Summary
“I.M.F.T.B.S.” is tense and humorous, but a lot of the plot points in the penultimate episode feel forced together. If you can ignore logic and put aside these plot holes, then you will be in for a fun, if formulaic, ride.
We recap the Netflix series The Recruit season 1, episode 7, “I.M.F.T.B.S.,” which contains spoilers.
In “I.M.F.T.B.S.” (It’s my first time being sex-pionaged), the whole gang head to Geneva for the CIA’s latest mission. Meladze (Laura Haddock) needs a large cash injection to bribe her way back into the Russian Mafia and the Americans are on hand to make sure everything plays out smoothly. Of course, disaster strikes, and Owen (Noah Centineo) must find a solution quickly. Expect stakeouts, double-crossings, and plenty of flirtation in The Recruit’s penultimate episode.
The Recruit season 1, episode 7 recap
We start things off with a flashback, which introduces viewers to Owen and Hannah’s first-ever interaction. The showrunners are clearly setting up another romance between these two ex-lovers and the flashback is used to add more layers to their relationship. It’s three years previously in Georgetown Law. The couple is on the same course and Hannah is struggling with the workflow. She needs to borrow a book overnight, and Owen helps her to steal it from the library. Seems he was a bad influence from the get-go.
Reverting back to the present day, the team head to Geneva. Owen and Meladze are here to withdraw a large sum of money from an unsanctioned bank account, whilst Lester and Violet are there to oversee this transaction in secret. Owen and Meladze pretend to be a loved-up couple, spending another night in a hotel room together. On their arrival, they are greeted by the aloof Xander, who will be their operational support for this particular mission.
Owen goes through the plan with Xander. They are to access a specific bank account during the hour-long window of opportunity that Linus is providing them when the unsanctioned account will become available. Meladze will then reach out to Lev Orlova, the specific Council member who she needs to bribe. Xander tells them to keep a low profile and then he swiftly departs. Meladze instantly starts to hunt for bugs in the hotel room, easily finding Xander’s hidden cameras and microphones. Owen needs to contact home and leaves Meladze on her own to finish debugging the suite.
Janus updates Owen on their joint scandal, another needless subplot in the series. The missile rockets have been traced and are heading to Sudan, which is apparently terrorist central. News outlets will soon be aware of this colossal failure, leaving Janus and Owen out of a job. Owen suggests making the scandal more confusing, with Janus adding more nonsense to the story. Janus thinks this may be the stupidest and most genius idea Owen has had yet.
Feeling particularly overwhelmed for a change, Owen heads to the bar for a drink. He is soon hit on by an Icelandic woman called Marta. She’s extremely forward and flirtatious. Owen figures it out eventually though, she has to be a spy, and this is too good to be true. Owen quips that he has been sex-pionaged. Next, Meladze and Owen grab a quick meal together and of course, Lester and Violet are there, in the distance, spying on the unfolding events. Interestingly, Marta is also in attendance and a suspicious-looking Russian spy too. It’s not quite the romantic meal either of them had in mind.
Meladze gifts Owen with a fancy, new watch as a thank-you for all he has done. Owen tries to make the conversation more personal, but Meladze refuses to give away any information that could be used against her in the future. She does however reveal what dirt she has on Xander. He was having an affair with Kirill’s wife. Kirill just so happens to be the local mafia boss. Meladze then battles one of Kirill’s goons in the toilets. She tells the spy to pass on a message, she comes in peace.
Back at their suite, Meladze and Owen finally kiss and have sex. Will this be used against them in the future? Is somebody filming this interaction? I would not be surprised. The next day, the gang descends upon the Bank of Geneva. Xander, Lester, and Violet watch from afar. Owen and Meladze meet with a banker, who then attempts to access the account. Unfortunately, Owen and Linus have messed up on the time zones. The account is flagged and frozen. They are in one hell of a pickle now. Owen manically calls everyone he can in his phone book, but no one is picking up back in the States. Amelia eventually answers. She rushes over to Owen’s flat, but Linus admits their situation is hopeless.
Ending Explained
Meladze suggests robbing the bank, but Owen needs a safer plan. They notice Lester spying from across the street and confront the CIA spies. Lester and Violet are out of ideas themselves, and then Xander enters the van as well, another one without a clue. The whole gang is reunited, but short on any concrete plans moving forward. They decide to use leverage and threaten the banker with a laundering scandal. The banker doesn’t relent. Meladze decides to just access her safety deposit box instead, which contains compromising information, more leverage.
While the espionage games play out in Switzerland, Hannah has her own problems back in Washington. Her mother wants information that only Hannah’s boyfriend Jeff can supply her with. Hannah uses her boyfriend to help out her mom and ends up getting Jeff fired. Sensing that Owen is in danger, she decides to fly all the way to Geneva with Terence to help out a ‘friend’ and take her mind off her own issues. It’s quite the stretch, but the writers are going to throw Hannah and Terence into this dangerous world whether it’s logical or not. They need that romantic reunion between Hannah and Owen.
In a church, Owen and Meladze meet with Kirill. She offers incriminating photos to Kirill instead of any hard cash. The photos prove that Xander was having an affair with Kirill’s wife, and he is as angry as you’d expect, screaming into the rafters. Meladze asks that her money is transferred to Lev. Again, Marta is watching this transaction play out from a safe distance. In the final moments, Xander is thrown from Owen’s hotel window and left for dead. Hannah and Terence arrive on the scene at the same time as Meladze and Owen. All the players are in the same place, at the very same moment, and Marta is there observing this extremely forced interaction.
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