Intelligence 1.02 "Red X" Review: We're Defined By the Decisions We Make

    The second episode of Intelligence, “Red X” was written by Aaron Ginsburg and Wade McIntyre and directed by Aaron Lipstadt. Lipstadt’s extensive credits also include Quantum Leap, Medium, The Division, Elementary, and Grimm. Ginsburg and McIntyre’s credits include Do No Harm, The Finder, and The Good Guys. Interestingly, the three collaborated on the same episode of Do No Harm as well. If you missed the first episode, the new credits fill you in on everything you need to know.

    This second episode continued to add layers to the characters we were introduced to in the “Pilot.” I was really happy to see both Nelson (PJ Byrne) and Shenandoah (John Billingsley) back as active members of Cyer Command. Nelson is clearly being set up as the comic relief and I enjoyed his rivalry with Gabriel (Josh Holloway). I loved his quip about finding the butcher and the candlestick maker after they identify the initial bomber as a baker. This frees up Billingsley to play an active role in the more dramatic aspects of the plot. Billingsley is certainly up to providing comic relief as well as he often did as Phlox on Enterprise, but it’s nice to see him get to show a greater range. The scene with Nelson and Shenandoah gathering the explosive out of the terrorist was hysterical, but Billingsley was equally strong in his dramatic scenes – I loved watching him go after the scientist from the research lab.

    With a super computer embedded in the main character’s brain, it would be easy for the show to forget to give the other characters significant contributions, but this episode does a great job of showing how each member contributes. It was a nice moment when it’s Riley (Meghan Ory) who suggests letting the cab camera keep running and it allows them to identify Ibrahim (Cas Anvar) and Amelia (Zuleikha Robinson). Riley is also the connection to other security details, but most important the one who really sees Gabriel as a person.

    I like the dynamic between the two lead women: Lillian (Marg Helgenberger) and Riley. Riley is clearly comfortable in her role in the hierarchy and defers to Lillian, even reminding Gabriel that the final calls rest with Lillian. Yet, Riley is still able to discuss Lillian’s choices without seeming to question them past that the decisions might be “risky” or not what Riley would have done. Lillian is decisive in her role as leader. I’m really enjoying both Ory and Helgenberger in these parts. They both bring some nice nuance to the parts and are both competent in what might traditionally have been male-dominated roles. I thought the ending was very telling and an indication that these are not merely stereotypical roles either.

    Gabriel is angry with Riley for saving him and accuses her of simply protecting the chip. Once again, she humanizes him and stresses that she saved him not the chip and that even if he hates her, she’s glad he’s alive. Riley even says, “we’re defined by the decisions we make.” This is easily applied to everyone, including Amelia, who we know from flashbacks made her own decisions. Meanwhile, Lillian revisits the little boy at the mosque and discovers that Amelia may, in fact, have still be in deep cover after all. Lillian is ruthless enough to tell people what they need to hear in order to fulfill their roles in the mission. I have to wonder if she did doubt even when she used Occam’s razor to convince Gabriel that Amelia had turned. I wonder too if she will now share this information with him. I tend to think that she won’t.

    Lillian clearly got more than she bargained for when she brought Riley onto the team. She presses Riley to make sure that she can kill Amelia if she has to, and Riley hesitates. Lillian is clearly the more ruthless of the two, but again, the ending shows that Lillian is not heartless. I really liked that Riley saves Gabriel by physically throwing them both out the window, but doesn’t have to kill Amelia.

    Those hoping to see a quick resolution to the Amelia plotline should be happy with just how quickly they wrapped it up. Those of you who are more jaded will no doubt say that we never did see a body, so there’s always the possibility that she is still alive. However, while I’m not going to completely shut the door on the possibility of seeing her again, I’m going to assume that the plot line was primarily a good way of explaining why Gabriel would have volunteered for this “assignment.” He had no one to go home to and it offered the best possibility of finding his missing wife or at least discovering exactly what had happened. Shenandoah points out to Lillian that he’s been routinely devoting 30% of his computing capacity to finding Amelia. On the other hand, we still don’t know who Amelia was answering to if she was still in deep cover – that person should have been doing something to protect her or bring her out, so he or she may be an important antagonist in the future.

    Holloway was simply fantastic in the episode. He got to showcase Gabriel’s tender, playful side in flashbacks with Amelia. He was clearly supportive of her leaving to go undercover and in the present plagued with guilt for having let her go. We also seem him angry, rebellious, and finally distraught over losing her again. It’s also nice to see the genuine relationship – and chemistry with the other actors – Gabriel has with his “family” at Cyber Command.

    Lots of great special effects again in this episode. There was also plenty of action. The fight between Gabriel and Malik (Nicholas Massouh) on the elevator was great, but on first watch, I was puzzled with how he was able to shove him down the elevator shaft: the elevator doors shouldn’t open unless there’s an elevator there. On second watch, however, there is a schematic of the shaft on Gabriel’s network, so presumably he was able to network the door open. In future, hopefully, they’ll give us a bit more time to process those clues.

     For me, Intelligence has been strong out of the gate. This second episode was as good as the first one for me, and I’m invested in the main characters already. It helped that I was already a fan of Holloway and Billingsley’s work, and Ory has simply blown me away. The episodes are fast paced and the stories solid. I wish that they hadn’t waited to premiere this so late, however. Ratings for the first episode were huge but the drop off for this episode was also huge, though still quite respectable. This show deserves an audience, but may face an uphill battle against already established shows. It will be interesting to see the Live +DVR numbers for this second episode.

    What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying the characters or the action more? Were you disappointed or relieved to see the Amelia storyline potentially wrapped up so quickly? Are you watching live or DVRing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!