'Rubicon' recap: Where can Will turn?

There was an explicit shout-out to the film that many people have compared 'Rubicon' to -- the 1975 thriller "Three Days of the Condor" -- and an implicit one in Sunday night's episode. Will Travers (James Badge Dale), the Robert Redford character, imposes himself on an attractive woman he doesn't know for shelter, solace and, later, energetic sex. It's not exactly the same dynamics of the Faye Dunaway-Redford relationship, but it's close. Then, when Will is trying to explain what he does for a living, the woman says "Like Robert Redford?"

By the way, I'm not buying her as an unsuspecting bystander. We saw Faye get snatched randomly off of a Manhattan street. In a show this generous with its feints and red herrings, do we really believe the artist just happened to catch Will's eye, across the airshaft, a few episodes ago?

But down to brass plot tacks: By destroying one of the bugs in his apartment last episode, Will has brought down the might of the four-leaf-clover guys. Truxton Spangler, who of course knows immediately that the apartment bug has been taken out of operation, meets Kale Ingram as Ingram is returning from an early morning jog. He asks whether Ingram expects to see Will at work that day. Ingram, with his usual sangfroid, says he does, and as Spangler is getting back into his car, asks: "Am I worried about Will?"

I don't know about Ingram, but I am. These guys don't fool around. And I'm now convinced that Ingram is helping Will. But by now, Will has been spun in so many directions and found discrepancies in every partial explanation he has gotten that he doesn't believe Ingram anymore. He doesn't trust Spangler. He's shut out Maggie, and none of the team members seem to know anything about this. Where can he go for help?

Katherine Rhumor meets with her late husband's previous wife and shows her the photo of the boys taken on what we learn is Fisher's Island. The woman IDs Gerald Bradley, so Katherine visits his widow again. Mrs. Bradley IDs one of the boys as Spangler. Katherine, perhaps through her extensive charity ball social network, recognizes the name, and Mrs. Bradley helpfully tells her Spangler heads API. So slowly, thank God, Katherine's and Will's paths seem to be dovetailing.

Ingram also disclosed to Will the coincidence of Tom Rhumor's death and the crossword puzzle that started it all.

In developments with Will's team, Tanya is in rehab, Miles is scared-thrilled that Julia, the Urdu-speaking API employee who helped him monitor a satellite transmission a few weeks ago, is going to work with them for a while. Grant's wife visits him at work to tell him she's been fired, and Grant is oddly dispassionate about it. Another reason to fear for Will:  Spangler visits Grant late at night in his office and seems to be obliquely interviewing him for Will's job. "Can I count on you?" he asks Grant. Of course he can.

The episode ends with Katherine walking by API, at night, alone.

OK, this may be the height of paranoia, but what do you expect with this show? Does anyone think that Tanya's API-sponsored trip to rehab gives the agency an out if the intel she proposed on George, Uri and Tanaz (who it is announced was killed, by the way) turns out badly?

And one more: woman artist/Will's love interest -- friend or foe?

-- Kelly Scott

Above: James Badge Dale as Will Travers. Credit: Matthew Welch/AMC

 

 

Comments

[Nocibur]

Nice episode recap. A show like this def. needs a second run-thru. You commented a few times about the ineptness of the surveillance teams. I felt like last night episode was a bit heavy handed on the subject. For an apartment with windows as big as it's doors and a spit's distance across, we're to believe Will's house was broken into and allowed to reinstall bugs but never looked up the entire time? They basically were staring him down through an entirely too open window and that's not a big deal? I mean, at least close the blinds or something...even having the camera tripod staring right into Will's house is a bit too 'in your face' but I digress.

Was never a big fan of Tanya or Will's team for that matter, but def. want her back as soon as possible. The show gets the viewers so paranoid I trust no one. I imagine Spangler has manipulated Julia's role the entire time, but that's definitely reaching. I just hope the biggest answer we get in the finale doesn't divide viewership. Def. don't want it to turn out that all of those boys in the picture began plotting this on fisher island that young and that still won't answer why they're being murdered by their old buddies. Hopefully it's something more personal to Spangler, as in greed and ambition, than a plot to kill a bunch of people in some sort of attack. This isn't 24.

[KarenJ]

I'm hoping Andy will be a friend, but I think it's more likely she's a 'foe'. She let Will into her apartment rather easily. Granted - they've been watching each other for weeks now. But still...

I also think Julia's a plant (as Tanya possibly was). And I see Kale as working both sides of the court - and he's getting squeezed.

Did anyone else notice the drawing/note on Andy's wall? "We can still hear you" - I think is what it said - or something very similar. (Sorry - didn't write it down and don't have reference to it at the moment).

I know this show's slow moving, but I'm enjoying that about it. It makes keeping up with the details much easier, and lets us get to know the characters better.

[Beth]

I agree with you that I don't believe Andy is just a bystander in this drama. How many women in NYC open their door at midnight to a stranger (which Will is to her at this point) and just invite them in? And then doesn't really ask questions she finds out that the no-longer-a-stranger-but-still-unknown-to-her Will carries a big, fat gun. If I were Andy, I would have been thinking more Looking for Mr. Goodbar than 3 Days of the Condor.

I was confused about one point. Spangler seems to have placed the bugs because of his early morning visit to Kale's apartment. But, in the end, it was one of Kale's goons who was in Will's apartment. And as we know, Kale's been visiting Will's place, too. So, is Kale working with Spangler on the the surveillance? And why, with so much BAD surveillance going on, hasn't anyone figured out what's going on yet???

I love this show and I think it's getting better each week. I wonder if they will have another season. If they do, I hope they bring back Dallas Roberts. He's going to be on the Good Wife this season, but damn, he's so good as Miles.

And they can just get rid of Maggie. Seriously. I don't like her. And has anyone noticed how nice of an apartment a single mom living on an administrative assistant's salary is living compared to Will's little hole in the wall? Maggie has hallways in her apartment for crying out loud. And it's not from child support since the ex has supposedly not been in their lives for some time.

Grant's walking into BIG trouble. We found out that he already has a preconceived notion that he might cheat on the wife - if he hasn't already. Then a late-night creepy visit from Spangler. I smell some sort of set-up there. He's going to be walking into something soon. And when Tanya gets back, how grateful is she going to have to be to Spangler? She'll end up in his back pocket too.

It's so good. I can't remember the last tv show that intrigued me so fully.

[T4E2112]

Thanks for the recap. I wish I could get more into this show, but it's beginning to bore me. I guess I've been spoiled by the fabulous writing on Damages (the BEST show on TV!).

[James]

Andy has a tattoo of a four-leaf clover on her shoulder. It was very obvious during the love scene.

[Jeremy E]

To Beth: about Donald Bloom, he is Kale's friend but I believe he is actually working for Spangler (if you remember the scene in the warehouse), don't forget, all these guys come from the same place from the back in the day, so they all know each other, even if they aren't all working together.

and btw, I didn't see the 4 leaf clover on Andy's shoulder, I'll have to check it out later

[four-leaf clover]

Nice recap. Will's love interest is a friend in my opinion

[Jon]

What happened to the weekly Rubicon recap? I smell a conspiracy.