a paranoid CIA agent who believes CIA agents are conmen trying to executive special ops. He refuses to leave his office or else, they will succeed.

Owen finds a graymail letter from a murderess who claims to have secret intel on PW Butcher. It turns out, PW is a secret code that represents a country, Belarus, in which a secret op took place. Butcher represents the secret agent, Dawn Gilbane, running the op. He’s sent to Yemen to find out what Gilbane remembers about Meladze.

He listens to Kitchens and Violet’s advice and rents a car for the trip. Little does he know, Gilbane would violently interrogate, all for not.

Owen visits Meladze in prison. She sends him to a storage facility where she claims to have stored the CIA documents. When he arrives, The Other George and Dodge are there waiting. He escapes but only temporarily before they force him to turn over the bag. Lucky for him, the bag is booby-trapped with an acid bomb that blows up in their face. Owen flees with the bag only to discover there are no CIA documents, only cash.

Back at the prison, Meladze demands he place the bag in a trash bag in the prison parking lot. She claims to know everything about him after an online search. She suggests they work together to get her out of prison and keep him from being blamed for what happens with her graymail.

Only when he threatens to leave, she says my handler is “Not Bob.” He puts the bag of money in the waste bin before returning to Langley.

Owen deletes his own social media posts of his friends, Terence and Hannah.

“Not Bob” was a legend within the CIA who ran extremely dangerous ops. When Owen discovers “Not Bob” is the President of the United States, he decides to team up with Meladze.

 

The Recruit Review

The show feels a bit pointless, including the trip to Yemen. It’s hardly doubtful, Owen’s story is like that of any real CIA agent.  It’s obvious where the story is going.

The cinematography and acting are good. Noah Centineo’s perfect for the role of Owen. The soundtrack doesn’t really fit the CIA premises.

The pilot episode deserves a 6. Get more The Recruit recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.

 

The Recruit Cast

• Terence – Daniel Quincy Annoh
• Senator Smoot – Linus Roache
• Max Meladze – Laura Haddock
• Hannah Copeland – Fivel Stewart
• Water Nyland – Vondie Curtis-Hall
• Lester Kitchens – Colton Dunn
• Dawn Gilbane – Angel Parker
• Janus Ferber – Kristian Bruun
• Violet Ebner – Aarti Mann
• Grant – Daniel Jun

Where Was The Recruit Filmed

Filming locations for The Recruit, written by Alexi Hawley (Exorcist: The Beginning, The Rookie), include Los Angeles, California, and Montreal, Quebec.

Where To Watch The Recruit

The Recruit premiered on Netflix on Friday, December 16, 2022.