Liaison (Season 1) Episode 1: Spy thriller is a genre that has been done to death. The secretive nature of their identities and their missions makes up for a great push of suspense beyond the central plot. The obvious intrigue related to this unseemly life makes them the subjects of writers’ interest.
The new Apple TV+ series, Liaison, makes another addition to this list. Besides its impeccable production design apparent from the trailer, the clear points of attraction were its star leads – Vincent Cassel and Eva Green (there’s also Irene Jacob). Through its premiere, the show establishes its primary characters besides the past romance between two spies who are required to join hands to fulfill their mission.
Also, a side note for the viewers, please turn on the ‘French (France) audio’ if you want the French dialogues not spoken in dubbed English! Spoilers ahead.
Liaison (Season 1) Episode 1, Recap:
Episode 1: Storm Warning
The narrative opens up in Damascus, Syria. In an abandoned construction, Samir (Aziz Dyab) is engaged in his work. That’s when Walid (Marco Horanieh) makes him aware that they are being tracked down. Walid’s warning brings him back to his computer to wipe down his hard drive and rig a bomb. Right when the army men are about to hit their door, the bomb goes off, leaving both brothers to rescue safely. Meanwhile, the system is hacked in the National Cyber Security Centre of London, resulting in a video of a cat singing ‘London bridge is falling down’ showcased on all the screens.
A French spy, Gabriel Delage (Vincent Cassel), who’s currently in Damascus, has been tasked to bring these two Syrian hackers back to Paris. In Élysée Palace, Paris, minister Richard Banks (Peter Mullan) is informed about the brothers by Sophie Saint-Roch (Irène Jacob) and Didier Taruad (Stanislas Merhar). They mention that these hackers requesting political asylum have important information on terrorist attacks in Europe. Didier wants to take a more direct approach to handle the matter– by taking the brothers out ruthlessly. Sophie does not look pleased with this approach.
In the London home office of cybersecurity, Mark Bolton (Patrick Kennedy) informs Alison Rowdy (Eva Green) and Richard Banks (Peter Mullan) about the cat video incident. While his office tries to track them down, he assumes it is not that serious. While Richard is annoyed by Mark’s jargon and wants the matter to be taken seriously, Alison seconds Richard’s opinion. However, on their way out, she notes that this might not be that serious.
Back in Damascus, Gabriel communicates with Walid and Samir to help them cross the borders safely, along with Samir’s wife, Myriam (Lyna Dubarry). He provides them with new passports and cash and helps them get rescued, and they wait for the helicopter to land. Suddenly, they get caught up in a gunfight, where the three drive away, leaving Gabriel in their custody.
In Paris, Sophie brings back the surveillance footage of Gabriel being taken away to ask Didier whether he has assigned this agent. Yet, due to Didier’s negligence in delving into details, she understands that he has gone off the radar. Meanwhile, Gabriel is rigorously questioned by the soldiers that caught him for his mission’s details, and he refuses to provide any. That’s when another soldier that Gabriel had worked with on a mission in Liberia arrives. He clears the doubt and says that Gabriel is not with DGSE but is a private contractor and rescues him from further torture.
Meanwhile, Samir and Walid cross the border into Turkey. They are questioned on their way by the border patrol, who asks for their passports. While they witness an encounter with the gruesome way people are treated in such situations, they manage to evade any issue with these authorities. Around the same time, London’s Thames Barrier system is hacked, leaving the entire city clogged with water. While Alison did not believe the earlier ‘puss in boots’ warning as an actual threat, this incident makes her eyes open and to pursue the matter further.
The operators from the barrier see that as a clear case of hacking with precise planning. Mark tries to evade any further process by saying that they had old machines, saying that it would be a software failure. Alison thinks that could be another reason they got hacked so easily. Alison sees it as hacking and a matter that requires quick attention. She wants him to alert the PM by saying that there will be another similar attack in 24 hours. She shares this with Richard, who sees this hacking as a way for the other party to prove their competence for such activities, which makes him worried about what is on their plate in the future.
Meanwhile, Samir and Walid arrive in London to be greeted by their uncle. They say that Myriam couldn’t come because of her passport issues. On their way to the cab, Walid finds Mark’s online profile, and they discuss getting in touch with him. Since he is the head of cybersecurity, they hope to get what they want by blackmailing him. While Gabriel reached Paris by that time, he is hired yet again by Dumas to get hold of them as a European diplomat.
The brothers start working at The Grenson Hotel in London while secretly working on their plan. Gabriel covertly enters this building and searches through the offices for the two. He stumbles upon their working room and reaches the computer to retrieve their USB key when Walid gets suspicious about his presence. Right after, Gabriel starts following him through the corridors trying to get him handcuffed. However, he only manages to punch Walid down in the elevator. Despite getting slashed by Walid, Gabriel manages to escape safely and provide information to Dumas, who then tells this intel to Didier.
While Walid is taken to the hospital, Samir is still in the hotel. His uncle wants his safety and helps him run away for good. Gabriel tracks him down and tries to catch him on a bus. But he manages to sneak out and run away. Meanwhile, Mark is persistent in his attempt to downplay the matter in the London offices. At the same time, Allison sees a connection between both hacks and does not consider their proximity to be a coincidence. Walid’s information is presented as the hacker who got severely bruised by Gabriel. They have security footage that implicates him. Allison instantly recognizes Gabriel but does not say anything about her relationship with him.
Liaison (Season 1) Episode 1 Ending, Explained:
Instead of seeking the French authorities’ help, the officers discuss coming up with a way to revoke Gabriel’s diplomatic immunity. Allison presents the possible threat to their image in terms of human rights issues. She does not want him to get caught in this matter and trying for him to solve the issue on his own.
Later, back at her home, her partner – Albert Onwori (Daniel Francis), mentions a case that he has been assigned. Since she was part of the internal conversations, she shares with him that they are trying to use his identity as a black lawyer not to get caught by the human rights issue and make him do something unlawful. He is certain that he won’t work against the law and gets mad at her opposition. While he storms out, she sits back at her home, and when suddenly, she finds Gabriel standing outside her window.
The episode hints at a passion-filled espionage thriller that becomes evident by Gabriel’s appearance at the end. The two meet in the middle of a heavy rain which hints at their past romance that went unfulfilled for a reason. While the reason isn’t yet clear, a romantic spark is.
The characters are neatly introduced to present their respective motives and ways of looking at a crisis. I genuinely hope that the writing cleverly builds up on these arcs in the further episodes and makes up for not just a riveting thriller but an engaging character-driven drama.
![Meenakshi Sundareshwar [2021] Netflix Review: A Sweet Film Affected By Its Affection To Sweetness](https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Meenakshi-Sundareshwar-Netflix-1-768x432.jpg)
