Summary
An action-packed, intense final fifteen minutes leads to “The Gambler” being the best episode of the series yet.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Echo 3 season 1, episode 3, “The Gambler,” which contains spoilers.
In episode two of Echo 3, we saw Prince (Michiel Huisman) and Bambi (Luke Evans) take matters into their own hands by trying to rescue Amber (Jessica Ann Collins). However, things got dicey, and the local support team got them out. Will they face consequences for their actions? Let’s dive in.
Echo 3 season 1, episode 3 recap
The episode starts with us in the woods with Amber and the crew that has kidnapped her. We see her frantically panicking after being awoken by something attacking her. However, she quickly realizes that it is only ants, and moments later, we see the captures tell her they have to get moving. Next, we see Prince talking about his wife’s disappearance on a local news station. Then, Prince announces on the air that he wants the Colombian military and police to do more to find his wife.
Mitch from the CIA calls Prince and Bambi to freak out over what they did. Between going into the town, shooting it up, and appearing live on the news, he tells them that this will not end well for them. Next, we see Amber and her kidnappers navigating through the forest. Then, she notices they are lost in the woods and gets frustrated and grabs one of the captures by the throat. However, one of the accomplices quickly gets them apart.
The Colombian military tells the guys that they are heading in to attempt to save Amber, and the guys insist on being there, but after they call them out, they aren’t welcomed on the mission. Next, we see Prince and Bambi at a gathering with the journalist. Moments later, they see the Colonel and General leave the reception, and they follow them out. Prince confronts the General, asking him for the favor of taking them on the mission, and in return, he will give him a seat on the board of his family’s company.
We are now with Bambi, who is on the journalist’s podcast and speaks to the world, but mostly Amber, and while I am not sure what subtle hints he dropped when she was listening, her ears perked up a little, and I believe she put two and two together. The capturers aren’t happy that the narrative is being flipped, so they are getting the boss involved. The two heads of the kidnapping have a few back-and-forth words over whether or not they should let her go.
The journalist makes her way to meet with the people that have taken Amber hostage. She speaks to them about what they want out of this. He wants her to try to talk to Amber to find out whether or not she is CIA. She begins to question her about why she thinks she was kidnapped. The journalist attempts to get more information out of her, but Amber breaks down that she is just a pawn in the entire chess matchup and that her husband/brother are coming. The journalist upsets one of the guys in charge, and he decides to take her hostage too.
Panic ensues at the camp, causing them to pack everything up and get on the move. The local military tries to make a circle to force the kidnappers and their crew into surrendering. Finally, the Colonel announces that they have them surrounded and need to surrender now, or they will die individually. One of the lady kidnappers makes a call leading to a cafe being blown up because they needed a distraction. We see they have threatened to bomb more places and civilians if they don’t back off. The troops have decided to back off.
The ending
The Colonel says that it will take them nine hours (the kidnappers) to get across the border and wants a shot at trying to take them down. However, he tells him off the record that they can take a few men and attempt to make the rescue. We see the pure joy on the faces of Prince and Bambi as they realize that the Colonel hasn’t given up on Amber.
The crew has begun opening fire against them, causing mass disruption and taking down their soldiers shot after shot. The kidnappers are worried as they look outside and see their men on the ground dead. Bambi catches the eye and sees new vehicles on their way in. Then we see Bambi call out to Prince to make a move to get Amber. Finally, we see them rescue the journalist, leading to Bambi heading down on foot.
As Prince wrestles through and finds Amber, but as he wraps his arms around her, one of the men shoots Prince, catching everyone off guard and letting the kidnappers snag Amber again and run for it. As the episode closes, Bambi is still trying to make it to them, and the kidnappers see that they killed her girlfriend. She takes Amber, and they get out of dodge.
What did you think of Echo, season 1, episode 3? Comment below.
