The Agency Episode 7 Review: The Psychological Game Intensifies As Martian & Samia's Story Finally Gets An Exciting Dose Of Honesty

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Agency episode 7.The Agency is ramping up nicely as the season goes along. The second half of season 1 has solved most of the problems I had at the start of the show, and the series' slower pace helps with great character development. While that formula does not necessarily translate to major thrills every episode, I have come to enjoy how the show builds tension in different ways. The psychological games played in episode 7 more than make up for its brief displays of action and they are more than enough to keep us engaged.

In The Agency's sixth episode, Michael Fassbender's Martian got sloppy. Osman came closer to figuring out who Martian truly is after following his daughter Poppy. I was excited to see how that would factor into episode 7, and The Agency moved faster than I expected with its response to that, which led to Martian and Samia's storyline getting a necessary jolt after it had gone somewhat stale. Adding to that, Martian made a promise to get Coyote back before he was handed over to the Russians, and the spy series saw that plan put in motion.

The Agency Merges Martian's Two Lives Through Samia

Michael Fassbender's Spy Finds The Perfect Way Out Of His Problems

After Martian got sloppy in episode 6, I imagined the whole Osman and Samia situation would eventually lead to his downfall. While it still might later in the season, episode 7 saw Fassbender's spy expertly work a way out of the corner he had been put in. We have often been told how Martian is a veteran in his field, and the character continues to back that up with most of his moves. Episode 7 shows Martian at his finest, with the spy merging his two lives to escape getting caught.

After an exciting start, I thought the Martian/Samia plot had gotten stale. There was only so much that could be done before Osman or Samia discovered Martian's true identity. At the end of episode 7, Martian reveals to Samia he is not Paul Lewis, with that cliffhanger left to be answered by episode 8. After Martian had his CIA tail stay behind to keep Poppy safe, which led to her not getting kidnapped by a Chinese agent, Martian's double life came close to being exposed. However, he had a final card up his sleeve.

It became impossible for Martian to keep Samia a secret, but he managed to turn the game around and expose her role in the secret talks in London between the Sudanese and Chinese. While I expected to see Martian reveal he was not Paul Lewis to Samia at some point, I never saw it coming that the whole agency would decide to recruit her. This was the perfect plot twist that kicked the storyline into high gear again and showed how The Agency does not need constant action to be engaging. Fassbender delivered a commanding performance.

Danny Plays A Dangerous Game & Coyote's Retrieval Is Put In Motion

While Martian's storyline was episode 7's main focus, other characters also got a chance to shine. I enjoyed seeing a more ruthless side of Danny this time around. After learning she had not been chosen to go to Iran with Reza, evidently because she rejected his advances, Danny took matters into her own hands. Danny had Edward — the CIA operative who fake-kidnapped her, and she later hooked up with — scare Jerome, who had been chosen by Reza. After he did not initially back down, Edward called Jerome on his wife's phone and showed he could get to her.

Up to this point, Danny had not shown that she could do the dark things that come with her new role. One of the best aspects of The Agency's slower pace is that the series allows characters the necessary time to develop. Danny is a character who has grown quite a bit from when we first met her. A young agent with a lot of potential, she faced a few issues at first but now seems to be settling into her undercover position just fine. The problem is she is pulling a Martian of sorts, letting romance affect her work.

To her credit, Edward is part of the CIA, not someone she met while undercover. However, having him directly intervene on her behalf, all while dating him after she told Naomi their relationship meant nothing, are troubling signs. Elsewhere, Alexei Orekhov was forced to lie on the CIA's behalf to Volchok to retrieve Coyote and keep his own family safe. Orekhov and Volchok's meeting was handled well, showing another instance of how The Agency does intense interrogations better than most shows. Volchok sensing Orekhov was working for the Americans was an interesting development that could change everything.

New episodes of The Agency drop weekly on Paramount+ with Showtime every Friday.