The third episode of Citadel, “Infinite Shadows,” begins with Dahlia’s operatives torturing Bernard mercilessly, while Dahlia pressures him to reveal sensitive Citadel intelligence.
Meanwhile in Spain, Nadia takes Mason to a hidden Citadel safe house after successfully disabling the tracker on the X Case so Davik cannot track them. Nadia treats Mason’s bullet wound, and the two have a tense conversation about trust, evoking memories of their complicated past.
A flashback ten years earlier in Utah shows the truth of their relationship. Mason makes his way to Citadel’s U.S. headquarters where Bernard and Grace brief him on a dangerous mission involving a deadly virus in Iran. Mason is told he will have a new partner, an agent named Nadia.
On the mission, Mason escapes Hasan’s heavily guarded mountain fortress with the package by the skin of his teeth. Then there’s a snow-filled chase scene that’s all adrenaline, and he’s surrounded…until Nadia arrives and flips the script with explosive precision. Mason, injured but with her help, manages to get away.
Nadia formally introduced herself at Citadel headquarters. “My mother was a Citadel operative,” she reveals. “I joined the organization five years ago. Their working relationship rapidly turns into something more, and a later flashback shows the pair in Paris shortly after their mission.
Now, Nadia is sending a secret encrypted message about a mysterious package waiting for her, which makes us wonder about her loyalty again.
Elsewhere, Dahlia interrogates Bernard further. Their conversation suggests they were once colleagues at the United Nations but are now adversaries. She wants access to Citadel’s AI system that tracks uranium activity worldwide and threatens Bernard’s family if he does not comply.
Back in Wyoming, Abby explains to Joe that she met Mason, now Kyle, in a memory retrieval program after an accident.
As Bernard resists Dahlia’s torture, he is pushed to his limit. Just before the interrogation is about to continue, he drops a bombshell – Brielle, the woman Anders once loved, is still alive.
Later Mason speaks to Abby about Nadia, and Nadia tells Mason to go home and protect his family. But Mason detects strange signals from the Citadel case. The signals lead them to video messages from Carter Spence, recorded before Manticore got him.
The trail leads to Fez, where Nadia is convinced Carter is being held by Balduino Basto, a Portuguese crime boss whom Mason had known well in his former life.
Mason reunites with Balduino while Nadia hacks into his systems from afar by using a transmitter hidden in Mason’s lighter. During their conversation, Balduino says something that shocks Nadia: it was she who betrayed Citadel.
Mason accomplishes the mission and escapes safely, but he is shaken. Back in the car he accuses Nadia. She passionately denies being the mole.
In the episode’s final twist, Bernard shows Anders a picture of Mason’s family, revealing that Abby is actually Brielle, under a new identity, leaving everything Mason believes in to question.
Review “Infinite Shadows” lives up to its name, revealing one thing after another. The episode doesn’t let up the momentum and keeps the stakes high with action-packed sequences, secret identities and major plot twists.
But the story remains fun, and some of the twists are predictable. Many viewers will see it coming early that Nadia is suspected as the traitor and Abby’s identity hidden.
Character development remains the weakest part. Mason and Nadia have a good chemistry on-screen, but the romance develops so quickly that it lacks any emotional depth. Some characters still feel more like classic spy archetypes than fleshed out people.
The series still looks polished visually, although some of the stylized camera movements feel a little over the top and distracting at times.
Still, the episode’s brisk pace, snappy editing and solid performances (particularly from Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci) make it a compelling watch that leaves you wanting to see what happens next.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
