Ghosts of Beirut (Miniseries Finale) Episode 4: Imad Mughniyeh died thanks to a car explosion on the 12th of February, 2008. There have been tons of theories regarding who should get the credit for the death of the Ghost, but the most stable theory says that it was a joint CIA-Mossad operation.
In its final episode, Showtime’s “Ghosts of Beirut” hinges on that theory and puts light on the joint operation to bring down the Ghost. However, thanks to muddled writing, inept handling of the plot, and lack of a clear vision, the miniseries fails to create an impact, which it should have, given the content it had in hand.
Ghosts of Beirut (Miniseries Finale) Episode 4 Recap:
After Lena saw ‘The Ghost’ in the streets of Damascus, it was only a matter of time before he was taken care of. Thanks to history being on our side, we already knew where things were headed. But it is not always as easy as it seems – especially when it comes to a political assassination.
From this point on, I am only going to talk about what this miniseries has shown us. You are welcome to explore more about what happened on your own, which I actually did before starting with this recap.
Is Imad Mughniyeh really a threat to America?
That’s the question the top authority figures ask the CIA team before getting the presidential approval to press the kill switch. Even though it seems frustrating for Lena and Teddy, as well as the audience, we need to understand that a lot of diplomatic factors come into the equation when it comes to a potentially world-changing decision. Also, when you are representing the good side of the law; you have to be responsible enough to not hurt an innocent person. So it was necessary to properly check everything before getting the green light for the final operation. Once that was given, the CIA-Mossad team did not waste any time and started the preparations.
What was the plan?
It was quite brilliant, actually – a car bomb where one of the tires is loaded with explosives, with the kill switch in the hand of the A-team, sitting in the control room of the operation. However, it does appear to be a bit tricky. But after several futile attempts, the team manages to make the right kind of bomb. Lena and Teddy, along with the team, set their base in Damascus. They receive a thirty-day window from the US Government to finish the job. After a lot of planning and precision, and stakeouts – the team finally spots Imad outside of a restaurant. But there is one problem – he is with Soleimani.
The last days of the Ghost of Beirut
Among the many issues I have with the show, the portrayal of Imad’s character has to be the biggest one. In an attempt to show him as a human being rather than a ruthless villain, they makers got confused and it clearly shows on the screen. For example, Imad’s new relationship with the boutique woman called Wafa gets way too much attention than it should have. It would have been acceptable if this was a ten-episode show, but it just doesn’t make sense in the series finale.
We see a lot of happy montages of Imad and Wafa in the episode, where the two talk about a happy future – something we already know is not going to happen. We are not going to feel sad for someone like Imad Mughniyeh, and the character of Wafa is too underdeveloped to feel anything for. The entire “life outside bombs and blood” part of this show is so out of place.
For example, we also get a scene of Teddy and his wife where she is frustrated with him being way too occupied with his work. This is the finale of the show, where we are anticipating the assassination of someone like Imad Mughniyeh- but we are still supposed to be interested in Teddy’s family life. Does that not seem too unreasonable?
Apart from that, things go exactly as they should. Imad and the Hezbollah commander, Mohammed, meet Soleimani in order to discuss Imad’s plan of using a biochemical weapon on Israel, a country he has hated since the beginning. Thanks to Asgari, who has now got asylum in the US, Lena gets the whiff of the plan, which eventually helps the CIA and Mossad to progress further with their operation.
Ghosts of Beirut (Miniseries Finale) Episode 4 Ending, Explained:
How do the CIA and Mossad take down Imad Mughniyeh?
It does not go smoothly. In fact, the presence of Soleimani makes it difficult for the US. While Mossad was very much in favor of the idea of getting Soleimani as a bonus, thanks to the problematic political relationship between Israel and Iran, the US could not have afforded that. Iran and the US had an understanding and diplomatic relationship at the time and Soleimani getting assassinated would have disrupted that and created complete chaos.
Upon seeing Imad, though, Teddy and his boss Meir get really agitated and try to press the kill switch until Lena and the CIA intervene. Imad gets away for the time being and Lena and Teddy end up having a fallout. However, the job is still not finished but the thirty-day window is over now, so an extension becomes a necessity for the team, as per the protocol. Lena gets back to the US to convince her CIA bosses to get that. Upon her return, Teddy and her make up, and Teddy even thanks her for stopping them from almost killing Soleimani.
And then comes that fateful day of February when the CIA-Mossad team gets another opportunity. Lena and Teddy get anxious when they see Mohammed and Soleimani coming out of the restaurant where they usually meet, but not Imad. Well, that is only because they are going to a nightclub nearby, and Imad is going to return home to Wafa. So he walks out of the restaurant alone and starts to walk towards the car casually, happy and content. He has managed to sell his plan to Soleimani, and now he is going back to the woman he loves. That, however, does not happen as the kill switch is activated this time, and you have already seen the episode – so I do not think there is anything more to be said about that.
Imag Mughniyeh, the man who was responsible for so many deaths and so much destruction, including the murder of Robert Ames and William Buckley, is finally taken care of in a revolutionary joint operation headed by Mossad agent, Teddy, and CIA targeter, Lena. The show could have been far better but this is all we get.
