WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Agency episode 3.
Episode 3 of the Paramount+ political thriller seriesThe Agencyreveals the true identity of Michael Fassbender’s “Martian” as the CIA does damage control on Operation Felix. Created for American television by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow,Ford v Ferrari),The Agencyis an adaptation of the 2015 critically acclaimed French thriller seriesThe Bureaucreated by Eric Rochant. Fassbender leads thecast ofThe Agencyalongside Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, Katherine Waterson, John Magaro, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, and Jodie Turner-Smith.
Despite its promising source material and ensemble cast,The Agencyhas received mixed reviews, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 66% after its two-episode premiere on August 11, 2025. DuringThe Agencyepisode 1 “The Bends” and episode 2"Wooden Duck," Fassbender’s “Paul Lewis” gets pulled out of a six-year undercover mission to help locate a missing CIA operative named Coyote who has the potential to reveal several long-term undercover missions in as many as nine countries.Episode 3 “Hawk from a Handsaw” follows three undercover operatives in one of those compromised missions – Felix– as they scramble to escape from Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Why Martian Interrogated Samia About Being In London
He’s suspicious of Samia because she’s not attending her classes
Although Martian was pulled out of his mission in Ethiopia to help find Coyote, the cracks in his foundation start to reveal themselves inThe Agencyepisode 3. After getting caught by Henry for checking into a hotel under his defunct Paul Lewis alias, Martian is put on thin ice despite his expertise and contributions to helping the CIA back in London. Henry isn’t aware that Martian is seeing Samia, his love interest from Ethiopia, which would have disastrous consequences for his career. It’s clear thatMartian is having a difficult time adjusting back to his real identity as “Brandon"and is taking a massive risk by seeing Samia in London.
Martian, however, did not ask Samia to visit him in London as she was interestingly already there when he called her. This raises Martian’s suspicions, which leads to an impromptu public interrogation in broad daylight. At the end ofThe Agencyepisode 2, Martian discovers that the academic grant that Samia earned to come to London in the first place wasn’t being utilized and Samia was not attending the classes. Martian confronts Samia about why she wasn’t attending her classes and suspects that she had followed him to London for different reasons. Ultimately,Martian’s approach is too aggressive and Samia calls off their affair.
Martian’s “Insane” Message To Dr. Burke Explained
Dr. Burke has to determine whether Martian is a liability to the CIA
The Agencyepisode 3 features a lengthy back-and-forth scene between Martian and psychologist Dr. Burke. During the first two episodes, it appeared that Dr. Burke was only brought in to provide a risk assessment on Alexei. However, episode 3 reveals that part of her role at the CIA is to interview agents returning from the field like Martian. Martian is clearly not receptive to the process despite admitting that he would likely benefit from treatment. Burke believes Martian is being defensive and has something to hide, which he does not hide very well. He quickly switches gears and elaborates on his perspective of his job, which he concludesrequires him to be just the right amount of “insane” so that he doesn’t become a liability to the Agency, which is really all Dr. Burke is there to determine.
Why “Langley” Told Bosko Operation Felix Is Back On
Felix is a top-secret mission of the highest sensitivity
Bosko, the London Station Chief of the CIA, is on a Zoom call with “Langley”, which is an obvious reference to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The man Bosko speaks to is presumablyThe Agency’sfictional depiction of the CIA Director. Bosko begins the call by explaining that all of the operations that Coyote was knowledgeable of had been halted except for a top-secret one with the code name Felix. Bosko goes down to a highly secure area known as “The Cube” to get debriefed on what Felix is and why the mission cannot be aborted. While it’s not yet stated why Operation Felix is of the highest sensitivity, one thing that is clear is thatHenry’s brother-in-law, a Delta named Charlie, is at the heart of it.
Is Coyote Actually A Double Agent?
Coyote may have gone rogue and been pulled out of his mission
Henry and the other main players in The Agency episode 3 begin to suspect that Coyote’s disappearance may have been a planned extraction mission if he were secretly a double agent. The truth about Coyote has yet to be determined but if he is a double agent, then half of the intel that the CIA has on Ukraine would be corrupt. If not, and Coyote’s cover is blown, then several operations, the most significant of them being Felix, are at risk of being exposed. If Coyote was a Belarusian double agent, he would have been trained by the KGB, which means that at this point, it would not be surprising if Coyote went rogue.Langley is already under the impression that Coyote had been a double agent for yearswho fed the CIA fake intel but it remains uncertain.
Martian’s Plan To Find The Felix Operatives Explained
Martian moves quickly to locate the three operatives, including Charlie, who are at the center of Operation Felix. He checks what satellite and infrared images they have available to try and determine the location of the operatives but realizes the technology in that region of Ukraine can’t provide sharp enough resolution to find them. Dr. Burke later reveals that if Coyote did turn, he either did it for ideological reasons, money, or love. Martian suddenly comes up with an exact plan to find Charlie and his two undercover operatives, which targets dead centers in wooded areas.The dead centers would indicate that Felix’s operatives would have been theresince they were trained to “go dark” and kill all electronic and heat signatures, including pouring water on car engines.
Who Is Osman & Why Is He Following Samia?
He could be an associate of Samia’s husband
A new character known as Osman is introduced inThe Agencyepisode 3. He is only shown during brief moments behind the wheel of a car, watching Samia intensely. When Osman reveals himself at the end of the episode after Samia and Martian get into their public argument,Samia instantly recognizes him and willingly gets into his car.
It does not seem like Osman is necessarily a threat to Samia, especially considering his name is a transliteration of the Arabic name Uthman, which means “trustworthy friend.” Before he picks her up,Osman takes a photo of Samia talking to Martian on the street. He could have traveled from Ethiopia with Samia and could be an associate of her husband. If Samia turns out to be an operative herself, he could be her professional partner. Osman’s identity will surely be revealed in future episodes ofThe Agency.
The Agency
Cast
The Agency is a 2024 espionage thriller following covert CIA agent Martian, who is recalled to London Station, disrupting his undercover life. As a former romance rekindles, Martian’s career and true identity are jeopardized, leading him into a high-stakes world of international intrigue and deception.
