Episode 3 of ‘The Veil’ is titled “The Asset.” After introducing us to the sort of comradery between Imogen and Adilah, the plot moves forward with our introduction to the inner workings of ISIS and what they plan to do. The big question that was at large during the final moments of the previous episode is also answered, but we don’t really know what Adilah really wants or how Imogean is going to help her or prevent from doing it. Another major player in the game is introduced, and it will be interesting to see how things go forward.
As far as the show is concerned, things have only been serviceable till now. The espionage at the center, with the combined energy of Americans, MI6, and French Intelligence, feels pretty scattershot, and mostly dependable Elisabeth Moss feels like she is tired of playing this character already. That said, let’s dive into episode 3 in detail. Please be aware of spoilers.
The Veil Episode 3 “The Asset” Recap:
The man we saw during the final moments of episode 2 appears again, this time heading directly towards the refugee camps at the Syrian/Turkish border. It feels like he doesn’t fear anything, as we can see him following the map that Adilah left in the library.
He walks up to the place where Adilah was kept captive, moves a rock in the snow, and finds the cell phone that she had hidden. When the camp director and his associate intervene, asking for his identity, he shoots them both point blank. He then switches the phone on and dials a number that says “Monday,” saying that the plan is on. At this point, the metaphors of the Djinn al Raqqah and her wish to do terrible things based on the days of the week are pretty clear.
Meanwhile, at the Bulgarian airport, we see a random man dropping a hint in front of Adilah and Imogen. We can assume that this hint is supposed to let Adilah know that her plan is in motion. The two women then board a flight and reach Paris, where Adilah is reunited with her daughter.
The American intelligence, which had taken a back seat from the case after the DNA testing, is back after they receive word of the killing of the NGO workers at the refugee camps. Max, the American agent, and Malik get into another tiff when the American tries to gaslight him for being incompetent yet again.
Anyway, Malik and Imogen finally sit down for a date, and we later see them sleeping together. Malik is obviously enamored of her, but one can see that Imogen doesn’t reciprocate his feelings in the same way.
Oh, and the guy we saw in the opening moments of the episode – the one who shot the NGO workers is inconsequently shot in the head by another man (we later learn that his name is Emir – played by Alex Secareanu) with the whole incident made to look like a Russian operation.
The radical nature of what Adilah and her troupe are planning can be seen when one of her associates asks two jihadi workers to take their way to heaven just to secure a huge bomb. Of course, there’s more to the chemical nature of the said bomb because the two of them have to give their life to just place a chemical securely into the entire machinery.
Who is Emir?
We learn that Emir is a Bulgarian naval officer who is working closely with Adilah (Alex Secareanu) to bring her plan into action. I’m not sure why a Naval officer of his accord would participate in an idea that would kill thousands of people, but after seeing the radical nature of the two men who killed themselves, one can imagine that Emir’s motivations are also pretty personal.
However, right now, Adilah is instructing Emir to find out more about Imogen because, in spite of her expertise, it is difficult for her to read through Imogen. Since she is not sure how much of their plan is known to Imogen, she wants Emir to double-check before taking the next steps.
What happened to Imogen’s father?
After her time with Malik, Imogen slips away to meet Adilah at a location that the French intelligence is not able to track. At the cemetery, Adilah is pretty straightforward about asking Imogen why she is helping her. This is when we get a glimpse of what’s been haunting Imogen. She tells Adilah about her father, who was a British diplomat. She tells her about the time when he was in Istanbul with him when he was blown to pieces by the Revolutionary Communist Party of Türkiye (which was controlled by the CIA).
This revelation makes us understand why Imogen was having all those visions while she was passing through Istanbul with Adilah. We can also guess that the current operation is pretty personal to her, and there must be some kind of connection between Imogen’s father’s death and Adilah’s grandfather, who was a part of the revolution back in the day. At this point, we are unsure if that is the reason why Imogen is not taking Adilah in, even though she knows what she is about to do.
Imogen tells her that she is MI6, but we can see that she blatantly lies to Adilah about believing that she is just a mother who was caught up in the confusion of being a terrorist and that she is helping her because she believes that she deserves to hold her daughter close.
The Veil Episode 3 “The Asset” Ending, Explained:
Is Imogen betraying Malik?
After their little talk at the cemetery, both Imogen and Adilah head to a bar, where Imogen tries to make sure that Adilah believes that she is completely unaware of her being the Djnn al Raqqah. She even warns her to stay alert, as both the French and American intelligence would try to trap her and possibly torture her. However, she ensures that she will try her best to help her out of it.
Two things happen at the bar; first, Imogen slips out for a smoke, and we learn that she has been working with American intelligence all this time. Her reasons for betraying or keeping Malik and the French intelligence in the dark are unclear, but since she is pretty outright, I am sure she realized that the Americans would be more useful if she needed intel and force. So, in exchange for giving Max the first-hand info, Imogen wants Max to confirm that the CIA was the one responsible for Marcus Seabright’s (Imogen’s father?) assassination. When Max refuses, we see that Imogen has dirt on him, and he will possibly get her that info.
Secondly, Adilah receives a message from ‘E’ (possibly Eric), asking Adilah to bring her along to end things. Now, ‘her’ may be Imogen or Adilah’s daughter. Since we are not aware of what the message refers to, I am assuming that Eric is Adilah’s lover. Imogen, at one point, notes to Max that in spite of being a commander with a sure-shot plan, Adilah is also a mother who wants to get away from all this. We can assume that she would still want Imogen’s help to keep her daughter safe.
What does the ISIS plan to do?
The ending of The Veil Episode 3 sees Emir onboard a ship headed for the United States. It is clear that Adilah’s ‘Monday’ plan involves bombing the US. We see her other associate bring the now assembled bomb to the dock where Emir’s ship is stationed.
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