The Agency Episode 8 Review: I'm Pleasantly Surprised By How The Clever Spy Series Avoided Taking Obvious Story Routes

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Agency episode 8I continue to be impressed by how much I am enjoying The Agency after a slower first batch of episodes. The start of the season was important to set up a few mysteries that would be unraveled throughout its freshman outing. While I predicted how some of those storylines would turn out, most of them have panned out in quite surprising ways. The show's psychological games are exciting to watch and Michael Fassbender consistently delivers excellent performances as Martian — one of my favorite characters of his — as his life continues to change before his eyes.

The Agency episode 7 ended with a bang. Poppy barely escaped from being kidnapped and Martian convinced the CIA to recruit Samia. Elsewhere, Danny's ruthless side came out as she used available resources to scare her competition away and the plan to get Coyote back had a major development. Things seemed to be on a good path for the CIA, but for the most part, the new episode threw a wrench into the agency's plans. The relationships built throughout the season have finally started to hit hard and the series is thriving.

Martian & Samia's Story Seemingly Reaches The Finish Line

The Show's Main Plot Is Resolved Before The End Of Season 1

Michael Fassbender and Jodie Turner-Smith have great chemistry. I have enjoyed watching the two play out the complicated relationship between Martian and Sami. After The Agency episode 7's ending, which saw Martian reveal to Sami that he was not Paul Lewis after all, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. To my surprise, the series decided not to go for any of the obvious routes I expected it to take. There were many ways The Agency could have handled the CIA's decision to recruit Sami, with the first being she would accept Martian's offer.

However, Sami is a woman of firm morals who wants to make her country better. She chooses not to betray her ideals in exchange for protection and the chance to build a life with Martian. That was a cool twist to expectations, as Turner-Smith's character told Osman about the CIA's plan, leading to her being sent back home and the talks between the Sudanese and Chinese moving to Egypt. The final scene shared between Martian and Sami at the airport, with Fassbender's character basically begging her to stay and get to know him for real, was heartbreaking.

This was a great way to give the storyline a satisfying and poignant ending before it started to drag on for too long. I also liked how the show decided not to make Sami a spy herself, playing Martian all this time. That had been a growing theory in fan circles as the season went by, and while a bit cliché, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. However, by making Sami refuse Martian's offer and keep her family safe by not betraying her country, The Agency handled the character better.

Two Storylines Should Grow Over The Final Episodes

Danny's Mission Continues To Prove Very Interesting To Follow

Since Martian and Samia's storyline was the driving force of the season, I'm interested to see how the other plots step up ahead of season 1's final episodes. Danny's storyline should be one that continues to grow over the final two episodes. After destroying her previous competitor to go to Iran alongside Reza, the character showed her complex nature. Danny got closer to her new competitor for the position, Saura, played by Shadow and Bone star Jessie Mei Li.

Upon learning that Saura's mother wants to euthanize herself in Switzerland, Danny sees the potential in exploring that thread while her family is against it. However, having befriended Saura and even kissed her, Danny is too close to her target, poorly handling the conversation with Saura's mother, which only works in the end because Katherine Waterston's Naomi is there by her side. I found Danny's story interesting. She had no qualms about intimidating her previous competitor and threatening his family, but the second she forms a bond with Saura, Danny becomes unsure about her approach.

Elsewhere, the gamble to use Volchok's secretary backfires. After she changes his boots for a pair with a tracker sent by the CIA, Volchok realizes what has been done. This comes after he put together that Alexei was lying to him on behalf of the Americans in episode 7. Volchok continues to prove himself a ruthless genius and I'm interested to see if he will be successful in turning over Coyote. As the season moves on to its final two episodes, I have the feeling the best is yet to come and Samia's storyline ending opens exciting possibilities.

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