Citadel Season 2 Episode 3 takes place in England as Nadia reconnects with Orlick, Hutch and his partner, Celine Rohr, at Baha Mar. The meeting gets tense the moment Mason walks in and Nadia leaves, refusing to work with the man who betrayed her.
Orlick follows her and makes it clear that if they ever want to escape Manticore for good, and protect their families, they must get rid of the eight ruling families of the organization, starting with Paulo Braga. That can only happen if they get Mason, still the deadliest operative among them. Orlick gives Nadia 72 hours to figure out what Mason is really up to, and promises to kill him himself if he so much as hints at betrayal.
Back with the team, Orlick briefs Mason, Nadia, Hutch and Celine on the latest operation of Braga. Braga is developing software to kill the Russian president and gain access to Russia’s sophisticated spy satellite network, technology that can pinpoint a target with terrifying accuracy.
Braga’s endgame is political hegemony. Braga has President Aronov in his way and he will get rid of him and put in a corrupt prime minister who will give him free rein over the satellite system. The team has seven days before Braga makes his move and time is running out.
Mason admits he doesn’t want to save the world but when Abby is taken by Braga, he’s got no choice. If he wants any chance of winning her back, he’s got to work with the team.
Orlick also spills new info about the mind control chip. It went underground . He sabotaged its programming . It has a firewall that blocks transmissions over sixty seconds . The only way to turn it off is Orlick and a Korean hacker named Edison. Before Edison can get to him Braga becomes a primary target.
Orlick, through an old photo, recognizes Frank as one of Edison’s old contacts. Although Edison’s face is still covered, Nadia recognizes Frank right away and the team begrudgingly have to let him join the mission, despite their complicated past.
Meanwhile in France, Braga is called to his son Edgar’s school after the boy hits another student violently. In Edgar’s disturbing drawing of a black wolf with blood dripping from its mouth, a darkness runs through Braga’s family. Instead, Braga is rough on the school staff, telling them never to put Edgar in such a position again.
Meanwhile, Joanna is still on the trail of Aparna, who remains obsessed with tracking down Nadia. Joanna cautions her from turning her pursuit into another dangerous fixation.
Nadia leaves Asha with her estranged mother, a former spy who had left Asha for her own protection, before going back into the field. Nadia trusts her mother to protect her despite Asha’s painful past. Her mother gives her a card with a number to call, just in case things go wrong, before she leaves.
Outside the station, Mason comes up to Nadia and says he wants to see Asha one last time. Nadia shuts him down right away, letting him know he’s not welcome in her daughter’s life. Their showdown shows how deep are the still fresh wounds of Mason’s betrayal.
Meanwhile, Orlick, Hutch and Celine try to find Frank. They find that Frank worked for the CIA when Edison met him years ago. That link leads them to the CIA’s European headquarters in Rome, where Edison’s information is likely stored.
Orlick suggests hacking into CIA servers, which Hutch dismisses as impossible at first. But Orlick is confident, scoffing at the agency’s security, insisting they can do it.
Flashbacks explore Celine and Hutch’s relationship as preparations begin. Five years ago, the CIA recruited Celine to control Hutch, their best, but dangerously reckless operative. Her orders were simple, keep him focused and kill him if he ever went rogue.
In the present, Frank gives a list of CIA agents they can blackmail, opening the team access from the inside. The plan kicks off when Hutch and Celine sneak into CIA headquarters posing as traders of Nadia and Frank for their reinstatement.
But then, everything turns on its head when Nadia surprises everyone. She disarms Celine, and offers Mason and Orlick in return, demanding that the CIA help her and Asha disappear forever.
Her information is of interest to CIA directors Bantam and Cash, and Mason and Orlick are still on the outside, continuing to support the operation.
Mason calls to Katherine and pretends her son is hurt, bringing her out of the building to make an opening. Inside the headquarters, sonic technology disables agents and Hutch is able to capture the server codes from one of their turned operatives.
Just when it seems the mission may succeed, Hutch takes a shocking action – shooting Nadia for abandoning the plan.
The episode ends with Nadia bleeding out on the floor of CIA headquarters, alone and unconscious, the image of the blood soaked wolf flashing once again.
Review of the Episode
“Chinos” is one of the most intense and emotional episodes of the season so far. Mason and Nadia are pulled back into each other’s orbit and every interaction between them is weighed down with betrayal, regret and unresolved pain.
Trust is the biggest weakness of this team. Everyone has secrets, back-up plans and personal agendas in case shit hits the fan. The episode is compelling from start to finish because of the ongoing uncertainty.
Hutch shooting Nadia feels shocking, but it also suggests that there’s more going on beneath the surface. Considering what we do know about his past, and his relationship with Celine, this doesn’t seem to be a random act. His real motive could alter the alliance moving forward, whatever it is.
Episode 3 leaves the season in a much more dangerous place than ever before, with Nadia’s fate now uncertain and loyalties hanging by a thread.