This post contains spoilers from Netflix's Zero Day episode 4 from this point forward.
It's been 19 days since the cyberattack when Zero Day episode 4 begins, and there's unfortunately been another attack, this time on the American Homestead Bank. President Mitchell addresses the nation as disgruntled customers protest outside the bank. They are unable to access their accounts, but it goes on step further. Mitchell has placed an immediate freeze on all financial activity through at least the weekend.
During the presser, Mitchell mentions that Mullen has a suspect, potentially for both events, in custody. A reporter asks if it's Evan Green, as Mullen arrested him at the end of episode 3, but she reiterates "a suspect." Dreyer pressures Mitchell to cut Mullen loose as the former president interrogates Green about Leon and Anna Sindler. Green gives him nothing but jokes and asks for a lawyer.
Everyone's panicking about this mess, and ironically, Roger and Alex wake up together and take phone calls from Valerie and Dreyer from opposing viewpoints. Roger muses about running away from all of their problems, since Alex says that's what her late brother Nick would do. She finally asks how her dad has been, and Roger admits that he hasn't been himself. Well, if that isn't the understatement of the century.
Valerie uncovers the truth about Proteus
The commission has a meeting about the state of the investigation, and Melissa suggests changing the narrative by Mullen testifying for the Oversight Committee. He refuses to testify until they're finished, so the meeting really goes nowhere. When the meeting adjourns, Valerie asks Mullen about him asking Green about Anna Sindler. He brushes it off as a question to "keep him off balance." But who's actually off balance?
Green meets with his lawyer and all he's talking about is his future branding when he's released, much to the chagrin of his lawyer. Meanwhile, Valerie visits a man in Virginia named Dave McKenna about Proteus. He's the only one of the original team members still alive, which he alleges is because of the risks of what they created. He explains that the idea of Proteus was to "inflict a traumatic brain injury from a distance with surgical precision." Yikes!
The injury from Proteus wouldn't be able to be traced. She asks about the symptoms. There could be only one reason why she would ask. Before this point, it had been unclear what Proteus actually was, but with Valerie's line of questioning to McKenna, it's easy to connect the dots and assume she worries that someone has used Proteus on Mullen.
As protests continue to breakout across the country about the banks, Otieno questions Green as the team watches. Green, ever a raging jerk, talks about nothing relevant. Otieno finally gets him to snap out of his schtick and start talking. He claims he doesn't know who hacked American Homestead Bank and what the plan is for future hackings. He does start naming names, who were guests on his show.
Amid the whole mess, Monica Kidder speaks on the news and has stoked the flames of protest, which have organized for one outside of his home. Melissa suggests attempting to team up with Monica as an ally. Once he agrees, Valerie pulls him aside to have a talk about Proteus. She tells him it's not a cyberweapon, rather a neurological one. She has a list of the symptoms, which Mullen reads in shock. Now he knows.
Who killed Bambi's meaning, revealed
Thankfully, Valerie has finally talked some sense into Mullen, and he's taking the reality of being impacted by Proteus seriously. He won't go back to his house, his circle will be tightened (bye, Roger!), and Valerie runs the show. It's probably a great time to start worrying about Roger's intentions because he's up to something weird with a radio tracing calls. Whose side is he on?
Mullen takes his meeting with Monica, but they don't seem to wave the white flag and join hands as allies. As protests around the US grow worse, Mitchell puts Mullen on a short leash. He wants to extend the shutdown, but the country is at its wit's end. She balks and gives him the shortest extension. Dreyer expresses the opposite to the press, furthering the tension, which continues when Sheila forces Mullen to prove he's of sound mind or she will tell the country he's not. Surprisingly, he passes his cognitive tests.
While at a bar, a man asks Roger to procure evidence that Mullen is sick. He returns to the office and considers stealing Mullen's notebook out of his desk. Roger later admits his various misgivings to Alex out of guilt. Maybe he didn't turn on Mullen after all. Mullen returns to question Green with some muscle behind him. He admits to some tax evasion, before Mullen's muscle places a bag over Green's head and suffocates him (not to death... yet?).
Roger did in fact change his mind in throwing Mullen under the bus, and he receives a couple houseguests who rough him up. They inject him in the neck with something to knock him unconscious, drag him into the bathroom, strip him naked, and stage a suicide in the bathtub. Mitchell announces that Sinecure was behind the bank attack, but they had no connection to Zero Day. Dreyer then drops the bomb that because Mullen refuses to speak, they will subpoena Sheila.
When Mullen arrives at the scene of Roger's death, he appears to have a flashback to the death of his son Nick, who died of an apparent drug overdose. "Who Killed Bambi" was playing on the stereo as Mullen knelt down to approach his son's body. Because Roger was known to be in recovery to addition to narcotics, his death was staged as a drug overdose, too. Later, Mullen opens his desk drawer. The notebook is still there.
Zero Day episode 4 review
Every good political thriller has its reckoning moment where its hero has the ultimate epiphany. That happens doubly in Zero Day episode 4 for George Mullen. First, he's confronted with the harsh reality that he could have been a victim of the Proteus weapon, which explains his frightening mental decline. Then, one of his closest confidantes is killed — or, as he's likely to initially believe, has died the same way that his son died. It's a major turning point for Mullen.
What I appreciate most from this episode is that there are consequences to the leniency Mullen has been gifted because of his status. There's another attack, whether connected or a copycat, that has massive impacts on the American people. He loses a trusted member of his inner circle. He confronts his mental health. It's a lot to take on as the world literally resides on his shoulders and the world, in turn, questions whether it should be on his shoulders.
Zero Day has a lot to say thematically, and as a drama, the plot twists are starting to hit a mile a minute. (Who expected Mullen to start torturing Green?!) But by episode 4, you start to look around this show and notice that some of its famous and super-talented stars don't have much to do. In that sense, its incredible cast feels wasted in this particular show, as entertaining as it might be. You can't help but compare it to possibly better shows that make do with fewer stars.
Watch Zero Day only on Netflix.