Citadel: Honey Bunny (Season 1), created by Raj & DK, is a prequel to the origin story – Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The Indian spy action series stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan as the titular characters, with the show largely set between the 1990s and 2000s. The series sets the stage for Priyanka’s character, Nadia, as we learn about her origin story, including how her parents met and what led to their eventual fate.
Citadel: Honey Bunny embraces a retro feel, paying homage to 90s pop culture when Bollywood experienced a major transformation, introducing a new cultural era. The prequel also explores how the world of technology was shifting during that time, and how people with sinister agendas tried to seize the latest technological advancements to gain power and control over the vulnerable. While the series follows a rather predictable storyline, with a constant chase for power between the good and the bad guys, it loses momentum when the action scenes take center stage.
Samantha as Honey is quite convincing, delivering a smooth performance, but Varun Dhawan as Bunny feels out of place, giving an underwhelming performance due to a poorly developed character. The series includes some funny dialogue and banter between the characters, but unfortunately, the actors can barely elevate the characters beyond the caricaturish writing. The show also features Kay Kay Menon, whose talents feel underutilized, along with Sikandar Kher and Saqib Saleem. Other flaws include weak CGI, poor action sequences, and characters that don’t stand out. Ultimately, it feels like a typical, textbook spy thriller that’s best suited for background viewing.
In this article, I will provide a detailed analysis of what takes place in Citadel: Honey Bunny (Season 1) and how it connects to the origin story. Please note the article contains spoilers, so please read with discretion.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 1 “Dancing and Fighting” Recap:
The episode introduces our protagonist, Honey (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), who lives in Nainital with her young daughter, Nadia. The year is 2000, and Honey runs a small café alongside her business partner, Vivek. While running an errand for the café, Honey realizes she is being followed. She tries to handle the situation but is outnumbered by additional men and gets thrown into the trunk of a car.
Meanwhile, Nadia, trained by her mother on what to do if she receives an SOS code on her pager, quickly packs her bag, discreetly leaves the school mid-time, and waits for her mother to pick her up at the cinema. When Nadia doesn’t hear back from Honey, she calls Vivek, asking him to take her home safely and wait for her mother’s return.
Back at home, Nadia witnesses Vivek being killed by strange men who are looking for her and Honey. She quickly sends an SOS to her mother for help. Desperate to return to her daughter, Honey somehow manages to free herself. She uses her knife (hidden inside her boots) to cut through the back seat from inside the car’s trunk and fights off the goons driving her to a remote location. A poorly choreographed CGI fight scene follows, but Honey manages to escape the car after killing both goons.
How does Honey get involved with Bunny?
The story flashes back to 1992 in Bombay. Bunny (Varun Dhawan) is a stuntman working in Bollywood, while Honey is a struggling actress facing constant rejection at auditions. When Bunny learns that Honey is barely making enough money to pay rent or stay afloat, he offers to help her land a gig that could set her up financially. It turns out that Bunny and the team work for someone named Baba, carrying out various spy work.
This time, Bunny is tasked with stealing a “high-tech disk item” from a man named David D’Souza (Parmeet Sethi). When their first attempt to retrieve the disk fails, Honey steps in to lure David, stealing the item from his hotel room. However, things go awry when a heavily drunk David wakes up and catches Honey trying to escape with the stolen item, which is crucial for him to deliver. Despite warnings from his team about involving a civilian and the risk of getting caught, Bunny rushes into the hotel room, fights off David and his henchmen, and rescues Honey.
As Bunny orders his members to scoot, Honey demands an explanation about a man named Vishwa and whether he is into anything illegal. On the other hand, David calls a man to update him about the stolen disk. The man, along with his team, finds Bunny and his members running away, and during a chase sequence, Honey gets shot down.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 1 “Dancing and Fighting” Ending Explained:
Who is Vishwa?
After failing to retrieve the disk, Shaan (Sikandar Kher) is grilled about his incompetence by his boss, Zooni (Simran Bagga). She reminds him that getting the disk is crucial, as it holds the key to Project Talwar, a plan initiated by her late husband, Rinzy, to eliminate people like Vishwa. It’s revealed that Bunny’s boss, Baba (Kay Kay Menon), operates under the code “Vishwa” in the spy world. While Vishwa/Baba is eager to uncover Zooni’s intentions behind Project Talwar, he is unhappy with Bunny’s decision to involve a civilian like Honey in their operations.
The episode cuts to 2000, where Bunny lives in Bucharest, leading a double life as a rockstar (much like his earlier days of being a Bollywood stuntman in 1992). His recurring dreams and nightmares about Honey prompt him to check for any internal messages from his operatives. Episode 1 of Citadel: Honey Bunny ends with Bunny discovering that Honey is still alive and his daughter is in danger. Meanwhile, Honey receives another SOS from Nadia, asking for help.
The episode ends with Honey panicking and racing against time to save her daughter.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 2 “Talwar” Recap:
After learning about Honey and Nadia, Bunny returns to India, and Episode 2 gives us the backstory for both our protagonists. Bunny lost his parents at a young age during a mishap at a wedding, which led him to an orphanage. Growing up, Chacko became his lifelong best friend, and later, the two teamed up while working for Baba.
On the other hand, Honey had a royal lineage but was never treated like royalty by her father. As a child, she fell in love with cinema and taught herself how to ride a horse and use a gun. She decided to leave her old life behind after her much older husband suddenly passed away, prompting her to pack her bags and move to Bombay to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. While Honey never made it as an actress, she named her daughter Nadia after a yesteryear actress she had admired and aspired to become.
Why did Shaan order KD to find Honey?
After all these years, while visiting their organization’s rendezvous point, Bunny reunites with his best friend, Chacko, who is now a responsible family man. The two decide to track down Honey and Nadia, and they connect with Ludo (the team’s tech expert), who provides them with location coordinates where Honey might be. However, upon arriving at the location, Bunny and Chacko end up fighting KD (Saqib Saleem) and his men, who work for Shaan and have been ordered to find Honey in hopes of uncovering more information about Vishwa.
Meanwhile, realizing that Nadia is no longer safe in the house, she grabs her go-bag and escapes through a back window. After finding a safe spot, Nadia sends her location to her mother. At the same time, Honey hijacks a car from a couple driving by and rushes toward Nadia’s location. After reuniting with her daughter, they head toward a safe house. Along the way, Honey goes over SOS codes and emergency protocols with Nadia, as she has been trained to follow them in emergencies.
Why did Honey and Bunny choose to be spies?
A flashback to 1992 shows Honey waking up in a remote location, injured. Bunny is there to update her on the incident that led to her gunshot wounds and reassure her that she is safe with him. Meanwhile, Baba summons Bunny to his place, and we learn that Bunny holds Baba in high regard, as he saved young Bunny’s life by getting him out of the orphanage. Bunny feels Baba helped him believe in himself again and want to do something useful in life, eventually leading him to become a spy.
Although Baba is unhappy with Honey’s involvement in the agency’s activities, Bunny asks him to let Honey train as an agent after she pleads for his help, saying her dreams and aspirations no longer make sense after the incident. Despite his reservations, Baba agrees, and Honey undergoes rigorous training with Bunny and his team. Eventually, she completes the training, and Baba assigns Honey with her first mission. We briefly see Honey and Bunny becoming romantically involved with each other. Meantime, we see Honey getting briefed on her new assignment.
Are KD’s men able to find Honey?
Back in the present, KD’s men search Honey’s place while looking for Nadia. Though they fail to find the child, they do discover property documents hidden in the house that may lead them to a safe house where Honey had taken refuge during her recovery from the gunshot wound. KD learns the coordinates of the house from his men, and we see the goons heading toward the location. Meanwhile, Honey sets up security measures around the safe house after settling in with her daughter. She retrieves a stash of guns from a hidden cabinet and assembles them for protection. After tucking Nadia into bed, Honey sleeps next to her daughter with a gun by her side for safety.
Episode 2 of Citadel: Honey Bunny ends with Bunny discovering that KD is already on his way to Honey’s location as he drives there with Chacko.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 3 “Spy Game” Recap:
Episode 3 begins with Bunny finding his way to Honey’s location, where she is currently hiding with their daughter. However, before Bunny can reach her, Honey is ambushed by the ‘bad guys,’ and we see her cleverly fighting them off single-handedly. Meanwhile, one of the men KD sent to find Honey informs him that she ran away before he could catch her. KD then instructs his men to assemble at the Mumbai base.
On their way to the next safe house, Honey makes Nadia promise not to leave the car while she rests for a bit due to a gunshot wound. Seeing her mother badly injured, Nadia goes to a nearby market to get medicine. However, the little girl gets scolded when Honey doesn’t find her in the car as instructed.
On the other hand, the episode flashes back to 1992 again. We briefly see Dr. Rao meeting with Zooni and her team, warning them to keep their men away from him as that would scare his source from discussing further details about Project Unicorn.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 3 “Spy Game” Ending Explained:
Who is Satya?
Honey had been assigned her first mission: to recruit Dr. Raghu Rao and gain access to “Armada.” With her innocent and poised personality, she manages to charm Dr. Rao over a lunch meeting. However, before she can extract any information about Armada, she passes out. It turns out Honey is two months pregnant, and Dr. Rao even offers to help by taking her to a hospital.
Meanwhile, we also see Baba introducing KD as one of the core members of his team. Bunny, whose real name is Rahi, had been leading the team and doesn’t take kindly to KD’s addition, giving him a cold reception. When Honey doesn’t show up at the rendezvous base, the team starts questioning her integrity, making Bunny worried about her safety.
The episode ends with Bunny arriving at Honey’s location, stunned by the aftermath of the ambush, leading him to reconnect with Ludo to gather more information about Baba. After much consideration, Honey calls Baba, whose real name is Satya, and asks him to protect her and Nadia in exchange for ‘Armada,’ the very thing he’s been chasing all this time.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 4 “Home” Recap:
Episode 4 reveals that Baba is up to something big, prompting Bunny to reconnect with Ludo—the tech guy working at Baba’s agency. As per Bunny, Ludo had to go rogue immediately after finding Baba’s files to avoid getting caught. Meanwhile, Honey introduces her daughter to the chapter of Rahi’s story – Nadia’s father, explaining how he led her to become a spy.
We then see KD meeting Baba at his place, where he gets brutally gaslighted for his incompetence in catching Honey and Nadia. Baba even taunts KD, saying Rahi has always been the better of the two and has never disappointed him. KD swallows his shame, asking for another chance and promising Baba that he will never let him down again.
What is Armada?
In 1992, after learning that Honey is pregnant, Dr. Rao takes her to his home and offers advice on a healthier lifestyle, reminding her to be cautious. Honey begins to see Dr. Rao as a fatherly figure, appreciating his kindness and generosity despite Bunny and his team telling her that he is the enemy. Honey then meets her team at the rendezvous point, giving out the location where Dr. Rao is supposed to meet his source for the exchange of Armada—a satellite technology rumored to be a code capable of igniting war.
Baba, however, grows suspicious of Honey and demotes her from fieldwork to a tech role, partnering her with Ludo. Meanwhile, Honey contemplates sharing the news of her pregnancy with Bunny but, seeing him blinded by Baba’s mission without knowing whether he’s on the right or wrong side, she decides not to disclose anything.
In the present time, Ludo manages to acquire Baba’s files and teams up with Rahi and Chako to decrypt them.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 4 “Home” Ending Explained:
Why does Honey go to Zooni for help?
The story flashes back to the 1992 ‘Armada operation,’ where Rahi, KD, and his team are closely watching Dr. Rao, planning to extract Armada from him after meeting his source. Meanwhile, Zooni’s team, tasked with ensuring Dr. Rao’s safety, is shocked to discover Baba’s team is also there. Things get messy when Honey finds Bunny carrying out Baba’s orders to kill Dr. Rao after acquiring Armada.
Zooni, who had been following in her late husband’s footsteps, working on Project Talwar to stop people like Vishwa (Satya) and his foundation—the actual villains—gets drawn into Honey’s dilemma. Feeling disappointed and betrayed by the lies, Honey meets with Zooni and Shaan, revealing that Dr. Raghu Rao didn’t want the Armada he developed for Citadel to fall into the wrong hands and that she can help them recover it.
The episode ends with Honey (in 2000) uncovering Armada in a secret location within her palace in Tamil Nadu.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 5 “Traitor” Recap:
Which Citadel contact does Honey reach out to?
In the present time, after settling at her home in Tamil Nadu for a while, Honey decides to leave Nadia in her brother’s care, trusting him to look after her well-being while she goes back to finish her mission once and for all. We also see Honey meeting her father who never saw her in the eyes as she was his illegitimate child. She tells her father that despite him being unkind and absent in her life, she will make sure to provide the best of life for Nadia. Right before leaving, Honey bids goodbye to her daughter promising to return. Nadia digs into Honey’s bag and takes out a DVD (that contains Armada), using it as bait for her mother to return to her safely.
Meantime, Bunny along with Chako and Ludo find Citadel Dispatch Centres’ numbers on Baba’s call records in his file. So, the three land at the nearest center in Mumbai to tap their system to find if Honey has made any contact with Citadel. After breaking into the center and putting away all the techie guys at gunpoint, they wait for Honey’s call. It turns out that Honey eventually calls a Citadel number but it is Shaan on the other end. She tells him that she has Armada and decides on a place to meet leading Shaan to intimate Zooni about Honey’s plan.
Does Bunny let Honey leave the team?
Back in 1992 Belgrade, after ‘finishing’ Dr. Rao and getting Armada to himself, Baba orders Honey to accompany him and Bunny to a safe point. Briefly, we see him engaging his foundation team who wishes to take down Citadel using Armada. However, as seen in the previous episode, Honey had already betrayed her team for the sake of her and Bunny’s child’s safety. Wearing an ankle tracker, Honey leads Shaan and his team to ambush Baba eventually creating chaos.
During a crossfire among both parties, Honey manages to steal Armada from Baba’s bag pack which he mistakenly leaves in the car during crossfire. This leads Bunny to follow Honey as she tries to escape but during a gunpoint, she discloses that she is pregnant with her child leaving Bunny shocked with the news. As Honey tries to escape from a stolen car, KD follows her and shoots at the car leading it to a blast leading Bunny to shoot KD in anguish. Having no means to escape, Baba gets caught by Zooni’s team and is imprisoned at a secret location. It turns out that Baba, a.k.a. Satya, had killed Zooni’s husband, Rinzy, who was the head of Citadel and Satya’s best friend with whom he started an anti-establishment.
The story moves forward in the timeline, and in 2000, in the Czech Republic, we see Satya meeting members of his foundation who helped him get out of the Citadel detention center. While the foundation discusses looping in an Italian power-hungry arms manufacturer, Ettore Zani, Satya tells his members that he is close to sourcing KGB-sanctioned Armada after eight years of it being lost.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Episode 5 “Traitor” Ending Explained:
Why is Citadel not a safe place?
Back in Mumbai, Honey does a parameter check at Shaan’s rendezvous point but ends up meeting Bunny before Shaan enters the scene. While Honey doesn’t believe that Bunny is there for her protection, she suspects him of still working with Baba. However, when Bunny explains that Citadel is not a safe place for her and Nadia, the two escape Shaan.
Bunny feels that there is a mole in Citadel who has been helping Baba gather valuable information from the organization to plan his moves. After running several algorithms and diagnoses on Baba’s cryptic file, Ludo discovers that Baba has had constant contact with someone named Eagle from Citadel.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Finale Episode 6 “Play” Recap:
The finale episode begins with a confrontation between Honey and Bunny. While Bunny is furious about not knowing of Nadia’s existence, Honey is disappointed that Bunny is blinded by the wrong man. After a bit of a meltdown, Honey eventually shares that Nadia is a brilliant kid who wishes to become an agent like her parents. We then see Ludo setting up Honey with some of his self-made gadgets that would help her to speak to Nadia anytime she wishes.
Back in 1999, Satya, still in the detention center, meets Zooni, who wants to know why he killed her husband, who was also Satya’s brother. However, we learn that during a failed mission, when Rinzy was killed, Satya was pinned down as a traitor for killing the Citadel head, while he had actually waited for Rinzy to show up before deciding to run away.
Who is the mole in Citadel?
Apparently, Satya and Rinzy wanted to leave the Citadel after discovering that the organization manipulated its agents to blindly follow orders. They wanted to create an anti-establishment to correct all the wrongdoings of the Citadel. Despite Zooni having her doubts about Satya, she follows his lead in finding proof against the Citadel. She visits Satya’s memory vault and finds a photograph of the foundation that both Satya and Rinzy created from scratch.
In 2000, Honey decides to meet Shaan after following the tracker that she put on his car when they were supposed to meet last time. She threatens him with knowledge about Vishwa and a Citadel mole, which turns out to be Zooni. She hands him a CD that contains all the proof and leaves.
Who has the Armada?
Meanwhile, Bunny meets Baba at an orphanage where he scouts young kids to train them as his agents. The two men express their anger over the betrayal, but the mention of Armada shifts their rift. Bunny confronts Baba about trying to kill his family, whom he looked up to with high regard, and destroys Armada right in front of him by shooting at it. Before leaving, he tells Baba that he wants him to leave his family alone. On the other hand, Shaan takes Zooni to the detention center after learning she has been helping Satya for a year with his mission. Amidst everything, KD tracks down Chako’s family to find out his location, but upon learning that Baba has asked the team to stand down, he decides to take things forward on his own.
He, along with his team, reaches Chako’s location, where Ludo has already set up a safety perimeter, destroying all the evidence and fleeing the scene. Back in Honey’s palace in her hometown, she introduces Nadia to her father. While bonding with her father, Nadia takes out the DVD that contains a film with both her parents from their Bollywood days.
This is when Bunny receives a message from Ludo that KD is able to track both him and Chako, and they are also in danger. As Honey and Bunny pack their bags and get ready for KD’s team to attack them, Honey tells her brother to take Nadia away and keep her safe.
Citadel: Honey Bunny Finale Episode 6 “Play” Ending Explained:
Who is after Honey and Bunny?
Soon, the palace is bombarded with gunfire as KD approaches Honey and Bunny to kill them. A fight ensues between the two sides as we see Honey and Bunny fending off as many attackers as they can. However, KD’s inflated ego driven to finish the job to impress Baba, wants to achieve his goal at any cost. During this time, KD also loses his brother, Nakul, who has been on this mission from the beginning.
Honey and Bunny somehow escape the palace with Nadia, but soon more men follow their car. Sensing they are outnumbered, Bunny tells Honey to leave with Nadia for their child’s sake. After bidding the two goodbye, Bunny and KD get into a fight over loyalty, where KD blames Bunny for ruining everything. During their face-off, Bunny explains that Baba has lied to them about everything and how he tests his agents’ loyalty. KD agrees to go against Baba’s word about “leaving Rahi’s family alone”; however, Bunny explains that because they were both orphans, they always tried to outdo themselves in the hope of receiving love and affection from Baba, a fatherly figure who always taught them important life lessons.
The ending of Citadel: Honey Bunny (Season 1) shows KD suggesting Bunny leave to avoid getting pinned down by more manpower from Citadel as Honey and Nadia wait for him to meet them at the boatyard. The final scene of Citadel: Honey Bunny leaves the audience on a cliffhanger for a possible second season, with Bunny standing ready with his gun, waiting to take on the herd of armed forces coming at him.
