ABC’s Quantico‘s mid-season premiere, “Cleopatra,” was last night, on its new night, and it was INTENSE. The story picks up with Alex (Priyanka Chopra) being detained by Hannah Wyland (Eliza Coupe) and filling her in on the last 10 months of her life in the CIA. Most of the episode takes place at The Farm, where the recruits learn they must often cross the line as a CIA operative, and the shocking ending reveals who the terrorist on the inside really is.
“I am one of the terrorists.” | In the present, Alex is being questioned by Hannah about the terrorist event and The AIC. Hannah tells Alex she needs a name of at least one of the members of The AIC who is a terrorist, and Alex reveals that Ryan is one of them. Hannah, being Ryan’s ex wife, doesn’t want to believe Alex so she asks Shelby (Johanna Braddy) to check out the story. What Shelby discovers blows all of their theories out of the water; The AIC isn’t behind the CLF, they are being hunted by them. When Hannah and Shelby leave the room, Miranda (Aunjanue Ellis) enters with a gun. She tells Alex they need to talk. When Shelby and Hannah return, they find the room empty and realize that Miranda is gone as well. Miranda gets into a car with Alex, and tells her that she is one of the terrorists. Then she tells Alex that she will be too, once they have this chat.
“Touch is a proven way to get somebody to trust you.” | Ten months earlier, at The Farm, Alex and Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) struggle with the new dynamic of their relationship. Alex is no longer in the FBI, so he can’t share information regarding The AIC with her, and she won’t stop trying to figure it (The AIC) out on her own. In the classroom, the recruits learn about the art of seduction in their new lesson, asset recruitment. The recruits must put their new knowledge to the test when they are given their assignment, go to a wedding rehearsal party, seduce and spend the night with their assigned mark.
Harry (Russell Tovey) is still helping Alex get to the bottom of The AIC, and suggests Alex use this opportunity to seduce Owen Hall (Blair Underwood) to try to get information, and gives her a mysterious drug to help. At the party Alex takes advantage of a drunk Owen and slips him the drug (which turns out to be traceable radiation) before taking him to his room and shutting down his sexual advances. In another room, Dayana (Pearl Thusi) has called Leon (Aaron Diaz) to help her, she accidentally almost killed her mark. She claims to have had a flashback from her childhood that made her do it, and because her and Leon have already killed someone together, she called him for help. Or so he thinks. Turns out she thinks he is weak (because he is struggling with killing for The AIC) and wants him gone, so she’s framed him for attacking her mark.
After the assignment is over, Harry finds Alex and tell her about some new info; Ryan has been tapped. Alex goes to the safe house to confront Ryan for lying. He tells her she’s just upset that she wasn’t picked, to which she pulls out a phone identical to his and says, “That’s what I wanted you to believe.”
So, Miranda is a terrorist and believes Alex will join her in the cause, The AIC is being hunted by the CLF, and Alex is trying to trick Ryan into believing she’s been tapped (unless she has been?). Will Alex join Miranda, or try to stop her? Did Alex actually get tapped, or is she trying to manipulate Ryan? Leave your thoughts and theories in the comments below!
Be sure to catch Quantico on ABC on its new night, Monday’s at 10pm!