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THE RECRUIT

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Full Name: Owen Hendricks
Nationality: American
Organization: CIA
Occupation Agent

Creator: Alexi Hawley
Time Span: 2022 - 2025

ABOUT THE SERIES

Owen Hendricks is an agent with the CIA.

Well, he is a lawyer. That is an important fact to remember. He is not a trained field operative. Unfortunately, that does not mean he is not asked to operate out in the field. In fact, he is and he finds he has to learn a lot of life-saving skills very, very quickly.

The first season of adventures is wonderfully summarized on IMdB as: "Owen Hendricks [is] a young CIA lawyer whose first week on the job turns upside down when he discovers a threatening letter by former asset Max Meladze, who plans to expose the agency unless they exonerate her of a serious crime. Owen quickly becomes entangled in a dangerous and often absurd world of power politics and mischievous players, as he travels the world in hopes of completing his assignment and making a mark at the CIA."

Another description, this one coming from Wikipedia, tells us: "Fledgling lawyer Owen Hendricks, who has just started working for the CIA after graduating from Georgetown Law, has his life turned upside down when he encounters an Eastern European asset who threatens extortion if she is not freed from prison. As her long-term relationship with the CIA is revealed, he becomes entangled in convoluted international politics. Hendricks negotiates with the asset and finds himself at odds with menacing individuals and groups, risking his life as he tries to fulfill his duties."

Hendricks is approximately 26 years old when we first meet him, a good-looking man with an earnest demeanor who strives to do both good and right in a job where those two factors are often at odds. His natural inclination to believe people is constantly being taken advantage of but he is also exceptionally intelligent and able to think on his feet so he surprises, well, everyone.

And then there is Max Meladze, a former CIA asset who is in prison for having beaten a pretty nasty truck driver to death. She has secrets she is willing to tell unless the Agency helps her out and that is sort of where Hendricks comes in. The interaction between these two, one a wet-behind-the-ears newbie and the other a hardened veteran, is well worth the price of admission.

TELEVISION


Number of Episodes:14
First Appearance:2022
Last Appearance:2025
Network:Netflix

REGULAR CAST
Noah CentineoOwen Hendricks [ 1-2 ]
Aarti MannViolet Ebner [ 1-2 ]
Colton DunnLester Kitchens [ 1-2 ]
Fivel StewartHannah Copeland [ 1-2 ]
Vondie Curtis-HallWalter Nyland [ 1-2 ]

1 I.N.A.S.I.A.L.
Episode S1-1, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Alexi Hawley

Title meaning: "I'm Not a Spy, I'm a Lawyer"
Thrown into the deep end during his first week at the CIA, rookie lawyer Owen Hendricks quickly gets in over his head when uncovers a possible threat.

2 N.L.T.S.Y.P.
Episode S1-2, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Alexi Hawley

Title meaning: "Never Let Them See You Pucker"
While scrambling to learn how to navigate the high-stakes world of international espionage, Owen attempts to track down classified information on Max.

3 Y.D.E.K.W.Y.D.
Episode S1-3, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Alex Kalymnios
Writers: Alexi Hawley, George V. Ghanem

Title meaning: "You Don't Even Know What You Do"
Owen's crash course in CIA protocols continues as he negotiates with Max, goes on a date with a co-worker and contends with a hostile agency employee.

4 I.Y.D.I.A.A.C.
Episode S1-4, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Alex Kalymnios
Writer: Amelia Roper

Title meaning: "If You Do It as Anderson Cooper"
When a major snag jeopardizes Max's, case, Owen races to find a legal loophole-- and urges her not to take matters into her own ruthless hands.

5 T.S.L.A.Y.P.
Episode S1-5, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour
Writer: Hadi Nicholas Deeb

Title meaning: "That Sounds Like a You Problem"
Owen's plan to move on from Max suffers a setback when he's ordered back to Phoenix, where credit cards and prying eyes causes problems at work and home.

6 I.C.I.N.C.
Episode S1-6, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour
Writer: Niceole R. Levy

Title meaning: "I'm Clenching, I'm Not Clenching"
On the heels of his risky negotiations on Max's behalf, Owen face's uncomfortable questions from his colleagues -- and friends -- about their connection.

7 I.M.F.T.B.S.
Episode S1-7, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Julian Holmes
Writer: Maya Goldsmith

Title meaning: "It's My First Time Being Sexpionaged"
A mission to Geneva to retrieve assets spirals into chaos for Owen and Max. Hannah's mom pressures her for information.

8 W.T.F.I.O.H.
Episode S1-8, first aired 12/16/2022
Director: Julian Holmes
Writer: Alexi Hawley

Title meaning: "Who the Fuck Is Owen Hendricks?"
The mission with Max takes a dangerous turn as complications arise, bullets fly -- and Owen's personal and professional lives collide.

9 Y.N.A.H.Y.A.L.
Episode S2-1, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: Julian Holmes
Writer: Alexi Hawley

Title meaning: "You're not a hero, you're a lawyer"
After the chaos in Prague, Owen gets benched. But it's not long before he stumbles on a new case - and into a new den of spies in South Korea.

10 Y.A.R.A.C.O.T.D.O.P.
Episode S2-2, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: Jessica Yu
Writer: Bryan Oh

Title meaning: "You are really a condom on the dick of progress"
Owen becomes a human target while digging deeper into the graymail case. Nichka has major intel on a kidnapping - but it won't come for free.

11 H.H.I.I.T.K.A.L.
Episode S2-3, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: Viet Nguyen
Writer: Hadi Nicholas Deeb

Title meaning: "How hard is it to kill a lawyer?"
An impromptu trip to the Middle East leads to danger. Jang Kyun takes extreme measures to get the answers he seeks.

12 A.T.N.W.H.Y.P.A.B.H.
Episode S2-4, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: John Hyams
Writer: Sue Chung

Title meaning: "And then Nyland will have you pulled apart by horses"
With no one else to trust, Owen and Jang Kyun reluctantly team up. Hannah's new romance proves risky. Oliver arranges a meeting with the yakuza.

13 W.S.T.W.T.P.
Episode S2-5, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: Julian Holmes
Writers: Maya Goldsmith, Neda Davarpanah

Title meaning: "We're still tinkering with the programmatics"
Owen and his cohorts race to evade capture when the NIS orders their arrest. To save her own skin, Dawn agrees to lead a perilous mission.

14 I.D.N.W.T.B.D.I.
Episode S2-6, first aired 01/30/2025
Director: Alexi Hawley
Writer: Alexi Hawley

Title meaning: "I do not want to be dead inside"
Forced to pivot when an operation goes sideways, Owen must rely on new allies, old friends and his own resourcefulness to even the odds.

MY COMMENTS

I was a huge fan of this series from the first episode and had to force myself to watch no more than one episode a night. With only eight episodes altogether in that initial season, I was done in just over a week and was hungry for more, especially the way the first season ended on a cliffhanger. The second season has left me just a desirous for a third, even coming two years after the first one.

The writing is terrific and the characters are ... awesome is not too strong a word. Often purposefully stereotypical, they then will switch gears and leave you (okay, me) with raised eyebrows and a big grin on my face. 

GRADE

My Grade: A-

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