T.S.L.A.Y.P. is the fifth episode of the first season of the Netflix series The Recruit.
Synopsis[]
Owen's plan to move on from Max suffers a setback when he's ordered back to Phoenix, where credit cards and prying eyes cause problems at work and home.
Plot[]
- Max is picked from prison by the Phoenix satellite office agents and taken to her former home where the agents follow her in. Under the pretense of taking a nap, she opens a hidden compartment in her bedroom wall and grabs a go-bag (with a picture of her daughter) and clothes while proceeding to escape through a hatch that connects to a house next door.
Owen arrives home beat up and is confronted about his phone call last night by Hannah who once again implores him to quit. He assures her he won't be so lost anymore and that the craziness is over. Right on cue, the Secret Service comes knocking to take Owen with them.
Back at Langley, Violet and Lester are planning on how to get on Owen's good side since he's in Nyland's good graces after getting Meladze's case thrown out.
Owen, while ordering flowers for Salazar, realises he's being taken to the White House. He enters to find Kevin Mills, Chief of Staff to the President, waiting. Owen recognises him as Not Bob, Meladze's supposed former handler. Mills explains that his connections inside Langley have made him aware of his handle being thrown around. He claims that while he knew of her he was too high up when Meladze became an asset. Mills further claims that even if he was her C.O, he would never give an asset his inside name at the agency; meaning someone in the agency leaked his name and probably other secrets. He tasks Owen with finding out who.
At Langley, Salazar gets a call about Owen's flower delivery. Despite a mishap with the delivery driver, the gesture is well received. In Arizona, the agents guarding Max finally discover her secret tunnel and debate about who will call it in.
Dawn tries to get Owen to help find Max but he refuses. In Arizona, Talco is fully engrossed in his Psychology class and notices Max present. They banter about psychotherapy while Max tries to sell her untraceable safe-house business to Talco's cartel in return for $5 Million. She gives him one day to make a deal with his boss and leaves. Talco contacts his accomplice from before and arranges to ambush and torture the secret out of Max. In the garage, Talco sneaks up on Max but is spotted and beaten to a pulp. When his genius friend arrives Max uses Talco's gun and increases the price to $6 Million. She calls the Arizona agents and demands Owen back on her case.
While flirting with Amelia outside his office Owen is met by Violet and Lester who try to suck up to him in vain. Before he can sit down, however, Max calls him repeatedly and he hangs up. It's clear Max sets him off in some way and claims it's not his decision whether he returns. At that moment, he is summoned to Nyland's office post-haste. Owen consults Janus on quitting but he's on edge again due to his rogue SOG team. He thinks he's having a panic attack and Janus claims it's normal.
Outside Nyland's office Owen is clearly in a panic and enters to find Dawn staring daggers at him. Both wonder why Max wants Owen back. Nyland warns them to keep in line and follow protocol. Owen and Dawn agree to let Max play her game out for now but disagree on who will cover for Max's future crimes. She reminds him of Max's potential importance as a highly placed source in Russian Intelligence. After, Dawn orders one of her snake-eaters to follow Owen to see his what his connection with Max is.
Owen confides to Terrence about feeling overwhelmed by the Meladze case. Ironically, Terrence also thinks there's some tension between Max and Owen. but gives him good advice about taking it slow. Back in Phoenix, Owen arrives to find a dressed up Max at a hotel bar. After some tension-heavy banter she makes him book an expensive suite after explaining her operational importance. Dawn's snake-eater films them booking the room and both assume something more is going on. Owen calls Hannah to borrow money for the room and she guilts him about lying about the case being over.
In the room it's clear Max has set Owen up to seduce him. While resisting he gets some important information about Max's plan and her dealings with the Agency. She's attempting to sell her business and house to get enough cash to help her in Belarus. While playing a truth for truth drinking game, the two connect over their experiences.
The next morning, Hannah receives a bouquet of flowers from Owen and a message of the hotel bill and calls him. Max, who was going to sneak in on Owen showering, takes the call and listens to Hannah yell about the $3,000 charge. She talks to Hannah, clearly unnerving her about what she knows about her. While preparing for her meet with Talco, Owen notices a news segment on a cabinet meeting at the White House on the TV. Among the four men visible in the shot is Chief of Staff Mills. Owen asks Meladze who Not Bob is in the shot but she has no clue; he deduces she never met Not Bob and instead was fed that name by someone. She admits that while it was Xander Goi (the pastry king), the agent Owen questioned in Vienna, it was a drunken reveal abut his idol.
Dawn runs into Lester in the break room and clearly recognises him from his days as a C.O. Dawn fishes the two for info and Violet takes the opportunity to bad mouth Owen as revenge for her AI torture robot case; a shot of Lester shows his clear dislike for her words.
In Arizona, Max sends Owen in alone for her meet with Talco who picks him up and tells him he will be making the deal directly with the leader of the Aquino Cartel.
Cast[]
- Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks
- Laura Haddock as Max Meladze
- Aarti Mann as Violet Ebner
- Colton Dunn as Lester Kitchens
- Fivel Stewart as Hannah Copeland
- Daniel Quincy Annoh as Terence Hoffman
- Kristian Bruun as Janus Ferber
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Walter Nyland
Music[]
Gallery[]
References[]
 |
|---|
| Characters |
| Owen Hendricks • Max Meladze • Violet Ebner • Lester Kitchens • Hannah Copeland • Terence Hoffman • Janus Ferber • Walter Nyland • Amelia Salazar • Xander Goi • Dawn Gilbane • Kelly Kwitny • Danny Woodrow • Nichka Lashin/Karolina |
| Cast |
| Noah Centineo • Laura Haddock • Aarti Mann • Colton Dunn • Fivel Stewart • Daniel Quincy Annoh • Kristian Bruun • Vondie Curtis-Hall • Kaylah Zander • Byron Mann • Angel Parker • Alexandra Petrachuck • Charlie Saxon • Maddie Hasson |
| Episodes |
| I.N.A.S.I.A.L. • N.L.T.S.Y.P. • Y.D.E.K.W.Y.D. • I.Y.D.I.A.A.C. •T.S.L.A.Y.P. • I.C.I.N.C. • I.M.F.T.B.S. • W.T.F.I.O.H. |