Summary
ZeroZeroZero season 1, episode 5 shows the true nature of Chris and Emma’s efforts to get the shipment to their location.
This recap of Amazon Prime Series ZeroZeroZero season 1, episode 5 contains significant spoilers.
- Read the Season 1 review.
- Read the recap of Episode 6.
- Read the recap of the previous episode (4)
- Access the archive of all the episode recaps.
ZeroZeroZero season 1, episode 5 is an intense episode showing how fragile Chris and Emma’s situation is, but first, it opens up with an injured Stefano who is back with his cartel. One of his men performs surgery on him to get the bullet out. The surgeon makes it clear that the war has started and they need to finish it. Stefano rings his wife and tells her to run. The man who performs the surgery on Stefano suspects that he shot himself.
And then Episode 5 flits to the Sahara Desert, Mali — Chris and Emma are crossing the desert with their escort. Chris admits to Emma that his spasms started four months ago. Their escort warns them both that they are approaching a town of Jihadist terrorists. When the escort speaks to the terrorist, they request 100 kilos. Emma states they have no choice, they have to get the cargo to Casablanca.
And her suspicions take over in a thrilling Episode 5; Emma snoops around the house and sees a group of Jihadists celebrating an attack that is announced by the media. Later, she then overhears that there’s been an attack by French Special Forces. Her escort says she has to leave but Emma does not want to leave without Chris — the man says that Chris is dead. Emma is shocked to the core as she follows the escort. Outside, they are attacked by gunfire and Emma has to take cover. After the gunfire stops, she sees Chris with his hands up as he leaves a car.
And then we are looped to what happened to Chris as it reverts to when he was separated from his sister. One of the terrorists gives an emotional goodbye to his son — presumably, his son is about to carry out an attack. Chris is then taken away in a car. The terrorist in his company asks Chris to pretend to be a world-class doctor so he can enter a camp and see his newborn son. Chris quickly bonds with this terrorist; he sees his newborn son and his wife asks the terrorist about her son Tamil — “He’s on his way to God”.
On the way back from the camp, they take a rest, so Chris takes out his hearing aids — as he does so, a bomb goes off behind him, and he is dazed by the explosion. He panics and gets in one of the cars and eventually starts it. He looks around and sees loads of men dead, so he picks up a rifle but he notices that the Jihadist who had just seen his newborn son is bleeding to death so puts him in the back of the car. He drives back to the stronghold where Emma is and sees there’s been an ambush.
ZeroZeroZero season 1, episode 5 ends with Chris and Emma reunited — he hands over the man who was hurt in the explosion and then they drive off; their escort is dying in the back of the car as they continue crossing the desert.
Additional notes
- Emma is told to cover her hair as they approach Jihadist terrorists.
- Chris tells one of the terrorists he’d be extremely selfish to have children and pass on his genes.
- Emma tells Chris that if she had known about the spasms she wouldn’t have sent him on the shipment.
