Netflix has been busy lately with new seasons of shows being released left and right, including The Recruit, a spy series that centers on an early career CIA lawyer who gets caught up in a world he has yet to fully discover. Fresh out of law school, Owen Hendricks (played by Noah Centineo) is faced with less-than-ideal circumstances. As a lawyer without experience in the field, his world gets turned upside down when he’s unexpectedly roped into international espionage.
The Recruit succeeds in many ways but has an immediate appeal for viewers who enjoy an action-packed journey with thrilling top-secret spy work. A highly-anticipated second season hit streamers on Jan. 30, bringing with it much more action. Given that the first installment ended on a cliffhanger, viewers are going to be in for a treat as the second season jumps right back in. To refresh your memory, we’ve assembled some of the most important things to remember before watching the second season.
‘The Recruit’ Season 1 Is Action-Packed
Between the first episode of The Recruit and the finale cliffhanger, a lot changes for Owen. After being selected by the CIA straight out of law school, Owen feels like he high expectations to live up to. As a result, he attempts to go above and beyond, handling cases and assets that threaten the secrets of the CIA. Maxine Meladze, known as Max (Laura Haddock) is a crucial character throughout Owen’s journey.
A former asset the the government organization herself, Max is in prison for murder and is attempting blackmail to gain freedom. She is one of Owen’s main concerns, as his new job is to protect the secrets of the CIA. When Owen meets Max to negotiate her release from prison in exchange for the safekeeping of CIA secrets, he learns of international conspiracies, bringing the characters together as he seeks must protect his new career and her.
Things Start To Get Real Complicated for Owen
With intel from Max, Owen visits an agency Black site in Yemen to verify her credibility and to start investigating the conspiracies. Upon his return, Max unveils that she has hidden classified documents containing CIA secret operations. Once Owen goes to retrieve these, he realizes that Max sent him to get a bag of money. On his mission, Owen is confronted by cartel members, who want the money Max previously stashed away.
This plot twist marks the beginning of Owen’s descent into conflicting feelings towards Max, who is a criminal. Although Owen is technically doing Max’s dirty work, he still reports to her so that she does not spill any information about the CIA. This puts her in a position of power since Owen simply wants to do his job. He attempts to help Max make a deal with the cartel to secure her safety so that official CIA business could take precedence.
After this, Owen travels to Max’s case officer Xander in Vienna. Xander is a sketchy character who lies to Owen about his involvement in what happened to Max during her time with the CIA. This meeting produces good intel, but shortly after Owen is attacked by assailants on his way to the airport. This all occurs by episode three of the show, which contextualizes just how action-packed and fast-moving The Recruit‘s plot line is.
Amping up the Action
In episode three, viewers get more insight into why Max is in prison in the first place. As a part of her safe house business, she lived with a woman named Cora. Cora brings a man named Salvatore into the home and eventually, Max finds her bloody and abused by him. This sets Max off and she goes after him without murderous intent but ends up killing him in self-defense.
As a result of the deceit and stress, Owen backs out from assisting Max right before she is released from prison in episode four. During all this, the CIA finds a purpose for her to insert herself back into the Russian mob as an asset. Yet, Owen’s connection with Max’s case does not end here as he is blamed for her disappearance. Eventually, Max reaches out to Owen since she feels he is the only one she can trust. He’s compelled to meet with a cartel leader, for Max to sell her business, which is integral for her to be useful again for the CIA.
The Mob Seeks Revenge
While this goes relatively smoothly, Owen and Max begin working with Xander despite his malicious intentions. In a ploy to get the $3 million needed for Max to be accepted back into the Russian mob as before, they sell him out, trading evidence that proves Xander slept with a Russian mobster’s wife. As a result, he is murdered by Nichka, an enforcer for the mob. Max gets worried about the danger that Nichka presents after she commits the murder and even tries to flirt with Owen on the same day, in episode seven.
Following the murder of Xander, his headquarters grows suspicious but the incident is blamed on simple mob revenge. Owen and Max then are free to arrange their meeting with Lev Orlov, who can reinsert her into the Russian mob. The meeting involving Max and Lev is peaceful at first, but Nichka enters with a crew and guns blazing. To protect Max, whether as an asset or due to an emotional attachment, Owen kills for the first time and soon after spirals due to his actions.
‘The Recruit’ Season 1 Ending Explained
All the while, Owen’s ex-girlfriend (and roommate) Hannah is worried for him. She makes appearances throughout the show between Owen’s dangerous escapades but at the end of the show flies to Geneva. She makes this journey with their mutual friend, Terence, in hopes of ensuring Owen’s safety. This could not come at a better time for Owen, who believes he is done with the CIA for good due to the violent mob meeting. Hannah finally agrees to meet up with Owen, but before they could reach each other, she witnesses him get kidnapped.
And it only gets wilder from there. Episode eight, the finale, ends with a big cliffhanger. Owen wakes up tied to a chair next to Max. Then suddenly Nichka, the mob enforcer, enters and Owen discovers a bombshell. Nichka, also known as Karolina, is Max’s daughter. Everything happens so quickly and Owen does not expect Nichka to shoot her mother in the chest. Naturally, this shocking twist left audiences at the end of their chairs.
What’s Season 2 of the Netflix Original All About?
Fans can expect to see some of the same faces from season one, along with some new additions. The CIA operatives and villains of the first season are seemingly here to stay. Since the premise of the new season follows Owen on another case in South Korea, there is a refreshing new batch of characters. Among them is Teo Yoo, who plays Jang Kyun; he previously appeared in Past Lives and Love to Hate You.
Fans of the show are likely asking some important questions about the season finale. For example: Is Max really dead? How does Owen escape Nichka’s clutches? Following the big season one finale, it is natural to assume that more thrilling drama will ensue. With Max’s life being turned upside down, viewers will likely see the stakes rise exponentially in The Recruit season two.