True Lies (Season 1), Episode 4 Recap and Ending Explained: Episode 4 of CBS’ new spy-thriller True Lies continues to disappoint on the whole. But there are some marked improvements. The description and representation are way too simplistic still. Individual episodes lack nuance and intrigue. The heavy-handed approach sucks out all the fun from watching the episodes play out. It instills a lot of predictability into the storyline and never really keeps the viewer on their feet. But episode 4 does not come leaps and bounds ahead like expected.
We definitely focused more on the relationship between Harry and Helen and hope their compartmentalized lives are difficult to execute. A morally complex murderous psycho was infused into their relationship to get Harry to become a husband again to Helen. It is one thing to imagine everything on paper and a whole other thing actually to do it.
True Lies is a bonafide potboiler having no intention to amount to anything more than a sentimental throwback to a classic spy film and spy cliches in general. One can easily spot the “inspiration” the makers have taken from movies like Mission Impossible and Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this episode once again. The visual cues are there for all to see and make their own calls about True Lies. Here we have recapped episode 4 of True Lies for you with an ending explainer and an explainer for all the plot points.
True Lies (Season 1), Episode 4 Recap:
Rival Companions
We open with the visual of an International Summit taking place in Brussels, Belgium. An Albanian politician is giving a lecture, and various emissaries from different countries are in attendance. The security is tight, and the venue is fenced, keeping out the forest. Just as we think everything is fine, we see a team of rogue Serbian soldiers preparing to attack. They use a sound-producing device that emits a sound of immensely high frequency that is at once disorienting. The soldiers wear earplugs to keep it out and easily penetrate the fence. Their leader shoots the Albanian politician in cold blood.
Trilby apprises the team of this event and assigns them their next operation. Omega feels that this is an attempt to flare up tensions between Albania and Serbia. The former has already started amassing soldiers on the border, and the latter are weaponizing too, thinking Albania has taken the garb of the killing to launch an attack. The Wolf, an assassin Omega has worked with before, will be helping the team and bringing his “assassin” expertise. Harry becomes uncomfortable when he hears this. On a previous job in Athens, Harry had to clean up after the Wolf, and he found Wolf’s casual nature disturbing.
The others are happy to have him, especially Luther, who is in awe of the Wolf. Helen is struck in weapons training and is currently the only trainee in Omega. She mentions her lack of interest and boredom to Harry, who is busy preparing a brief about the events and trying to find out the motive of the rogue soldiers. The next day at work, Helen sits for lunch beside The Wolf. No one allows her to sit with them as she is new, and no one tells her about who the man she is sitting with is.
She meets him unsuspectingly and thanks him for offering her a seat. They discuss their childhood around the issue of starting in a place where you do not know anyone. Helen’s optimism and spirit of life really impress The Wolf. He is charmed by her and, before leaving, even tells her his real name – Nathan. He meets the rest of the Omega team and has nothing but good things to say. Even Albert is impressed by Nathan’s interest in them and his personality. Only Harry is creeped out, and it seems he will not give in too easily.
They discuss their theories as to what the attack on the Summit meant. Before Harry can present his narrative, Nathan intervenes and says that Ulrich Mueller, the leader of the rogue soldiers, left the sound device intentionally. He knew the people cleaning up would find out about it. And the reason is that Mueller wants other people to buy that weapon from him. He is trying to sell the weapon and is working as an arms dealer.
Back at home, Helen tells Harry about Nathan, but he does not know it is The Wolf. He sees a shadow outside the house, and it turns out to be Nathan. He enters from the backdoor, and Harry reprimands him for coming from that side. The crouched Helen gets up cheerily, hearing his voice, and that is when Harry learns Nathan is The Wolf.
Nathan borderline flirts with Helen (even saying he prefers “darker”) but is more interested in how she perceives him. Harry is not one bit happy about their budding friendship. In their conversation, Helen presents her struggle with weapons training, and Nathan offers her assistance the next day at the office. Helen is elated, but Harry feels completely blindsided. Albert’s investigation reveals that Mueller is in Virginia and might be planning another attack in Washington, DC. He immediately sends out an APB for Mueller.
Before they begin, Nathan confides in Helen that he feels something is broken inside him. He is concerned about how people see him and if he really is not a normal person. Helen once again provides Nathan with optimism and says that she sees a bright and completely normal person in him, making him extremely happy. He helps Helen in perfecting her skills. She learns so well that she hits three straight bull’s eyes. Encouraged by Helen’s input, Nathan begins helping out the other members of the Omega team as well.
Harry is distressed by the entire narrative Nathan is trying to spin. He still thinks Nathan is a creep who should not be characterized as normal. He kills people for a living and does it without remorse and guilt. Helen tries to protect Nathan, but Albert sends an alert that they have a lead on Mueller. Thus, begins Operation Assasin-nation (so tasteful). The objective of the mission is to eliminate Mueller and protect the Serbian Ambassador. They go to Fairfax, Virginia, Mueller’s last known location.
Actually, there is more than what meets the eye. The location that the team is in and that Harry blatantly mistrusts are close to the Ambassador’s house. Nathan traced five burner phone calls in this region. He also thinks the Ambassador’s life will be in danger because the rogue soldiers would want him to retaliate. Also, he is leaving for Serbia the next morning, so the attack has to be that night in that location. The team spots a truck running at an unusual speed on the road and, quite shockingly, discovers that the truck has no driver. They give chase after it.
Nathan predicts the truck is rigged with explosives, and hence the team cannot shoot at it. Albert instead tells Harry to drive it off the road, and Harry does a great job of climbing on, breaking the window glass, and steering it off the road. Unfortunately, the plan seems to have worked for the rogue soldiers. Serbia’s minister has taken this attempt as an attack from Albania, and they have launched a missile attack on the country. Harry is worried about Helen’s growing closeness with Nathan and confides in Albert about it.
Albert accuses Harry of having “tunnel vision” and not trying to see how Helen is changing as a person and an agent. She needs attention and support, something Nathan seems to be giving her. Harry has a rant about Nathan’s personality and his psychopathic tendencies, but Nathan is standing just behind him and fumes with rage. He stalks Harry to his car and informs him that he has convinced Trilby to get Helen on the mission. Her expertise in the German language would help the team immensely.
True Lies (Season 1), Episode 4 Ending, Explained:
How does Helen save Harry’s life in the field?
Nathan has also informed this to Helen, and he has got the green light to bring Helen on the mission. Harry discusses it with her at dinner, but remembering what Albert said, Harry tries to look encouraging and supportive. Nathan is clearly pissed at what Harry said but is making his anger obvious in a non-threatening way. He is most probably not scheming against Harry, but he remains careful regardless.
Albert traces emails exchanged between employees of a chemical factory where the weapons are built, and they locate an abandoned warehouse in Arlington that might have leads. The Omega team tries to do recon in the area (which means scouting the area for possible enemy presence and weapons). When Helen goes over the communication once again on Albert’s laptop, she spots fabrication by a German speaker, leading them to the conclusion that they were planted by Mueller. He wanted the team to come to that warehouse, where he and the rogue soldiers were waiting.
Nathan and Harry debate whether or not to go in. The latter wants to wait for backup, but the former wants to spring a surprise attack on them. Harry has an idea to use the tactical van as a distraction to breach the warehouse. Albert is not supportive but understands it is for the greater good. Helen, knowing that Nathan might kill Harry in the field, tries to persuade him that she sees good in him before Harry and Nathan leave. The plan works, and the men are able to take down the soldiers. Mueller is able to run and hide.
Harry expresses his fear that Nathan will shoot him if he separates from him as Nathan asks. That leads Nathan to accept that although he thought about killing Harry, Helen’s message to him before they left persuaded him otherwise. When Harry runs out of bullets, and it seems Mueller will kill him, Nathan saves the day by showing up from behind and killing him. The mission is successful.
Trilby congratulates the team and also recognizes Helen’s contributions to Harry’s insistence. Also, she announces that Helen has now been made a full-time agent because of how Harry felt she did in that operation. She is extremely happy. Nathan takes his leave and gives everyone parting gifts, including Harry. They seem to have buried the hatchet. Harry apologizes to Helen at home, and they are about to make out before seeing a photo from Nathan where he is eating a gyro outside a burning building. Helen finally accepts he might be a “little too morally complex.”
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True Lies TV Series (2023- ) Links: IMDb, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes
True Lies TV Series (2023- ) Cast: Ginger Gonzaga, Steve Howey, Annabella Didion
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