‘CIA’ Season 2 Premiere Episode 1 Recap Bill’s Father’s Secret Past and the Assassin Who Got Away Explained
When CBS debuted ‘CIA’ in February, it introduced a daring CIA case officer paired with a meticulous FBI agent, tackling domestic threats in New York. Tom Ellis portrays the charming Colin Glass, while Nick Gehlfuss plays the disciplined Bill Goodman, creating a dynamic that quickly became the show’s driving force.
The series garnered impressive viewership, attracting 8.4 million multiplatform viewers within a week of its launch, leading to its renewal just five episodes in. This second season is set to be even more expansive, with 22 episodes planned compared to the first season’s 12.
The season premiere, titled “The Deep,” was penned by showrunner Mike Weiss and directed by Ken Girotti. It resumes three weeks after the death of Bill’s father, culminating in a revelation that could alter Bill’s perception of his family.
Bill returns to his duties visibly shaken. After a boxing session with FBI Special Agent Stuart Scola, portrayed by John Boyd in a crossover from ‘FBI’, Colin surprises him in the back of his car, expressing his regret for not being there during Bill’s loss. A new character, Teddy Marsh, joins the New York Station, having just transferred from Berlin.
Nikki briefs the team on Eduardo “Lalo” Cabrella, a fixer for the Ortega cartel wanted in multiple countries. Despite some initial setbacks, tracking powder leads them to the home of former Navy SEAL Mitch Selby, where they discover Lalo standing over Selby’s body and an empty safe concealed behind a painting.
The case expands with the murder of Kip Paul, who is killed on his yacht during the cold open. The team uncovers that Selby, Paul, and an undercover agent named Keith Truman were all DEA agents, suggesting that someone is targeting them. Gina’s research points to an assassin named Felix, responsible for the deaths of three CIA operatives, who appears to be after the money the DEA agents took from the cartel.
The threat becomes tangible when Bill and Colin search a garage for Felix’s vehicle and narrowly escape an explosion. Surveillance footage implicates Truman in the garage the previous night, making him look like Felix’s accomplice.
Gary Martin, another former DEA agent, sheds light on the group’s troubled past. During a heist, they encountered an unexpected guard, a 15-year-old boy, whom Kip shot dead. Gary left the DEA over this incident and agrees to turn himself in after attending the funeral, but Colin sees a chance to use him as bait.
Felix strikes after the funeral by colliding with Colin’s car, and just as he prepares to shoot Bill and Gary, Colin fires, causing Felix to flee. Bill pursues him onto a bridge, where Felix jumps into the water below. The team later finds Truman in a van loaded with cash, and Bill manages to cuff him.
However, the deeper story unfolds as Bill sifts through his father’s belongings, discovering a 1998 airline ticket to Tbilisi, Georgia, which his mother, played by Becky Ann Baker, cannot explain. Bill shares this with Colin, who investigates and uncovers that Bill’s father, Robert Goodman, had ties to the CIA.
This revelation is shocking for Bill, as the files connect Robert to Project Palomar. When Colin discusses this with Nikki, she reveals little, only that it casts a dark shadow over everyone involved. Colin assures Bill they will uncover the truth together, a key plot point that Weiss mentioned to TV Insider is crucial for the finale.
The assassin is not merely a loose end; Weiss indicated to Give Me My Remote that Felix has a professional connection to Bill’s father from his CIA days, suggesting Robert was involved in some very dark activities abroad. This irony is highlighted when Lalo mistakes Bill for CIA.
Colin also has unresolved issues. The first season concluded with him discovering that his former partner and lover, Toni Napier, played by Angela Sarafyan, survived an explosion a year prior. The premiere hints that Nikki may intend to reintroduce her into the field, setting the stage for a slow-building conflict.
Weiss has noted that while the first season consisted of 12 episodes, the extended run allows for the Bill mystery to develop alongside weekly cases. The next episode is titled “Dead Drop.”
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