The Veil Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Declassified
Joshua Pleming
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It's safe to say that the wheels on Imogen and Adilah's tenuous friendship are just about ready to fall off in The Veil Season 1 Episode 4.
However, the show finally delivered some long-awaited action that was previewed in the series' initial trailer. While it was expected that the show would need to lay some groundwork and world-building, it was a surprise that it would take four episodes to get to some real action.
That being said, it has been nice to see the bond between Imogen and Adilah grow, even though it's apparent that theirs is a fate destined for far more rockier times.
At this point, it's tough to determine where everyone's loyalties lie. While everyone is undoubtedly working to stop whatever terrorist attack is underway, it seems more like each intelligence branch is simply trying to outdo the other.
Things are looking particularly interesting for Imogen as she subtly tries to pull information out of Adilah. As if things between the two women weren't fragile enough, both are hard-pressed to tell either one the whole truth.
Adilah: I really hate these types of hotels where all the rich Americans go. Makes me sick. But you seem quite comfortable in this world.
Imogen: It's my job to be comfortable in different kinds of places.
Now, Imogen appears to be getting more involved with her father's past than the case she's currently on, as Max secured the information she requested. It doesn't bode well that Imogen is so easily distracted by the ghosts of her past.
I've played so many people in my life, I don't know where I belong anymore.
Imogen
And speaking of Max, the CIA agent had a rough start in this episode, with one of his agents taken down and another who was unable to secure a better description and location for Emir. It won't look good for Max that he was so close to capturing Emir only to let him slip away.
On the surface, the U.S. intelligence operative appears to be doing everything by the book to retrieve Adilah and the intel he needs. Still, at the same time, he has no problem delivering classified government information to Imogen, a British intelligence agent.
Imogen: The intel on my father, where is it?
Max: Almost forgot. Marcus Seasbright. Interesting man, your daddy. It's not easy to be so bad they wanna kill you.
Everyone is working with their own agendas. Hardly surprising given the nature of espionage, but now Malik finds himself in a compromising situation.
He meets with Magritte, last seen in The Veil Season 1 Episode 2, who informs him that he had a device commissioned that would allow them to put surveillance on Max Peterson so that the DGSE can remain up to date on the American's information.
Even though Magritte says the French government sanctioned the move, Malik still seems hesitant to see the plan through. However, he eventually learns that the device for monitoring Max isn't the only one, as there are others around the city for surveying suspicious individuals.
It's hard to pick a side in this as, on the one hand, Malik has every right to know just as much as the CIA as they're supposed to be working together, but on the other hand, Malik's uncertainty makes it seem like there are better, less controversial roads to take.
At the very least, it looks like all government intelligence agencies currently in pursuit of Adilah are all standing on even ground with the same amount of information.
All the while, Adilah continues to put out breadcrumbs about her past, though she is still reticent to give the MI6 agent the whole story. It's not 100% clear if Adilah is the "Djinn Al Raqqa" as she helped Imogen in the gunfight, aiding the British operative to evade their assailants.
I was twenty-one. They dressed me in beautiful clothes. Talked about heaven. You see, my time had come. Twas my day of days. They'd strapped explosives to my body. A waiter just smiled at me as I walked into the lounge like death. I was death.
Adilah
Even more interesting is the brief interaction she had with Emir. Her associate was last seen in The Veil Season 1 Episode 3, helping to secure a sizeable radioactive device onboard a vessel headed for an American coast.
Yet, during his and Adilah's exchange, he makes allusions to Adilah pretending to be someone else by referencing Adilah's hairstyle and clothing choices. All is definitely not as it seems. Could Adilah be trying to portray the real "Djinn al Raqqa?"
And who exactly is Emir to Adilah? As they appeared to share an intimate moment before Imogen caught sight of the two of them together. This led to the first real crack in the women's circumstantial friendship.
Now that Adilah's daughter is safely back with her aunt, viewers would think the woman is better set up to remove Imogen from the equation, but she doesn't seem ready to be out of the MI6 agent's sight just yet.
Adilah: There is no greater suffering for a parent than when your child is suffering. A mother's blood is her child's blood.
Imogen: Yes, it is.
Regardless, now that the timetable of the America-bound vessel is known, it's only a matter of time before Imogen is ordered to bring in Adilah or, worse, take her out.
As this episode ended with quite a few bullets flying around, it's likely that Imogen and Adilah have reached the end of their covert time in Paris and will now need to be a lot more careful whenever they are out in the open.
With The Veil just about past the halfway mark, audiences will be looking for more questions to be answered going forward. At the very least, some more insight into Imogen's past.
She never does things for the reasons you think she's doing them.
Malik
Do you think Adilah is the "Djinn al Raqqa" or just playing pretend? What could be the connection between Imogen's father and Adilah's situation?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join us again next week when we review the next episode!
Joshua Pleming is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X.
