“The Sympathizer” on Max follows the life of a communist spy who moved to the US for his further work with a General from the South Vietnam army. After landing in a US refugee camp, the immigrants were furious at the General for things he had not disclosed to them. So, he suspected there was a spy in his close circle and made the Captain responsible for finding this person. The Captain tried to pin the blame on someone else but failed to convince the General. Now, “The Sympathizer” episode 3 follows the Captain trying to quell the General’s anxieties about the Major. Later, the Captain meets the Auteur, a filmmaker who seeks the Captain’s knowledge to make a film about war.
Spoilers Ahead
The Sympathizer Episode 3 “Love It or Leave It” Recap:
In the previous episode, we saw the General (Toan Le) believing that there is a spy and a traitor in his close circle. He wanted the Captain (Hoa Xuande) to find this individual. The Captain decided to make him suspect a businessman of confections, Major Oanh (Phan Gia Nhat Linh), known as ‘the dumpling.’ So, the General probed into this matter. It led him to realize that the Major’s relatives back home are secure, unlike theirs, who are pulled into re-education camps by the communist party. Then, the Captain told Bon (Fred Nguyen Khan) that Major Oanh was the mole and sought his help in this case.
What does the Captain learn about Bon?
After learning about the General’s increased suspicion about Major Oanh, the Captain shows up at his doorstep in the middle of the night to discuss it. The General doesn’t tell him exactly what to do but expects him to take action. While driving back, Bon reveals something about himself that surprises the Captain. Bon is a part of F6, a top-secret program against communists. So, as it turns out, Bon was living a secret life just like his blood brothers. Based on his experience, Bon offers his help to assassinate the Major. With him, the Captain observes the pattern of Major’s daily activities.
Bon sees that the Major’s wife recently had twins. He starts constructing a plan to kill the Major without getting blamed for it. The Captain worries about doing it around the Major’s family home. Suddenly, the Major’s mother (Kieu Chinh) invites them to their house for a bit. She talks about her son and his plans to get rich. While Bon keeps thinking of a possible plan, the Captain puts on a calm face. The Major’s mother asks him for help with a recipe. The Captain helps her learn an American alternative to their native dish.
What does the Captain learn about the Major?
The Captain gets into a casual relationship with his boss, Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh). He invites her as his date for the Major’s upcoming party. Later, Claude (Robert Downey Jr) tells him to suppress the General’s anxieties about the Major because he hopes to use the General for his future endeavors. The Captain waits for a directive from Man as to whether he should kill the Major or not. He doesn’t receive any. So, he wonders if it is a ‘silent No’ but doesn’t mull over it. Later, he catches the Major exporting the expired candy to the people in their homeland.
The Major tries to justify his business but doesn’t want the General to know about it. He talks about how the US is a land of opportunities where they all can carve new identities. It can be read two ways: the Major wants to carve a new identity for himself, and the Captain doesn’t need to be faithful to the General anymore. Anyhow, the Captain keeps mum about it and attends the Major’s party with Sofia. The General gets upset seeing his daughter, Lana (Vy Le), dressed in a way he doesn’t approve of and singing for a room full of people, especially for a traitor.
What happens at the Major’s party?
The Major reads an emotional note addressed to his mother. Lana flirts with the Captain until she realizes that he has a date. Sonny (Alan Trong) takes Sofia away for a conversation. Soon after, Congressman Ned Goodwin (Robert Downey Jr), known as Napalm Ned, shows performative sympathy to the Vietnamese immigrants. Then, he gifts a knife to the Major’s mother, unaware that it is considered inauspicious as per their beliefs. Ned uses this opportunity to further his immigrant-friendly stance and uses his speech as an image-building opportunity.
Right after, the General tells Ned that his close associate, the Captain is biracial, trying to gain his trust. The Captain asks the Major for a part of his profits from his unethical business to keep it a secret from the General. Then, they all get together for a group photo. The General refuses to let Lana be in the front row due to her short dress. Meanwhile, the Captain tells Sofia that Sonny isn’t his friend, no matter what he claims. Later on, the Major brings the Captain in on his trade. He shares a bumper sticker that says: ‘America, Love It or Leave It.’
The Sympathizer Episode 3 “Love It or Leave It” Ending Explained:
How do Bon and the Captain kill the Major?
Bon and the Captain plan to kill Major Oanh on the night of July 4th. They plan to use the opportunity filled with fireworks noises to not let anyone get a hint of their crime. At night, they show up outside the Major’s house. The Captain wears a blonde wig, likely to disguise as a white person. Once the Major returns home, he follows him to the house, offers a durian, and shows his gun. He tells the Major to walk as he directs. Meanwhile, from the car, Bon notices the Major’s mother being out on the balcony. At the last minute, the Captain gets scared to pull the trigger.
Suddenly, the fireworks stop, and the Captain gets even more scared. The Major realizes his fear and attempts to attack him. Then, within moments, the Captain shoots the Major below the chest. Bon realizes the situation and comes for help. He beats the Major and then puts on fireworks on the floor. Amidst its noise, the Captain shoots the Major. Before running away, the Captain puts the sticker on Major Oanh’s chest, which says ‘America, Love It or Leave It’. That makes the murder look like a hate crime on Independence Day, which gives it a racial spin and puts the Captain’s name out of it. Claude appreciates it.
What happens to the Captain after the Major’s death?
The Captain recalls a past incident when he helped Claude crack a suspected traitor known as The Watchman. Instead of sharing any intel, the spy choked himself to death with a hard-boiled egg. After Major’s death, the Captain receives a mail from Man asking if the Major’s death is necessary. The Captain is overcome with guilt. Claude tells him that Major Oanh had told them that the Captain is the traitor. Later, he brings the Captain for a meeting with Congressman Ted, Professor Hammer, and filmmaker Nicos Damianos (all played by Robert Downey Jr), referred to as ‘the Auteur.’
Nicos expects the Captain’s understanding of war to make his film. He makes some bigoted remarks for which the Captain expects an apology. Nicos doesn’t provide any. So, it creates tension between them. Nevertheless, the four white men make the Captain agree to help Nicos anyway. While sitting in a bar with them, the Captain remembers an event from his childhood when his mother (Diem Truong) told him not to look at his biracial identity as an issue. She told him not to see himself as half of anything but twice as both. Still, it doesn’t help him curb his guilt about the Major’s death.
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