'Rubicon' recap: A strategic retreat, to live and fight another day [Updated]

 
 
We didn't get startling revelations Sunday night in the season finale (series finale?) of AMC's "Rubicon" so much as confirmation of what has been sparingly parsed in the last few episodes. My big question after seeing how the writers tied things up was exactly how the arrival of a four-leaf clover is to be acted upon by the members of the conspiracy using API research to plan, pull off and then profit from major global catastrophes: Is it the order to commit suicide, or the announcement that it's been decided you are better off dead, one way or another?

Truxton Spangler, that wily old API impresario, received one in the closing moments of the episode, but when last seen, he was walking away from Will Travers on the rooftop of the API building. There was no off-screen gunshot. In a way, this could be good news: If there is a second season of "Rubicon," we may still have Michael Cristofer putting a novel spin on the corrupt intelligence chief and global business manipulator. [Updated at 11:05 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly said there was an off-screen gunshot. There was not.] 

Others fared less well. Katharine Rhumor discovered a video message from the grave from her husband Tom on the "Meet Me in St. Louis" DVD, outlining the activities of Spangler and the other conspirators. The video was made by ... David Hadas, who appeared briefly on camera with a message for Will that we may never see. Katharine arranged a rendezvous with Will to give it to him, but before she connected with him by the fountain in Central Park, one of the men Spangler had tailing various people throughout the series' bumped into her and (I surmise this from reading spy thrillers; it wasn't spelled out) pricked her with some kind of fast-acting lethal drug. She was holding out the DVD to Will when she collapsed and died on the fountain's plaza.

Tom had told Katharine, in the video, that if she ever felt she was in danger to go to a certain address for protection. Katharine goes there, and the door is opened by ... Andi, the artist who lived in the building behind Will's and had the thing with him. She's some kind of operative, though it's hard to figure out for whom.

The setup for Season 2 came from Kale Ingram, who tried to soothe a harried Will. "You need to make a strategic retreat," he told him. "You can lose the battle without losing the war." And, he says of the current situation: "It's the backlash they're interested in." It is in Spangler's and his crew's interest that Iran be blamed for the explosion of the oil tanker in Galveston Bay, so that the U.S. government will make a response that benefits their business holdings.

But the members of the conspiracy have turned on Spangler; they want the operation stopped.

"No, I won't. I can't. That would be the wrong thing to do," Spangler tells the man chosen to tell him to call it all off. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," the guy tells Spangler. Later, we watch as the men vote on something by raising their hands — the delivery of the clover, we suspect.

To quickly sum up and set the table for the next season, if there is one: Spangler promotes Grant to Will's job. Grant has put the intelligence together to form the answer Spangler wants: that Iran is behind the Galveston attack. Will, who saw the perfectly setup intelligence for what it was, a smokescreen,  has no problem with conceding the top job of the "team." Tanya resigns from API — she can't take the pressure. Maggie and Will are reconciled. Will confides in Miles, but it's unclear whether Miles believes him.

"Rubicon" producer Henry Bromell was interviewed on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on Saturday and again credited the political paranoid thrillers of the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era as inspirations. (Another was that his father was in the intelligence service.) [Updated, 4:20 p.m.: Jason Horwitz created "Rubicon." An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Bromell was the series' creator.

There was one last reference to Sydney Pollack's "Three Days of the Condor" on Sunday night: When Miles questions what Will with do with his findings and asks what would become of a report summarizing them, implying that it would be shelved without any impact. "It'll make a hell of a New York Times story," Will shoots back.

The exchange sends us back to Robert Redford standing in front of the New York Times plant while Cliff Robertson implores him not to tell its reporters what he's come to find out about the CIA. With all that newspapers have been through in the last 40 years, it was a heartening touch that someone still believes in their ability to illuminate the dark corners of a democracy.

— Kelly Scott

Photo: Will Travers (James Badge Dale) is unable to reach Katherine Rhumor (Miranda Richardson) in Central Park before an assassin does. Credit: Craig Blankenhorn / AMC.

 

Comments

[Jimmyohyeah]

Started really slow, but grew on me. There has to be another season. Andi is the biggest question mark for me. I will say that I had a sneaking suspicion that things weren't normal with her.

[Beth]

I was disappointed in Rubicon's finale. I wanted more. I guess we got the answers, but the finale was strangely disappointing. Yup. We got some answers, but not really in an interesting way. There was sort of a build-up when the team was about to discover the incident in the Gulf and I felt their letdown when it happened too late. But, by then, Spangler just became a "weird old man" irritant to me and Maggie, whatever did they bother bringing her back for? What role will she play next season, if there is one? Ingram just walked around acting all coy and vague. Even Miles seemed "off" somehow.

I cannot figure out the whole Andi story either. When Katherine showed up, Andi claimed she was "protecting" Katherine. But, clearly that wasn't the case, since she's watching Will and nowhere near Katherine. But, then, why would her husband send her to a certain death? Why did Will just walk away? Presumably there are cameras in that area, for security. The police will surely watch them, right? It can't be good for Will's clearance to just walk away. He seems to have some heart, so why not just wait for the police? He could have made his case to them. Maybe someone would have listened. Maybe not.

If there's another season, what to expect? The mystery surrounding this season has more or less been solved. Spangler may or may not be dead, but he probably won't be in charge at API anymore. And if he is, Will would be stupid to stay.

The questions I have weren't answered, but I'm not sure if I feel interested enough to stick around for another season . . .

[Jason]

I didn't hear a gunshot after Truxton walked away from Will.... did I miss something?

[John Branch]

Regarding Andi, I wondered how she had managed to be at home just about every time Will or anyone else went to her apartment (was there an exception? I don't recall), yet when Katharine went to the safe address on Mott Street to which her husband sent her via his DVD message, Andi managed to be there. This questions something the episode simply expects us to accept, but I couldn't help thinking it curious.

Glad to see the gunshot mentioned in the original post just got corrected. I was afraid the occasional sound dropouts of my cable service had cost me something important.

The man who bumped Katharine was shown, very quickly, dumping a syringe into a trash can a few steps away from her, so yes it must've been one of those fast-acting lethal drugs you surmised.

I find much to anticipate in a future season, so I certainly hope there is one.

[Surfnut]

A great series and a fine season finale. I see no way Rubicon does not return. There will be just as must suspense and intrigue next season.

I was troubled by the rather simplistic targeting of Iran as the state sponsor of the bombing in Galveston Harbor. Kateb was a know Al Quada operative who had training in Yemen. There is no way Iran, being Shiite, would be in cahoots with an extremist Sunni terrorist organization. Did none of the writers clue into this glaring issue?

Other than that, I can't for new episodes. No doubt the DVD that Katherine was clutching was taken by Will. We just didn't see it.

[Ed D.]

Interesting stuff but the series was created by Jason Horwitch. Henry Brommell took over as show runner only after the pilot episode.

[Abigail]

Rubicon is quietly brilliant. I love every character, every storyline, every carefully designed shot. I sincerely hope that it returns next season. Now on to some questions posed above: Regarding the significance of the clover. I think that it means you either terminate yourself - or your loved ones are terminated. (Otherwise, how else can you explain the first two guys offing themselves so quickly?) Truxton doesn't seem to be too attached to his family - so he doesn't kill himself. (Which is great, he is a wonderful character!) Andi: I think she has Will's cell phone and Katherine's new apartment bugged somehow and that is how she just so happened to know to be at the Mott Street safehouse address when Katherine showed up. I'm thinking Andi is some sort of spook, either CIA or FBI or NSA. I do not think Katherine is actually dead. (Why lose an actress of Ms. Richardson's caliber so soon in a series?) Spangler will not kill himself. Kale Ingram is hard to figure - good guy, bad guy - in this show, is there really a difference (also a terrific character). This show is just getting so good....it would be a pity if it ended with this season finale. C'mon AMC..give us more Rubicon!

[davegood673]

This was absolutely the WORST TV series that I have ever seen; SHAME ON AMC FOR WANTING TO SNEAK IN A CHEAPIE BIT OF TRASH after such outstanding and continuing series as BREAKING BAD and Mad Men. Rubicon was a confusing muddle of plots, bad acting, cheap locations and mindless YUPPIES masquerading as US SECURITY ANALYSTS. If this was an accurate portrayal of the kinds of people who work to keep us safe at night I think that I am going to put out bids for a backyard bomb shelter!
Can't imagine anyone sitting through week after week of dumb exposes or sponsors footing the bill for this show except maybe for firms selling products for ERECTILE DISFUNCTION AND PROSTATE SUPPLEMENTS!!!
PLEASE AMC, PULL THIS TRASH FROM YOUR LINEUP AND BRING BACK BREAKING BAD, THE RERUNS OF WHICH YOU ABRUPTLY CANCELLED WHEN THE RUBICONTRASH HIT THE AIRWAVES

[Jamama]

I kept wondering if the season finale was going take place in a mental hospital, revealing that the "conspiracy" exists only in Will's paranoid imagination, a la A Beautiful Mind ... a nice touch would have been ending with all the characters (who are shown to be either fellow patients or medical staff) gathered in the tv room watching an episode of Glee ... then the camera would pan to Spangler, who thinks he's Will, having based this alter ego on Will Shuester (how else to explain that hair?) ...

[Nelson Morris]

I can't get over that API employees can hang out on the roof. Wouldn't telescopic microphones be aimed at that place and through the windows too?

[Junnah]

What seemed more than odd about the finale, was Will's totally naive actions. Considering that someone tried to kill him the night before, why would he have been so insistent in having Maggie abandon Katherine knowing how vulnerable everyone was. He could have managed w/o his research. That's not the behaviour you'd expect from a paranoid individual and Will up until the finale was pretty paranoid. I'd watch another season, if only to see if Will matures, assuming, of course, that Kale doesn't kill him first for his stupidity.

[Jimmyohyeah]

I must have been wrong but I thought the Mott Street address was actually Andi's apartment?? I like the idea that Katherine may not be dead.

As far as a second season, I hope so. But Will already has enough evidence to expose the conspiracy where does the show go? I hate to think the writers didn't think about it and end up doing a Prison Break scenario that had nothing to do with the original plot.

[Paddy]

I love this show....BUT, every now and then the writers jump the shark:
1. Will goes into the killer's apartment (2000+ sq. ft.) opens two drawers (finds a gun) and then goes right to the record albums to find the safe. As good as CSI.
2. Spangler leaves the roof, it is night, and Will looks at the ledge and sees the 4 leaf clover.
3.Will knocks on Andi's door with a tomato. Never even waived at each other. And a romance ensues. (I wish)
4. Will unscrews the owl, the smoke detector, the lamp, etc. that hold bugs. Who the heck is listening, that does not hear this??? (And how does Will know that they do not work in milk?)
5. Mrs. Rhumor's important letter is in a box that she almost threw away (only saved by a comment from the liquidator), then it it is hidden in the frame, only found because she smashes it on the floor. I guess her husband expected that????
There were a few others. What makes them so bad is that the rest of the writing is so good.

[Spike]

It was another great episode of Rubicon, but it felt like there should have been another episode of the season! It left it at an awkward place which is a shame because the timing and pace of Rubicon has set it apart from the rest this year.

I also picked up on a possibility of something between Miles and Julia when she asks if it;s something to do with them. Has something being going on off screen? I hope so, I thought they worked really well together when she was translating for him. Both great characters and played by great actresses.

I've loved every episode of this show and AMC had better bring it back for a season 2!

[Surfnut]

To Spike:

Miles and Julia went out for a drink after work on an episode 3 or 4 weeks ago. Then on the next episode, they were working on a project and when no one else was in the room, they held hands briefly across the table.

[Everdene]

Davegood673...
The "good" in your moniker obviously doesn't refer to your taste in entertainment. Rubicon is far too subtle, complex, and nuanced for your special sensibilities. Better to stick with those riveting reality shows like "Wife Swap," Dave.

Oh, and by the way, Rubicon didn't take the place of Breaking Bad -- it filled the slot created by the long hiatus that Breaking Bad typically takes between seasons.

Yeesch.

[Abbie]

I have been left with a very dull TV wasteland on Sunday nite since Rubicon and Mad Men have left us. I only hope that Rubicon will return for a second season. It is an intelligent and complex show and it really kept my interest. Looked forward to the new episode every week. AMC don't let such a good show disappear into the cyber never, never land. Would also like Mad Men to return as the plots just thicken and have become attached to the characters on both these shows. Abbie K.

[Elizabeth]

I simultaneously liked this show and thought it had plot holes the size of boulders. Will's in the intelligence business but once he starts finding or suspecting bugs, he just randomly starts taking apart things he thinks might be hiding them? Why does he not have his home and office swept just like the big boys do? Katharine is left a fortune by her husband, but even after having her home broken into and her life being threatened, it never seems to occur to her to hire some security/bodyguards.

All the same, I liked the characters--especially Kale--and am sorry that it apparently won't be back again.