IR TV Review: THE TERMINAL LIST - DARK WOLF - EPISODE 6 (“Pawns & Kings”) [Prime]
The path of a team is only as good as its intel. With Episode 6 of "The Terminal List: Dark List" entitled "Pawns & Kings", the perspective comes down to culpability. Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) has become ensconced in the idea of what creates the greater good especially in stepping outside the lines. With the loss of a teammate where at least he knew her perspective, the play they are walking into in this episode involving the two main negotiators in the game is alluded to. The paranoia apparent in these situations of course is great. Raife (Tom Hopper) sees the writing on the wall which, after the progression of the last episode, has left him disenchanted. Edwards seems more resolute but his focus might be born out of a false sense of duty. The chess play is deferred because of the part of the team who always had to think outside the box: the tech Mossad agent. She even sees the rough edges when her own handlers cannot. Everyone seems to be having a hard time. The question here is one of conscience in a weird way (or comeuppance if you will). The CIA handler that Edwards is working with knows everything that he and his team want to hear even if it betrays their trust.
Espionage is a tricky game but this series speaks to the point that there needs to be a loyalty in everything. Without giving away the turning point in the episode, it comes down to who does one trust more. One of Edwards' team outside Raife worked with him in Iraq so he knows who is fighting with for better or worse. Meanwhile the main CIA head, Haverford, seemingly thinks that cutting losses can be a crucial part of an op. His MO is about having to skin the fat but intel can come from all sides. Leading into the final episode of this series per se, the question becomes one of placement in the pecking order (or at least in the order of intelligence). Raife makes a good point as did Mossad that there will always be parallel missions...it is just a matter of how much one holds that against another team. With a second season of "The Terminal List" likely on the way, it is about we understand what Edwards went through and then bridge that with the idea of what Reece [Chris Pratt) must contend with on domestic soil going forward. B+
By Tim Wassberg
