Citadel Season 2 Episode 5 “Heirlooms” opens with Mason running off with Dahlia, leaving Braga in the trunk of their car. Back at HQ, Orlick learns that Mason has taken Braga hostage in hopes of getting Abby back. Finally, Celine and Hutch open up about Edison, and the truth is it’s Ha-joon’s wife who is the real Edison.
Braga wakes up and starts banging on the inside of the trunk for help and a police officer notices him at a stoplight. Dahlia has no compunction about killing the officer so he cannot investigate further. Mason immediately wonders if he’s made a mistake trusting her but Dahlia dismisses his fears, telling him Kyle was a weakling and Mason is the version of him that she respects.
In France, Joanna learns of Braga’s disappearance and quickly orders Charlotte to call in every favor she has to find him. Meanwhile, Nadia remembers the suspicious vehicle she saw earlier and Orlick feels certain Mason had help from outside. They start to trace properties linked to Thomas Kane and Dahlia Archer through Frank’s network of contacts.
Braga gives Dahlia a number to call at the safe house and Dahlia goes out to get the negotiations ready. Braga then tries to persuade Mason to join forces and make a better future for their children, but Mason refuses to hear of it.
But as things heat up between Orlick and Nadia over Mason’s escape, Dahlia reaches out to Joanna to broker an exchange. She returns to the house and tells Mason to ditch their car and steal a new one for transport.
Left alone with Braga, Dahlia confesses she placed a hit on Mason earlier because he knew who she was and was a threat. She says helping him save Abby is her way of making things right, but she still wants to hear what Braga has to offer.
Elsewhere, Frank finally gets a break from one of his contacts who helps trace the vehicle Mason and Dahlia used, giving the team their first real lead.
Back at the safehouse Dahlia cooks Mason his father’s favorite meal and they have a surprisingly intimate conversation about love and loyalty. Dahlia says Mason’s father was the love of her life, flaws and all. But Mason admits the emotional quandary of risking Nadia’s life to save Abby, but he stands firm – Abby’s his wife and that’s all that matters.
Shortly after talking to Braga, Mason realizes that Dahlia may be using him. She says there were discussions, but no agreement was reached.
Aparna, meanwhile, takes Edison to France, and Joanna readies Abby for the exchange. Meanwhile, Orlich, Nadia and Frank hurry to Dahlia’s location.
With Dahlia out of the way for the time being, Braga makes a final effort to recruit Mason. This time he goes for Mason’s deepest insecurities, accusing him of being a spy to hide from who he really is. He even predicts that one day Mason’s daughters will be ashamed of him. The psychological attack is too much for Mason, who snaps and kills Braga on the spot.
When Orlick and his party arrive, they find they are too late. Mason and Dahlia have already gone and Braga’s body is hidden in a closet.
With Braga dead, Mason uses technology to impersonate him during the exchange by programming a voice changer to replicate his voice. He and Dahlia take the meeting to a dark subway station.
The exchange continues, with Joanna unaware she has been scammed. But when the hood comes off Mason unleashes a brutal attack wiping out Joanna’s security team. During their getaway, they narrowly survive some gunfire, but Mason escapes and is reunited with Dahlia and Abby.
Mason checks on Abby after her car is attacked at the end of the episode. “Abby,” he says. She looks confused. “Celeste,” she asks him. Identity and memory are still key to the story, even in the wake of what’s happened.
Review Of The Episode
“Heirlooms” is about the enduring effects of legacy, family and identity. Braga’s final words hit Mason hard, making him question the kind of legacy he might leave his own kids.
Mason’s life has never been more complicated, fractured between many identities, fractured by broken relationships, and fractured by many violent choices. Kyle might be someone Hendrix sees as a caring father figure but Mason’s darker reality will be much harder to accept. Same could be for Asha who might have difficulty accepting Mason’s past and Nadia’s secrets.
The episode’s most powerful themes are that family is both motivation and vulnerability. Almost every character makes morally dubious decisions in order to protect the ones they love, but those same relationships are constantly used against them.
Another really compelling element is the idea of control. Memory wipes, implanted chips, voice-altering technology – the episode raises a disturbing question: do organizations like Citadel and Manticore see their agents as human beings, or just tools to be used and thrown away?
The break down of Mason seems inevitable. His violent response to Braga’s manipulation is less a loss of control than a desperate struggle of a man trying to survive in the chaos around him, burdened by conflicting identities, painful memories, and impossible choices.
