CIA Season 1 Episode 2 Review: A Weak Case but An Intriguing Reveal

Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5.0

3

I’m used to the second episode of a series being better than the first, so color me confused when it happened the other way around with CIA.

While still a fun series, the second episode just came across as a little bog-standard.

That being said, it offered some necessary backstory and intrigue for both of our main characters.

A Case That Didn’t Need the CIA

The entire case of the week felt like it could have been something on FBI rather than this new series that is supposed to be all about espionage.

That’s where the flaw immediately was, especially after such a twisty case during the very first episode.

The whole thing that drew me into CIA was the thrill that espionage brings.

This is a series where the FBI is needed just so Colin Glass’ team can work on U.S. soil, but here we are with a case that Jubal’s team could have handled quickly and effectively.

In fact, throw in the Fugitive Task Force, and I feel like nobody would have fallen for things in the way that Colin and Bill did.

Considering Colin is a CIA agent, he trusted way too quickly, and he was fortunate to get away with his life, let alone the case actually working in his favor.

He is supposed to be a seasoned agent, well-versed in lying and manipulation. In fact, he even tried to do some himself.

Instead, he believed a person he’d never met wanted to defect and was willing to help him, and Bill get to the bottom of the case that involved poison.

At least, when Bill decided that he was going to trust her a second time, he admitted the flaw in that.

The case made Colin and Bill look like mediocre agents, even new-to-the-job agents, so now I’m questioning everything they’ll be able to do in the future.

In a way, though, it does connect to the CIA premiere, as Bill made it clear that he didn’t trust Colin’s informant.

The difference was that Colin was right to trust someone who could have been a double agent, which arguably led to him almost failing the mission during Episode 2.

Bill is pretty good at knowing when he is being lied to, and it’s clear that he is unwilling to take someone at their word — or even someone else’s.

He wants answers for himself, and he’s likely to learn his lesson from this situation.

The question is, will Colin? Will he end up falling for the manipulation of others in the future?

Nikki Shows Off Her Skills

A major highlight of the episode was Nikki’s ability to get the information she needed.

She gets to know her mark by pretending she knows nothing about Persian culture.

Now, I’m not sure how much of her story was true.

They always say that the best lies are based on some truth, and I do believe that, so it’s possible that part of Nikki’s backstory is true.

At the same time, it could just be a backstory she’s become used to telling. Without knowing more about her, that’s hard to say.

And I love it because it keeps me guessing and makes me want to know more about her.

The best thing about CIA is that we can’t trust what the characters tell us when they’re talking to others, especially marks.

We need to wait to see what the show gives us on the screen, such as the end of CIA Season 1 Episode 2 as we wrap things up with Colin for the night.

Whether true or not, her acting skills were on point throughout the scene at the tea bar, indicating that she’s a top agent — and she should be, considering she’s the head of this Fusion Cell.

A force of nature at the Fusion Cell HQ, she adopts a lighter, girlier demeanor.

She transforms herself into a “Pick Me Girl,” and it works for this. This is a woman who knows her marks and how they are likely to react to different female personalities.

Getting the information she needed to shut down the sleeper cell was a little too easy.

I expected something just a tad more dangerous. However, it worked as we got toward the end of the episode.

We’re still just two episodes into CIA, and time needs to be spent slowly building up characters.

This episode was mostly about getting to know Colin and Bill and how they work together, so I can respect the decision to make Nikki’s part of the case a little less dangerous.

Next time, I want to see something higher in risk factor for her.

Colin Is Working Overtime to Protect People He Loves

Going into the series, Nick Gehlfuss shared that his character, Bill, is engaged. We got to learn that in this episode of the show.

As Colin told Bill that he didn’t know that Bill is engaged, I had to wonder whether it was true or not.

Wouldn’t someone like Colin do some research into the man who will become almost like a partner in the field?

Like believing the target so easily, it screams “inexperienced” when it comes to Colin, and that just isn’t sitting right.

He should learn everything he can about anyone he is working closely with, but I could see him lying to Bill, just to make Bill sit easier.

How would you like it if your partner did a deep dive on you before they joined the team?

Colin isn’t a stupid man, and we get to see that by the end of the episode.

There is something huge that Colin is keeping from everyone, and it’s very Memory of a Killer-like.

It turns out that he has a secret family, and I don’t even think Nikki knows about them.

Colin tells Bill that remaining single is the best thing for the job, since nobody can then use family to get to you.

It makes a lot of sense, considering we’ve seen plenty of crime dramas where family members have been used. It’s common in the world of espionage and gangs.

After an episode in which Colin makes questionable choices, this shows that he is a seasoned agent after all, so why don’t the rest of his actions this season match?

Of course, Colin’s family is sure to come up later during the series.

Just saying that families are put in danger makes it clear someone is going to learn the truth about Colin.

It makes me think Colin definitely isn’t the mole, and that the mole within the Fusion Cell will learn about his family and use them against Colin and Bill.

I can’t help but wonder if CIA will go the Criminal Minds route when Hotchner lost Haley when George Foyet found out about her.

Of course, a mole putting Colin’s family in danger adds that extra layer of betrayal, and if the show is going to do something similar to Criminal Minds, then this is the way it needs to do it.

I did enjoy Bill being the one to remember Colin’s ages when he told the same story twice, leading to suspicion that there was something untrue. I noticed the ages changing as well.

This is sure to lead to distrust, but at the same time, Colin had to say something to get people to connect with him.

That’s the way his job works, and it did the trick, especially at the end.

I bet Bill will even understand as he learns the truth about Colin’s family — because that is sure to happen eventually — and realize that it is important to keep the personal and professional separate in this line of work.

There remains great chemistry between Tom Ellis and Gehlfuss, but CIA Season 1 Episode 2’s case missed the mark.

Hopefully, the third episode will get the ball rolling and give us smart and well-seasoned agents.

This, in no way, will stop me from watching the new CBS series, but it is a weaker start than the pilot episode.

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