Prisoner Ep 2 begins with Amber and Tibor being taken to a faraway warehouse. Amber tries to stay positive but Nina quickly squashes that by letting slip Pegasus has a mole inside the NCU. The real question is why Amber and Tibor are still alive and what does Pegasus really want from them?
Declan wants to kill the captives but Harrison, as leader, gets to decide. Harrison’s right hand man, Miles, explains that Harrison doesn’t fully trust his own son, and that’s why he’s personally handling the situation. Meanwhile, the group is revealed to be using 3-D printing to make guns, but what they want to do with them is not clear.
Josephine takes charge back at NCU. She tells the team she will find the mole and get rid of him/her but the list of suspects is long. She orders a total lockdown and refuses any details to the press.
Alex tries to go around her authority, believing that he is still in charge of the operation. His approach only makes things more complicated. He enlists the help of data analyst Will O’Neil in a bid to get a grip on things.
Olly arrives at the NCU and learns of Amber’s abduction. He is not allowed to go home for his own safety as Pegasus may be after him next. Instead he is transferred to a member of the Prison Transport team.
At the warehouse, Tibor opens up to Amber about his past. He once had a seven-year-old son. Pegasus draws on family, with the implication his son was killed when Tibor refused to cooperate. The NCU gives Tibor witness protection, which he tries to bargain with Harrison over. It is also revealed that the current situation is the result of a failed operation in Belarus, in which Declan betrayed Tibor.
As the tension mounts at the table Amber distracts everyone and Tibor sneaks off with a teaspoon. Later, Harrison orders Nina to kill both of the prisoners. Tibor takes his chance as they are led down a hallway full of freshly printed weapons.
There is a violent shootout and Amber and Tibor manage to escape. They get in a car and drive off. Nina shoots at them and misses. Then Nina takes control and decides to use Amber’s vulnerability, her daughter, to her advantage, putting her in even more danger.
On the road, Amber calls Olly and tells him to run, Pegasus will come after him next. Tibor assists Olly to escape impending danger. Meanwhile Amber and Tibor are still on the run and now they have to trust each other.
Back at the NCU, Josephine realizes that only Alex and O’Neil had the information about Olly’s location. If challenged, O’Neil turns the suspicions to Alex. Josephine calls Alex out in front of the team and puts him on suspension, giving O’Neil control of the operation.
Later in the episode, Nina tracks down Amber and Tibor in a motel. But when Tibor kills a drug dealer to get the cash, Amber is shocked and pushed further toward emotional collapse. Left to themselves, she begins to crack under the pressure.
Tibor insists that survival is a matter of compliance, but Amber can’t quite accept the brutal reality of their situation.
Episode Recap
This episode is very much about tension and changing loyalties, but not all of it works well. Josephine’s leadership is especially suspect. “It seems rash and unprofessional to confront Alex in front of the entire team based on circumstantial evidence, especially when O’Neil had access to the same information.”
The main question is who the mole is, and the story is heavily leaning towards Alex or O’Neil. Given the setup, O’Neil looks to be the more likely candidate.
Tibor is a resourceful and pragmatic character in stark contrast to Amber’s moral uncertainty. But Amber’s choice to admit she had a child could be a fatal mistake and put her in greater danger.
Olly’s on the run now, Nina’s closing in and it’s obvious we’re heading for some big cat-and-mouse chase. It’s a compelling premise, but the writing choices are uneven and there’s room for growth in future episodes.
