Citadel: Diana season 1, episode 2 recap and review: "War"

It didn’t take long for Diana and Edo to team up in Citadel: Diana. Can they trust each other?

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Citadel: Diana season 1, episode 2

At the end of the first episode, Diana headed out to see Edo. She knows that he wants to take over Manticore Italy, and she wants out of the agency. They can work together to make sure Manticore gets the weapon that likely comes from Citadel.

Diana has the French half of the weapon, and the German has other half. Edo doesn’t trust Diana at all, but he doesn’t really have a choice if he wants to reach his goal. And so, the team up begins.

It’s a simple enough start. There’s none of this back and forth, with the story getting straight into it. Of course, there are constant questions about whether they can trust each other, but they’ll come up throughout the series.

What’s on the French drive in Citadel: Diana season 1, episode 2?

Diana had promised the German that she wouldn’t download the data on the drive. Edo needs to see what’s on it, and he can run a decryption without being caught. It doesn’t take long for Edo’s system to find an anomaly on the drive. The device is supposed to be a controller for the system, and it turns out there is a flaw in the coding that was purposely put it there. They need to make sure the Germans find the flaw when Diana hands it over.

While he’s trying to run the drive, his dad shows up. Ettore wants Edo to marry Cecile, but Edo isn’t happy with that idea. He points out that Cecile is using Citadel technology and hiding it from the rest of Manticore. How is it a good idea to get into bed with her? Well, Ettore is quick to point out that Manticore is always hiding something from other branches. Edo knows that all too well.

Edo decides that he will team up with Dian after all. While they don’t trust each other, Edo wants to take Manticore in another direction. This is the way to do it. And so, he called Cecile to tell her that he won’t marry her. He is done following directions.

There is something bigger to deal with, though. There’s a huge hack into Manticore Italy’s system, locking everyone else out. Yes, it’s Cecile, who has decided to attack Italy for Edo’s decision. It locks the Italian agents out and exposes all of their data. Edo suggests that they should put the blame of the Italian attack in the series premiere on the Germans and say that they had information in the computers and is now wiped out.

We get this reminder that the Italians have always bluffed everything. It’s no wonder the rest of Manticore doesn’t trust them. We also get to see how little Edo and his father actually know about the rest of Manticore, and this is a concern for Edo and Diana. It seems like Edo and Diana may only be able to trust each other right now.

However, Ettore doesn’t trust Diana one little bit. That’s another cliché moment, but there wouldn’t be the spy intrigue without it, right?

Diana needs to protect her sister

We do get a few cliché spy elements in this episode, such as Diana being followed by an unknown vehicle. Considering she’s working against Manticore and is on the impulsive side, that’s not all too surprising. Fortunately, she realizes that she’s being followed and takes quick steps to loose the guy. Only, she finds out that it’s Sara who was following her in the taxi.

Considering all the secrets, it’s not surprising that Sara is following Diana. She knows that Diana is hiding something. Diana says she works in finance, but she’s off doing secret things and is working until the latest hours. All Sara wants to know is what she’s doing.

She heads back to Diana’s place, and of course, Diana has cameras everywhere. I thought Diana made a bad spy at times, but Sara would have been even worse. The problem with her being there is that when the Manticore Italy data is there, Diana becomes one of the top targets. Her home is the target, and that puts Sara at risk.

By the time Diana gets back to her apartment, Sara isn’t there. There are agents waiting for her at home, and a shootout starts. Of course, this is when Diana’s condition plays up, and it’s clear that this is how things will quickly go south for Diana later on in the series. Not for now, though.

Edo proves that he is someone to trust for now. After the agents leave, Diana gets a call. She heads to a restaurant, where Edo is with Sara. He got to Diana’s apartment before the agents to protect Sara and arrange dinner. Sara can see a hint of something between Edo and Diana. How much of that is Edo just putting on a show, though? He’s already said that he’s good at bluffing. It does seem to hint that there is something to come between Diana and Edo the more they get to know each other.

Another look at the past in Citadel: Diana

The storyline continues in two timelines. The great thing about this show is that it makes it clear when we’re in the earlier timeline. Not only is Diana’s hair completely different, but we also get a card on the screen that tells us how long ago in the past we’re going.

We find out how Diana is pulled into Citadel by Gabriele. Her search for the black box and into the plane crash has drawn him to her. Now he admits that one of their agents was on the plane, and everyone else was collateral damage.

I actually really love the look of Diana learning how to be a Citadel agent. This is where the spy cliches are minimized. We see Gabriele take her to a swimming pool, with a very basic training area. Usually, we get these big, fancy training facilities. Gabriele also says that Diana won’t know other Citadel agents and they won’t know her, which certainly suggests that there is already an issue within Citadel. How small has this agency already become?

The training isn’t just about physical training. We see how quickly Diana gives into her anger, which gives us a look at the training she gets to help her pass that lie detector test in the series premiere. That doesn’t mean she’ll always be able to prevent her impulses, but she can mostly keep control.

It’s all about technology. There’s some sort of patch on her chest, but it looks like this is when her condition first appears. The type of training causes the disease. I’m glad that we don’t have to wait too long to understand more about Diana’s training and the condition she suffers from. It’s a breath of fresh air in the world of spy dramas.

So far, Citadel: Diana has remained strong. The cliché spy elements aren’t overshadowing the overall story. We get more development on Edo in this episode, and it makes me want to know more about him. I also find myself curious about Citadel and Gabriele. Just how big is Citadel, and are they really the good guys? That’s what we’re told and we want to believe that based on the original series, but what if they’re not? What if there are no good guys in this?

Citadel: Diana is available to stream on Prime Video.